Welcome to Zion Lutheran Church

Week of November 4-10, 2019: “Adopted Children Sunday”: 1 John 3:1-3

At a previous Church where I served, there were five families who between them had eleven adopted children. Several of these children were adopted out of Eastern Europe. At least four children had special needs and one had a long-term illness. All were dearly loved by their adoptive parents.

This past Sunday, The Feast of All Saints, could just as easily be called Adopted Children Sunday—for all saints, whether in heaven or still on earth, are God’s children only by adoption. Because of the long-term illness of our sin, we were by nature “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). But our Father in heaven so dearly loved us that He adopted us as His very own (John 1:12-13, Romans 8:15-17, 1 John 3:1-2).

Now for an adoption to go through, especially from a foreign land, a large price is often paid. For our adoption as His children to go through, our Heavenly Father paid the highest possible price—the death of His only Son, Jesus Christ. Through what He has done by His cross and resurrection, we are God’s children now and can call Him “Abba, Father”—which literally means “daddy”.

But before we can see Him “as He is” in heaven, we must go through a process of purification (1 John 3:3) that will involve many adjustments in the way in which we live. Many of those adopted children from that Church that I once served had been abused, neglected, or spent considerable time in foreign orphanages in sub-standard conditions. Once adopted, they had to make many adjustments which involved learning new behaviors, learning how to trust, and knowing that they were loved. Their adoptive parents, as I saw firsthand, had to have great patience with them.

We too, as natural born children of wrath, had been spiritual orphans who had been abused by Satan. Now, as adopted children, we must be purified so that we might learn new, Christ-like behaviors; learn to trust in Our Father; and know that we are loved by Him. But, as Psalm 103:13 tells us, He is ever patient with us right up until the end. It will be then, having been purified, that we will join our fellow adopted children of the past as members of the saints in glory.

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