Sermon and Announcements December 15, 2024

 CERRO GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

December 15, 2024

Let Us Go and See

Luke 2:8-15

We continue a familiar theme. For the third week in a row, we read that an

angel of the Lord appeared out of nowhere to make an announcement. The

angel that appeared to Zechariah and Mary told them his name was Gabriel.

On this occasion, as was the case with the angel in Joseph’s dream, it simply

says an angel of the Lord appeared. In a period of just over a year’s time, an

angel appeared in one way or another four different times. It is obvious

something major was about to happen. On all four occasions those involved

were just minding their own business. They had not been seeking the Lord’s

help or direction in ways different from the past, but in all four cases an

angel appeared without warning and out of nowhere.

In every case, God had a specific reason for sending his angel to those

involved. With Zechariah and Elizabeth, the prayers they had been lifting up

to the Lord for years was finally going to be answered. Elizabeth would have

a son. He would be special to what God was about to do on behalf of all

creation.

With Mary and Joseph where we have a couple that was looking forward to

marriage and a family. They were two good and honorable people beginning

their lives together. But before they really started their lives together, God

was going to use them in ways they never dreamt could happen. The angel

came to both Mary and Joseph in different ways and at different times to

explain God’s plans for them and the son that they would raise.

Now we have a third time the angel came to speak to people who would

have never believed such a thing could happen. On this evening, we have

shepherds doing what they probably had done hundreds of times before.

They were on a hillside or a pasture keeping an eye on a flock of sheep. I am

sure it seemed like just another night. They may have been on guard to

make sure no wolves snuck in to get any of the sheep, but otherwise just

another night. But then their lives changed and the whole world was about

to change forever as well. Here we have shepherds watching their sheep

when suddenly out of nowhere someone else was there with them. This was

not some ordinary looking stranger either.

When the angel appeared to Zechariah and to Mary there is no mention of

anything special about him other than his sudden appearance. Something

was different this time. We are told that when the angel appeared the glory

of the Lord shown around them. Out on that dark hillside or pasture it

sounds like a visible sign of something special was there before the

shepherds’ eyes. As soon as the angel told the shepherds what was

happening and why he was there, things got even more exciting. As soon as

the angel finished telling the shepherds that the Savior of the world had just

been born in Bethlehem, it says a great company of the heavenly host was

there with the angel as well. We are told what the heavenly host proclaimed

but we aren’t told how they really did it. When you read of this event or

have heard it told, how do you picture it? Do you see them standing next to

the angel or do you think of them as suspended in air just above the

shepherds? Are they saying these words or in some way singing this great

announcement to all who could hear? It would appear that as quickly as the

angel and this heavenly host appeared, they were gone. If somehow, some

way something like this happened to you, what do you think you would do?

Would you believe your eyes and ears or would you think you had been out

away from people with the sheep for too long? The scripture tells us they all

agreed that they should go and see if what they were told was really true.

Have you ever been told by someone of something out of the ordinary that

you felt you had to go and see if it was really true?

I hate to admit this but as I thought about that one thing instantly came to

mind. In 1974 many of you remember Cerro Gordo had one of the best small

school basketball teams in the State of Illinois. Cathy and I were dating and

had just gone with some others to one of the Cerro Gordo basketball games.

That particular game was an away game so after the game was over, we had

come back to Cerro Gordo. Before I go any further, I will admit what Cathy

either is already thinking or will be in a minute or 2, the things I should

remember I do not and the things that are not important or I should forget I

seem to remember. On with the story. When we got back to Cerro Gordo,

we were told by some kids about something that was supposed to happen

at Millikin University. So, we loaded up and went in to see if it was true.

During the mid-70s, there was an insane craze that swept across many cities

in America, especially on college campuses – streaking! Any of you

remember that? There were supposed to be some college kids streaking

there at Millikin. For those who don’t know what that means, you take off all

your clothes and then go run on the streets. Sure enough, there were some

who were actually streaking on this rather warm February evening.

Hopefully you have thought of some better, more meaningful examples of

what you may have been led to go and see as I have shared this rather silly

example.

The shepherds faithfully went to Bethlehem and found the place where

Jesus had been born. Everything was just as they had been told. They knew

they had been blessed in ways no one else would ever be blessed. Of all the

people God could have revealed this historic event to, he chose shepherds.

Shepherds were not the most respected people. They clearly were not

respected like priests or kings or even shop keepers, but God chose

shepherds to be the first to witness this history changing event. They had a

choice. They could have said, “I am not going into town. It is late, I am tired

and it is too far.” But they didn’t. They believed they had been given a

special gift and they had to see for themselves.

God is still asking people to come and see. Maybe we will never have Gabriel

come and announce something special to us, but the Holy Spirit is still calling

us to come and see. The Bible says after the shepherds left, Mary, Joseph

and the baby Jesus returned praising and glorifying God. I am sure they told

everyone they saw from that day forward of the special blessing God had

given them. There are several things that we can learn from this event.

1. Nothing is impossible for God.

2. God will do exactly what he says he will do.

3. Everyone is special to God.

After 2000 years, God is still calling out to this world to come and see.

Pastor Larry

Announcements:

Sunday School 9:00

Tuesday 9:30 Bible Study

Today Advent special offering—envelopes are in back

Tuesday, December 17 7:00 pm Christmas service

December 31 Due date for submissions for the

January/February newsletter

January 2, 2025 Board Meeting—Commissions 6:00; Board

6:30 p.m.

Pastor Larry Traxler (217) 454-2362

First Sundays: Food Bank donations

Keep in Your Prayers

Lois Day family; Rick and Debbie Chestnut; Shirley Krall;

Bobby’s father; Ruth Siburt; Dorthea Wood; Mike and Kathy

Gentry; Paul Kohler; Steve Needham; Larry Traxler; Nancy

Fansler; Stacie Warren; Nancy Gorrell; Nora Hanaver; Ron and

Kathleen Petersen; Doug Larrick; Shirley Clarkson; David and

Jan Bower; Debbie Garvey Leibrock; Mike and Carol

Seidenstricker; Adiline Young; Mayo and Darlene Hanaver;

many unspoken requests; victims of shootings and of natural

disasters; shut-ins; the Nigerian church; the Haitian church;

those in the middle of war and violence; military and other

services and their families; Brethren Volunteer Service workers;

Disaster project workers; victims of Helene and Milton

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for the Hurricane Creek

congregation and for the Church of the Brethren in Venezuela

and Columbia.

Sermon and Announcements December 1, 2024

 CERRO GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

December 1, 2024

What Are You Waiting On?

Luke 1:5-25

Over the next three Sundays leading up to Christmas Sunday, we are going

to look at the stories of those God used to bring about the greatest gift, the

greatest miracle God gave to the world.

Today as we read in the scripture is the story of Zechariah, Elizabeth and

John. Other than another reference later in the first chapter of Luke, we do

not hear of Zechariah and Elizabeth again. These 20 verses we read this

morning have an incredible amount of detail about what was going on with

Zechariah in the temple and how he and Elizabeth were going to be used by

God to change the world forever. Let us look at who Zechariah and Elizabeth

are to begin with. The are both descendants of Aaron, which was the

brother of Moses. This shows a couple of things.

1. That Zechariah continued the tradition of priests that had first been

established through Aaron after the exodus from Egypt.

2. It also shows that even though over a thousand years had passed the

Jewish people tracked their ancestry very carefully. How many of you

here today can track your ancestors 1,000 years in the past?

Theologians say there were around 20,000 priests at this time and they were

divided into 24 groups. Obviously, the specific duties of going into the

temple and ministering for the people before God was only given to one

person at a time. The 24 groups took turns and they cast lots among the

priests of that group to determine who would enter the temple to minister

on behalf of the people. Scripture says they cast lots and Zechariah was

selected.

I ask your indulgence as I share all these details, but they are so amazingly

important to show how God’s hand directed all these events. In verse 6 we

are reminded that both Zechariah and Elizabeth were faithful followers of

God. At times many of us may fall into a rut of just going through the

motions in our worship of the Lord. Zechariah and Elizabeth, it seems, never

fell into that rut.

Zechariah went into the temple to offer prayers on behalf of the people and

after those prayers had been offered the priest would burn incense that

would rise toward heaven. When the priest was in the temple hundreds, if

not thousands of worshippers, would be outside the temple praying and

waiting to see the smoke of incense carrying their prayers to heaven. While

Zechariah was in the temple faithfully carrying out his priestly duties,

suddenly an angel appeared to him. In the Old Testament God spoke to

prophets most of the time in dreams or with visions. This time an angel

appeared to Zechariah in bodily form. God wanted to make sure no mistake

or misunderstanding occurred. Eventually the angel even told Zechariah his

name. Gabriel was there to tell Zechariah the prayer that he and his wife

had been praying for years was about to the answered. They were going to

have a son. Even though Zechariah and Elizabeth were faithful followers of

God, they had been unable to have children. At this time in history, most of

the Jewish people believed that meant some sin prevented them from

having God’s blessing of children. So, this stigma haunted Zechariah and

Elizabeth. When Gabriel made this announcement, Zechariah felt both joy

and disbelief because they were both beyond the normal childbearing years.

Gabriel gave details about their son including what his name should be. At

this time a son would be given the family name, but they were to call their

son John, which means “the Lord is gracious”.

Normally the priest was not in the temple for a very long time to offer

prayers and burn incense, but this time Zechariah was gone for a lot longer

than normal, which made the people wonder what was going on. As

Gabriel’s time with Zechariah was about to end, he told Zechariah that

because you did not immediately believe my words you will be unable to

make a sound until your son is born. With that pronouncement, Gabriel left

Zechariah.

Let us look at what kind of person Zechariah and Elizabth’s son would be.

Zechariah is told his son would be a delight to him and his wife, as well as

many more people before his life was over. John would be great in the eyes

of the Lord. He was never to drink anything that was fermented. And John

would be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. In many ways, John was

the greatest man of God born to a man and woman ever. No where else in

scripture is it said that someone was “filled with the Holy Spirit from birth”.

So here we have Zechariah and Elizabeth. They had been hoping and praying

for a child ever since they had been married. And when they had given up

hope that their prayers would ever be answered, God was there, which

brings us to you and me? Have you been praying for a long time to God that

a special need or answer would happen? Have you either quit praying or

simply conceded whatever t is you have prayed for is not going to happen?

Zechariah and Elizabeth remind us to never give up. God’s timing and ours is

not always the same. If we are truly seeking God’s will with our prayers and

our lives, God will provide. One the great messages of the Christmas Story is

that God answers the prayers of His people. Sometimes God wants us to

wait for our answer and sometimes the answer is not exactly how we

thought it would be, but God hears our prayers and wants the best for all of

His people.

So, to go back to the question asked in the sermon title, “What are you

waiting on?” The Lord says, “Don’t give up, don’t stop praying.” God’s

answer will come just like it did for Zechariah and Elizabeth and the whole

world. A new day was coming and God is never limited by time or space.

God will always keep His promises and we will always find it is worth the

wait when God is in it.

Pastor Larry

Announcements:

Sunday School 9:00

Tuesday 9:30 Bible Study

TODAY soup lunch after worship; decorate sanctuary and

fellowship hall

December 5 Board Meeting for new and current members:

6:00 Commissions; 6:30 Board; reorganize after board meeting

December 7 10:00 – 12:00 Pick up candy orders

December 8 Community Christmas Vespers here—we need a

special—either music or a reading—volunteers?

December 11 12:00 Women’s Lunch—reveal prayer

partners—all women invited; last name A-K salad or vegetable;

L-Z dessert; meat furnished (pork loin)

December 17 7:00 pm Christmas service

Angel Tree gifts are due December 8.

Pastor Larry Traxler (217) 454-2362

Donation Box for December: The Lord’s Storehouse

First Sundays: Food Bank donations

Keep in Your Prayers

Shirley Krall; Bobby’s father; Ruth Siburt; Dorthea Wood; Mike

and Kathy Gentry; Paul Kohler; Steve Needham; Larry Traxler;

Nancy Fansler; Stacie Warren; Nancy Gorrell; Nora Hanaver;

Ron and Kathleen Petersen; Doug Larrick; Shirley Clarkson;

David and Jan Bower; Debbie Garvey Leibrock; Mike and Carol

Seidenstricker; Adiline Young; Mayo and Darlene Hanaver;

many unspoken requests; victims of shootings and of natural

disasters; shut-ins; the Nigerian church; the Haitian church;

those in the middle of war and violence; military and other

services and their families; Brethren Volunteer Service workers;

Disaster project workers; victims of Helene and Milton

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for the Chicago First

congregation and for the work of Ecumenism Metro Chicago.

Sermon and Announcements November 10

 CERRO GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

November 10, 2024

Praise Him! Praise Him!

Ephesians 1:3-7

I hope you had a great Sunday last week with those from Willow Tree

sharing with you.

What led me to this message today was some of the things I experienced

last weekend. Last Saturday was District Conference. Our special music

guest was very inspirational following our lunch break. Then the moderator

for this year’s District Conference wanted a song that would get us woke up

and encouraged. Carol was our song leader so she came up with the song,

“Praise Him, Praise Him.” We are going to close out our service this morning

with that song. As we were singing and I might say, everyone really sang out,

the Lord reminded me of how much we have to thank God for and how

much we have to praise our Savior for. The words of this song really spoke

to me in a way I don’t believe I had allowed the Lord to speak to me before.

This song is a song of celebration to all who believe and have received Jesus

Christ as Lord and Savior. I could close out our time together by simply

sharing the words of this song; they are that powerful and that encouraging.

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!

Sing, O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim!

Hail Him! Hail Him! Highest archangels in glory;

Strength and honor give to His holy Name!

Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children,

In His arms He carries them all day long.

Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness;

Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song!

What a powerful message that first verse gives to God’s church, to you and

me, God’s people.

Let us look at a couple of the things we are reminded of about Jesus in this

verse. First of all, we are encouraged to tell of the love Jesus has shown and

give to all who will receive. We are then reminded to share what power

Jesus has been given. As a result, we should give proper honor and glory to

him. We are told Jesus will guard His children in His arms. He carries them all

day long. Jesus is there to provide us with the strength and courage to keep

moving forward even when we don’t think we can. In fact, on those

occasions when we think we can’t keep going on, then we are told Jesus will

carry us in His arms.

The next two verses are just as powerful. The verses we read in Ephesians

seems to me to be the inspiration for this song, because it seems to say

almost the exact same things this song is telling us. As I said, we are going to

sing this song in just a few minutes, but I would like to share just a few more

things mentioned in this song before we do that.

The whole reason we call ourselves Christians is because of the love God

showed through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The second verse gets to the

heart of showing just how much God loves us. Jesus Christ suffered; he bled

and he died on the cross to pay the price for our sins. That shows just how

far God was willing to go to redeem us. As mentioned in verse 4 of

Ephesians 1, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be

holy and blameless in his sight.”

I do not know about you, but I have to admit I haven’t been able to live a

100% holy and blameless life and yet what Jesus did for us makes us holy

and blameless in the eyes of God. That is love.

The third verse tells of the attitude all of God’s people should have. Let loud

hosannas ring. Jesus is victorious over everything we are unable to be

victorious over by ourselves.

As we consider everything that has been done on our behalf, that last

statement before the chorus should be constantly in our hearts and coming

from our lips. “Power and glory unto the Lord belong.”

These verses from Ephesians and this song should get us excited about being

a child of God knowing how much we are loved. Let’s now sing this

incredible song of praise to our Lord!

Pastor Larry

Announcements:

Sunday School 9:00

Tuesday 9:30 Bible Study

November 17 Mary Jessup will be our speaker.

November 18 Beef Noodle supper—Fair fundraiser

December 1 soup lunch after worship; decorate sanctuary and

fellowship hall

December 5 Board Meeting for new and current members:

6:00 Commissions; 6:30 Board; reorganize after board meeting

December 7 Pick up candy orders

December 8 Community Christmas Vespers here

December 11 Women’s Lunch—reveal prayer partners

Candy Orders taken now through November 30—see flyer

Sign up in the back to help supply Vespers refreshments and to

work.

Pastor Larry Traxler (217) 454-2362

Donation Box for November: The Lord's Storehouse

First Sundays: Food Bank donations

Keep in Your Prayers

Shirley Krall; Bobby’s father; Ruth Siburt; Dorthea Wood; Mike

and Kathy Gentry; Paul Kohler; Steve Needham; Larry Traxler;

Nancy Fansler; Stacie Warren; Nancy Gorrell; Nora Hanaver;

Ron and Kathleen Petersen; Doug Larrick; Shirley Clarkson;

David and Jan Bower; Debbie Garvey Leibrock; Mike and Carol

Seidenstricker; Adiline Young; Mayo and Darlene Hanaver;

many unspoken requests; victims of shootings and of natural

disasters; shut-ins; the Nigerian church; the Haitian church;

those in the middle of war and violence; military and other

services and their families; Brethren Volunteer Service workers;

Disaster project workers

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for the Shalom Team and the

Ethics Team and for On Earth Peace.

Sermon and Announcements October 13

CERRO GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

October 13, 2024

WHY?

Psalm 86:1-11

How often over the years have you asked in one way or another the

question, why? For those of you who are parents, it has been said that

the most often thing kids say is, “Why?” Depending on the question

sometimes we can give an answer that may end the questioning, but at

other times the answer may simply lead to another question of why.

As Christians it isn’t wrong to ask our Heavenly Father the question,

why? The verses we looked at this morning in Psalms is King David both

asking the question why and also saying to God, “I know you can help

me understand. Please help me understand why.”

Throughout the Old Testament are stories of people who had to be

asking God why. Adam and Eve shouldn’t have asked God the question

why, but I bet they did when they got in trouble in the Garden of Eden.

Moses asked God, why me? Abraham and Sarah asked, “Why haven’t

we been able to have the children you promised?” Joseph was sold to

those in a caravan by his brothers for simply being honest. I am sure he

asked God why. Of course, God eventually gave Joseph his answer.

Think of Daniel, of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, they got in

trouble for being faithful to God. “Why God?” Job’s incredible story,

Esther who was asking God, why me? We could go on and on from the

Old Testament.

Then there was Lazarus’ sister who cried out to Jesus, “Why? If only you

had been here earlier?” On this occasion Jesus answered their prayers

in a powerful way. After Jesus ascended back to the Father before it

was all said and done, all of his disciples (apostles) were killed for the

cause of Christ but one. Stephen faithfully understood the big picture. It

is not about now; it is about eternity. But there had to be questions by

both the apostles, as well as the church of why.

Part of the reason I am sharing this message today is because of the

storms that have hit the east over the past couple of weeks. I guarantee

you there are a lot of people asking the question, “Why? What have we

done to deserve this?”

I do not know how many of you watch TV shows that might have St.

Jude Children’s Hospital commercials on them, but there was one in the

past in which a mother of a young child is saying, “Why does this

happen? They haven’t done anything that should have caused this?”

I am pretty sure every single one of you has faced a situation in which

you felt you could honestly ask God the question, “Why?” Sometimes

we might be able to see things we did or didn’t do that brought those

things on when it is about you or me. If it is about someone else, we

need to be careful about coming up with reasons for their situation.

Sometimes we may honestly have to accept the fact we may never

know why things happen as they do. By the strength of the Holy Spirit,

we can remain faithful in spite of the times in our lives we do not

understand why.

David was both admitting to God he did not understand why things

were happening as they were and asking for God’s mercy and grace to

see him through. In Psalm 86:12-13 David says this, “I will praise you, O

Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For

great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths

of the grave.” While he may not have understood all that was

happening, he knew God loved him and would deliver him.

So, while we may daily be asking God the question why, God wants us

to stay strong knowing he loves us and will deliver us in his timing in his

way.

To close this morning, I want to pay a song (Faithfully) for you by a

Christian artist named Toby Mac. It has been over a year ago now that

he faced one of the most difficult things a parent can ever face: the loss

of a child. Any loss of a child is difficult, but this loss was especially hard

for this man who had dedicated his life to reaching out to youth with

the message of Christ. Toby’s songs have always been about God’s love,

mercy and grace, how we are loved by God. What made this loss even

more difficult was that his son committed suicide. Eventually God led

him to write a song about his journey. This song is an honest look at

where he has been since the loss of his son and where God is leading

him.

As we pray for the victims of the hurricanes and as you are looking at

different situations you have, or are you asking God why about today, I

pray this song will be used by God to build your strength and give you

the courage to not lose heart and never turn from God no matter what. 

Pastor Larry

Announcements:

Sunday School 9:00

Tuesday 9:30 Bible Study

Wednesday, October 24 12:00 Women's Lunch--meal provided

--College care packages will be assembled in early November.

Please have snacks at church by November 3. (6 or 7 students)

--Issues of The Daily Bread are available. Please take one.

--November/December newsletter deadline: October 30

Pastor Larry Traxler (217) 454-2362

Donation Box for September: utilities

First Sundays: Food Bank donations

Keep in Your Prayers

Shirley Krall; Bobby’s father; Alan Baker; Ruth Siburt; Dorthea

Wood; Mike and Kathy Gentry; Steve Needham; Larry Traxler;

Nancy Fansler; Stacie Warren; Nancy Gorrell; Nora Hanaver;

Ron and Kathleen Petersen; Doug Larrick; Shirley Clarkson;

David and Jan Bower; Debbie Garvey Leibrock; Mike and Carol

Seidenstricker; Adiline Young; Mayo and Darlene Hanaver;

many unspoken requests; victims of shootings and of natural

disasters; shut-ins; the Nigerian church; the Haitian church;

those in the middle of war and violence; military and other

services and their families; Brethren Volunteer Service workers;

Disaster project workers; victims of Helene and Milton

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for the Neighborhood (Boulder

Hill) congregation and for the work of the Brethren Historical

Library and Archives in Elgin.

September 29 Sermon and Announcements

 CERRO GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

September 29, 2024

God’s Promise of Salvation

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

The promise of salvation is a continuation of the promised result that

happens when we activate God’s promise from last week, forgiveness.

The biblical definition of salvation is the saving of human beings from

sin and its’ consequences-which include death and separation from

God-by Christ’s death and resurrection, and the justification entailed by

this salvation. That is a detailed description of what salvation really is.

For the promise of salvation to be real in the life of a believer there are

six different steps or stages that take place.

1. Hear the gospel.

2. Believe the gospel

3. Repent of sins

4. Confess faith in Jesus Christ

5. Be baptized

6. Be faithful until death

For the promise of salvation to be flowing through a Christian these 6

either will have happened or should still be happening. Let us take a

few minutes to look at each of these and see what you think.

The first place each Christian must start is to hear the gospel. That is to

hear that God came to earth in human form. Jesus lived a sin-free life.

Jesus as the perfect lamb was the ultimate sacrifice for every person

that believes. That last part gets into the second step for salvation. That

is to believe God exists and really paid the price for our sins, which

leads to step 3. The importance to admit to or confess our sins to God.

God doesn’t require us to confess our sins to everyone we see. He only

expects us to admit our sins to him. There may be times God leads you

to admit sin to another person but that is only at the Holy Spirit’s

prompting. Step 4 has to do with the 3 earlier steps. At some point you

may be led to make a public confession of your faith. Once again that is

as the Lord has led. Step 5 most often involves that public confession.

As an outward expression of your faith, God most likely will lead you to

be baptized as a symbol of old things being washed away and being a

new creature in Christ. Step 6 and the final step is to stay strong in the

faith until your time on this earth is over.

These are 6 steps or stages of a persons walk with the Lord that

confirms that the promise of salvation is real in the life of a believer. In

the midst of trials, our salvation is secure. Even though King David

didn’t know how salvation would come to believers as completely and

as powerfully as it did through Jesus Christ, he understood the promise

of salvation just the same.

In Psalm 62:1-7 he says this, “My soul finds rest in God alone; my

salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is

my fortress I will never be shaken. How long will you assault a man?

Would all of you throw him down--this leaning wall, this tottering

fence? They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place; they take

delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their heart they

curse. Find rest, oh my soul in God alone; my hope comes from him. He

alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress I will not be shaken.

My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my

refuge. Trust in him at all times O people; pour out your hearts to him,

for God is our refuge.” So even when the things weren’t going as King

David hoped he knew the promise of salvation is mentioned in the

Bible.

I thought about reading many of the examples of how salvation is used

in scripture this morning, but I am going to leave you with just one final

example of the promise of salvation given to all who believe. In Romans

1, it talks of many of these steps or stages of salvation. Let us look at

God’s promise to us about salvation in verses 16 and 17. “I am not

ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings

salvation to everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the

Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a

righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: the

righteous will live by faith.”

That faith that is mentioned is the confidence we have in the promise

of salvation. What a great and loving Father we have!

Pastor Larry

Announcements:

Sunday School 9:00

Tuesday 9:30 Bible Study

Thursday 6:30 Executive Committee

Sunday, October 6 Love Feast 6:00 p.m.

--Delegates needed for District Conference at the York Center

church on November 1 and 2. Please let Carol or Pastor Larry

know of your interest asap. Registration has already begun.

--We need volunteers for the children’s message during worship

and for story lessons in the nursery. Please sign up.

Pastor Larry Traxler (217) 454-2362

Donation Box for September: utilities

First Sundays: Food Bank donations

Keep in Your Prayers

Jordan Wright; Chris Wright; Elliott (Evelyn Eads’ great-

grandson); Alan Baker; Ruth Siburt; Sharon Traughber; Dorthea

Wood; Mike and Kathy Gentry; Steve Needham; Larry Traxler;

Nancy Fansler; Stacie Warren; Nancy Gorrell; Nora Hanaver;

Ron and Kathleen Petersen; Doug Larrick; Shirley Clarkson;

David and Jan Bower; Debbie Garvey Leibrock; Mike and Carol

Seidenstricker; Adiline Young; Mayo and Darlene Hanaver;

many unspoken requests; victims of shootings and of natural

disasters; shut-ins; the Nigerian church; the Haitian church;

those in the middle of war and violence; military and other

services and their families; Brethren Volunteer Service workers;

Disaster project workers

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for the District’s treasurer,

financial secretary, and Property & Assets Management Team.

Also pray for the Church of the Brethren in Spain.

September 22 Sermon and Announcements

 Our Sunday service is available for viewing on facebook at the Cerro Gordo Church of the Brethren page.

CERRO GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

September 22, 2024

God Promises Us Forgiveness

1 John 1:9

God has made a promise to forgive our sins. In 1 John 1:9 we see the

first thing that activates this promise is our understanding we have

sinned against a holy and just God and we are asking for forgiveness.

When you and I do this, God is obligated to act on the promise he made

to his people thousands of years earlier.

Let us look at a couple of examples found in the Old Testament that

show that very thing. In Jeremiah 31:33 we read, “This the covenant I

will make with the house of Israel, after that time, declares the Lord. I

will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their

God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his

neighbor or a man his brother, saying know the Lord because they will

all know me, from the least of them to the greatest declares the Lord.

For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no

more.” These verses in Jeremiah talk of the relationship God is

promising to His people.

Jesus said much the same thing in John 16:13-14. There we read, “But

when he, the spirit of truth, comes he will guide you into all truth. He

will not speak on his own, he will speak only what he hears, and he will

tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from

what is mine and making it known to you.” Jesus is telling his disciples

basically the same thing Jeremiah was inspired to say to the Israelites.

God will write his word on the hearts of the believers. Jesus said the

Holy Spirit will accomplish this on the behalf of believers.

To cite one more example of God’s promises of forgiveness from the

Old Testament, I would like to share with you from Micah 7:18-19. Here

we read, “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the

transgressions of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry

forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on

us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the

depts of the sea.” Here we not only see how God will forgive his

peoples sins, but we also see how completely he does it. We are told he

will tread our sins underfoot and hurl our iniquities into the depth of

the sea. God is making a point of letting us know when our sins are

forgiven. it is over, they are done in the eyes of God.

Jesus did make a point of telling us since the Holy Spirit is leading us

into God’s truth and forgiveness, we are expected to do what God has

first done for us. Just as God has promised forgiveness for us, we also

should be willing to share this promise with others who might need our

forgiveness. So, God is asking us to share this promise with others who

may have sinned against us.

In Ephesians 4:32 we are encouraged to do this very thing, “Be kind and

compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ

God forgave you.” So, we can see this promise of forgiveness is one we

are to join with God in sharing. Through the power of the Holy Spirit,

we can not only know we are forgiven that God is making the promise

real to you and me, but we also have the power and ability to join with

God sharing this promise with others as well.

We know God is a loving compassionate God that is able to forgive us.

We want to believe that the promise of forgiveness is available to us

because of what Jesus did on our behalf. But sometimes it is not as easy

for us to forgive those who have done things to us or our loved ones.

Even though we may realize we should be able to forgive by the power

of the Holy Spirit, it is hard. We may be willing to admit the obvious, “I

am not God, I don’t know if I can forgive as you do God.” And yet God is

telling us, “Yes you can.” Jesus even went as far as saying the promise

of forgiveness of sins for you has one additional condition, the first

confess our sins.

As we close out our time considering God’s promise of forgiveness, the

Lord is going to leave this very direct statement about forgiveness for

you and me to think about.

In Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus says this, “For if you forgive men when they

sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do

not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Don’t

you just hate it when you are hearing something really good and then a

“but” gets thrown in there? Yes, God promises forgiveness to us. We

are even told these sins we are forgiven for are stomped on by God and

cast into the sea. But we are told if God will forgive us to really access

this promise, we need to be willing to forgive also. As we wrap up our

time together this morning, the question for you and me is, “How are

we doing?” The promise of forgiveness is for you and me but God

expects us to forgive as we have been forgiven.

Pastor Larry

Announcements:

Sunday School 9:00

Tuesday 9:30 Bible Study

Sunday, October 6 6:00 p.m. Love Feast

--Who would like to be a delegate to District Conference at the

York Center church on November 1 and 2? Please let Carol or

Pastor Larry know of your interest asap. Registration has

already begun.

--We need volunteers for the children’s message during worship

and for story lessons in the nursery. Please sign up.

Pastor Larry Traxler (217) 454-2362

Donation Box for September: utilities

First Sundays: Food Bank donations

Keep in Your Prayers

Elliott (Evelyn Eads’ great-grandson); Alan Baker; Ruth Siburt;

Sharon Traughber; Dorthea Wood; Mike and Kathy Gentry;

Steve Needham; Larry Traxler; Nancy Fansler; Stacie Warren;

Nancy Gorrell; Nora Hanaver; Ron and Kathleen Petersen;

Doug Larrick; Shirley Clarkson; David and Jan Bower; Debbie

Garvey Leibrock; Mike and Carol Seidenstricker; Adiline Young;

Mayo and Darlene Hanaver; many unspoken requests; victims

of shootings and of natural disasters; shut-ins; the Nigerian

church; the Haitian church; those in the middle of war and

violence; military and other services and their families; Brethren

Volunteer Service workers; Disaster project workers

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for the Romine congregation and

for the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy in Washington, D.C.

September 15 Sermon and Announcements

 CERRO GORDO CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN

September 15, 2024

We Have the Promise of God’s Grace

Titus 3:4-7

Today we are looking at grace. What is grace? The biblical definition of

grace is God’s unmerited favor, or underserved gift, that cannot be

earned. God has promised to pour out His grace on those who

recognize and receive the gift Jesus gave to all who believe. These

verses we read from Titus 3 have a whole lot in them. They point out

that what we have received is not because we have earned it. God’s

grace is not given because of how good we are. God’s grace is given

because of how good He is, how much He loves those He created.

Earlier in Titus in chapter 2:11, Paul makes it clear who can receive

God’s grace. “For the grace of God that brings us salvation has

appeared to all men.” So, God has made His salvation and His grace

available to everyone. In some ways I think the promise of God’s grace

can be difficult to understand and one also difficult for people to grab

hold of and receive. My reason for saying that is the concept in our

modern world that you do not get anything for nothing. People want to

earn what they have or at least feel you have to do something. There is

always a catch. So, because of our own skepticism and Satan’s

accusations, we might have trouble fully receiving this promise

The next set of scriptures tells us a whole lot about God’s nature. Why

God does what He does, why grace is available to all of God’s children

and what the benefits of this promise are.

Let us look at what is said in Ephesians 2 beginning with verse 4.

“But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us

alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. It is by

grace you have been saved and God raised us up with Christ and seated

us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. In order that in the

coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace

expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”

We could and may in the future cover all of the things we are told

about God, His grace, His mercy, His love in these verses but let us

focus on the promise of God’s grace this morning. God’s grace is

something we cannot earn. God has made grace available because he

loves you and me and is committed to you and me. So, what do we

need to do to receive God’s promised grace? One thing. Pray this

3-word prayer, “God thank you!” God knows your limitations, he

created us. God built within a need for two things; a need for one

another and a need for God. God does not require perfection. God does

require a thankful heart. God has made a way for everyone to be saved.

All God asks of us to receive the grace promised to us is a thankful and

faithful heart. It is explained very well in these final two verses I am

going to share with you found also in Ephesians 2. We are reminded of

this in verse 8 and 9. “For it is by grace you have been saved through

faith and this not from yourselves it is the gift of God. Not of works so

that no one can boast.” What a tremendous promise God’s grace for us

is. God’s grace can be felt and experienced a number of ways. We are

all different. God’s promise of grace is there for all to receive. Each of

us here this morning may experience the grace of God in different

ways. The reality is that unmerited favor is yours and mine to claim. The

promise of God’s grace is real and changes lives. What a great and

glorious God we have!

Pastor Larry

Announcements:

Sunday School 9:00

Tuesday 9:30 Bible Study

Today: Special Church of the Brethren Mission Offering

Envelopes are available in the back if you would like to

participate.

We need volunteers for the children’s message during worship

and for story lessons in the nursery. Please sign up.

Pastor Larry Traxler (217) 454-2362

Donation Box for September: utilities

First Sundays: Food Bank donations

Keep in Your Prayers

Elliott (Evelyn Eads’ great-grandson); Alan Baker; Ruth Siburt;

Sharon Traughber; Dorthea Wood; Mike and Kathy Gentry;

Steve Needham; Larry Traxler; Nancy Fansler; Stacie Warren;

Nancy Gorrell; Nora Hanaver; Ron and Kathleen Petersen;

Doug Larrick; Shirley Clarkson; David and Jan Bower; Debbie

Garvey Leibrock; Mike and Carol Seidenstricker; Adiline Young;

Mayo and Darlene Hanaver; many unspoken requests; victims

of shootings and of natural disasters; shut-ins; the Nigerian

church; the Haitian church; those in the middle of war and

violence; military and other services and their families; Brethren

Volunteer Service workers; Disaster project workers

District Prayer Calendar: Pray for the West Branch congregation

and for the Anabaptist Disabilities Network, their staff and work.