Redeemer Lutheran and St. Theodore of Canterbury

On Sunday, Aug. 30, the congregations of Redeemer Lutheran Church and St. Theodore of Canterbury Episcopal Church will celebrate the 14th Sunday after Pentecost at 10:30 a.m. Rev. Murray D. Finck will lead the Holy Communion service at 13564 St. Andrews Drive in Leisure World.

After the service, the congregation will welcome new members and celebrate congregants’ August birthdays in the Fellowship Hall with coffee, tea, cookies and snacks.

On Wednesday, Sept. 2, the Bible study will continue the series titled “The Life, Ministry, and Mission of Jesus.” It will focus on the story from all four of the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. In addition to the lessons, the group will watch episodes from the made-fortelevision series “The Chosen.”

People meet on the first and third Mondays of the month to help the congregation prepare crafts for the next holiday bazaar. The next meeting is Monday, Sept. 14, downstairs in the Fellowship Hall. There will be planned projects with directions, and all materials will be provided.

The congregation will participate in “God’s Works. Our Hands” on Sept. 13. This is an annual event guided by the Evangelical Lutheran Church. The congregation will collect dry goods and canned goods to be donated to Lutheran Social Services that day. The lesson for Aug. 30 comes from Jeremiah 15:15-21 and Matthew 16:21-28.

The prophet Jeremiah feels that the Lord abandoned him and left him in his suffering. Jeremiah is ready to turn his back on the Lord. The Lord tells Jeremiah that if he follows the Lord, the Lord will take him back. However, the only change will be that Jeremiah will know that the Lord is with him.

In Matthew, moments after the declaration by Peter that Jesus is the Messiah, Peter tells Jesus that he should not fulfill what he came to do: suffer and die for and redeem all people.

Both lessons show believers that suffering has a purpose.