October 1, 2026 E-Vine

The Upside-Down Kingdom
“When the Gift Becomes a Grasp”
October 4, 2026
 
CLICK HERE FOR SERVICE NOTES

 

As We Gather

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells a story about a vineyard—beautiful, abundant, and entrusted to tenants who forget that everything they have is a gift. Their grasping turns violent, and their desire to possess what was never theirs leads them to reject even the owner’s son. Yet in this upside-down kingdom, God does the unexpected: the rejected Son becomes the cornerstone, and the vineyard is given to those who receive it with open hands. Today we hear the good news that the kingdom is not earned, seized, or owned—it is given. And the fruit we bear comes not from our strength, but from His grace.

 

Ongoing News and Information

 

 


October 4 – Coffee Hour Brunch with Thrivent
Join Thrivent on Sunday, October 4 in the Parish Hall after the worship service for a light brunch from Model Bakery to learn about some important member benefit updates, which include $10,000 identity theft protection, while also learning how to protect yourself from scammers. Financial advisors Ashley Tangeraas and Austen Wilson, Thrivent’s number one advisor, will also be sharing some important tax strategies to help you take advantage of the One Beautiful Bill’s deductions for charities, families and seniors. Please fill out the RSVP form at this link if you plan to attend. Thrivent members and non-members are welcome to this event. No products or services will be sold.


Pastor Mike’s Bible Class: Revelation
Pastor Mike’s Bible class will not be meeting this Sunday. We will resume on October 11, when we will once again meet in Room 10 at 11:00AM after worship.

 


October 4 – Oktoberfest

🎉 St. John’s Oktoberfest. Come for the brats, stay for the banter.

 

Fall has arrived, and while everyone else is out hunting for the perfect pumpkin or pretending they understand “harvest décor,” we have a better plan.

 

Join us for an afternoon of food, drinks, music, and potluck desserts that range from legendary to “who made this?”

Don’t miss the 2:00 PM preview performance of one of the numbers from next month’s school musical, “Alice in Wonderland,” presented by the St. John’s Lutheran School Theatre kids!

 

Here is what you can expect:
🌭 Catered brats, hotdogs, and potato salad
🍺 Beer, wine, lemonade, soda, and coffee
🍰 Potluck desserts that are heartfelt, unpredictable, and occasionally controversial

Join us for good food, good people, and a chance to hang out.
📍 Sunday, October 4th | 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
📍 St. John’s Lutheran Church Patio

🎟️ Free entry (Sign-ups are encouraged – sign up using the QR code above or at this link). Real fun. Mild dessert drama optional.

 

 
Update from the Mission Farm
Since April the volunteers at the Mission Farm have been busy raising organic fruits and vegetables to send to the CANV Food Bank to assist financially challenged families. As of the end of September, we have turned 15,583 lbs. of produce to the Bank this year, with 2,076.9 lbs. in September alone. We would not have been able to accomplish this without the sweat of our volunteers and the providence of the Heavenly Gardner who smiles upon the Farm’s purpose. 

Farmer Ted is now shifting his focus to raising funds for next year’s crop plan. During November and December, Mission Farm will join one hundred other Napa County nonprofits in the Napa Give!Guide’s 2026 campaign. We hope that as we approach the end of the year and you make plans for charitable giving that you will remember the mission of the Farm. St. John’s makes it easy to give in support not only for the General Fund, but also for certain of its individual ministries like the Farm by “earmarking” your gift. You can also help us connect with the community through the Give!Guide campaign. Place a sign in your front yard where neighbors and passersby can see it or display a poster at a busy workplace or business. Pastor Ted will have signs, posters, and brochures available—see him on Sunday mornings.

 


October 15 – Dine and Donate at Panera
The St. John’s Lutheran School Theatre Program invites you to Dine and Donate with Panera on Thursday, October 15. Just visit the Panera location at 1725 Trancas St any time from 7:00AM to 9:00 PM on October 15 and present this flyer at checkout (or use code FUND4U when ordering online), and Panera will donate 20% of all sales to support our theatre program!

 

 


Cancer Care for the Scully Family
Many thanks to our wonderful congregation for providing such care and support for the Scully family over the past few months. Rebecca has successfully completed her four-cycle course of chemo. She’ll be concentrating in September on resting and recovering before undergoing radiation in late September or early October. To help the family continue to focus on rest and healing, we have put together a “Cancer Care” website with links to items that would be most helpful for them as they navigate this phase of treatment. For more information and to contribute, please click here. The Scully family is incredibly grateful for the prayers, gift cards, and generosity of our St. John’s family throughout this journey!

 

   

For more than 60 years, our main parking lot has served St. John’s well. But as we all know, it is now in serious need of repair. In addition, several sections of the sidewalks along Linda Vista Avenue and Trojan Road have been lifted and broken by tree roots, creatng uneven and unsafe walking areas.

 

“Make the Rough Places Plain” (Isaiah 40:4) is our congregation’s project to:

  • Repave the parking lot
  • Improve parking lot lighting
  • Repair the damaged sidewalk sections

Our goal is to complete the work this summer, so that when school begins, the “rough places” will indeed be made plain – a safer, well-lit parking lot and level sidewalks for all who come onto or walk by our campus.

 

Project Budget: $280,000

  • Parking Lot Repaving – $200,000
  • Improved Parking Lot Lighting – $50,000
  • Sidewalk Repair – $30,000

We have applied for assistance through the City of Napa’s Sidewalk Cost Share Program and are awaiting their response.

 

How You Can Help
Please prayerfully consider making a special offering to support “Make the Rough Places Plain.”
Gifts may be made by check or online at this link.

 

As of September 30, 2026, we have received $212,5488 in donations.

 

Praise God for His generosity through His people!

 

 


Save the Dates: Advent Soup Suppers — December 2, 9, 16
Advent is on the horizon, and so are our Wednesday evening soup suppers. This year’s dates are December 2, 9, and 16. We encourage everyone to begin thinking about attending or hosting one of the evenings with your small group, ministry team, or family. Sign ups and full details will be available soon, but now is a great time to start planning.

 

 

Submit Your Ideas for a New St. John’s Lutheran Logo!
Calling All Artists & Designers! We’re dreaming up a new St. John’s Lutheran Campus logo, and we’d love your creative input. If you have experience in graphic design or clean‑line illustration, we invite you to submit a concept featuring grapes and grapevines (with grapes clearly visible), an eagle either flying above or resting in the vines, and a cross placed in the background. The design should be simple enough to print across many different materials.

 

Please turn in your concept to the church office or email joshwright@stjohnsnapa.org by November 1, 2026.

 

Your artistry helps shape the visual identity of our campus!

 


 In Search of Rental Home (Napa)
A family in our congregation is seeking to rent a house, townhouse or apartment with at least 2 bedrooms within walking distance of St. John’s beginning in September. If you have any leads, please reach out to Jeff at 650-804-6218. Many thanks!

 

 

Being Family: Passing Down the Faith Through the Generations
Scott Keith

 

How do we pass our faith to the next generation? This is a vital question that we, as a church body, invest immense time and attention into answering. It drives our commitment to our school at St. John’s, our children’s church, and our Vacation Bible School. We deeply desire to nurture and sustain Christian faith in the generations to come.

In Being Family, Scott Keith reinforces a truth heavily documented elsewhere: the primary vehicle for passing down the faith is the family. What happens within the home is far more influential than any program a church can implement. Simple, everyday discipleship is the key to feeding faith in the hearts of children. Crucially, this book is not a parenting manual focused on techniques or “how-tos.” Instead, it is an invitation to view your home as a vital space where Christ is already actively at work.

Written from a distinct Lutheran perspective, the core message is that the Christian family is neither a performance nor a program. Rather, it is a God-given vocation where faith is naturally handed down through ordinary life. It does not require parental perfection. In fact, our failures become profound teaching moments when parents model how to confess sins and receive forgiveness from their children. God works through the everyday rhythms of conversation, repentance, worship, prayer, love, and presence. As Keith summarizes: “You don’t have to be impressive. Just present.”

A pivotal takeaway is the importance of building a family culture centered on grace. Parents and children alike will fall short; that is the reality of a broken world. Yet, grace extended through forgiveness is far more powerful in passing on what matters most than rigid rule enforcement. The Gospel grows faith; the law does not.

Keith also offers encouragement specifically tailored to the unique vocation of grandparents, highlighting how they can meaningfully aid in the discipleship of their grandchildren. I highly recommend this book to parents with children still at home, as well as grandparents who have the privilege of being involved in their grandchildren’s lives. Because I read a digital copy, I do not have a physical book for the church library cart just yet—but it is well worth adding to your personal reading list. Previous recommendations can be found here: church.stjohnsnapa.org/resources/pastor-mikes-bookshelf

 

   

Wednesday Night Confirmation ClassesThe new year of Confirmation is underway! Confirmation, for 7th and 8th graders desiring to know more about God, will be meeting throughout the school year right here at St. John’s. This month we will meet on October 7,14, & 21 in Room 10. Each of those Learning Events runs from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. If you have any questions or desire to get involved, please contact Kevin Mathison.

 


Tuesday Night High School Hangouts
Tuesday is Youth Night! We’re kicking things off with an apologetics series to better prepare ourselves for sharing our faith. Join us as we dive into the Word and have a little fun while doing so! Invite a friend and come join us! We’ll meet on Tuesday nights from 7:00-8:30 PM in Kevin Mathison’s office. For more information, please contact Kevin Mathison.

 

 

Join Us For Children’s Church!
All children ages preschool through 5th grade are invited to join us for Children’s Church, an age-specific time of teaching and fellowship during the main worship service every Sunday morning. The children will spend the first part of the service in the sanctuary, then join their teachers for Children’s Church in one of the classrooms. The children then rejoin their families for the last part of the worship service. We are also looking for more adults and teens to help lead these classes, so if you are interested, please reach out to Kevin Mathison.

 

Follow St. John’s Youth Ministry on Social Media to keep up with all the latest information! 
Facebook: SJL Napa Youth Ministry
Instagram: St. John’s Lutheran Napa Youth 

 

                                                                             
 

Every week is an opportunity to invite someone to join with us in worship, whether in person or online. The first step, though, is to pray for those who you may invite.  Who can you pray for?  Who will you invite?  

 

 

 

You can CLICK HERE to give your offering online.   

 

 

 

What Happens When You Ask for Help from a Stephen Minister?

When you ask for help from a Stephen Minister, a Stephen Leader will contact you to talk more about Stephen Ministry and what it can mean to you. If your needs can be best served by a Stephen Minister, you will be matched with someone who will support you through this tough time. Confidentiality is a top priority for the Stephen Ministry team. You do not need to be concerned that other people will discover that you have requested help. Everything discussed with your Stephen Minister remains confidential. To find out more about Stephen Ministry or to request a Stephen Minister, contact Penni Cremen (707-483-9321) or Pastor Mike at the church office (707-255-0119).

 

Women’s Monday Morning Bible Study

The Women’s Monday Morning Bible Study meets on Monday mornings in the Sanctuary from 10:00-11:30 AM. This fall we’re studying the Book of Genesis. All study materials will be handed out at the start of the study. For more information, please contact Judi Rock at goalyce2041@gmail.com. All women are welcome to join us!

 

Men’s Saturday Morning Bible Study

The Men’s Saturday Morning Bible Study is currently studying Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. All men are welcome to join us every Saturday morning in Room 10. Breakfast will be at 7:30 AM, and the Bible study will be from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM.

 

 


Right Now Media
Right Now Media is an online resource providing Christian videos for all ages – children’s resources, Bible studies, lectures, and more. As a congregation, we have subscribed to Right Now Media, so access is free for all in our St. John’s family. If you haven’t already signed up for Right Now Media, CLICK HERE.

 

Where do I find sermons and services that I missed?

You can find previous sermons in three places.  The full services are available on the YouTube channel.

 

More Links to Check Out


Church Calendar

 

Scrip Info: What is Scrip?…

 

 

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Our mailing address is:
St. John’s Lutheran Church   3521 Linda Vista Ave.  Napa, CA 94558