Card Ministry is Back!

Please mark your calendars for July 29th from 9:00 – 10:30am at Concordia. Plan to gather and enjoy time with Sharon Ema, our Director of the Healing Arts. Sharon is a hidden treasure…as she ministers with our Pastors to meet the spiritual and physical needs of our Concordia family. Sharon will discuss the Card Ministry. Learn how you can participate in this ministry outreach! We will share creative ideas and the ongoing Card Ministry. We will enjoy making a card to share (no previous experience necessary.) We will meet in the Atrium room located behind the information desk. See you soon! ~ Cindy Roma

VBS Desitination DigThank you to all the volunteers and donors of supplies to make the VBS a success! The activities and items from Concordiaʼs Health Team were enjoyed by the families. Thank you to Rebecca Schultz for her leadership!

Missouri Botanical Garden WalkCome for a walk at the Missouri Botanical Gardens! Free entry to the Garden on August 18th from 9 – 11 am but will need an ID with address. In addition to the gardens, there is also a monumental outdoor sculpture

exhibition of Origami in the Garden. The exhibition of 18 awe-inspiring large-scale sculptures features flying birds, painted ponies, emerging butterflies, floating boats, a majestic tower that creates the illusion of 1,000 stainless steel origami peace cranes hovering above the water, and more.If you would like to join us at Ziaʼs on the Hill for lunch, at your own cost following our time at the Garden, please email Sharon Ema at sema@ckhome.org or at 314-822-7772 by August 10th so we can reserve a place at the table.

Shepherd's Center on the MoveGrab & Go BBQFriday, September 17, 5:00-7:00Webster Groves Christian Church Parking Lot1320 W. Lockwood Ave., Glendale, 63122BBQ meals to go with all of your favorite sides will be available for curbside pickup.Tickets are $20 each. You can purchase them by contacting Jerry Witte at jerrywitte@charter.net or Sharon Ema at sema@ckhome.org. Or online at https://shepherdscenter-wk.org/home/grab-and-go/All proceeds benefit the Shepherd Centerʼs essential services for older adults – medical transportation, grocery delivery and more.

GraceNotes will have a brief break from next week’s issue. We will return in August!

The Readings for Worship this Weekend:Ephesians 3:14-21

Mark 3:20-27

Prayers of the ChurchWeek of July 19

Prayer of Thanksgiving: For all of Concordiaʼs volunteers who gave of their time and talents for the children of Vacation Bible School so that they could learn about the love of Jesus.

Wedding: Cheyenne Devore and Christopher Sandifer (7/24)

Youth celebrating their Baptismal Birthdays this week: Baker Zumwalt, Hunter Wedel, Ian Royer, Henry Gillam, Kaitlyn Davis, Gavin Kelsch, Jackson Bopp, Stanley Bryant, Augustus Frisch, John Frisch, Brynn Benkelman, Curran Stephens, Jaxson Stengel, Aaron Welti, Ryder Welti

Adults celebrating their Birthdays this week: Judy Briscoe, Denise Olson, Diane Neuhaus, Paige Hagen

We pray for…Jewel Wagner

Members and friends of Concordia with medical concerns… Lori Boothmanʼs cousin, David RommelmannDebbie Davisʼ mother, Donna OehlertTim Emaʼs brother, Matt EmaTina Erdbruegger brother, BruceJohn HarnessLynn Hillmann and Terry Torgersonʼs brother, Darrel MuellerJim KilleJeanette and Jim Killeʼs friend, Mike JawahirAnita Kreienkampʼs sister, Marjorie RosenkotterDebbie KreienkampJeanette MarcusJulie McCormickKay MeyerCarlton NebelMary Partridgeʼs friend, Barb RogersBernard ReinertSharon Rose

Marge Schuppanʼs brother, RayAlice TrebusJudie Van Hooserʼs stepsonʼs wife, Kim Leadbetter and Kimʼs mother, Doris FainLori VogesAnn Yemm

Sympathy: For Nancy Schjolberg , Mark Schjolberg, Amy Turek and family upon the death of their husband/father Jim (6/29)For Sue Alkire and family upon the death of her son, Jon (6/27)For Shirley Croak and family upon the death of her brother, Bill Altmann

We also pray: For Christ Community International (Uganda school) as they struggle with the resurgence of the virus..For all of those who are affected by the Coronavirus and those caring for them throughout the world...

For all those who serve in the military in the combat zone, and their families…Lindsay Barnes, Cynthia Camp, Erik Carlson, Pete Carlson, Andrew Detmers, Elizabeth Hays, Julie Ritz, Michael Smith

For all who serve in the military not in the combat zone, first responders, and their families… Tom Saeger, Tom Watson

power, all our practices of worship, are ways of dying to ourselves and letting Another live in us so that the power at work in us is the power of creation and new creation, not the devilʼs petty powers of coercion and death.

Crouch, Andy. Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power (p. 274). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

We pray: Oh, God, today help us to live with faith. Let our faith not be too small. Help us to look to You and Your infinite glory, and greatness, and grandeur, and majesty, and power. Keep us, oh God, from trusting in our power. Help us to trust in Your power. Help us not to underestimate You in our praying. As we pray for others, as we serve others, help us to use whatever power You entrust to us to Your glory and for the flourishing and joy of the people around us. In Jesusʼ name. Amen.

July 25: Godʼs Plan for Power and Strength 3:14-21 August 1: Godʼs Plan for Unity Among Believers 4:1-7, 11-16 August 8: Godʼs Plan for Renewed Life 4:17-5:2 August 15: Godʼs Plan for Light in the Darkness 5:6-21 August 22: Godʼs Plan for Loving Relationships 5:21-33 August 29: Godʼs Plan for Lifeʼs Battles 6:10-18

Blessings,Pastor Bongard

Weekly DevotionEphesians Sermon Series: God’s Plan

God’s Plan for Power and StrengthAs we continue our series on Ephesians we turn to chapter 3, where Paul describes Godʼs plan for power and strength. If you have mixed feelings about the word “power,” you are not alone. Most of us have experienced the misuse of power at some time in our lives – coercion, force, unnecessary constriction. The news is filled with stories of people whose misuse of power harms others. Today in Ephesians we get to see that God has other plans for power. When combined with love, Godʼs power is a gift dwelling in us by the Spirit and it enables human flourishing. When power is used well people, and even all creation, come more alive to what we were meant to be.

Begin by reading Ephesians 3:7-14:

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into Godʼs love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all Godʼs people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

In his book Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power, author Andy Crouch takes a deep dive into what power means for Christ followers. His premise is that power is a gift of God. It comes from God, who meant it to be used for human flourishing. God – more powerful than anyone or anything we know – used his divine power to create the universe and to entrust human beings to join him in helping all creation flourish. Yet. like so many good gifts of God, people often misuse the gift of power for selfish ends. Instead of life and flourishing, we distort this good gift into bringing death and destruction.

Take a moment to read this quote from Playing God. As you do, reflect on your own use of power. What needs to change? How can you use whatever power God has given you to help the people around you to flourish and experience joy?

Our power will come to its end, one way or another, in protest or praise of the only true power that created, redeemed and sustained the world. It is faith, hope and love that abide, not sex, money and power—all three of these fleeting gifts only exist to draw us toward those lasting realities. All the disciplines that guide and guard our use of

power, all our practices of worship, are ways of dying to ourselves and letting Another live in us so that the power at work in us is the power of creation and new creation, not the devilʼs petty powers of coercion and death.

Crouch, Andy. Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power (p. 274). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

We pray: Oh, God, today help us to live with faith. Let our faith not be too small. Help us to look to You and Your infinite glory, and greatness, and grandeur, and majesty, and power. Keep us, oh God, from trusting in our power. Help us to trust in Your power. Help us not to underestimate You in our praying. As we pray for others, as we serve others, help us to use whatever power You entrust to us to Your glory and for the flourishing and joy of the people around us. In Jesusʼ name. Amen.

July 25: Godʼs Plan for Power and Strength 3:14-21 August 1: Godʼs Plan for Unity Among Believers 4:1-7, 11-16 August 8: Godʼs Plan for Renewed Life 4:17-5:2 August 15: Godʼs Plan for Light in the Darkness 5:6-21 August 22: Godʼs Plan for Loving Relationships 5:21-33 August 29: Godʼs Plan for Lifeʼs Battles 6:10-18

Blessings,Pastor Bongard

Weekly DevotionEphesians Sermon Series: God’s Plan

God’s Plan for Power and StrengthAs we continue our series on Ephesians we turn to chapter 3, where Paul describes Godʼs plan for power and strength. If you have mixed feelings about the word “power,” you are not alone. Most of us have experienced the misuse of power at some time in our lives – coercion, force, unnecessary constriction. The news is filled with stories of people whose misuse of power harms others. Today in Ephesians we get to see that God has other plans for power. When combined with love, Godʼs power is a gift dwelling in us by the Spirit and it enables human flourishing. When power is used well people, and even all creation, come more alive to what we were meant to be.

Begin by reading Ephesians 3:7-14:

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into Godʼs love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all Godʼs people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

In his book Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power, author Andy Crouch takes a deep dive into what power means for Christ followers. His premise is that power is a gift of God. It comes from God, who meant it to be used for human flourishing. God – more powerful than anyone or anything we know – used his divine power to create the universe and to entrust human beings to join him in helping all creation flourish. Yet. like so many good gifts of God, people often misuse the gift of power for selfish ends. Instead of life and flourishing, we distort this good gift into bringing death and destruction.

Take a moment to read this quote from Playing God. As you do, reflect on your own use of power. What needs to change? How can you use whatever power God has given you to help the people around you to flourish and experience joy?

Our power will come to its end, one way or another, in protest or praise of the only true power that created, redeemed and sustained the world. It is faith, hope and love that abide, not sex, money and power—all three of these fleeting gifts only exist to draw us toward those lasting realities. All the disciplines that guide and guard our use of