"If God Himself Be for Me"
"If God Himself be for me, I may a host defy; For when I pray, before me my foes, confounded, fly. If Christ, my Head and Master, befriend me from above, What foe or what disaster can drive me from His love?
"He canceled my offenses, delivered me from death; He is the Lord who cleanses my soul from sin through faith. In Him I can be cheerful, courageous on my way; In Him I am not fearful of God's great Judgment Day."
Who are your foes? There may be people who dislike us, and there are certainly those with whom we disagree. We may not classify any of these people as foes, but our Lord knows that we will encounter enemies. There are those who hate the Lord Jesus and anyone who follows Him. Concerning these people, Jesus tells us, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44b). Yet we have other foes, eternally deadly enemies—sin, death, and Satan.
We are easily entrapped, listening to the temptations of the devil and of the world around us and following our own selfish desires. We may feel lost and hopeless when faced with such enemies, but we are not alone in our daily war against evil. As David said concerning his fight with Goliath, "The battle is the Lord's" (1 Samuel 17:47b). We are called to stand defiantly against these foes, armed with prayer and the Word of God. Our hymn asks, "If Christ ... befriend me ... what foe or what disaster can drive me from His love?" The question echoes the words of the apostle Paul, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31b).
How is God for us? He gave His Son to be our Savior. In Jesus, God cancelled our offenses because Jesus fought our battle, taking our sins onto Himself and carrying them to the cross. He suffered death, the penalty for sin, in our place. On the first Easter morning, Jesus was raised up from death, overcoming every enemy, and His victory is our victory.
"God's great Judgment Day" lies ahead, the day on which Jesus will return in glory. We do not fear that great day, because our Judge is the Savior who promised, "Whoever hears My Word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life" (John 5:24b). Confident in Christ Jesus, we can be cheerful and courageous as we wait in hope for Jesus' return. Our hymn asks the question: "What foe or what disaster can drive me from His love?" We know the answer. No foe or disaster, neither death nor life, nothing now or yet to come—nothing in all creation "will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39b).
THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, nothing can separate me from Your love. Help me to be courageous and cheerful as I live in service to You. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, "If God Himself Be for Me," which is number 724 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
1. Do you pray for the difficult people in your life? What's the benefit of doing this?
2. Are you able to say with David, "The battle is the Lord's," and turn things over to Him?
3. Though God's coming judgment is real, what escape do we have when it arrives?
With Hope all things are possible,
Pastor Diana+
Hope Lutheran Church of the Sierra
www.hopeofthesierra.com
"Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of Love." Mother Teresa
"If God Himself Be for Me"
"If God Himself be for me, I may a host defy; For when I pray, before me my foes, confounded, fly. If Christ, my Head and Master, befriend me from above, What foe or what disaster can drive me from His love?
"He canceled my offenses, delivered me from death; He is the Lord who cleanses my soul from sin through faith. In Him I can be cheerful, courageous on my way; In Him I am not fearful of God's great Judgment Day."
Who are your foes? There may be people who dislike us, and there are certainly those with whom we disagree. We may not classify any of these people as foes, but our Lord knows that we will encounter enemies. There are those who hate the Lord Jesus and anyone who follows Him. Concerning these people, Jesus tells us, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44b). Yet we have other foes, eternally deadly enemies—sin, death, and Satan.
We are easily entrapped, listening to the temptations of the devil and of the world around us and following our own selfish desires. We may feel lost and hopeless when faced with such enemies, but we are not alone in our daily war against evil. As David said concerning his fight with Goliath, "The battle is the Lord's" (1 Samuel 17:47b). We are called to stand defiantly against these foes, armed with prayer and the Word of God. Our hymn asks, "If Christ ... befriend me ... what foe or what disaster can drive me from His love?" The question echoes the words of the apostle Paul, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31b).
How is God for us? He gave His Son to be our Savior. In Jesus, God cancelled our offenses because Jesus fought our battle, taking our sins onto Himself and carrying them to the cross. He suffered death, the penalty for sin, in our place. On the first Easter morning, Jesus was raised up from death, overcoming every enemy, and His victory is our victory.
"God's great Judgment Day" lies ahead, the day on which Jesus will return in glory. We do not fear that great day, because our Judge is the Savior who promised, "Whoever hears My Word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life" (John 5:24b). Confident in Christ Jesus, we can be cheerful and courageous as we wait in hope for Jesus' return. Our hymn asks the question: "What foe or what disaster can drive me from His love?" We know the answer. No foe or disaster, neither death nor life, nothing now or yet to come—nothing in all creation "will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39b).
THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, nothing can separate me from Your love. Help me to be courageous and cheerful as I live in service to You. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, "If God Himself Be for Me," which is number 724 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
1. Do you pray for the difficult people in your life? What's the benefit of doing this?
2. Are you able to say with David, "The battle is the Lord's," and turn things over to Him?
3. Though God's coming judgment is real, what escape do we have when it arrives?
With Hope all things are possible,
Pastor Diana+
Hope Lutheran Church of the Sierra
www.hopeofthesierra.com
"Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of Love." Mother Teresa
Hope Lutheran Church of the Sierra has been a beacon of hope since it was founded in 1964. Thanks to our founders, we have been blessed to serve the spiritual and physical needs of the community ever since. Over the years, one of Hope’s strengths has been supporting individuals, organizations, and other groups in our community. Our programs include:
Now, we look ahead to the needs and opportunities of 2022. Your end-of-year giving will strengthen Hope. We are asking you for your financial support. If you are excited about our mission, have ever been helped directly or indirectly by our church, have fond memories of our pre-school, celebrated your wedding or baptism with us, have worshipped with Hope, or celebrated Christmas or Easter with us, please consider us in your year-end giving.
With God’s help and your donation, together we can not only continue to serve but come back stronger than before Covid and the Caldor fire evacuation.
May God’s grace be yours in this Advent season, and may God be with you as we near the end of 2021. Let me thank you for your faithful generosity to the ministry of Hope Lutheran Church. We appreciate your financial giving, and recognize it as a sign that God is moving among us! Please use the PayPal link below for your donations or mail to Hope Lutheran Church, 930 Julie Lane, South Lake Tahoe, CA. 96150
With Hope all things are possible, Pastor Diana
“There is a destiny that makes us brothers: None goes his way alone: All that we send into the lives of others comes back into our own.” Edwin Markham
- Harvest Home Sunday, our annual food drive for Christmas Cheer
- Christmas Angel Tree for Live Violence Free
- Ashes-to-Go distributing ashes to the public at Stateline on Ash Wednesday
- Trunk or Treat for a safe Halloween for Tahoe families
- Our newest addition, Hope Full Lunch (HFL), feeding the less fortunate on the streets of South Lake Tahoe. With sack lunches, toiletries, socks, gloves, hats, blankets, etc.
Now, we look ahead to the needs and opportunities of 2022. Your end-of-year giving will strengthen Hope. We are asking you for your financial support. If you are excited about our mission, have ever been helped directly or indirectly by our church, have fond memories of our pre-school, celebrated your wedding or baptism with us, have worshipped with Hope, or celebrated Christmas or Easter with us, please consider us in your year-end giving.
With God’s help and your donation, together we can not only continue to serve but come back stronger than before Covid and the Caldor fire evacuation.
May God’s grace be yours in this Advent season, and may God be with you as we near the end of 2021. Let me thank you for your faithful generosity to the ministry of Hope Lutheran Church. We appreciate your financial giving, and recognize it as a sign that God is moving among us! Please use the PayPal link below for your donations or mail to Hope Lutheran Church, 930 Julie Lane, South Lake Tahoe, CA. 96150
With Hope all things are possible, Pastor Diana
“There is a destiny that makes us brothers: None goes his way alone: All that we send into the lives of others comes back into our own.” Edwin Markham
The vision of Hope Lutheran is to FLOW in the grace of Christ Jesus through: Faith, Love, Outreach and
Worship.
With these four ideals and commands of Christ we go forth to further the Kingdom of God.
Worship.
With these four ideals and commands of Christ we go forth to further the Kingdom of God.
Thank you for visiting our website. The members of Hope Lutheran Church welcome you.
We’ve prepared this website to introduce you to Hope Lutheran Church and to make your visit with us more comfortable. We hope that you feel at home with us during your visit. If you are seeking a church home, we extend to you a hearty invitation to make Hope Lutheran Church your home.
If you have any questions, or have a pastoral need, please contact me.
Blessings,
Pastor Diana
email: pastordianahlc@gmail.com you for visiting our website. The members of Hope Lutheran Church welcome you.
Thank you for visiting our website. The members of Hope Lutheran Church welcome you.
We’ve prepared this website to introduce you to Hope Lutheran Church and to make your visit with us more comfortable. We hope that you feel at home with us during your visit. If you are seeking a church home, we extend to you a hearty invitation to make Hope Lutheran Church your home.
If you have any questions, or have a pastoral need, please contact me.
Blessings,
Pastor Diana
email: pastordianahlc@gmail.com you for visiting our website. The members of Hope Lutheran Church welcome you.
Hope is not (just) a building.
We are a community of people. All ages, families, couples, and singles. We have a rich history - we had our dedication in 1964. The groundbreaking for our current sanctuary was May 20, 1957.
Hope is not made up of perfect people.
We are made up of people committed to growing as disciples of Jesus Christ. How?
By worship, prayer, bible study, acts of mission and caring, nurture of people at all stages of their faith - children, youth, college students, empty nesters, mature adults.
Hope encourages all to follow their journey.
We value and appreciate people who are at different places in their faith journey. We are diverse! Some are very sure; some are not so sure. Some are seekers, some are confident believers, some are bible scholars, some are new explorers of God’s Word. All have a voice. All can come to the Table.
We are a community of people. All ages, families, couples, and singles. We have a rich history - we had our dedication in 1964. The groundbreaking for our current sanctuary was May 20, 1957.
Hope is not made up of perfect people.
We are made up of people committed to growing as disciples of Jesus Christ. How?
By worship, prayer, bible study, acts of mission and caring, nurture of people at all stages of their faith - children, youth, college students, empty nesters, mature adults.
Hope encourages all to follow their journey.
We value and appreciate people who are at different places in their faith journey. We are diverse! Some are very sure; some are not so sure. Some are seekers, some are confident believers, some are bible scholars, some are new explorers of God’s Word. All have a voice. All can come to the Table.
We celebrate Holy Communion every Sunday, join us at our Table where everyone is welcome.
Refreshments are served in our Fellowship Hall following our Sunday service.
Currently we do not offer childcare, we pray that soon we will be overwhelmed with children and childcare will be provided in our Narthex from 9:45-11:30.
We will also be having a children's sermon for those who are a little older on the lessons of the day.
We also have a playground outside the Fellowship Hall for the kids to play on during refreshment time.
Children are always welcomed in our service.
Refreshments are served in our Fellowship Hall following our Sunday service.
Currently we do not offer childcare, we pray that soon we will be overwhelmed with children and childcare will be provided in our Narthex from 9:45-11:30.
We will also be having a children's sermon for those who are a little older on the lessons of the day.
We also have a playground outside the Fellowship Hall for the kids to play on during refreshment time.
Children are always welcomed in our service.
Monthly Calendar
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Pastor Office hours
Wednesday thru Friday 10:00 - 3:00 pm Please call for appointments Office: (530) 541-1975 Emergency: (916) 698-6765 Monday: AA open meeting 7:00 - 9:00 pm Wednesday: Worship Ministry Team 9:30 - 11:00 am Monday, Wednesday & Friday Hope Full Lunch 10:00 Preparation 11:00-12:30 Community Distribution Thursday: AA Women's Meeting 12:00 - 1:00 pm |
930 JULIE LANE, SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA. 96150 |