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Alright, so heaven is a grand celebration, a great banquet. Got that.

And we can "rejoice in the Lord always" because his coming is near. Got that.

So now... why do I find it so hard to rejoice? Why does this feel so little like a party?

Have you ever tried to throw a party? I mean a really big party - like a wedding. We have had some experience with that recently...

Philippians 4:4-13 by Don Neuendorf

"REJOICE in the Lord always! I will say it AGAIN: Rejoice!" Do you think Paul could have done more to emphasize this?

Ironically, Paul couldn't do ALL CAPS to make it stand out. The original manuscripts were already written in all caps - the whole thing. (Ouch, my eyes!) And they didn't do underlining, or italics, colors, or exclamation points. All that came later. But by saying "I will say it again" Paul is really bringing this out. He's saying, "THIS IS IMPORTANT!" And then...

Party Time - Isaiah 25:6-9 by Don Neuendorf

(We're back in business. Praise God!)

The Bible talks a lot about parties. Have you ever noticed that? In some ways it makes me uncomfortable because I'm never totally at ease at a party. I've never been that kind of social person, and I don't quite know what is expected of me. In fact, I was raised to be a bit suspicious of crazy behavior, yelling and cheering that are often accompanied by a good deal of drinking and other worse behaviors. But what kind of party does God want to host?...

Due to Technical Difficulties... by Don Neuendorf

Sadly, St. Paul has had no internet access for the last week. We are told that our internet should be back up by this coming Tuesday, October 7. Rejoice with us!

Matthew 21:23-32 by Don Neuendorf

There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, "Son, go and work today in the vineyard." "I will not," he answered...

Wow, that's a familiar scenario. Actually, I suppose the 2nd child is more familiar, the one who says that he will but then he doesn't. Jesus tells this little tale to make the point that those who come late to obedience are still more obedient than those who only pay lip service. The Jewish religious leaders paid lip service to obedience to God, but it was the outcasts who were coming to Jesus in repentance.

But how can we apply this text today...

Philippians 2:1-4... 14-18 by Don Neuendorf

DON'T MISS the CPH book sale over at Concordia. It's Friday and Saturday of this week, down in the Riverside Room beneath the student union. I just came from there with $40 worth of books, 14 regular books and 3 books of organ music. Worth going to.

Hey, I just thought you'd like to know.

Now to Philippians. It's funny how much can be packed into a few words, like when Paul says "what happened to me..." Wow, what a LOT of stuff happened to him. Riots, beatings, stoned and left for dead, pursued, hunted, escaped in a basket over the wall, arrested, jailed, on trial before Ceasar. Wow!

Occasionally I'll talk to a member who has a similar history...

On a personal note... by Don Neuendorf

I intended to write yesterday, but I found that I'm not as able to pull an "all-nighter" as I used to be. As my son and daughter-in-law prepared to depart for 2 years of mission service in Latin America, Sunday and Monday were filled to the brim with last minute tasks. Celebrating Jon's birthday while James and Christel were still here - sorting through the clothes to decide what to leave behind - packing and weighing and repacking to get all the bags under 50 pounds - last minute calls to insurance companies, bank accounts, and so on - informing the credit card company that they'd be out of the country for 2 years so that their account would not be frozen for "uncharacteristic" transactions.

Finally, because their flight left at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, meaning they had to be at the airport by 4 a.m., meaning we had to leave home by 3:30 am., meaning we'd all have to get up by 2:30 a.m., we all just decided to not go to bed at all. So numerous friends were invited. Movies were watched and games played. Old memories were shared around the bonfire out back. And then at 3:30 everyone said their goodbyes. We all prayed together, and the family drove James in Christel to the airport (in 2 cars because it took one car just to hold all their bags - remember, they're moving, not just traveling).

Lot's of hugs. Some tears. Many, many prayers. They are now safely arrived in Panama City and ensconced in their new apartment which they say is "huge" and very "cool" (by newlywed standards). They'll begin their work with a month of intensive Spanish immersion, including 4 hours of classwork every day. Expect to see pictures and posts at their website as soon as they get their internet hooked up. Currently they are sharing the wi-fi from the Church of God next door. Visit www.livingletter.org for all the latest.

Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32 by Don Neuendorf

"It's not my fault!" Those are the immortal words of Han Solo in the first of the Star Wars movies. But they're certainly not new. The Israelites were saying the same thing in their proverb, "the fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge."

It is my parents' fault that my life is messed up. It was the sins of an earlier generation that put us in this predicament. We're inheriting the national debt that came from someone else's spending. The economy was wrecked by other people's poor choices and now I'm suffering the effects of it. My father's alcoholism, my mother's bad food choices, my uncle's anger management issues, my sister's drug use, my family history of you-name-it...

Matthew 20:1-16 by Don Neuendorf

OK, humility block here. In the printed SPOTS I based my devotion on Matthew TWENTY-ONE verses 1-16, instead of chapter TWENTY. The Gospel lesson for this coming Sunday is actually in chapter 20, so I guess that's what we should think about here. (You know what a "humility block" is, right? It's a *deliberate* mistake put into one block of a quilt just to remind yourself that you're not perfect. I wish I could claim my mistakes were that humble.)

The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard.

I would like to use these words to talk about labor unions, or fair wages, or property rights - all topics that we love to pontificate about and would love to find Bible verses to support our various points of view. Unfortunately, that's not at all what this is about...

Philippians 1:12-14, 19-30 by Don Neuendorf

"I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel..."

I just finished leading chapel at our elementary school and I'm exhausted, sweaty, ready for a break. ("Pssshhhh!" That's the sound of the Pepsi I just opened even though it's only 9:30a.m. - sorry Mom.) When I do chapel with the kids I want to keep them engaged - I want to make sure I get the message across - I want to make a lasting impression, so I tend to be high-energy. We sing energetic songs. I move back and forth across the bleachers a lot so that I can be close to as many of them as possible and keep their attention.

In short... I figure if I WORK HARD ENOUGH that I'll be able to share the gospel better. But Paul says...