Lutheran World Relief Donations

Do to necessary adjustments made by Lutheran World Relief, Messiah Lutheran Church will NOT be a gathering location for quilts, school, personal, or infant care kits this October. If you or your congregation have donations for Lutheran World Relief, they can be dropped of at Church of the Brethren located at 1451 Dundee Rd (Route 25) Elgin, IL.  Donations will be collected year round Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm. Drop-off appointments are highly encouraged and can be made by calling (847) 742-5100. 

ANNOUNCEMENT

• The service will be shorter than usual, about 30 minutes long, and will not include holy communion.
• We ask that people stay seated in their cars for the duration of the service. This is the guidance received from the Metro Chicago Synod as the best way to ensure social distancing. 
• We ask that cars enter the parking lot from Vernon Avenue and park in the designated spots, which angle facing southeast or northeast, pointed toward the playground.  
• We ask that you keep a parking space between you and the closest other car.
• Cars should contain family members only, or those who already are part of your regular "pod" of people living together.
• Worship leaders will be standing at the east end of the parking lot, close to the playground fence. The service will be broadcast over loudspeakers.
• Feel free to roll down windows or open car doors. However, if you are closer than 6 feet to someone else, we recommend that you wear a mask.

We will continue to post our weekly worship services found on the Messiah Lutheran Church Facebook group.  To receive worship notifications, you can subscribe to our email list by selecting the About Us tab on the left, then click join our email list.  Updated information will be sent when it becomes available. 

Our Assistance Ministry team has begun to assemble and distribute bagged lunches for community members in need. At this point we cannot allow guests inside the church building. When a guests arrives at the church they should ring the doorbell and a bagged lunch will be handed to you. Should you be in need of any toiletries please let the Assistance Ministry team member what you need and they will get it for you. The Assistance Ministry hours will resume at the normal time every Monday morning from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and we are looking forward to continuing our weekly outreach to the community of Park Ridge. 

After Pentecost: One with authority

A few years ago, when a doctor told me that a disease had been detected in part of my body, I took his words seriously. I did not respond, “That’s just, like, your opinion, man.” This doctor had authority, at least for me, and I followed his advice on how to address the physical problem.

The place of authority would seem pretty clear in the world of doctors and medicine. Those with medical training, experience, and skills have authority. But as we have found out in the Covid pandemic, that is not necessarily the case. Americans have a strong instinct to resist authorities of all kinds, doctors included.

Which raises the question: what gives someone authority over any part of our lives? Who do we take seriously?

Authority is especially mysterious when it comes to religion. No one can really force us to believe a certain way—which is why we tend to resent anyone who tries to coerce us in matters of faith.

Jesus doesn’t try to strongarm us into believing him. He does not point to a diploma on the wall, or to his resume of accomplishment, or to a list of famous people who endorse him. Jesus comes armed only with the truth of his words and the truth of his life. He comes to us as one willing to suffer for the truth of his beliefs, and who reaches out graciously to all people. He comes to us as one who trusts God with his life, and lives a life based on prayer, in tune with the realm of the Spirit.

Jesus’ way of living carries its own authority. The spiritual force of Jesus’ words is backed up by the spiritual force of his life. Jesus speaks out of the Spirit of God to the Spirit of God at work in us. Jesus’ kind of authority is an authority we sense even if we can’t prove it or demonstrate it to anyone else. The only way we can prove it is by living it out.

Faithfully,

Pastor David

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GREETINGS!

Our congregation was officially organized on May 7, 1954 with 35 people present. Since then, Messiah has thrived in the community, and has strived to make Christ’s love known to all who enter our doors – through worship, through education, through our facilities, and through fellowship.

Thank you for your interest in us.  If you would like to learn more about us, or would like to become a part of the fellowship of Jesus Christ here at Messiah, please contact our pastor, either in person, by phone, by email, or with a letter. We look forward to hearing from you!