Sunday 10/30 - Wear red!

Five hundred ninety-four years ago this Monday, Martin Luther began what became known as the Reformation. A priest and a monk, Luther had been awakened to the surpassing grace of God and become disturbed at how little the Church seemed to reflect that Good News. He hoped to help people know the real presence of Jesus Christ in their everyday lives.

This seal, known as the Luther Rose, is here surrounded by three principles of the Reformation. In place of lesser authorities, Luther preached that we should rely on the Word alone (the living presence of Christ in the Bible and the sacraments). Also that we are saved by God's grace alone - not by how good we are, not by how hard we work, only by God's gracious gift. And finally, that this happens in our life by faith alone, only by trust in God's promises.

Come hear God's good Word of grace in Jesus Christ. Pastor Gordon Huff will preach and preside at a service of Holy Communion beginning at 11am. Please remember to wear red, the color of the saints and witnesses who have gone before us.

St. Matthews Lutheran Church
85 Wayne Street (btwn Barrow & Jersey Aves)
Downtown Jersey City
201-432-9319
stmatthewsjc.org
Congregation news:
After church this Sunday we will be gathering for fellowship and to help with two projects.
+ Setting up for next weekend's rummage sale
+ Filling bags of groceries for the Hyacinth AIDS Foundation

God bless you always!

Sunday 10/23 worship at 11am

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: "Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy." And then the Lord gave ten commandments for the people to follow. Leviticus 19:1-2

Over the years, the commandments might have picked up a bad reputation with some, fueled by those who would impose them on others, or who seem to delight in punishing lawbreakers. But the commandments were given not by these lesser authorities, but by God. And you might simply take them as guidelines for good behavior. We don't need a heavenly enforcer to know that killing, stealing, jealousy, failure to rest, and disrespect to others eventually leads to bad results.

But look back to the way God gives the commandments: not to keep people in line, but out of God's desire that we share in the holiness, the righteousness, the goodness that is God's very nature. "You shall be holy..."

This Sunday, we'll share in God's goodness at an 11am service of Holy Communion. Rev. Lee Schleicher, a friend of David & Caroline Sitler's, will lead us in worship. His sermon is titled "Why We're Here."

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

St. Matthews Lutheran Church
85 Wayne Street (btwn Barrow & Jersey Aves)
Downtown Jersey City
201-432-9319
stmatthewsjc.org
Congregation news:
On each of the next two Sundays we will be completing surveys to help us in strategic planning and the process to call a pastor. Please plan to join us on one of these Sundays and share your thoughts and hopes.
 

Sunday 10/16 Worship at 11am

God, my Savior, the Mighty One, has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. Luke 1:46-55, edited.

Mary, with Jesus in her womb, sings of God's goodness, of God's power, of her trust in God's action on behalf of those in need. At a time when Wall Street is occupied, and people question the powers of this world, Mary's song echoes through the centuries with radical hope.

This Sunday at our 11am worship service we will sing of God's goodness, God's mercy, God's surprising love of justice and action on behalf of the oppressed and marginalized. Our dear friend Sat Reddy, visiting from India, will be our preacher.

Come, hear God's good news!

St. Matthews Lutheran Church
85 Wayne Street (btwn Barrow & Jersey Aves)
Downtown Jersey City
201-432-9319
stmatthewsjc.org

Congregation news:

We had a fabulous time at the Jersey City PRIDE Festival last Sunday!

Sunday 10/9 Worship at 11am

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6

This Sunday we continue our journey seeking revival, renewal, and reformation. We hear the Apostle Paul write from prison. No doubt he has much to worry about - yet his word is to put aside cares and bring all your concerns to the Lord. The apostle is confident that even as this new community in Christ is forming, God is re-forming the people in the image of Christ: as servants, as healers, as givers and forgivers, as citizens of a new kind of kingdom.

Rev. Judith Spindt will preach and preside at a service of Holy Communion, starting at 11am. Please join us in prayer, in thanksgiving, and in the love of Christ.

God hears you, and welcomes you.

St. Matthews Lutheran Church
85 Wayne Street (btwn Barrow & Jersey Aves)
Downtown Jersey City
201-432-9319
stmatthewsjc.org
Congregation news:
The Congregation Council will meet Monday 10/10, light meal at 6:30, meeting from 7-8:30pm.