This Week at Mt. Olive

Good evening, fellow redeemed!

"In the beginning, God created...And there was evening, and there was morning, the first day."

In the last 100 years or so, these words of Genesis have become popular targets for disagreement. There are those who say, "Well, really, the words of Genesis 1:1 say, 'When God began to create the heavens and the earth,' so the materials of creation were already in existence when God began creating." Then, there are those who say, "We really don't know how long the days of Genesis 1 were, so there's no telling how long creation really took." Still others say that the arguments about these things are immaterial, that they really don't have a bearing on the faith. Finally, others say the texts of the Bible are metaphorical and not to be taken literally.

The texts really speak to these issues themselves. The first word of Genesis 1 in Hebrew is a prepositional phrase. It says, "In the beginning..." The word used for day in Genesis 1:5 in the rest of Old Testament literature is a 24-hour day. God's words have a bearing on every aspect of the life of faith, for what God says in His Word is true. Finally, while some texts of the Bible are symbolic in nature, Genesis 1 and its narrative style are to be taken literally.

Praise God for our Lutheran forefathers, for they wrote, "First, then, we receive and embrace with our whole heart the Prophetic and Apostolic Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the pure, clear fountain of Israel, which is the only true standard by which all teachers and doctrines are to be judged" (Solid Declaration, Rule and Norm 3).

Blessed Lord, You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. Grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and take them to heart that, by the patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives on reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

This Week at Mt. Olive
The Church Council holds its first meeting of the new year on Monday at 7 p.m. Please pray that God continue to grant wisdom and a servant heart to these faithful servants.

The Lutheran Women's Missionary League will meet Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m.

Lutheran Book Club resumes this week. The latest book for study is "A Skeleton in God's Closet" by Paul Maier. The Book Club meets in the Overflow at 7 p.m.

Finally, I'm working on an evangelism project for Mt. Olive that will involve all people and be centered on content rather than technique. If you'd like to know more, please send me a blast at the end of this week.

I'll be out of the office all day Tuesday for a Circuit Conference in Rockport.

Prayer Concerns:
Rita Murphy, Bob Whitworth, Ben Muhr, Bill Waterman
Those who serve in our armed forces and their families: Rob Vadney (Ft. Campbell), John Sorensen (NAS Corpus Christi)
The homebound of our church: Ruby Rieder, Ann Cleveland, Charlotte Birnbaum, Bud Bird, Walter and Pearly Theiss (Houston)
College students both from Mt. Olive and throughout our land, as they return to classes this week
The Church throughout the world as she focuses on mission during this Epiphany season

This Week at Mt. Olive
Monday, 9 JAN
6:30 p.m.
Zumba Aerobics

7 p.m.
Church Council

Tuesday, 10 JAN
6:30 p.m.
LWML

Wednesday, 11 JAN
8:30 a.m.
School Chapel

9:30 a.m.