Author: admin

Message from the Congregational President (June 2020)

Posted on by admin
holy spirit
June 2020 From Your Congregational President Declaring & Teaching – Jesus is Lord !

 

Following is an extended excerpt from the book of 1 John that I hope communicates a spirit of Love that we all need right now.

 

1 John 1, 2:1-6, 3:1-3

The Incarnate Word

1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

 

God Is Light

5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

 

Christ Is Our Advocate

2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. 3 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

 

Children of God Love One Another

3 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

 

I encourage everyone to read the entire book of 1 John but thought these portions would make a good start to my article and set the right tone for St. Paul as we continue in these uncertain times. It is important that we remember who we are and that our focus remain on Christ and His will for our lives individually and collectively as His Church. We continue to pray for guidance and direction as we move forward and trust His perfect timing.

Council met on May 21 and approved the preliminary budgets for the coming fiscal year, we are working together to increase a few areas of the budget this coming year including the Family Care Fund to assist our members in these difficult time; our support of the NW District; and support of Local Missions. The plan is to present the budget to the Voters at a meeting on June 28 at 12:30, no potluck this time but we will have some individually wrapped snacks and hot and cold beverages.

We have recently updated our website with a more user friendly and personalized Giving page for St. Paul. This new page allows individuals to create a User Account that will make it easier for our members to give electronically if you are comfortable with that. The page uses bank grade encryption from a service provided by Vanco that has been providing the Simply Giving service that many of our members have successfully been using for many years. There is also an app. called GivePlus+ that can been loaded on a mobile device that utilizes the same user account as the website. The website option, the mobile app. and the Simply Giving donations will all be summarized into a single report for Karen Baldwin to use in recording our donations so she can accurately report our giving and provide annual statements for tax purposes. People are encouraged to use a checking account and routing number rather than the credit card option as the fees are substantially less, but all donations are greatly appreciated.

You will notice there is a place on the website and the app to select where you would like the donation to be directed; currently we have the options to give to the General Fund, the Preschool, VBS and also the Family Care Fund. You can choose to make a one time donation or reoccurring donation depending on what works best for you.

To end on an encouraging note, I saw on the local news that the YMCA has scheduled their day camps to start on June 12. There may just be a light at the end of the tunnel!

 

In His Service,

Tim Grace

Message from Pastor Rich (June 2020)

Posted on by admin
Greetings in Christ Jesus

What a crazy 8 weeks this has been!  Life has taken on a different perspective.  Worship has undertaken a new approach.  Online services are available all over the world.  I can join you at St. Paul, or join with our children at their church.  I can watch a different number of services.  You can travel by VR to destinations around the world.  VR =Virtual Reality.  Put a headset on in your home and go anywhere. Technology has come to Senior Saints. 

 You can join us each Wednesday at 1:30 pm on Zoom .  Send us your email at STPSS@pm.me and join with fellow saints.  Thanks to Pary and Peggy for putting this together. 

Things may be rapidly changing, but God’s love is not!  His love casts out fear.  Open your heart to His Love.  His love in Jesus gives us peace, comfort, and hope.

As soon as it becomes possible, we hope to gather at the Senior Center. God bless you all! You are in my thoughts and prayers.

In Christ’ Love,
Pastor Rich

from the church mouse

 

Hi Folks,
                    Hope you are making the best of things.  It is lonely at the Center.  I hope to see you soon.  My PJ supply is gone!  This “New Normal” is interesting .

 We need to keep smiling. Laughter increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies!

 

 So here goes…

 

Wife: you said you were sick.   He:  No, I said I had a case of Corona.

 

Doctor:  You test positive.  Patient:  That can’t be correct.  I have more than 300 rolls of toilet paper. 

 

 Next year you can say:  I survived the great toilet paper crisis of 2020.

 

Did you ever think that people’s hands would consume more alcohol than their mouths?

 

When it is time to take the garbage out, do you get so excited about what you should wear?

 

We are getting to know everyone’s true hair color. 

 

 If you made it to here, your immune cells have increased. 

 

 Take care! 

 Love, Zeke

VBS 2020 (Updated)

Posted on by admin
rainforest

It’s easy to get lost. That’s why we need Jesus!

 

To make it through this unknown world safely, kids need a guide who can keep them on the right path. At Rainforest Explorers, learn how Jesus is our ultimate guide in the rainforest and our lives. He leads us to the treasure of eternal life, and He’ll never leave us!

St. Paul Lutheran is having VBS this year

Monday, August 10, 2020 to Friday, August 14, 2020 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Go to

https://vbsmate.com/StPaulLutheranSherwood

to register now!

 

VBS 2020 Rainforest Explorers

Hello everybody!  I am so excited for VBS this year as we learn that Jesus Leads the Way!

Due to Covid-19, we will be doing things a little differently.  As of writing this at the end of June, our County is still in Phase 1 of reopening.  If we continue to hold in Phase 1 our VBS will take place online.  We are currently working on what that will entail.  We are hoping to have a live event each day. 

If we transition into Phase 2 by August 1, 2020, then we will have VBS in person!  Once in Phase 2, our plan is to only have 50 registered participants and around 20 volunteers.  We will follow the guidelines set out for us by the Governor for summer day camps and do the best we can to share the Love of Jesus with all who attend.  I won’t bore you all with an avalanche of details at this time.  Just know that our VBS team has all the details well in hand through the grace of God. 

For our volunteers – we need 5 adults and 5 teens to be group leaders and helpers.  We also need help leading each rotation station too.  If you are interested in volunteering but aren’t sure what you can do, just call or email me!  I know many of you who normally volunteer are in the ‘high-risk’ demographic, please only volunteer if you feel comfortable doing so.  Your health and safety are too important to risk this year. 

God always provides for our needs.  He will provide volunteers for us too!   There is one huge thing everyone can do for us – PRAY!  The power of prayer is undeniable!  Thank you for all your support and dedication to making VBS happen year after year. God Bless you all!

Jen Gatke

Director of VBS

jennifergatke@gmail.com  or 503.550.9457

*If we are unable to have an in-person VBS, we will have a virtual one instead!  The virtual one will take place on the same dates and times. 

rainforest logo

Message from the Congregational President (May 2020)

Posted on by admin
rocky shore

1 Corinthians 15:1-8:

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

Recently I heard this state that we have been in the last many weeks compared to being like an extended Saturday of Holy week, where Christ has been crucified but he has yet to rise and we His many followers aren’t really sure what is happening or what is going to happen. This is a very uncomfortable place for most as we don’t initially know what to do with our uncertainty, but we do know that we need to place it at the foot of the cross and trust in God to lead us and guide us until that dawn breaks on Easter morning, we know that day is coming and we will be there together again worshiping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I can see us all back in the sanctuary ready to worship and then it comes, the time to greet and welcome each other, what do we do ?

Pause, Pray, Think, what will we do? Well, we will do the right thing of course. Social distancing will be with us for a bit longer and slowly it will fade away and we will return to the loving and embracing each other just like we always have done. Will it be uncomfortable? Sure, at first, for some it always has been uncomfortable and we have all figured that out and read each others cues and we do what, we do the right thing !

We all have different needs, some are comfortable with certain things and others are not, this will be true as we go through the different phases of returning to normal life. There is much we still don’t know about the virus and there is new information revealed every day. Just yesterday I learned that it is estimated that one in five people in New York were exposed to the virus and have developed anti-bodies to fight it. With all of the unreliable information in the news these days, it is unclear if this is even accurate, but there have been similar studies in California suggesting something similar there, either way it is an indicator that for many of us God has provided His protection. There are many whose bodies will not respond that way and thus the need to continue to do the right thing is in protecting the vulnerable among us.

So we ask for God’s protection for all and ask that He continue to keep us all safe and that He lift us up in His perfect timing to come back together and continue to Worship and Praise Him this day and every day. As our Pastors and Elders continue to meet and pray about the timing and manner that this should happen, I strongly suggest that folks reach out to each other, to the church office, both our Pastors and our Elders for any needs you have. If you need help with errands or shopping, please call Debbie or I and we will make sure that your needs are met.

Also be in prayer about God’s timing for the opening of our church and determining what the summer of 2020 will hold for us as we plan the many activities that we all love and enjoy. I would love to hear from as many of you as possible to get your input on how we should proceed, I’m confident that the Lord can remove any fears and raise up the right leaders to lead and guide His ministry and kingdom here at St. Paul Church and Preschool in Sherwood, Oregon.

In His Service,

Tim Grace

Message from Pastor Rich (May 2020)

Posted on by admin
fortress
Greetings in Christ Jesus,

Amazing how fast life can change!  What will our future be like?  For some of us it may look scary.  “Shelter in Place” could change our lives.  At present we seniors may not be able to gather in groups.  We may have to practice “social distancing.” That would keep us from gathering at the Senior Center.  We will need to change how we keep in contact.  I will explore how we can use technology to be in touch.  So how can we survive?  We go to an ancient song book, “The Psalms.” In 46, a song the Hebrews sang says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.” In a time of distress Martin Luther wrote his famous hymn, “A Mighty Fortress,” based on this Psalm.  Today we also take refuge in our God.  He will take us through this. â€œTherefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,…The Lord Almighty is with us; The God of Jacob is our fortress.”  Maxine and I have you in our hearts and prayers.  Rejoice!  He is in control!  May He be your fortress!

God’s Peace abide in you!

Pastor Rich

from the church mouse

Hi Folks,   

How silent the Senior Center has become. I am lonely.  I miss your presence, your laughter, your joy.  I hope you can return soon!  Also I am running low on PJ.  In the midst of this, I will share some smiles with you. Psychologists say laughter can be good medicine, a powerful coping mechanism.  We have 60,000 thoughts a day and many are       disturbing. 

Laughter helps the brain relax.

 A person tweeted: “How long is this social distancing supposed to last? My husband keeps trying to get into the house.” 

They said a mask and gloves were enough to go to the grocery store.  They lied.  Everyone else had clothes on. 

 Church sign:  Had not planned on giving up quite this much for Lent. 

 A dating app: “single man w/TP seeks single woman w/ hand sanitizer for good clean fun.”

A photo of an elderly, white-haired woman with caption:  “Here’s Sue, 31 years old, home schooling her kids for last 5 days. Great job Sue.  Keep it up.” 

 Just a month ago who would have appreciated being given a roll of toilet paper? 

 Doctor:  “your Covid-19 test came back positive.”  Patient:  “That cannot be correct. I have more than 300 rolls of toilet paper.”

 A new puzzle is available that has 51,399 pieces that should last all of Quarantine.

OK that is enough for now. Hope we can see each other soon. 

Love,
Zeke

Message from the Congregational President (April 2020)

Posted on by admin
health

Philippians 3:12-14:

Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Here we are in Sherwood, Oregon and surrounding towns in the midst of the great 2019– 20 Coronavirus Pandemic. Here is some information that I found on the Wikipedia site on the virus:

 The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic is an ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The outbreak was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China, in December 2019, and was recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020. 

 The virus is typically spread during close contact and via respiratory droplets produced when people cough or sneeze. Respiratory droplets may be produced during breathing but the virus is not considered airborne. People may also catch COVID-19 by touching a contaminated surface and then their face. It is most contagious when people are symptomatic, although spread may be possible before symptoms appear. The time between exposure and symptom onset is typically around five days, but may range from two to fourteen days. 

 Common symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Complications may include pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. There is no known vaccine or specific antiviral treatment. Primary treatment is symptomatic and supportive therapy. Recommended preventive measures include hand washing, covering the mouth when coughing, maintaining distance from other people, and monitoring and self-isolation for people who suspect they are infected.

As most are aware, many activities have been placed on an indefinite hold and guidelines have been provided by the federal, state and local governments regarding public gatherings. As of the time of this writing it is not clear how long these guidelines will remain in effect. 

A big thank you goes out to all who have helped with the online worship options. Church leadership once again encourages congregants to sign up for Simply Giving as a way to assure your tithe is received in a timely manner. Blessings to all. 

In His Service,

Tim Grace

Message from Pastor Rich (April 2020)

Posted on by admin
old phone

Greetings in Christ Jesus

 

Amazing how things can quickly change.  Hard to comprehend all that is happening right now.  The world has been instructed to practice “social distancing.” We have to stay Away from one another.  We can not gather at the Senior Center or church to worship.  We have a resource to get us through this trying time.  We have Jesus, who gives us hope to endure.  Romans 5:5 God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” We do not have to practice “social distancing” with Jesus.  We have His Spirit in our hearts.  Open your heart to Him. He loves you. 

Maxine and I are keeping in touch with our Senior Saints via the phone.  We are amazed how well everyone is coping with the Stay at Home order.  All miss the opportunity to be together.  But we know it will come to an end. While we are staying home, we can learn new things.  Use the time to grow spiritually through reading your Bible and spending time in prayer.  You all are in our daily

prayers.  We pray that your Easter Celebration Will be special.  Jesus Christ Is Risen!

Our Love In Christ,

Pastor Rich and Maxine

 

from the church mouse Hi Gang,

                          I am one lonely church mouse.  The Senior Center is as quiet as a mouse. LOL.  I for one will squeal loudly when social distancing is over.  In this stressful time, we all need to smile.  So I did some research in my smile library and came up with the following.

Instead of the John I call my bathroom the Jim! That way it sounds better when I say I go to the Jim every morning when I get up.

An elderly woman had just returned home from an evening church service when she was startled by an intruder.  She yelled “Stop! Acts 2:38.  (It reads :  Repent and be baptized in the name of the Lord, so that your sins may be forgiven.)

The intruder stopped.  The woman called the police.  The police asked him why he just stood there.  He replied, she said she had an Ax and TWO 38’s!
And before the fridge, so often my mind is filled with nagging doubt.  Have I Just put food away, or have I come to take some out?

Now I stand beside the mail box with a face so very red.  Instead of mailing you the letter I have opened it instead.

So long for now.
Love,  Zeke

Message from Congressional President (March 2020)

Posted on by admin
bible-budget

 

FAITH—WORKS is a reminder for today and every day: “Pray daily for Faith. It is God’s Gift. It is our only requisite for accomplishment of mighty deeds. Certainly you have to work, you have to pray, but upon Faith alone depends the answer to your prayers—your works.”

Here are the first four Agenda items from the February Council Meeting that will provide a starting point for this article:

  • President to provide overview of budget process that will start approximately a week after Easter.
  • Motion to move April Council Meeting back a week to the 4th Thursday to allow additional preparation time for the meeting following Easter; review calendar for March and April 2020.
  • Review Investment Committee recommendation of reallocating approximately half of the checking account funds to an investment account.
  • Trustees Motion to pay-off Ed Building Remodel Loan with a portion of the recent gift received by the church.

These items make up just a small portion of the business conducted at the February council meeting. Each represents a jumping off point for a larger discussion on the health and direction of St. Paul Lutheran Church and Preschool for the coming year but more than that the coming decade. We have know since this past October that we have a bust in our budget of approximately $30,000. That means we will likely over spend our regular giving by this amount for the current fiscal year. But there is good news, the church has been blessed with a substantial one time gift from Elsie Borchers. More about that to follow.

Many are aware of the announcement of the closing of Concordia University in Portland, while we do not know many of the financial details associated with this decision, there is a lesson to learn and it is one most already know. Often it is easy to just go along and continue on ones current path even when there are warning signs along the road that something isn’t quite right. As Lutheran’s we have a possibly well deserved reputation of being averse to change. The last few years we have adopted deficit budgets without making significant changes to our overall spending. In our fiscal year 2017-2018 we had $36,000 in unfunded expenses. So the warning signs are there, something needs to change.

What about the good news. Anyone attending the last Voters’ Meeting is aware that we have significant financial resources many of which were given to the church as a designated gift, meaning they can only be used for the purpose given. The most recent gift from Elsie was given as an unrestricted gift. She had her funds invested in nationally know investment firm that has a local office in Tualatin. To receive the gift we were asked to open an account with that investment firm so we could receive a portion of the bonds and mutual funds that she had invested in.

So why is this important and why are you telling us about this?  St. Paul needs some additional members on our investment committee to review how we are using all of the gifts that we have received. We also need to look more closely at the investment of this most recent gift as well as what should be done with a portion of the money in our checking account that needs to be invested to earn a reasonable return as commanded by the Lord in many places including Matthew Chapter 25, Verses 14-30 in Jesus’ Parable of the Talents. We simply must do better in investing the resources we have been given and do something different with this gift other than what we have done with some of our other (gifts) investments that are barely keeping up with inflation.

The investment committee that currently consists of Karen Baldwin and myself with input from the Elders have recommended that we keep the gift from Elsie at the institution that she chose to invest her life savings at and that we engage a financial adviser with that firm to recommend funds that meet the church’s needs. It is also recommended that we move approximately half of the money that is in our checking account that is not earning anything into this same fund. Based on current cash flow needs these funds will be invested for 3-5 years, but that could change if our needs change and we find that we need the funds sooner.

We pray that all Voters earnestly pray about this opportunity and that we come together in unity around this gift and that we are able to find consensus and vote to affirm the recommendations of the investment committee at the April Voters’ Meeting that will be the last Sunday of April, April 26, 2020. Additionally the Trustees have recommended that we use a portion of the funds to retire the current loan for the Education Building Remodel. It is good stewardship to actively use the gifts that God has provided.

In His Service,

Tim Grace

Message from Pastor Rich (March 2020)

Posted on by admin
cracks-cross-crown

Greetings in Christ Jesus from Pastor Rich

 

Welcome to Lent.  This is the most important season in the Church year.  It gives us the opportunity to draw nearer to Jesus and experience His amazing love for us.  It is my prayer that you will experience His amazing love for you and make a change in your life.

It is easy to ignore Lent.  We are busy people.  We have places to go and many things to do.  We forget what is most important.  We are sometimes like the elderly driver pulled over by a highway patrol officer for driving well over the speed limit. Her excuse was that she had to get to her destination before she forgot where she was going.  Are you going so fast that you will forget Lent? Please slow down and spend time with Jesus.  There are Wednesday evening services at 6:30 in the sanctuary or 1:30 at the Senior Center.  God bless your Lenten season with spiritual growth!

During March you can enrich your marriage by attending special sessions each Sunday at 9:40 am in the Senior Center.  These are for everyone not just seniors.  Going into the Senior Center will not turn your hair gray or give you wrinkles.  It will give you an opportunity to make your marriage stronger.

 

As the day light increases in March, may your love for God and others increase.

 

In Christ’s love,

 

Pastor Rich

 

from the church mouseHi gang,

 

Welcome to Spring!  I am house cleaning at the Senior Center.  Hope to see some new faces.  Our Senior gatherings on Wednesdays bring smiles to your face and will warm your heart and best of all, laughter to your life.  During this month we will have soup for lunch.  You can bring some PJ for me. 

 

Here are some smiles for seniors.  You know you are a Senior when…

 

 

Someone compliments you on your alligator shoes, but you’re not wearing any shoes.

You stoop down to put on your shoes and wonder what else you can do as long as you’re down there.

Your children begin to look middle age.

The first candle on your cake burns out before they get to the last one.

The candles cost more than the cake.

They roast marshmallows over your birthday cake.

Your knees buckle but your belt won’t.

 

Remember when you visit a different church to bring me their bulletin.  Thanks Pary and Peggy Pariseau for bringing one from Faith Lutheran Church of Capistrano Beach, California.

Enjoy Spring.

Love, Zeke

 

Message from Pastor Don (March 2020)

Posted on by admin
eyes-on-jesus

fireworksspark title

Eyes on Jesus

O come, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
(Gradual for Lent, based on Hebrews 12:2)

When the characters in the Passion narrative look at Jesus, what do they see? In most cases, people misunderstood who He is and what He was doing. In some cases, by faith, people recognized Him aright. Our Lenten series this year, Eyes on Jesus is based on Passion according to St. Mark. We will examine how the various people around Jesus viewed Him—and how we should view Him. We will “fix our eyes” on what Jesus has done to save us from our sins by His holy, precious blood and innocent sufferings and death, and celebrate what God sees on account of His work: our justification for His sake.

On Ash Wednesday, we will see how, in spite of Jesus’ repeated predictions about His upcoming Passion, the disciples with “Misjudging Eyes” fail to recognize that soon He will not be with them, and they cannot see the anonymous woman’s anointing of Jesus as preparation for His burial. But Jesus sees her actions as a beautiful deed that will be proclaimed throughout the world wherever the Gospel is heard.

At our midweek service after the First Sunday of Lent, we will look through Judas’s “Betraying Eyes” and learn why he did this awful deed. Yet the behind-the-scenes-reality is that Jesus was “handed over” by God the Father Himself, so that Jesus could die for the sin of the world.

“Sleepy Eyes” is the theme for the second week of Lent. In Gethsemane, Jesus’ inner circle of Peter, James, and John cannot keep their eyes open to watch and pray with Jesus for even an hour, while Jesus comes to see that His Father’s will is that He drink the cup of God’s wrath when He comes to the “hour” of His suffering.

In the third week of Lent, we stare into the “Denying Eyes” of Peter and the other apostles. They could not see how they could ever fall away from Jesus, but after Jesus is betrayed by Judas, ten of them flee, and Peter—when he is spotted by a servant girl and sees that his own neck is on the line—sees fit to deny Jesus, which leads to his own eyes weeping in remorse. We sinners likewise deny our Lord in many ways, but Jesus denied Himself to take up the cross for our salvation.

“Murderous Eyes” is the theme of week 4 in Lent. The chief priests and scribes saw Jesus as an obstacle to be rid of by murdering Him through the Roman judicial system. Yet during the Passover festival, they would unwittingly bring about the Father’s sacrifice of the ultimate Passover Lamb.

In the fifth week of Lent, we look through the “Worldly Eyes” of Pilate, the Jewish leaders, and the Roman soldiers. Pilate can only view matters in a worldly, pragmatic way, wishing to placate the worldly Jewish leaders and crowd, so he consents to handing Jesus over for crucifixion. The soldiers see the opposite of a worldly king, but their ironic hailing of Him as “King of the Jews” proclaims who He really is. The world looks for power and glory; God’s way is suffering and the cross.

On Maundy Thursday, there is “More Than Meets the Eye” to the Lord’s Supper. We will look into the Old Testament background of the Last Supper and rejoice in the mystery that Jesus, in and with, bread and wine, gives us His body and blood in order to deliver to us the benefits of His Passion.

On Good Friday, we look through “God’s Eyes” to see what is happening during the Passion: the once-for-all atonement for the sin of the whole world and the justification of all sinners on Easter.

“Resting Eyes” is the theme for Holy Saturday. Various disciples rested their eyes upon the dead Jesus, cared for His body, and buried it. As Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus rest their eyes upon the sealed tomb and contemplate further anointing of His body the next day, they cannot see that Jesus’ own eyes are merely resting temporarily, and Easter morning will bring a dramatic reversal.

Finally, Easter Sunday gazes upon “Angel Eyes.” The angel in the tomb knows the whole story of Jesus’ resurrection. When he sees the women, he proclaims the Gospel to them, shows them where Jesus’ body had formerly lain, and tells them that they can see Jesus themselves in Galilee. Likewise, the “angels” or messengers of the Church in the apostolic ministry tell God’s people where they can find Jesus and His salvation in the Means of Grace.

With Eyes on Jesus as our theme this Lent, we will continuously focus on Jesus Christ and Him crucified, buried, and risen for our justification. This is a vision that will never disappoint, for by trusting in Jesus, He promises that we will gaze upon His beautiful face now by faith and forever in heaven!

 

Ash Wednesday Feb 26

Sermon: “Misjudging Eyes”—Mark 14:1–9

Children’s Message: “Covered in Goodness”

 

Midweek of Lent 1: March 4

Sermon: “Betraying Eyes”—Mark 14:10–21, 32, 41–46

Children’s Message: “Not a Secret”

 

Midweek of Lent 2: March 11

Sermon: “Sleepy Eyes”—Mark 14:32–42

Children’s Message: “Sleepy Eyes”

 

Midweek of Lent 3: March 18

Sermon: “Denying Eyes”—Mark 14:26–31, 66–72

Children’s Message: “I’d Never Do That!”

 

Midweek of Lent 4: March 25

Sermon: “Murderous Eyes”—Mark 14:1–2, 53–65

Children’s Message: “Killer Looks”

 

Midweek of Lent 5: April 1

Sermon: “Worldly Eyes”—Mark 15:1–20

Children’s Message: “Questioning Questions”

 

Holy Thursday: April 9

Sermon: “More Than Meets the Eye”—Mark 14:22–25

 

Good Friday: April 10

Sermon: “God’s Eyes”—Mark 15:21–39

 

Easter: Sunday April 12

Sermon: “Angel Eyes”—Mark 16:1–8

Children’s Message: “Angel Vision”