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07/04/26

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As we celebrate the 4th, and a big one at that (250 years), the Matthew 11 reading on Sunday reminds us that the Christian life is all about being dependent on the one who is gentle and lowly in heart. Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me”. Yokes were placed around the necks of two oxen to make them co-workers, so to speak. With the yoke in place, one could plow or plant knowing that one Ox would not run away or turn a different direction. It was a word used by the Romans to describe the citizens relationship with her government. It was also used by Jewish religious establishment to call people be connected to God’s law. Too much weight on the necks of the oxen caused them to do less work and so worked against the original intention of the yoke. This is the problem when one is yoked only to God’s law, the weight of trying and failing to keep the law becomes too great. Jesus comes along and says that when one is yoked yourself to him, a soulful rest is the result. Come hear more on this topic this Sunday/ Monday, and if you cannot make it be sure to catch the service on YouTube.

In His Service,

Pastor

Sunday/Monday Worship Theme: The Yoke’s on You, God’s rest for the weary. Matthew 11:25-30

Intergenerational Sunday School : This Sunday the adults and children will be meeting together for a joint Sunday School in the fellowship hall. We will begin our time singing a few patriotic songs, learning what it means that God gave us this country to live in, and then take some time to show how God’s gracious hand was involved in the life of Joseph in the Old Testament. Please join us at 10:15 in the fellowship hall.

DCE Call Committee Update The call committee interviewed two candidates this past week. Over the next few weeks, we will be seeking to gather the names of more individuals we might interview. Those on the call committee are, Scott Perry, Patrick Grandt, Mitch Essert, Becky Stevens, Carleigh Ottwell, and Pastor Krenz.

Sunday Bible Class: Next Sunday we will continue our look at various denominations and how that compares to the Lutheran Church. Next week we will see how we are similar and different than the United Church of Christ (UCC), and the Methodist Church along with a presentation from the Youth group on their summer servant event at Heit’s Point, Missouri.

No Sunday School: During the rest of July there will be no children’s Sunday School.

Voter’s Meeting Our annual Summer Voter’s meeting is set for Tuesday, July 28th at 6:30pm.

Got a St. Paul’s T-Shirt? Wear it! Want one? Need another One? Pick one up in the narthex today and make a $10 donation to defer the cost if you can!

Next Food Pantry: July 8th 4 to 5:30 pm: Pantry Needs: Crackers, Pudding, Hamburger Helper

7/1 Served: 24 Families = 54 Adults + 15 Children

July Series Theme: Learning from the Parables

July 12th &13th “Hearing and Heeding the Word” Matthew 13:1-9

July 19th & 20th “When Wheat and Weeds Grow Together” Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

July 26th & 27th “The Kingdom Worth Everything” Matthew 13:44-52

Church Office Hours next week: Dianne Miller, our church secretary, will be on vacation Thursday, July 9 thru Thursday, July 18th. Special Thank you to the ladies who will be covering the church office during the morning hours.

EVE’S RESTORATION MINISTRIES SUMMER BAZAAR IN PARTNERSHIP W/ ST. PAUL’S LUTHERAN CHURCH Saturday, July 25, 2026, 9 am to 3 pm. There will be vendor booths, concessions, food/ice cream truck, face painting for the kids, and more! Please stop by the church and support the Summer Bazaar! Booths will be available for rent. Contact Amanda Douglas at 314-221-6700 for more information

Youth Group Presentation: The Youth Group will be giving a presentation on their recent Youth service event t the beginning of the July 12th Bible Class hour.