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Worship & Service Times
Sunday
9:15 | Sunday School
10:30 | Worship
Evening Fellowship: See calendar for each SundayWednesday
5:30 | Fellowship Meal
6:00 | New Life
6:30 | Classroom Work
6:30 | Adult Bible Study
6:50 | Games
7:15 | Choir PracticeCatechism
7th & 8th Grade - 3:30 p.m.
9th Grade - 7:00 p.m.Bible Studies
Men's Studies
Wednesdays at 6am
Second Sunday of the Month, 8amWomen's Studies
Tuesdays at 9:30 am
Sunday at 7:30 pmPastor's Studies
See CalendarSr. High Youth Group
Wednesdays at 6:30pm
Bible Study - TBD
2024 Youth Mission Trip Letter
Next year, our students are going on an exciting short-term mission trip with YouthWorks to Colorado! A few months ago, students & parents met to select our Colorado destination, as well as the time frame: July 13 – 19th.
The next step is to return the Mission Trip Letter and payment, which secures your student’s roster spot. You can download the letter here.
Questions? Contact the church office.
Advent 2023: The Greatest Day
Christ has come! Christ is coming again!
The Latin word adventus simply means “coming;” it refers to the appearance of God incarnate and bringing the Kingdom’s salvation to planet Earth. This Advent season, we want to focus on the Gift the Father has sent in the coming of Jesus, and that He is coming again! The Old Testament believers awaited their coming Messiah. We join in their spiritual longing when we sing Advent hymns like “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” However, our lives have been transformed because Jesus has come; and in Him we live and move and have our being.
What is Advent, and why do we recognize it at Zion? Read more about the what of Advent here. Is it wise for Christians who desire for God’s Word to reform our worship and lives to recognize Advent? You can learn more about that important truth by reading this.
To help us focus on God’s Incarnation as the The Greatest Day, we will be focusing on the verses that show us the meaning of how God sees that day:
Zephaniah 1:7–8
Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near; the LORD has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests. And on the day of the LORD’s sacrifice— “I will punish the officials and the king’s sons and all who array themselves in foreign attire.
Galatians 4:4
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law
Mark 1:15
Jesus, proclaimed the Gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
There is a fulfilled time, a fullness of time, a day of the Lord. It is the greatest Day!
Our worship service has a slightly different order and feel during Advent as well. Read about the liturgy here.
Events
Here are some of the events that our Advent season brings. Please be sure to get these on the calendar!
| Date | Event |
| December 2nd | Women’s Fellowship Christmas Brunch Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m., for a hosted brunch and program. Invite your friends and get your tickets! |
| December 3rd | Advent Party Meet at the church at 3 PM for caroling, decorating, Christmas carols, and a light supper. Fun for the whole family! |
| December 17th | Zion Christmas Cantata Join us Sunday evening for a special Zion tradition, and stay after the beautiful music for refreshments and fellowship. Begins at 7p.m. |
| December 24th | Christmas Eve Service The prelude begins at 5:30 p.m., and you won’t want to miss hearing our youth recount the meaning of the Christmas story! |
| December 25th | Christmas Day Service Lessons & Carols service begins at 9a.m. with Holy Communion. |
Other events, like the College Parsonage Party, Youth Sledding, will be announced as weather permits.
Advent Resources Here
Preparing for Worship Nov 19
We will be using the following songs and passages from the Word of God in our corporate gathering this Lord’s Day. Please prayerfully use these resources to prepare your hearts to “come into His gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4).
The Word of the Lord:
II Corinthians 9:11, 15
Matthew 6:31 – 33
Psalm 73:23 – 26
Hebrews 12:26 – 29
Haggai 2:1 – 23
Numbers 6:24 – 26
Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs:
Come, Ye Thankful People, Come
In Christ Alone
Doxology
Now Thank We All Our God
Gloria Patri
Means of Grace:
Congregational Prayer
Sermon: Haggai 2:5 – 9
Rev. Brian J. Lund “A Contagious Glory”
Lord’s Day Activities
Sunday school at 9:15 am
Worship at 10:30 am
Adult Bible Study & Pie Social at 7pm
Missions Exists Because Worship Doesn’t
What is our central belief about missions at Zion? How does outreach (on the horizontal level to other people) relate to worship & exaltation (on the vertical level up to God)? Read on to find our answers!
“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.
Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal of missions. It’s the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white-hot enjoyment of God’s glory. The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God. “The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!” (Ps. 97:1). “Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy” (Ps. 67:3–4).
But worship is also the fuel of missions. Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching. You can’t commend what you don’t cherish. Missionaries will never call out, “Let the nations be glad!”
if they cannot say from the heart, “I rejoice in the Lord”; “I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High” (Pss. 104:34; 9:2). Missions begins and ends in worship.
If the pursuit of God’s glory is not ordered above the pursuit of man’s good in the affections of the heart and the priorities of the church, man will not be well served, and God will not be duly honored. I am not pleading for a diminishing of missions but for a magnifying of God. When the flame of worship burns with the heat of God’s true worth, the light of missions will shine to the peoples on earth in the greatest darkness. And I long for that day to come!
Where passion for God is weak, zeal for missions will be weak. Churches that are not centered on the exaltation of the majesty and beauty of God will scarcely kindle a fervent desire to “declare his glory among the nations” (Ps. 96:3). Even outsiders feel the disparity between the boldness of our claim upon the nations and the blandness of our engagement with God.”
Read more or download Let the Nations Be Glad here.
Understanding the Israel of God
After the wicked attacks by Hamas and Israel’s declaration of war, many Christians are once again wondering about affairs in the Middle East. How does modern warfare connect with Biblical prophecy? Does God still have a plan for Israel? If the mosque on the Temple Mount should be destroyed in warfare, should Christians hope a new temple is erected in Jerusalem? Do these conflicts connect to the end of days?
These questions and more will be addressed this Sunday night in Adult Bible study. Come join us to discuss “the signs of the times” and how they fit with Reformed theology and understanding end times.
Want to really go deep? You can look at this study by Dr. Cornelis Venema, “‘In This Way All Israel Will Be Saved:’ A Study of Romans 11:26” MAJT 22 (2011): 19-40 (link).
Preparing for Worship Sept 24
We will be using the following songs and passages from the Word of God in our corporate gathering this Lord’s Day. Please prayerfully use these resources to prepare your hearts to “come into His gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4).
The Word of the Lord:
Psalm 84:10
Jeremiah 2:11 – 13
John 7:37 – 39
Ecclesiastes 2:24 – 26
Ephesians 6:5 – 9
Numbers 6:24 – 26
Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs:
Psalm 84
Jesus, Strong and Kind
Doxology
Take My Life And Let It Be
Gloria Patri
Means of Grace:
Congregational Prayer
Sermon: Ephesians 6:5 – 9
Rev. Brian J. Lund “Christian Work”
Lord’s Day Activities
Sunday school at 9:15 am
Worship at 10:30 am
Preparing For Worship Sept 15
We will be using the following songs and passages from the Word of God in our corporate gathering this Lord’s Day. Please prayerfully use these resources to prepare your hearts to “come into His gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4).
The Word of the Lord:
I Chronicles 29:10ff
Philippians 2:2 – 4
Philippians 3:7 – 11
Galatians 4:30 – 5:1, 31
Ephesians 6:5 – 9
Numbers 6:24 – 26
Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs:
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Knowing You, Jesus
Doxology
For Freedom Christ Has Set
Gloria Patri
Means of Grace:
Congregational Prayer
Sermon: Ephesians 6:5 – 9
Rev. Brian J. Lund “Freedom In Christ”
Lord’s Day Activities
Sunday school at 9:15 am
Worship at 10:30 am
Pastor’s Bible Study at 6:30 pm
Funeral Service for C. Shaeffer
A memorial service for Collin Lee Schaeffer, son of Ken and Kathleen Schaeffer, will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, September 16, 2023, at Zion Evangelical and Reformed Church in Garner with Pastor Brian Lund officiating. Visitation will be held one hour prior to services at the church on Saturday.
Collin Lee Schaeffer, 43, passed away in Huntley, IL on September 5, 2023. You can view his obituary here. Memorials may be directed to his parents, Ken and Kathleen Schaeffer, and will be used to establish a college fund for his children, Evan and Ella.
Helping Parents Raise Kids In Christ
For the past several weeks, God has been instructing us from Ephesians 5 and 6 regarding the Christian family. As we have walked through the verses on marriage, gender & sexuality, parenting, children, and more, we pray the Spirit of the Lord is moving on our hearts. We want to be disciples of Jesus in our homes, our marriages, and in our relationships!
One resource that can help parents is J.C. Ryle’s book. Bishop Ryle was an evangelical bishop in the Anglican church who has been cherished for generations for his clear Biblical teaching, practical application, and warm spiritual piety. Ryle is an example to Christians in all generations! You can read more about J.C. Ryle here.
His book that is so helpful for our purposes here is his The Duties of Parents: 17 Practical Ways to Successful Parenting. Written in the 1800’s, Ryle’s book is shockingly relevant for today’s needs. Not only does Duties of Parents make clear our children’s need for Christ, but it also has so much practical teaching: how to teach our children good time management, preventing our kids from over-indulging (whether screen time, play instead of chores, etc.), and the importance of obedience.
You may not have children at home, or you may not have active parenting duties. Nevertheless, this book is still important for you! Whether grandparents, Sunday school teachers, or getting a copy for the young parents in your neighborhood, so many people can benefit from this book! After all, Proverbs 22:6 teaches, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” This wise proverb is important to the entire Church of Jesus Christ, in every land, and in every time.
Here is a great version to read online. Or, you can download the book as PDF.
Of course, you can always pick up a physical copy in the Narthex. Many of you grabbed a copy last Sunday, and several more copies will be available at worship.
May God bless our parents, and our families, for His glory!
Zion Evangelical & Reformed Church 