Update October 7th, 2005

Dear Good Shepherd,

This coming Wednesday evening at 7:00pm, our friends from the Messianic Jewish community (Jewish people who believe in Jesus Christ) will celebrate Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, in the sanctuary at Good Shepherd. This is the day Christian Jews remember and repent of their sins and celebrate the fact that Jesus, their messiah and ours, died on the cross to atone for the sins of the whole world.

So that we might remember and celebrate the Atonement with them, I've written the following article. Take some time this week to read it and remember what amazing and wonderful things God has done for us and for the whole world in and through the life death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Update follows the article:

"Why did Jesus Die?"

“Jesus died for my sins”

It's such a common phrase. Likely we've all said it at some point, perhaps without thought or hesitation.

But what does it really mean?

The answer to this question is the most important answer to the most important question anyone might ever ask. The answer points us to the central truth of the Christian faith. It points to an event 2000 years ago that forever changed the way human beings relate to God, to each other, and to themselves.

You probably think that I'm going to talk about God forgiving our sins.

Well, no, not exactly. Forgiveness will come up, but not yet.

To understand what it means to say, “Jesus died for my sins,” we have to start with the concept of justice. Not regular everyday human justice, but God's justice.

God is perfect in every way. That means his justice is perfect. A perfect judge cannot simply “forgive” a crime. Such an act would not represent justice but rather it would be the height of injustice. Let's say someone steals your car, drives it into a tree, and then gets arrested. What would you think if the judge were to smile down sweetly at the thief and explain to the courtroom that he has decided to let the prisoner go with no jail time, no parole, no fine, no penalty whatsoever? Would this be just? What if the crime were murder instead of theft? Such a judge would be impeached within a week.

If an imperfect human judge can't simply forgive how much more out of character is it for God, the perfect judge, the origin, standard, and measure of justice itself to let injustice go unpunished? God's very nature demands that all wrongdoing be met with perfect justice. Jesus himself said, “Be perfect, therefore, as my Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matt 5:48) Divine perfection is the standard by which all human beings will be judged.

Have you ever done anything wrong?

Don't worry you're not alone.

The bible teaches that all human beings have failed to do what is right and that all human beings are guilty of sin (Romans 3:10-18). Even the best of us have failed to live perfectly.

And yet though God is perfectly just and all human beings are guilty of sin, the bible teaches that God has provided a way for human beings to be forgiven and reconciled.

But if God is the perfect judge, how is forgiveness possible?

Well, God is not only perfect in his judgments; he is also perfect in his love. In fact the apostle John wrote that" God is love" (1st John 4:8). He's the origin and the measure of love. It is out of God's perfect love that he created the heavens and the earth and all the plants and animals and the first human beings. He wanted us to live with him in and with each other in perfect harmony, perfect communion, unbroken by sin or selfishness. That was long ago. But he is still creating. He created you and he created me and he loves us with a perfect love, a love that is beyond all measure, limitations, or boundaries.

But doesn't this pose an irresolvable dilemma? How can God act toward humanity with perfect justice and with perfect love toward? Wouldn't his justice require our punishment and his love require our forgiveness?

Yes, it does. And this is the glory of the cross.

On the cross of Jesus Christ, God's perfect justice and perfect love meet perfectly. In the person of Jesus, God himself took on human nature and bore in his passion and death the full and complete penalty for the sins of all humanity (Romans 3:21-26).

But how can one man pay for the sins of the world? They are infinite in number?

Jesus of Nazareth was fully God. In his divinity Jesus, as God the Son bore the innumerable sins of humanity.

Well, how is it just for God himself to be punished for human sins?

Jesus of Nazareth was also fully human. He was like us in every way except he did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). In this way God, as a human being, justly stood as the representative substitute for all humanity.

Through his death, God in Jesus Christ made it possible for God the Father to justly forgive human sin and declare human beings righteous in his sight.

Thus, Jesus died on the cross for the sins of all humanity.

But there is one more thing.

God in Jesus Christ made it possible for human beings to be forgiven and declared righteous. But it's up to you and I as individuals to access that forgiveness and righteousness personally.

How?

That is where repentance and trust comes in. When an individual recognizes his guilt, repents of his sins, and invites Jesus Christ into his heart, trusting in His work accomplished on the cross, then that person is forgiven of all his sins, past present and future on the basis of Jesus' death on his behalf.

When you personally come to faith in Jesus Christ, God forgives you of all your sins, even the sins you haven't yet committed (God can do that, he's eternal) on the basis of Jesus' death on the cross.

And because of that everyone who believes has as Paul says, "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."(Romans 5:1-5)

Peace with God. That is what you and I and all beleivers have now and will enjoy forever thanks to Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord!.

The next time you say, “Jesus died on the cross for my sins” think about what it means.

It means God loves you so much that he gave his only Son so that you could live with him forever.

Have blessed Yom Kippur.

Here's the news:

Update Contents:

RECTOR'S FORUM

WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY

GUEST SPEAKER

105th ANNUAL HARVEST DINNER

BEGINNERS BIBLE STUDY

NEW BEGINNERS

THANKS FROM THE ECW

SOUTH SIDE ECUMENICAL COUNCIL

YOM KIPPUR

BUFFALO BILLS

NEWS

RECTOR'S FORUM: There will be a Rector's Forum this Sunday between services (9:15am) in place of the Family Life class. There will be many many families out of town this week for the long weekend and we are at such a crucial juncture in the discussion (conflict in marriage) that we've decided to go ahead and postpone the discussion until the following Sunday, the 16th. So if you've been attending the Family Life discussion during the Christian Ed hour and you're going to be out of town this weekend, don't worry, you won't miss out. We'll pick up where we left off when you get back.

The Rector's Forum is a time set aside for you to ask questions about any topic at all from God and the bible to things going on in the church and world. I have some updates to share and some news to pass on and I also want to talk a bit about our goals for the year but that leaves the great bulk of the time open for your questions and discussion. Hope to see you there.

WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY: The Women's Bible Study returns to the regular time and place this Saturday, 10:00am in the parish hall. All women of every age are invited and welcome to come and bring as many friends as you like!

GUEST SPEAKER: Next Sunday the 16th , we will play host to a guest speaker, Fr.Don Brown, from Food for the Poor. Good Shepherd became a supporter of Food For the Poor one year ago. As a supporting parish they send out a speaker once a year to talk about their organization and their mission. It's our turn next week.

You have given so very much this year to Hurricane and Tsunami relief, to the parish operating fund, and to our own soup kitchen, the Shepherd's Bowl. I almost regret the timing of the visit, but, well, this was scheduled long ago.

Well, as I've said, you've all been so very generous in every way this year so please don't worry or fret if you can't help this time. But do come anyway and worship the Lord with your brothers and sisters and hear his Word. Hope to see you there.

THE 105th ANNUAL HARVEST DINNER: Is coming up on Wednesday October 19 th . It seems that all of the leadership roles have been filled! Thank you to everyone who volunteered for this so early. Now all we need is some Indians for all of these chiefs. If you are interested in lending a hand, please sign up on the sheet in the parish hall.

BEGINNERS BIBLE STUDY: Last week we started to discuss Ezekiel 1-3

Next week we'll continue in Ezekiel discussing Ezekiel 4-7.

Ezekiel will be the final book before the current crop of Beginners graduates and the study morphs into a regular bible study.

For that reason I gave two assignments that will cover the next two weeks. 1. Finish reading Ezekiel and 2. Start reading the Gospel of Matthew.

Matthew will be the first book that we study as a real in depth bible study, so it would be wonderful if, by the time we start, everyone had already read through Matthew once and had an eye to where the book is going. Matthew is the most descriptive and most detailed gospel and it is perfect for the beginner. I'm excited about starting there and I hope you are too.

Second note: NEW BEGINNERS: The beginner's bible study is almost complete. In two more weeks the current class of beginners will graduate and what is presently the Beginner's Bible Study will morph into a regular bible study on the same night. The beginners are no longer beginners. They now have a solid basis of knowledge that will enable the to begin reading and understanding the bible by themselves and in a regular bible study.

I light of the success of this program, I am going to organize a new beginners bible study for a new crop of students. If you are interested in the beginner's program and would like to participate, please let me know. If you were a member of the first beginner's bible class but had to drop out for any reason, you are invited to join this one. If you'd like to join either email me at lambeth@flash.net , or call me at 723-8032 (leave a message if no one answers).

Hope to see you there.

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH WOMEN (ECW) would like to thank everyone for our very successful Rummage Sale on October 1 st . Leftover Rummage was given to worthy charitable organizations. By Mary Lindsey.

SOUTH SIDE ECUMENICAL COUNCIL (SSEC) is collecting donations for the purchase of thanksgiving turkeys for poor families. If you would like to help, please put your donation in an envelope addressed to the SSEC and place it in the offering plate. Thank you, Mary Lindsey

YOM KIPPUR: The Jewish Day of Atonement is coming up THIS WEDNESDAY October the 12th . Rabbi Ron Goldberg, a Messianic Jewish Rabbi (A Messianic Jew is a Jewish person who believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior), has asked to lead a Yom Kippur service that night for other Jewish believers in the area at Good Shepherd. And he'd like to extend an invitation to the people of Good Shepherd to join them.

This is a wonderful opportunity to worship our Lord Jesus Christ along with our elder brothers and sisters in the faith (which is how Paul describes the relationship between Jewish and Gentile Christians. We Gentiles are to consider and respect Jewish believers as elder siblings in Christ) The service begins at 7:00pm.

BUFFALO BILLS: Don Dean has volunteered to lead a group from Good Shepherd to a Bills game this fall. He has already purchased 15 tickets for the November 27th Buffalo Bills v. Carolina Panthers game in Buffalo. If you'd like to go along you can buy a ticket from Don for $50.00. Sounds like a great deal. First come first serve.

GOOD NEWS FOR THE WEEK:

The LORD said [to Moses], "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."

      But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

      And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain." (Exodus 3:7-12)

Don't forget to....BRING A FRIEND TO CHURCH!

Daily Schedule for the week of Sunday October 9th, 2005

Monday:
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer

Tuesday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
9:00 a.m. Tuesday Morning Bible Study (Chapters 1&2 of 1st John)
7:00 p.m. The Bible for Beginners (Ezekiel)

Wednesday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
Anne's in the office all day; my study day

7:00pm YOM KIPPUR service led by messianic Rabbi Ron Goldberg

Thursday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
5:30 p.m. Shepherd's Bowl
7:30 p.m. Thursday Evening Bible Study (still on hold)

7:30 p.m. Choir practice

Friday

6:30 a.m. Men's Breakfast/Bible Study (Romans 7)

8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer

my sermon writing day

Saturday:

10:00 a.m. Women's Bible Study (Deuteronomy)

Sunday October 16th: Proper 24 year A
8:00am Holy Communion II and Sermon

9:15 Christian Education for All ages
10:30 am Holy Communion II, Music and Sermon

God bless you all!

In Christ

Matt+