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-Tuesday 7:00pm
Bible Study
-Thursday 7:00pm
Bible Study
-Sunday 12 noon
Sunday School
-Sunday 2:00 pm
Evangelistic
Service

We visit St. Joseph's Home for Children every first Sunday of the month. We provide at atmosphere of love, praises, dances, read-a-longs, plays, skits, and more. The children love the spirit we bring. They are in need of knowing that God loves them and there are people in the world who love them too. Please keep us in prayer. You can donate financially or volunteer. See Mother Ruby Alexander for details, questions, or ideas.

Learn more about this outreach at: St. Joseph's Children's Home

The Contemporary English Version (CEV) is the translation of choice at Saint Joseph's. It is chosen for its modern english interpretation. The verses below will be out of the CEV unless otherwise noted.

Sunday, July 4 Lesson - Independance Day
Sunday, September 5 Lesson - Labor Day
Sunday, October 3 Lesson -
Sunday, November 7 Lesson -
Sunday, December 5 Lesson - Christmas
Special Halloween Lesson

Independence Day
On Independence day, we celebrate the decision of our forefathers to leave the rule of Great Britain. The American Colonies were fed up with the improper rule of a king whom never set foot on American soil, yet had many laws to impose on the people.

Our holiday serves as a monument for a great work. We broke away from the dication of who we were and who we were to become. We paid duties and taxes to a king who knew nothing about our land and had no desire to know about it.

There is a havenly meaning in which I want to share with this holiday event. When we accept Christ, we also declare Independence from who we were and from the sin that held us.

First a List was drawn:
The Colonies listed reasons why they needed to make a change, why they needed to separate themselves, and used examples and evidence to back it up. Many of the words used were based on God's will for his people. The words came directly from the Bible and stood on the promises of God. This was the reason.

Then, a war was fought:
The war was fought by the very ones who drew up the list. They backed up what they were saying with force. They took the promises of God with seriousness and determination. They gave their lives to benefit all future generations. They acted self-lessly.

- 5 Writers of the declaration were captured and tortured to death
-12 Lost their very homes to fire
- 2 Lost their sons in the war
- 9 Died in the war themselves

Finally, a result was purchased.
At the high cost of life, more life was preserved. This is the result of godly love.

As a result of taking the responsiblity of sin, Jesus separated himself from God on our behalf. (Mat 27:46) The sin that he took responsiblity for was a war we had already lost. Jesus gave his life for mankind's freedom. (John 10:8) We have been set free from sin as our forefathers have set us free from tyranny. (Rom 6:23) We are inheritors of this land because of the war of Independence! We are inheritors of God's kingdom by Jesus Christ's victory in the war of sin! (Col 1:12)

(Psa 33:6-12) Happy is the nation, the people, that chooses God. It is not a demographic decision. To choose God is to choose life, wherever you are! You have been set free from sin. Take responsibility for maintaining that inheritance. A man does not purchase something so valuable and let it get run down. Cherish it and praise God in the beauty of holiness!

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Labor Day
Isaiah 57:1-2
God's faithful people are dragged off and killed, and no one even cares. Evil sweeps them away, but in death they find peace for obeying God.

Revelation 14:13
Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Put this in writing. From now on, the Lord will bless everyone who has faith in him when they die." The Spirit answered, "Yes, they will rest from their hard work, and they will be rewarded for what they have done."

The last day of summer, before school started, used to be considered the end of summer rest for school children. Like Thanksgiving is set aside to give thanks for our harvest, Martin Luther King Day is set aside to honor the Reverend Doctor, and July Fourth is set aside to honor our Independence as a nation, Labor Day commemorates the rest from our labors.

During the Industrial Revolution, Labor Unions were formed for unpleasant working conditions. Employers offered no benefits, no paid sick days, and if a worker did not show up for work they were terminated.

Dueteronomy 5:12-15
Show respect for the Sabbath Day--it belongs to me. You have six days when you can do your work, but the seventh day of the week belongs to me, your God. No one is to work on that day--not you, your children, your oxen or donkeys or any other animal, not even those foreigners who live in your towns. And don't make your slaves do any work. This special day of rest will remind you that I reached out my mighty arm and rescued you from slavery in Egypt.

The first two reasons the Lord asks us to rest from our work is to give honor and respect towards God. The last reason has to do with giving others rest also. Just like the employees of the companies. The importance is to take a day where you rest from the go go go and honor God in the simplicity of reverance.

Yet, we like to put waitresses, gas clerks, and shopping mall attendants to work so we can relax. It used to be that barely anything was open on Sunday for this very purpose. People have let the dollar take reverance away from God. Remember what God has done for you that you can do it unto others.

See also: Heb 12:28, Mat 16:15-19, Gen 1:26

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Halloween
Many believers do not participate in the celebration of Halloween. Do you know why?

• Hallow-een means "Holy Eve" or "All Hallows Eve" just like "Hallowed be they name" contained in the Lord's prayer. (Mat 6:9)
• In ancient Britain & Ireland, the Celtic festival of Samhain was observed at the end of the summer per the Roman Calendar (Oct 31). This festival celebrated the New Year in Celtic & Anglo Saxon times.
• Huge bonfires were set on hilltops to fighten evil spirits.
• Souls of the dead were believed to revisit their graves.
• Ghosts, witches, hobgloblins, black cats, fairies, and demons of all kinds wre said to be roaming about.
• This was a time to placate the supernatural powers controlling the natural processes as in the process of seed planting until the harvest.
• The was believed to be the most favorable time of year for divinations, spells, and seances for luck in marriage, overall luck, health, or safety from death.
• The help of the devil was invoked on this day for such puposes also.

Source: Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th Ed., Vol.4, pg 862

1Corinthians 10:20-21
No, I am not! That food is really sacrificed to demons and not to God. I don't want you to have anything to do with demons. You cannot drink from the cup of demons and still drink from the Lord's cup. You cannot eat at the table of demons and still eat at the Lord's table.

We can't have a part in ungodly practises no matter how "fun" or "harmless" they try to be.

Colossians 2:8 (ESV)
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

• Most Satanists celebrate this as their high holy day. There have known to be horse and human sacrifices historically.
• Spirits were greeted with tables of food over the new year.
• They were led by costumed villagers, representing the dead souls, to the outskirts of town.

In the first 300 years after Christ's resurrection, legions of Christians were martyred for their faith. In the 6th Century, on 5/13 609AD, Pope Boniface dedicated the Pantheon Temple in Rome to their honor. Pope Boniface honored the martyrs with a procession of 28 carriages loaded with the bones from various cemetaries.

In the 8th Century, Pope Gregory II moved this dedication festival of All Saints Day to November 1. He desired to substitute the known Celtic celebration which honored the sun god Samhain. He comissioned to stop the pagan practise and no longer sacrifice beasts to the devil, but to kill them for food to the praises of God. He asked that all would give thanks to the giver of all gifts for his bounty. Many, however, held on to the pagan celebration along with their Christianity.

Scripture was allegorized. Stories were made that incorporated ancient gods with Saints, angels, and heroes. The devil became hidden in the magical world of fairies, goblins, dwarves, and imps. Comming back as an animal after death received its roots from these stories telling of how the devil was conquered by the cross and was now in animals and not humans. Pergatory also came from these stories. It was the place believed to house the devil who is awaiting judgment. Praying for the dead and other superstitions came about during this time.

During the first 200 years, settlers in pre-america didn't observe Halloween. Many rejected the holiday and other feats of the Roman calendar from the Roman Church. It wasn't until the 1840's that Halloween became more popular as immigrants came into America.

Ephesians 5:11
Don't take part in doing those worthless things that are done in the dark. Instead, show how wrong they are.

Ephesians 4:27
And don't give the devil a chance.

• Jack O' Lantern - Druid Priests (Celtic) instructed followers to take the fire of the sacrifice and light their hearths using a vegetable to carry it.
• Trick or Treat - Druids believed dead souls were hungry on the festal day and the food appeased them. If they were not appeased they may cause the curses of Samhain to come on their victims.
• Costumes - It was believed that Samhain allowed dead souls to return on festal night and to wander about with those who ritually imitated them.

2Corinthians 6:16-7:1
Do idols belong in the temple of God? We are the temple of the living God, as God himself says, "I will live with these people and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people." The Lord also says, "Leave them and stay away! Don't touch anything that isn't clean. Then I will welcome you and be your Father. You will be my sons and my daughters, as surely as I am God, the All-Powerful." My friends, God has made us these promises. So we should stay away from everything that keeps our bodies and spirits from being clean. We should honor God and try to be completely like him.

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