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     In creating the Sabbath, God set aside a time for rest and for worship, a time for humankind to recognize its relationship to the Creator and all created things. Worship was not an afterthought of the Creator but affirmed what is essential in human beings.
     Worship is essential to the beauty and life of the soul. Sabbath is God’s wonderful affirmation of the best of being human--not what is perfect, but what is best. The best within us is awakened in this presence. Few people feel as fully alive as those who have truly worshiped.
     Worship is our invitation to come into a time and place where heaven and earth touch. When we pray, receive the bread and wine, hear God’s word, or sing our songs of praise, we enter into a timeless community and are surrounded by those who have gone before us and those who are yet to come to faith. God is honored in a people whose destiny is beyond time and space. Whenever and wherever we worship we come into the presence of the one true God.

     Everyone wants something! Utility costs go up, gas prices are unpredictable, and expenses associated with each of our lives continue to outpace our income. And yet, as we move into the second half of our Stewardship campaign, we also move towards another mark of discipleship – that of giving.
     Webster’s dictionary defines giving as a verb, an action; to turnover the possession or control of to someone without cost or exchange; to hand over.
     This mark is often viewed as payment of “dues”. How much do I need to put in the envelope? How much more can I afford to give?
     While commitment and fulfillment of one’s faith promise is important, this mark goes beyond that, to a mentality that challenges each of us to look at all we have, what is our cause, our purpose to fulfill God’s will and then decide what to give.
     As we learn to give, we grow closer to God. He is the unmatchable giver. He does not cap the abundance of His gifts to us. He does not choose a point in time in which he has “given enough”. Rather, He nurtures us with boundless love, acceptance, and gift of life.
     Throughout the month of November, you will hear and see more about Giving. Prayerfully consider what you have that can be, and should be, given to God.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Matthew 6:21

Service

     We are strengthening our understanding and commitment to service during the month of October at Zion. The call to serve is the command of the Savior to allow God’s love to flow through us into our love-starved world. God connects us with the kingdom of heaven when we serve in the church and beyond. Our time and effort do not go unnoticed by the Savior who is Lord of the church. He who sees even the smallest of our contributions smiles and blesses us for them.
Ask Him, “Lord, how can I serve?”
      Please join us and bring your friends and family to hear God’s word about how we grow in our discipleship by serving on Sunday, October 2nd. The following Sundays in October will feature a display of ways that Zion members serve in our congregation, community and world and your chance to identify how your new ideas about service might be a calling for you. A new, shorter version of the Sharing the Ministry form will enable you to commit to meaningful areas of service for just the next six months.

Questions to God
     How is that parking lot ever going to get paid for? Why aren’t there more folks attending weekly worship? Where are all the children? What are we going to do about the heat bill at Zion this winter?
Unfortunately, I am not able to answer the above questions for you, but I know who can. . . and you know Him, too. He is God, our Father. The Councelor. The Holy One.
     It’s not always so easy to ask God questions, whether large or small, and actually wait for His answer, His will. God will often surprise me with an answer to a question I had long given up listening for. Although disappointed in my humanness of forgetting to wait on the Lord, these surprises are really grace moments. We all have them and when they occur, I am reminded how, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We are not alone in this!
     God’s Good News is that no matter where we are in our walk with His Son, we can always call upon Him for renewal. He will always forgive a contrite heart. He will always keep His Spirit with us. He has promised these things to us.
     I believe that is truly Good News! We, God’s children who are Zion Lutheran Church are called to live and share His Good News. This is not an easy task, and it’s one reason why we’re called to gather together. We need to support one another in our growth as Christians. But how?
     How is a great place to start asking. God has told us how we can deepen our Christian life through His teachings. He has called us to pray, to worship Him, to study His Word, to serve and give to others. Our stewardship campaign this year is a call to be a steward of your life in Christ. It’s a call to be a disciple of Christ. We are going to be looking at the six marks of a disciple. Daily Prayer, Weekly Worship, Bible Reading, Service, Spiritual Friendships and Giving. We will focus on one mark each month, beginning with Service. As Christians, we all share in the experience of the Good News. We all sin and then we are all called to the Cross of Christ to ask forgiveness. We are called to daily repentance and renewal. We are called to serve. We are called together in mission. This mission has ‘big’ questions. I believe if we answer the questions that are bigger than us as a congregation of Zion, the answers to Zion’s concerns will be answered as well.
Please, let’s begin to ask God more questions . . . and let’s pray for strength to wait out His answers. How can I support a brother or sister in Christ at Zion? How can I use my personal gifts to serve? What can I learn from spending ten minutes per day in silence with God? How can I open myself to hear you, Lord? How can I exhibit God’s glory in my daily life? How can I make my little corner of the world an example of how much I appreciate all God has given to me?

The Fourth Mark of Discipleship
“Serving in and beyond the congregation”
by Jim Thomas
     “Serving”, the fourth mark of discipleship, is a great way to implement Zion’s vision statement. The following personal testimonies illustrate our call to “serve” God, ultimately bringing Christ’s peace and healing to our diverse community.
Worship (Worshipping) - God has gifted us with many musical talents. My passion for music has led me to “serve” this congregation in the choir, handbell choir director, Taize instrumentalist, campfire service leader, and impromptu percussionist. The significant time and effort to worship activities can strengthen your spiritual vitality, just as it has strengthened mine.
     Learning (Teaching) - As many have said before me, “the best way to learn is to teach”. My “serving” as a Sunday school teacher and confirmation class presenter has lead me to read and study the bible, the creeds, The Lord’s Prayer, The Ten Commandments and the sacraments. By teaching others, we receive knowledge through personal study, we receive understanding through conversations with others and we receive wisdom through the intercession of the Holy Spirit.
     Nurturing - The commitment to support and encourage others to find Christ in their lives and help them grow spiritually (another mark of discipleship) is a real human need in today’s society. “Serving” as a mentor, or another similar capacity, I or “we change the world, one situation at a time” [Michael W. Foss].
     Equipping – Resources play a major part in implementing any “service” project. Planning, as well as gathering people, tools, materials and (oh yes) money to provide, church upkeep, pastoral services, youth programs, ELCA benevolence, etc. is all part of our responsibility to equip Zion with the resources to help the community and the world.
     Witnessing – Outreach is a wonderful way to “serve” as witnesses in our community. Many hands make the work easier. The church’s willingness to help flood victims and other natural disaster victims is a positive response to fulfilling God’s will and a witness as to who we are.
     The rewards for “serving” are infinite. The joy you experience by lovingly helping others is well worth the time and energy expended. “Your “service” will be measured not in terms of hours in preparation or serving, but in the invisible touch you have on the lives of others” [Michael W. Foss]. May the Holy Spirit fill our lives with the passion to fulfill Zion’s vision through “service”.

Help for Your Prayer Life
Daily prayer is one of the marks of discipleship. Nevertheless, many Christians feel “inadequate” when in comes to praying and say that they sometimes wonder if they’re “doing it right.” We long for that closeness to God but feel conflicted when our prayer life seems empty or dry.
The ELCA has developed a new resource on its website that offers excellent support for individuals and congregations seeking to strengthen their prayer life. Hopefully, the site will become a favorite, providing inspiration for personal devotional time www.elca.org/prayer.