The Truth of God’s Word – A journey Into 2021
December 2020
June 2020
Letter from Pastor John
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
A question on everyone’s mind lately is, “When will Timothy resume in-person worship?” While we appreciate the hard work and dedication of numerous volunteers and staff to shift our services to an online format, we long for the chance to gather in worship together.
This question has weighed heavily on Timothy’s leaders for the past few weeks, especially as restrictions on in-person gatherings have relaxed. We want to strike a balance between our members’ desire to be together with the need to do so safely. We also want to resume public worship with as little change or disruption as possible so that, when we come together, our worship experience is as similar as possible before the pandemic.
After much deliberation and after studying suggestions from the Missouri District and guidelines from federal, state, and local governments, Timothy’s leaders plan to resume in-person worship on July 11 & 12, hoping that Jackson County will be in Phase 3 of its recovery plan by then.
There will still be changes to the worship services and times. Going forward, only three in-person worship services will occur each weekend: Saturday at 6pm at RD Mize, Sunday at 9am at RD Mize, and Sunday at 10am at Wyatt. This will allow adequate time to clean the worship spaces after each service. The 10am service at Wyatt will also live stream via Facebook and YouTube.
During these worship services, face masks will be encouraged but not required, and physical distancing between family groups will be encouraged as well. Offering plates will be stationed at the room exits.
Holy Communion will resume in August once the logistics of worship are in place.
Finally, it is important to note that these plans are dependent upon the assumption that Jackson County will enter Phase 3 of its recovery plan in July. If the county delays that transition, Timothy will delay the return to in-person worship as well. In addition, if another stay-at-home order is issued, Timothy’s services will immediately transition back to online worship for the duration.
This has been a difficult time, and we appreciate your patience and prayers. Please bear with us as we work to transition to a new normal of touching lives for Christ.
Under the mercy,
Pastor John
Thank You Letter From Jesús El Buen Pastor
The Lutheran Church of Jesus the Good Shepherd
3007 Mercier Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64108
Pastor F E Eberhart, Pantry Administrator, 913-707-3518 pastorfee@gmail.com ;
Timothy Lutheran Church
425 NW R D Mize Rd,
Blue Springs, MO 64014
June 1, 2020
Dear Brothers and Sisters at Timothy,
Thank you for your persistent love! You recently sent three pickup trucks loaded with a variety of groceries for the Food Pantry at Jesus El Buen Pastor Lutheran Church.
We are now regularly serving more than 100 client families a week. Because of Covid-19 our system has changed. God has not changed.
We have the chance to share the Gospel with a printed bilingual devotion and are never hesitant to proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord, the very light of God shining in darkness. Our masked clients and masked volunteers cannot stop that light. We serve five families at a time. Only one person may enter for the family. Children must wait with a caregiver. No longer do we serve a dinner or give an embrace. Clients accept this and understand. Yet the Holy Spirit allows us to show His love and power as we do all things in the Name of Jesus.
But as funds dry up and groceries are hard to replace, we ask God to show us how we are to feed the multitude. Harvesters is great for fruit and vegetables but other items are also in demand, soups, sauces, oil, sugar, flour, all the standard groceries.
So God says to us through Gary Flandermeyer and Associates and Timothy Lutheran Church, “It’s under control. Before you ask or even think about asking, it is under control. Trust me!”
All four Gospel writers include miracle of the the feeding of the five thousand. But Luke’s version is my favorite. The disciples come to Jesus and wonder how the multitude is going to get food. Our Lord’s first response to them was, “You feed them.”
Then they had to learn trust and obedience and Jesus showed them the way through thanksgiving and prayer and a love so deep that it is almost beyond comprehension.
“You feed them.”
And the saints of St. Timothy, Blue Springs, Missouri, said, Okay, Lord! And it happened! Thank you so much. God bless you and uphold you with His Spirit. It is my joy to serve with you.
Pastor Frank
Pantry Administrator
May 2020
Confirmation Class 2020
Kassie Ann Berthelson
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Emma Louise Freeman
Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Gretchen Elaine Freeman
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Kaya Elizabeth Gorrow
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Allie Maree Gray
Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any
powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ella Grace Hogan
Psalm 30:2
Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.
Jonathan Wesley Jackson
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!
Brody Troy LaFrentz
Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Anthony David Lorek
Proverbs 17:22
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Annabel Rose Myers
Psalm 28:7
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.
Jack Alexander Parker
Psalm 28:7
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.
Emily Grace Poynter
Jeremiah 29:13
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Alex Raelynn Taylor
Isaiah 43:18-19
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
Aidan Thomas Trout
Isaiah 43:1
But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
Aniston Paige Wulff
Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
A Praise Story – Milbrodt Family
OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD!
A STORY OF PRAISE
The following story is shared by Timothy member Laurie Milbrodt, an integral member of Timothy’s worship team. What an awesome God we serve!
The following story is shared by Timothy member Laurie Milbrodt, an integral member of Timothy’s worship team. What an awesome God we serve!“Dear Friends,
To say that our God is good is such an understatement. Today is Wednesday, and late last Friday afternoon, my husband, Matthew, was placed on a list to receive a heart transplant. He was listed as a level 6 which means he was at the bottom of the priority list. There is no way of knowing how long you will have to wait for a heart, but being at the bottom of the list meant that he would, most likely, need to get much sicker than he already was to move up the list . . . and from my perspective he was already VERY, VERY seriously ill. As I’m sure many of you know, it is awful to watch someone you love deteriorate and know there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it. So what do you do in that situation? You pray, and pray, and pray!
So as of Friday evening when he was “listed” we were to keep our phones turned on and nearby at all times so that if we got a call for a heart, we could respond within one hour to accept or reject the offer. Now Matthew gets LOTS of spam calls, so when his phone rang at 5:00am this past Sunday, in his “not quite awake stupor” he didn’t answer it. It immediately rang again so he picked it up, and it was the hospital saying they had a heart for him!! So roughly 36 hours after he was placed on the list, there was the gift of a “new” heart for Matthew. How could that be?! Only through our God.
We got to the hospital at 7:00am on Sunday, but by noon, it was determined that the surgery wouldn’t take place until the following morning. You see, when someone donates several organs, the heart is the last one to be taken, and that was the case here. So Matthew’s new heart was placed in his body early Monday morning and began beating on its own immediately. I am still (and always will be) in awe that such a thing is even possible. What a miracle!
Matthew’s surgeon told me that it was a textbook surgery. Nothing could have gone any better, and that Matthew received a “beautiful heart.” Because of the pandemic, I had to leave the hospital before Matthew woke up, and I cannot go back to visit until he is released. So, we video chat several times a day and every time I ask him if he is in pain, he says “no.” I said they must be giving him some REALLY good drugs, but he said no, that he wasn’t on pain medication, and the nurse confirmed it! How can you have your chest sawed open and your ribs spread apart and not have any pain afterward? Only through our God.
If all continues to go well, I’ll get to bring my husband home sometime next week. I would ask you for prayers that this is what will happen.
Of course, our happiness is someone else’s grief. Someone had to die in order for Matthew to receive that heart. Every time (which is multiple times a day) I think of the organ donor and their family, I am overcome with grief for them. I pray that they will be comforted in some small way, knowing that their loved one gave others the gift of life.
I am utterly undone as I contemplate the miraculous workings of our God. I cannot even fathom how much, or even why, God loves us. But I know with every fiber of my being that God orchestrated every step of this miracle. I stand in awe.”
Thank you, Lord, for continually showing your people what miracles are all about!
February 2020
JourneyMen Breakfast Bible Study
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November 2019
Steve and Janel Schild in Nepal
Steve and Janel Schild Travel Half Way Around The World To Build A Home With Habit In Nepal.
Steve and Janel in Nepal with Habitat. The community is in the most southern part of country near India. Their team is the first team to enter the community where the people have not seen westerners. Once completed, there will be 54 houses for local families.
This past week Steve and Janell Schild arrived home from Kathmandu, Nepal after joining a team with Habitat to build a home in the east region of the country near Mount Everest. This area includes not only one of the world’s most beautiful tea gardens and wildlife reserves, but also families in need of better housing.
Habitat Nepal is serving homeowners from several caste systems and ethnic groups. Despite the fact that people of many different cultures live throughout the east region, there is unity in diversity. Agriculture is the main occupation for members of this community, and monsoon winds bring enough rainfalls in the summer to support the growth of food crops like paddy, wheat and maize.
Lodging was provided in a local hotel with volunteers sharing double-occupancy rooms. Breakfast provided at the hotel, with lunch, snacks and bottled water ready at the work site. The team had the opportunity to experience dinner either at the hotel or in local restaurants.
On the work site the team was led by local, skilled workers. They helped mix mortar and cement, carry sand and gravel, soak bricks and weave bamboo – all critically important tasks as Nepalese families start their journey towards building a safe home.
The Itinerary Included:
Friday and Saturday: Depart. Grab your packed bags and head for Nepal!
Sunday: Welcome. Welcomed in Kathmandu where the team was greeted at the airport by Habitat staff. They met up with the rest of the team and enjoyed dinner in Kathmandu.
Monday: Travel. The team headed towards the host community. Along the way they learned about Habitat’s innovative work in Nepal and the team’s project for the week. Habitat staff introduced the team to the community where they stayed.
Tuesday-Sunday: Build. The team headed out to the build site where they partnered with families recovering from an earthquake in 2015.
Monday: Explore. The team departed the host community and headed back towards the airport. There was time to explore the local area and participate in excursions.
1 Corinthians 7:25-40 Concerning the Unmarried
1 Corinthians 7:25-40 Concerning the Unmarried
25 Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is. 27 Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.
29 What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife—34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
36 If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. 37 But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing. 38 So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does better.
39 A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. 40 In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.
Words to Live By:
Paul outlines two blessed estates, that of marriage and that of celibacy. We are often aware of the blessings of marriage, God’s unique gift that survived humanity’s fall into sin. Yet there are also responsibilities with marriage, and it is particularly important for the Christian to consider these when sitting down to “count the cost” of discipleship (Lk 14:28). In the Lord and by His grace, each person is fitted to one or to the other.
Living God’s Word:
Although Paul’s words were written almost two thousand years ago, his counsel rings true. Struggling marriages, quick divorces, and lonely singles are not a modern invention. Life in a fallen world is difficult. Paul’s responses to the Corinthian questions and mistakes are filled with wisdom, realism, truth—the evidences of inspiration by God’s Spirit. Some of his guidelines may not apply directly to us personally; others may be difficult to understand. But neither of those points relieves us from acting on what does apply and what we do understand. Take the clear steps of obedience, and much of the ambiguity will fall away.
Making it Real:
Are you living the life God has you living today to his glory?
Prayer:
Lord, help me understand my gifts and calling in accordance with Your Word and mission. O Christ, deliver me from all shame. Amen.
1 Corinthians 7:14-24 Concerning Change of Status
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