Welcome to Zion Lutheran Church

Week of October 7-13, 2019: “Always … and Again” … Luke 17:7-10

Many of you have ancestors who were either slaves or who worked in slave-like labor conditions. Maybe they were African American slaves on Southern Plantations; or serfs in eastern Europe; or coal miners over a century ago in Appalachia. We don’t look back with pride at such forms of servitude as we say, of their conditions, “Never again!”

But there is one form of servitude that still exists of which we don’t say, “Never again”, but, “Always … and again.” This is the Christian’s servitude to their Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 17:7-10). The bondservant in Jesus’ day was at the beckon call of their master. When they had done a full day’s work of plowing in the fields, they came inside, adjusted their clothing, and served their master dinner (vv.7-8). In doing this, they were only performing their duty (v.9).

So too, as we labor for Christ, we do so as “unworthy slaves” who are only doing as we are commanded (v.10). There is no “eight-hour day” in our lives in Christ—we are to be ready to serve Him and others 24/7. As we labor for Him, we are not to seek the praises of others (Matthew 6:1) nor are we to think that we are earning our way to heaven—for “the just shall live by faith” as God’s free gift to us in Christ (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17, 6:23).

But doesn’t Jesus Himself say, in John 8:36, “If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed”? How can we be both free and “unworthy slaves” at the same time? Are we saying, to quote a famous line from George Orwell’s book 1984, that “Freedom is Slavery”? Well, in ancient Israel, a Jew could only own a fellow Jew for six years as people often sold themselves to a master in order to pay off a debt or to escape poverty. But there were those, upon being freed, who then freely resubmitted to their masters because their masters had been so good to them (Deuteronomy 15:16-17). These folks were now considered to be “redeemed slaves”. For them, to flip Orwell’s famed saying around, slavery was, in a sense, freedom.

In Jesus Christ, we have been freed from sin and death and now freely submit to Him as His redeemed slaves. In doing so, we live out what Martin Luther wrote in his pamphlet, “On the Freedom of the Christian” where he said, “The Christian is the most perfectly free lord, subject to no one; the Christian is the most dutiful servant of all, subject to all.” Yes, we are, in fact, honored, always … and again, to belong to Our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ—who once became a slave here on earth Himself (Philippians 2:6-8) so that we, as we serve both Him and others, would be free indeed!

Your Pastor  Pastor Bill Mugnolo   Hi, I’m Pastor Bill Mugnolo and I have been serving at Zion Lutherran and at our sister congregation of St Johns in Elyria since September 2017. I was born in Baltimore, Maryland and I grew up on Long Island in New York State, in Northern New Jersey, and in Atlanta, Georgia. Since my graduation from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, I have lived in and have had an ongoing family connection to the Rochester, New York area which I consider to be my adopted hometown. I was confirmed in the Lutheran Church as an adult in 1984. I went on to seminary at Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. I was ordained on August 16, 1990 on the thirty-first anniversary of my baptism. I have served congregations in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania (1990-1998), Newark, New York (1998-2016), and Columbia Station, Ohio (2016-2017). I was joined in marriage to Sabra LeClaire of Rochester, New York on October 1, 1993. We have two daughters—, Emilia and Rebecca. I enjoy power walking, cross-country skiing, dumbbell training, travelling, and a wide variety of music. It is my great honor and privilege to serve both the Lord and you as pastor at Zion.

Wednesday and Thursday

9 A.M to 12 

440-282-8418 

Email pastor.mugnolo@yahoo.com

440-282-8418 Pastor Bill