Interested in Becoming a Member, or Just Learning More?

Interested in becoming a member? 
Pastor Grimenstein will be starting an Adult Confirmation Class on Thursday, March 20th at 6:00 p.m. for those interested in learning more about the Lutheran faith who are considering church membership. The class is also open to current members interested in a "refresher" on the basics of the faith. The class will meet every Thursday from 6:00 to 6:45 p.m. for six weeks and will cover topics ranging from Baptism to the Ten Commandments. 

Please email Zion secretary Susie Bishop secretary@zlcb.org to let her know you’re interested in joining the class. 

News from the Preschool

Meet Mikey… 

Mikey is a three-year-old at our preschool. This is his second year as a Zion student, and he has an older brother who also attended Zion. Mikey was walking with his mom and grandmother as they were leaving school for the day. I overhead Mikey retelling our Chapel/Jesus time lesson for the week, as only a three-year-old could do. Our lesson for the week was “Jesus feeds the 5000.” He was showing them the craft he made that went with the story and pointed out the 5 loaves of bread and the two fish he glued on his paper. “Jesus has lots of power” he told them. “He turned 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish into so much food, for like 5000 people…they even had leftovers!” “Wow!” said his grandmother, “you know so much.” Goal achieved! (visualize a high-five here) 

The goal is to continually reinforce the lesson through repetition. We like to utilize a 3-step approach when teaching Jesus time. Step 1. Introduce the story. We typically watch a funny, child friendly video that tells the story. Step 2. Pastor teaches the Chapel lesson where they learn a story-related poem that they repeat several times during the story. Step 3. This step either involves a craft or an activity, and in this case, it was the craft Mikey was showing his mom and grandmother. Good job Mikey!! 

Please, check out our school hallways … you will always be able to see which Bible lesson we are currently learning. 

Blessings, 
Tracey 

What About … Christian Families

What About … Christian Families
Greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christian families face enormous pressures in our world today. It is important that they have a good understanding of what God intends for the family and how they best can respond to the many challenges that confront them.

What does God say about families in His Word, the Bible?
In the beginning, God created men and women to live together with one another as husbands and wives, and through their marriages to bring children into the world. We read in Gen.2:22–24: “The Lord God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man. The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called “woman,” for she was taken out of man.’ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” Our Lord Jesus Christ affirmed the divine institution of marriage during his earthly ministry (Matt.19:5).

Through the Apostle Paul, the Lord revealed that Christian husbands and wives are to love and serve one another, modeling before the world the love Christ has for His bride, the church. In Ephesians 5, St. Paul wrote: “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior.

“Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy.… In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of His body.

“ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband” (Eph.5:21–33).

In this powerful description of marriage, there is no room for husbands to “lord it over” their wives, nor for wives to disregard their husband’s role of “headship” in the home. The key is mutual submission to and love for one another, modeled after Christ’s love for the church, and the church’s submission to Christ her Lord.

Parents are to provide discipline to their children with love and compassion, doing what is best for their children. We read in Eph.6:4: “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” And children are to honor and obey their parents, as the Lord commands, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.’ ‘Honor your father and your mother’—which is the first commandment with a promise—that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth”(Eph.6:1–3).

What are some of the cultural trends impacting families?
As we review what the Bible has to say about fami-lies, we quickly realize how far many of our cultural trends are from God’s will for families.

Christian families are bombarded by signals which contradict God’s Word. Popular culture—through movies, music, magazines, books and especially television—inundates us with wrong messages. The signal is sent that a sexual relationship outside of marriage, or before marriage, is perfectly natural, or that even a homosexual lifestyle is merely an alternative to “traditional” marriage. Children are led to believe that being disobedient and disrespectful to parents is normal, even amusing, or that the elderly are to be viewed as a burden, or subjects for humor. So much of popular culture appeals to humanity’s most sinful inclinations, and encourages them in a barrage of images and words.

The pressure on our children—particularly our teenagers—to do whatever is necessary to be “popular” among their friends is sometimes difficult for parents to under-stand and appreciate. Our young people are often caught up in destructive lifestyles and behaviors, encouraged by popular music, which encourages rebelliousness and dis-dain for life and the dignity of their fellow human beings. As our teenagers grow older, they are given the impression that “living together” without marriage is perfectly accepta-ble. How tragic it is when their own families do nothing to resist this behavior!

Men in our culture are encouraged to indulge their lusts and selfish desires. So little respect or attention is given to the man who wishes to be a faithful husband or father. How many children today grow up without a loving and responsible father in the home? The horrendous consequences of this trend will only become greater as we move into the future.

Women too are pressured to take a dim view of what God has given them. They are pressured to view childbearing as less than fulfilling, something perhaps only to be tolerated, and not to be enjoyed as a gift from God. They too face temptations to disregard God’s expectations for them when they are wives and mothers, or to view marriage as some-thing to be abandoned when it becomes inconvenient for them.

Yes, we surely do recognize that popular cultural trends often convey messages totally contrary to our Lord’s Word and His will for Christian families. This needs to be recognized and resisted.

What can a Christian family do to deal with the challenges of our day?
Openly facing the issues is the first step. Pretending that problems do not exist will certainly not help. Nor will it do for a family simply to hope that they will not be faced with problems. Ignoring reality will not make it go away.

It is crucial for Christian parents to spend both quality and quantity time with their children. Reading with their young children, discussing the questions they have and being there to support and encourage them is extremely important. Husbands and wives need to take time out of busy and hectic schedules to simply talk to one another, discussing the needs they have and the problems they are experiencing, working together to grow in their love for one another, and for their children. More importantly, Christians need to pray for the Lord’s blessing on their marriages and families, asking God to forgive them for their sins and failures as parents and spouses, and then turning to the Lord’s mercy through their Savior Jesus Christ. Christian families need to make every-Sunday worship an absolute priority. As families are gathered by God around His Word and Sacraments, they receive forgiveness, life and salvation—the strength they need to cope with the challenges of daily life.

What role do daily devotions have in the life of the Christian family?
One of the most important things a family can do is spend time together in the Word of God. Key ingredients for the family’s devotional time are the Scriptures, the hymnal and the Small Catechism. These are excellent resources for meaningful time together in the Word of God.

Parents should begin reading and reciting the chief parts of the Small Catechism with their children when t hey are very young, helping them learn the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments and the Apostles’ Creed, and then working on the explanations, building as time goes on. Parents need to discuss their faith with their children, pray with them and encourage their children in love to do what is right, not hesitating to say “no” when necessary. And always, parents will want to be for their children a model of the Heavenly Father’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord.

How can parents help their children resist temptations?
Parents often overlook the very important role they play simply by the way they themselves handle life. A parent can provide an important role model for his or her children.

If a man constantly displays a harsh and fierce temper at home, uses foul language and acts disrespectfully toward his wife, it is little wonder why his son would grow up with similar attitudes and behaviors. If a woman constantly gripes and points out every fault, again, there is little surprise when her children do the same when they grow up.

Christian parents need to model the faith, both to their children and others around them. St. Paul wrote that a Christian marriage is to be an image of Christ’s love for the church. This is both an awesome responsibility and a joyous privilege. May God bless our families richly with His loving mercy, strengthening them as they seek to love one another and serve their Lord and Savior.

Dr. A. L. Barry
Past President (1992-2001)
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

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Pastor’s Corner

Return to the Lord 
“Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful.” 
Joel 2:13 

Our theme for this Lenten season is a simple and direct one; return to the Lord. I’m glad it is so simple and direct because we need to hear that sometimes. There are plenty of reasons people may leave the church; return to the Lord. There are a lot of times temptations may trick us; return to the Lord. Our sinful nature may have us think we are doing just fine by ourselves without God; return to the Lord. To all of us God says, “return to the Lord.” 

I realize that phrase “return to the Lord” could be taken as a strict command. You could beat people over the head with that phrase as an order! But I believe this verse is not so much a command as it is an invitation to you. Here is the verse in its entirety, “Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful.” 

There are times when you may have wandered away from the church, you get to return to the Lord because He is gracious and merciful; He wants you to come back to Him. Temptation may get the best of you and try to drive a wedge between you and Christ’s cross, you get to return to the Lord because He is gracious and merciful; He is not embarrassed by your sins and wants you to come back to Him. When your sinful nature has you believe the ancient lie that you do not need God, God Himself calls you to return to Him because He is gracious and merciful; He will always call out to you no matter where you may find yourself. 

So, no matter where you may find yourself, come back into the arms of your church. Share once more our fellowship in the Lord’s Supper. Let us all return to receive mercy from our God because He truly is gracious and merciful to all of us! 

The Lord be with you, 
Pastor Grimenstein 

VIDEO: Wednesday March 5, 2025 - Complete Service

View the Bulletin for Wednesday, March 5, 2025 - Ash Wednesday
Worship Service: 2:00 p.m. with imposition of Ashes
Worship Service: 7:00 p.m. with imposition of Ashes
All are welcome, bring a friend, neighbor or relative

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AUDIO: Readings & Sermon for Wednesday March 5, 2025

AUDIO: Readings & Sermon for Wednesday March 5, 2025

Rev. Dr. Edward O. Grimenstein

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View the Bulletin for Wednesday, March 5, 2025 - Ash Wednesday
Worship Service: 2:00 p.m. with imposition of Ashes
Worship Service: 7:00 p.m. with imposition of Ashes
All are welcome, bring a friend, neighbor or relative

Visit our YouTube channel — Click the red “subscribe” box, and then click on the “bell” next to that box to receive Live Streaming notifications. You must be logged into YouTube to activate these features.

Archive of AUDIO “Readings & Sermons”
Archive of VIDEO “Complete Service”
Archive of BULLETINS

Old Testament Reading -- Joel 2:12–19 
“Yet even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster.
Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the LORD your God? 

Blow the trumpet in Zion;
consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
gather the people.
Consecrate the congregation;
assemble the elders;
gather the children,
even nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her chamber. 

Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep
and say, “Spare your people, O LORD,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’” 

Then the LORD became jealous for his land
and had pity on his people.
The LORD answered and said to his people,
“Behold, I am sending to you
grain, wine, and oil,
and you will be satisfied;
and I will no more make you
a reproach among the nations 

Epistle Reading -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10 
We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 

Working together with Him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says, 

“In a favorable time I listened to you, 

and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” 

Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. 

The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the sixth chapter
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 

“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

Wednesday March 5th is Ash Wednesday … Please Join Us at Zion

Join us today for Ash Wednesday Worship, as we begin the penitential season of Lent.
Services at 2:00 & 7:00 pm

Our Lenten theme is "The Hand of the Lord" from Concordia Publishing House. 
Whether tightening a bolt, crocheting, or typing on a computer, there is so much that we do with our hands.  Our Creator has bestowed on us these amazing instruments, yet all things are the work of the hand of the Lord.  Throughout our Lenten mid-week services we will explore the ways in which the hand of the Lord is both Law and Gospel, and how His hand has come to us in Jesus.

We’ll be reminded that the hand of Jesus has accomplished all that we need. Amazingly, He takes our manipulative, distorted, self-serving hands and restores them into useful hands for His purposes, both to literally use them in service and to make our whole lives into His instruments of witness, service, and praise.