A belated Happy Easter to all. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia.
For those who attended our Holy Week services, I hope they touched your heart. I hope you are one second closer to praising God for what He did for you and for me. This was done for us. Praise God.
Thank you to all those involved. So much great work was done by those who were actively involved in the many worship services. Thank you to all those who were involved in the Living Last Supper. Altar Guild was all over the place making sure things ran smoothly. Readers and Assistants were asked to leave their normal roles and do many things differently. The keeper of the lights did a great job. Gregg and Steve were asked to stand out in their roles. Bridget and Pam, awesome job! And to anyone I have forgotten, I am sorry and I thank you.
How about our first communion students and families? The front of the church was filled. For those who came, thank you for helping share a wonderful experience. Thank you Don for preparing these students for their first communion.
Well, you would think things would slow down a little, well not at St. Johns. Next week, Sunday, the children will be having their Spring Spectacular. Under the guidance of Jan Hauger and the willingness and work of the Sunday School Teachers, they will show off the songs they have practiced over the last couple of months. Please be prepared to not only listen but to participate during this program.
It is also a great time to bring a friend to church this coming weekend. The Evangelism Committee has planned this weekend to ask someone to come to church with you. What’s the worst thing that can happen? They say no. Who knows, maybe they have been waiting for someone to invite them to church. It is better coming with someone versus going alone. Therefore, invite a friend to church this weekend.
Let me talk to you about the music videos that are being played before church. I am getting some feedback from it. Some good and some not so good. This has been my decision, not a committee’s decision. I have chosen to do this for a number of reasons.
- My hope is to show members of the congregation that there are different types of music to praise God.
- To reach out to people who are not necessarily moved by our traditional hymns but who have been moved by contemporary Christian music.
- To use our expensive projector and video screens for more than a bulletin.
Bottom line, I am not going to please everyone. That comes with the territory of my job. Some like bread, some like traditional wafers. Some like coming up for communion while others feel strongly about the communion cups. And it goes on and on. I am okay with this. I am glad that people have strong feelings about these things. But please be aware, in making some of these decisions, I will probably make some people upset.
Here is the thing I would like you to remember. Worship is not about you. Worship is always about community. It is bringing people together to praise God. Like I said before, there are so many different ways to praise God. I was talking to a friend of mine and they said, “instead of looking for 5 minutes of something they do not like about the service, how about instead, look for 5 minutes of something they like about the service.” I think that is excellent advice.
One of the things I have noticed is there is a lot of noise coming from church as the video is playing. It does distract from the experience. If you want to talk, please do so in the narthex. These videos always start approximately 4-5 minutes before service time. You can always make your way into church when the video is coming to the end.
Truth: Only by filling up with God’s love, do I have love to share. (Living Lutheran, March 2023)
Pastor Tom
815-223-1144
Readings for the Second Weekend of Easter – April 26 & 27
Acts 5:37-32 Psalm 118:14-29 Revelation 1:4-8 John 20:19-31
Reading the Bible in a Year- Monday, April 21 to Sunday April 27
Day Song of Songs Psalms Proverbs 1st Corinthians
Monday Ch 5-Ch 8 100:1-5 Ch 12:27-Ch 13:13
2nd Chronicles
Tuesday Ch 10-Ch 12 20:15-24 Ch 14:1-19
Wednesday Ch 13-Ch 15 101:1-8 Ch 14:20-40
Thursday Ch 16-Ch 18:27 102:1-11 Ch 15:1-34
Friday Ch 18:28-Ch 20 102:12-17 Ch 15:35-49
Saturday Ch 21 – Ch 23 20:25-21:4 Ch 15:50-Ch 16:4
Sunday Ch 24- Ch 25 102:18-28 Ch 16:5-24
Song of Songs – the closing of a love song. Maybe we should not use the descriptions that the lover makes of the one they love. 6:5b – “Your hair is like a flock of goats.” 6:6 “Your teeth are like a flock of sheep.” Not sure if that would work today. Strike that. I am sure these lines would not work today.
2nd Chronicles – have you felt like you have read this before. You sort of have. It is very similar to 1st Kings and 2nd Kings. Hang in there. There is a little more detail in the Chronicles. I find that it makes it interesting to read.
Psalms- probably should keep Psalm 102 close to your heart. Talking about honesty. Things are not going well for the psalmist. Have you ever felt like your body is like how the psalmist describes? Not a good day. But the psalmist continues to hope in God and God answers.
Proverbs-love the image of verse 17. I wonder how many times I am deceitful? Pretty strong word.
1st Corinthians- Paul spends a great deal of time, especially in Chapter 15, explaining how important the resurrection of Christ is. Paul says if Christ was not raised, “your(our) faith is in vain.” What a true statement. If he did not rise, what would he be? Would he be a great man, a great prophet? C.S. Lewis says no. He says “he would be the greatest liar ever known.” Why? Because Christ said he would rise from the dead. It would make the Gospel writers and many other people liars also.