Author: Pastor Stephen Heimer

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Open Doors – Week 3 of Spiritually Vibrant Homes at Zion

El Paso, does this well.  The hospitality of El Paso households is something an army family told me last year was AMAZING about their time in El Paso.  “We felt like we were part of their family,” the wife said as she told me how their neighbors invited them to all their celebrations and frequent cookouts. 

Welcoming people into our homes can become a big part of how people come to know Christ.  Spiritual conversations and prayer together with people outside our family as they spend time in our homes make a strong impact on the faith of everyone involved.

Showing hospitality to people outside our family and friendship circles is a very biblical way of life. (Luke 14:13-14, Hebrews 13:2, Romans 12:13, 1 Peter 4:8-9)

COVID Restrictions on hospitality challenge this powerful source of spiritual vibrance in our households.  As I mentioned in my sermon this week (watch it here), there have always been situations that endanger, limit, or restrict hospitality (crisis, plague, persecution to name a few).  We are in one of those “out of the ordinary” situations now, and guidelines are being updated week-to-week, region to region. Each of our households will need to consider safety while also considering the deep live-giving value of open doors.  While house parties and other up-close gatherings are not options at the moment, how might we use Skype, Facetime, other internet services, or even speaker phones to bridge some gaps and build relationships with others?

Don Evert’s book, The Spiritually Vibrant Home addresses the topic of barriers to open doors in the section he titles, “Which is Better, A Safe Submarine or a Risky Rescue Ship.” It is Pre-Covid, but still provides helpful guidance. Check it out this week (see the book info down below). Other Barna Research findings about hospitality shared in Evert’s book include:
Finding 1. Hospitality is connected to God’s mission.
Finding 2. Hospitality strengthens faith formation.
Finding 3. Hospitality enlarges the extended household in helpful ways.
Finding 4. Spiritually vibrant homes rely on others.
Finding 5. Some people struggle with hospitality.

Stewardship Challenge:  With at-home hospitality on our radar, what changes in routine or what home upgrades would help you have open doors in the coming year? What would enable safe connections with outsiders during this COVID crisis?  What plans can you make now so that you can start new hospitality once the circumstances of COVID allow your doors to truly open up?

This week’s topic is a big challenge for us to consider engaging in during increased covid restrictions, but God’s people have never just given up just because things are hard!  Keep learning, keep praying, keep loving and always remember the assurances of Romans 8:34-39:

“Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

May the Lord bless your week and fill your household with His Spirit.in Christ’s peace,

Pastor Stephen

Want to dig deep into the research behind our fall series? The basis for our study this fall is The Spiritually Vibrant Home: The Power of Messy Prayers, Loud Tables, and Open Doors by Don Everts.

The Senior VP of Research at Barna Group explains, “The Spiritually Vibrant Home unpacks the research and what it all means for our households. This book provides Christians with a roadmap to developing intentional rhythms that nurture their spirit, honor their heavenly Father, and pass on their faith to the next generation.”

Find this book and related resources developed by the Barna Group and Lutheran Hour Ministries at https://www.lhm.org/households/

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Spiritual Disciplines – Week 2 of Spiritually Vibrant Homes at Zion

Week 2 “Apply Spiritual Disciplines at Home”

Zion’s Fall 2020 – Stewardship Theme

We like to eat.  We NEED to eat.  We’d never expect to survive on one meal a week at church! “Spiritually Vibrant Homes” means households read the Bible together and pray together at home (among other discipleship practices).  Our bodies thrive on good food. Our faith is nurtured in God’s life-giving gifts when we apply spiritual disciplines at home.

Utilizing Barna Group research data, Lutheran Hour Ministries has produced Households of Faith, a four-session video study to help households apply three core habits that foster a spiritually vibrant household. These are 1) applying spiritual disciplines; 2) extending hospitality; and 3) engaging in spiritual conversations. Check it out now or plan to sign up when we offer the small-group study here at Zion.

This week at Zion, we are learning more about  #1 “applying spiritual disciplines” at home.  The video below offers some guidance to fathers (but helpful to all household leaders) about this vital part of our home-life. Below the video you will find a few of my recommended resources for your home.

May the Lord bless your week and fill your household with His Spirit.
 
in Christ’s peace,
Pastor Stephen

Resources We Recommend for Your Home Life in the Word and in Prayer

Here are some good resources you can use to explore God’s Word with the people in your household.  

Zion’s Fall 2020 “At Home with the Parables of Jesus”

Zion’s children’s ministry is encouraging families to sit down with their children and grandchildren each week to read from the Best Loved Parables of Jesus book we distributed this summer. (learn more)

Portals of Prayer

Pick up your copy of Portals of Prayer: October-December 2020 this week.  Come to the church office or find a copy in the church entryway on Sunday.

Portals of Prayer for Children

Portals of Prayer for Kids: Daily Devotions provides the structure for dedicated time to learn about Jesus and to grow closer together as a family. Each devotion includes: – a meditation based on everyday situations – a Scripture reading – a journaling prompt – a prayer (learn more)

Want to dig deep into the research behind our fall series? The basis for our study this fall is The Spiritually Vibrant Home: The Power of Messy Prayers, Loud Tables, and Open Doors by Don Everts.

The Senior VP of Research at Barna Group explains, “The Spiritually Vibrant Home unpacks the research and what it all means for our households. This book provides Christians with a roadmap to developing intentional rhythms that nurture their spirit, honor their heavenly Father, and pass on their faith to the next generation.”

Find this book and related resources developed by the Barna Group and Lutheran Hour Ministries at https://www.lhm.org/households/

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Video Bible Study This Week October 12-18

“Lessons for Liturgy, Lessons for Life”

Scripture Study leading to Sunday, October 18, 2020

“Lessons for Liturgy, Lessons for Life” Pastor Emeritus Howard Patten and Pastor Stephen Heimer examine the upcoming scripture lessons for Sunday, October 18, 2020, the Feast of St. Luke, Evangelist

Scripture:

Isaiah 35:5–8

2 Timothy 4:5–18

Luke 10:1–9

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Worship Service This Week October 11, 2020

We are open for in-person worship with special measures in place. For at-home worship, here are links to the video stream, bulletins, and more:

Sunday at 10:30 am MDT

October 11, 2020 – The Nineteenth Sunday After Pentecost – Non-Communion Service

RSVP for In-Person Worship

Livestreams and Videos

View on Zion’s YouTube Channel
View on Zion’s Facebook Page

Download Bulletin for Sunday, October 11th, 2020 (pdf)

Smartphone-Friendly Version of Bulletin

Children’s Activity Sheet, October 11th, 2020 (pdf)

Offerings Online, by App, or By Mail

Mail Offerings to: Zion Lutheran Church, 2800 Pershing Dr., El Paso, TX 79903

Send Offerings Online

Donations via an app:  If you prefer using your phone or tablet, you can download the Give Plus app from either the App Store or Google Play, depending on your type of phone.  Give Plus is the Vanco mobile application.  You can easily set up an account and donation through the app. 

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Video Bible Study This Week October 5-11

“Lessons for Liturgy, Lessons for Life”

Scripture Study leading to Sunday, October 11, 2020

“Lessons for Liturgy, Lessons for Life” Pastor Emeritus Howard Patten and Pastor Stephen Heimer examine the upcoming scripture lessons for Sunday, October 11, 2020, the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Scripture: Isaiah 25:6–9 + Philippians 4:4–13 + Matthew 22:1–14

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Households Matter to Jesus

“Spiritually Vibrant Homes” – Week 1

Zion’s Fall 2020 – Stewardship Theme

Last week I shared in our newsletter that God cares not only about individuals but also about entire households. The Bible refers to households 2,100 times! Find my introduction to this topic here.

On Sunday, I shared in my sermon some key Christian disciplines that when practiced together in a household (not just independently) make for a Spiritually Vibrant Home. Find that sermon here.

(First, I have to give credit and praise to Lutheran Hour Ministries and the Barna Group for what I’m going to share below. Fantastic! Check out the book and links below)

Some themes that stand out as we look at those 2,100 uses of the word “household” in the Bible:

1) God sees households. Not just us individuals, God is paying attention to and caring for our households.

2) Households often rise and fall together. This isn’t a hard-and-fast rule but we see the effect household members have on each other, for better or for worse. (God wants the better! and probably has you there just for that purpose.)

3) God works through households. We often remember individual names “heros of faith” whose lives are impacted and used by God throughout history. Notice also that God often uses entire households. (Noah wasn’t the only person who helped build and who was saved in the ark. So were his wife and sons and their wives!)

Get Ready to Try Something New

Since COVID separation is persisting and has no end in sight, let’s all try something new at home as Zion households of faith. Let’s each add something from each of these three areas to our home life:

Wondering what this all means? Don’t worry, this is what we will be examining at Zion in a variety of ways this fall. We will find insight and inspiration in God’s Word for the salvation and spiritual vibrance of our households.

  • Week 1 beginning October 4 – “A Harvest for Eternal Joy” (Philippians 3:12)
  • Week 2 beginning October 11 – “Homes of Messy Prayers” (Philippians 4:6)
  • Week 3 beginning October 18 – “Homes with Open Doors” (Luke 10:5)
  • Week 4 beginning October 25 – “Homes of Loud Tables” (1 Thessalonians 2:4)
  • Week 5 beginning November 1 – “Homes of Eternal Love” (Matthew 5:12)
  • Zion’s Consecration Sunday will be November 8th. (More about that later)

God richly bless you and your households today and all this week!

in Christ’s peace,
Pastor Stephen

Want to dig deep into the research behind our fall series? The basis for our study this fall is The Spiritually Vibrant Home: The Power of Messy Prayers, Loud Tables, and Open Doors by Don Everts.

The Senior VP of Research at Barna Group explains, “The Spiritually Vibrant Home unpacks the research and what it all means for our households. This book provides Christians with a roadmap to developing intentional rhythms that nurture their spirit, honor their heavenly Father, and pass on their faith to the next generation.”

Find this book and related resources developed by the Barna Group and Lutheran Hour Ministries at https://www.lhm.org/households/

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Spiritually Vibrant Homes

[…and the jailer asked,] “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.

(Acts 16:30-32)

Rejoice! Christ comes to save us – you, me, and everyone in our households. The passage above from Acts 16 could have mentioned only the jailer’s saving-faith and we still would have celebrated God’s miracle and the testimony of His people that led to this saving faith. The passage doesn’t stop there though.  It includes the detail about his household also being saved. The Bible mentions households more than 2,100 times.  God observes Noah and his household and He lays out for them His instructions for salvation from the flood.  God’s covenant with Abraham is a household promise that through them He will bless all nations.  God clearly cares about us individually, sees us and loves us individually, AND He sees and cares about our entire household.

How are Our Households Doing?

During COVID, most people are spending more time at home, physically together, with fewer out-of-home activities sucking away time that could be spent together in prayer, reading scripture, and having spiritual conversations.  With much more worship and Biblical teaching available online and plenty of print Bibles and digital Bibles at our fingertips, we would expect Christians are living out their faith more and more as vibrant Christian households. This IS happening in many of our homes. Praise God! BUT several recent studies show that in many cases people are actually reading the Bible less during COVID as they find their time and attention drawn into streaming movies and other activities. There is good, bad, and ugly unfolding in our homes and one study found that 30% fewer people are reading the Bible regularly compared to before COVID hit.

A Vision for Vibrant Households of Faith

Let’s you and me all live out the better opportunities this year is offering for the life-giving practices that bring us closer to each other and to God.  I’ve heard good reports from many Zion families, about how you are in the Word, in prayer, in conversation, and in worship together, more than ever.  New friends of Zion have heard God’s call to draw closer to Him and are enjoying a new season of growth with us in His Word. 

Our Fall Stewardship Theme: “Spiritually Vibrant Homes”

  • October 4th – “A Harvest for Eternal Joy”
  • October 11th – “Homes of Messy Prayers”
  • October 18th – “Homes with Open Doors”
  • October 25th – “Homes of Loud Tables”
  • November 1st – “Homes of Eternal Love”

Learning from scripture and examining some findings from recent research conducted by the Barna Group and Lutheran Hour Ministries, we will invite God to renew and enliven our Christian homelife.  Some of the research findings I am eager for us to examine together include these from the Barna study:

  • Relating to God together can prepare a household for tough times. (True in the research and in the testimonies I’ve heard at Zion this year)
  • Having an extended household helps (Relating with Christians outside your family helps)
  • Households that relate to God together tend to do a lot together (“good fun, good work, and good faith go hand in hand”)

We will invite the Holy Spirit to guide us as we make household plans for the vibrant life of faith to which God has called us.  God bless you and all of your households in the awesome love and grace of God Almighty.

In Christ’s peace,

Pastor Stephen