5 Day Sermon Devotion

Pastor Adam McDowell • January 27, 2025

"The Right Time" Sermon by Pastor Adam McDowell

Day 1: The Right Time for God's Plan

Reading: Isaiah 61:1-3 and Luke 4:16-21

Devotional: Just as Jesus proclaimed the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy in His hometown, God's timing in our lives is always perfect. Reflect on moments when you've questioned God's timing. How has He shown you that His plans unfold at just the right time? Today, surrender your schedule and desires to God, trusting that He is working all things for your good, even when you can't see it.


Day 2: Anointed for a Purpose

Reading: Luke 3:21-22 and Acts 10:37-38

Devotional: Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit at His baptism, empowering Him for ministry. As believers, we too are anointed for God's purposes. Consider your own baptism. How has the Holy Spirit equipped you to serve others and share His love?


Day 3: Breaking Free from Captivity

Reading: John 8:31-36 and Galatians 5:1

Devotional: Jesus came to proclaim liberty to the captives. While we may not be in physical chains, sin still enslaves us. What areas of your life do you need Christ to liberate? Meditate on the freedom Christ offers, through forgiveness, and pray for the strength to walk in that freedom daily.


Day 4: Seeing with New Eyes

Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 & Ephesians 1:15-19

Devotional: Jesus came to give sight to the blind, both physically and spiritually. Often, our spiritual blindness prevents us from seeing God's work in our lives. Ask God to open the eyes of your heart today. Where might you be missing His cross of forgiveness, presence, or scriptural guidance? Pray for renewed spiritual vision to recognize His hand in both blessings and challenges.


Day 5: God's Presence in Suffering

Reading: Romans 8:35-39 and 2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Devotional: Even when Jesus faced rejection in His hometown, God was with Him. In our own times of trial or suffering, we can trust that God never abandons us. Reflect on a difficult season in your life. How did you experience God's presence? Thank Him for His faithfulness and ask for the strength to be a comforting presence to others who are hurting.


News & Notes

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Board of Directors Ben Clinkenbeard Your Board of Directors is proud to announce that the motion to change our bylaws was approved by the members of St. Peter's on Sunday. A hearty THANK YOU goes out to all of our members who attended the meeting. The meeting also provided an opportunity for spirited discussion and reports from the Endowment Committee, Treasurer, School and Preschool, and some of our Ministry Teams. We also received an update from the Vision to Victory team and the Senior Pastor Call committee. As Pastor Dancy steps away from St. Peter's at the end of May, please be on the lookout for updates from our Senior Pastor Call committee and updates from the Board of Directors as we transition into our newly approved bylaws. We want to extend another thank you to both Pastor Dancy and Pam Launer! Blessings on your next chapter. New elections to the Board of Directors were as follows (* indicates incumbent): Dennis Borchers Ben Clinkebeard* Gary DeCamp Bill Habegger* Mark Timm Vision to Victory Mark & Sandy Timm If you missed the Spring Voter’s Meeting, you missed a big announcement from the Vision to Victory Team. WE PAID OFF THE MORTGAGE! Praise the Lord! We took out a loan twelve years ago to make additions and major renovations to the church. Paying down, or paying off this loan has been a major focus of four consecutive capital campaigns. And we are now debt free. Thanks to everyone who contributed to any of these capital campaigns. It’s been a long time coming, but we praise the Lord that this has been accomplished. Huge cause for celebration! In the weeks to come, the pastors will incorporate a symbolic “mortgage burning” ceremony as a part of our weekly services. And maybe, if we ask nicely, we might even get some refreshments following the service! The Vision to Victory campaign has four major objectives. Retiring our debt was the first and foremost. Done. Refurbishing the sanctuary was the second objective. That has been accomplished and paid for through dedicated funds that were earmarked for this purpose. In fact, we did not require any funds from the capital campaign to accomplish this work. Refurbishing the organ was a third objective. This work is also complete and paid for. At a cost of $330k, we were fortunate to receive a grant from the Lutheran Foundation to cover half the expense. We also were able to use a fund that was previously set aside for this purpose. In reality, we only required a little over $70k from the Vision to Victory capital campaign to get this work accomplished. The final objective of this campaign was to accomplish some much-needed work at the school. Last summer, we were able to install air conditioning units for the school cafeteria and gym. That work is paid for. This summer, we will replace all the windows in the school and refurbish the gym ceiling. We expect this work to total approximately $150k. The Vision to Victory Capital Campaign was designed to run for three years, through June of 2026. We are almost finished with the second of those three years, and we are in great shape. But this is not a time to step away from our pledges. A dozen years ago, the congregation approved a Master Plan that featured three phases. Paying off the mortgage closes the books on the first phase. Whether we continue with the other two phases as described 12 years ago, or go in another direction remains to be seen. But I am certain there will be a next step. And by honoring ourcommitments in the Vision to Victory campaign, we give ourselves a running start on whatever those next steps may be. Like all the generations of church members before us – from the original families who came together to form St. Peters 170 years ago to today – we need to follow two objectives. Maintain the church to meet the needs of the day. And prepare the church to meet the needs of the next generation. We thank each and every one of you who contributed to our accomplishments so far. Let’s finish this final year of the capital campaign by tucking some funding away for wherever the Holy Spirit leads us in the next phase of the life of St. Peters. Finance If you would like a copy of the budget presented at the voter's meeting, give the church office a call and we're happy to get you a printed or electronic copy upon request.
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When considering the example of a servant leader, one face easily comes to mind... Mrs. Pam Launer and her ever present smile.
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