"BET YOU ARE GLAD EASTER IS OVER!"   That's a comment pastors, choir directors, and organists frequently hear, even as the lilies are being carried away.  The implication seems to be that since that last big festival of the year is over, it is time to coast out to summer mission trips and the family beach retreat.  Because the 50 DAY EASTER SEASON has other names -- prom season, track, soccer, and little league season; graduation season, golf, baseball, and vacation season -- many of us are ready to move on. YET, Easter is upon us because the LIVING CHRIST is in the midst of all these things,,,,,,as well as the things we dread, like taxes, heart-caths, job-transfers, car repairs and yard work.

Messiah continues to be a community of people seeking to KNOW, SERVE and SHARE this Risen Christ.

This is the same Christ who even the cruelly efficient Christian destroyer known as Saul encountered in ways that he never expected.   He became Paul the proclaimer of Jesus, the one who fearlessly stood before kings and councils testifying of Christ's living presence.   What a joyous surprise!  Is there a chance Jesus might intervene in your life as well?  One theologian asks how you tell the difference between a true, living God and a dead, false god?

A fake, noninterventionist god will never surprise you.

Don't just GO to church this Easter season,,,,,,BE the church where-ever you and the living Christ may be.

Easter Blessings (and WARNINGS!)

Pastor John 

I have heard it said: “Lent is coming—get ready for six weeks of dreary music and feeling sad!” That’s the cultural attitude and perhaps the church does move in that direction as we lift up images of ashes, crosses, and purple paraments and as we eliminate flowers, praises and alleluias. But life does ebb and flow and many of us cherish these 40 days of contemplation upon our own unworthiness and the cost of Jesus’ saving grace.

Spiritual disciplines and long-practiced traditions are gifts that bring benefits to those open to experiencing and learning from them. Prayer is such a discipline and one of the greatest gifts of prayer that Jesus has given to us is THE LORD’S PRAYER. It is a prayer we are all familiar with (perhaps too familiar) that contains but 62 words. There is a lot of meaning packed into these ancient but ever new words that Jesus taught his followers to pray.  Martin Luther’s Small Catechism helps open up each petition for deeper understanding about who God is and what we are praying for.  I invite you on a LENTEN JOURNEY with THE PRAYER HE TAUGHT. May it be an adventure that leads us to Easter and beyond in the grace of God.

ASH WEDNESDAY—FEBRUARY 17TH

12:00 noon—Imposition of Ashes/Holy Communion

6:45 p.m.—Imposition of Ashes/Holy Communion

5:30—6:30 pm.—Lenten supper in Luther Hall

Mid-week Lenten worship with Holy Communion each Wednesday in Lent

Noon—Meditations on the Petitions of the Lord’s Prayer/Holy Communion

6:45 p.m.—Holden Evening Prayer/Lenten Dramas on Lord’s Prayer/Holy Communion

5:30-6:30 p.m.– Lenten supper in Luther Hall

Actually, God is always coming – we are always in the season of Advent. Look around, open your ears and eyes – hear and see the LORD in your midst.

You are invited to come to hear and see the LORD in the midst of Messiah Lutheran Church, the people of God gathered to know, serve and share Jesus.

• Wednesday, December 16th – 6:45 – Annual Children’s Christmas Pageant. Rarely is the story told so clearly as when children tell it. A meal is served beginning at 5:30.
• Saturday, December 19th and Sunday December 20th – catch “A Primetime Christmas” – a drama presented each night at 6:30pm by the Messiah Lutheran Youth
• Sunday, December 20 – Our choirs will fill the sanctuary with praise to our new born King at 9:00 and 11:15 am services. Our Lutheran Men in Mission group welcome you to join us for breakfast to help support mission churches in our Synod.
• December 24th – Christmas Eve worship services begin with a service for children and families at 4:30, a family service with a contemporary flair is at 6:00, our candlelight celebration service is at 9:00 and a candlelight and Holy Communion service will be held at 11:00

May you fully experience the Joy of Advent and Christmas – welcoming the Christ with ears and eyes and hearts.

Dear members and friends of Messiah:

Many pastors DREAD talking about MONEY.  I, on the other hand, love to talk about it because of the joy I have felt and witnessed when experiencing generous giving.  Our annual Stewardship campaign:  MY STORY, MY GIFT invites all of us to reflect on those times in our own lives when we experienced being either on the GIVING or RECEIVING end of monetary donations that really made a difference.
 
Recently a member stopped by my office to share a story with me about a time in his life when things had gone terribly wrong for him.  The story involved his brother who was also treated with injustice and cruelty.  While his brother had been imbittered by the experience and sought retribution, this individual was grateful that he had been able to forgive and move on with his life.  In fact, he presented me with a valuable gift for the church as a way of celebrating and honoring what God had done for him.
 
My years of ministry have brought me into contact with some incredibly generous people.  On reflecting on these experiences I would have to say that these have all been people you would enjoy knowing.  They are happier and more positive than the average person.  They are usually quite clear about their priorities and how these priorities are informed by their commitment to follow Jesus.  Their spirit is infectious and I want to spread their spirit of faithful living.
 
I believe you will appreciate joining the families of Messiah on a creative faith journey of stewarship this year as you participate in MY STORY, MY GIFT.   This year we are using a RELAY METHOD that involves people contacting and connecting with one another in order to pass along information and response packets.  I hope that we can pass along our stories with these opportunities to meet both old and new friends in our Messiah faith community.
 
In Christ's Love and Service
 
 
Pastor John