Cereal, White rice, Canned Salmon,
Collard greens/turnip greens, Chili beans, Yams/sweet potatoes, Large cans baked beans, Peas, Paper towels, Toothbrushes (adult/children).
ALWAYS need Laundry detergent, Paper products, and Personal toiletries. Thank You!
Our current Mid-week Morning Bible Study centered on the Passion of our Lord will conclude on Wednesday, April 6th. Bible Study will resume following Holy Week and the Easter Celebration. Wednesday Morning Bible Study will resume on April 27th. In response to the sample survey sent out earlier in the year, Pastor David will also offer a new Bible Study on Monday evenings beginning on Monday, April 25th at 7 PM. The topic for our study will be “Walking Together: The Importance of Fellowship for Disciples of Christ.”
“Walking Together” will include nine lessons presented in a “come as you are” level requiring no previous study or homework. Each lesson will be presented in such a way that it will be easy to invite a friend or neighbor to join in for a single lesson or for the entire study. Each lesson will cover a primary reading from the Bible and ask open ended questions concerning our life together as the people of God. All are welcome to participate. No special materials are required. Just bring your Bible and a willingness to study God’s Word together.
In The Upper Room
John 13:1-38, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
If we were in the upper room the night Jesus was handed over, we would have been in the same boat as the apostles. There is no way they could have imagined the unfolding of events that night. Certainly something was different. Jesus’ words and actions seem so much more intimate and, well, final. He said to his disciples, one would betray him, another would deny him, and as he departed, they would not be able to go with him, but he would come again to take them where he was going.
On that night, we would have been as confused as the rest. Thankfully, we stand on the other side of the empty tomb. God’s people today know that even as Jesus was betrayed into the hands that would kill him, Jesus himself laid down his life for the sake of humanity. Even as he was buried, the grave could not hold him. Jesus’ death put sin to death, his resurrection opened the gates of eternal life for all who believe.
Once more, on Maundy Thursday, we hear anew the account of the upper room, Jesus with his disciples on the night he was betrayed. We mark this time as pastors wash the feet of lay persons, children receive their first Holy Communion, and altars are stripped of the symbols and appointments that point to Christ our Lord. As we do these things, we are once witnesses to the events of the upper room.
We must face the betrayal of our sin. Christians must admit that because of our disobedience we have grieved God’s heart, turned away from his goodness and lived for ourselves. Yet, as Christ assured those in the upper room, he assures us as well. He offers his very body and blood, given and shed for the sake of those whom he came to save.
Bless us and keep us O Lord, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name. Amen.
The page on the calendar indicates the month of April is finally upon us, and the highlight for the Church will certainly be the Easter celebration that comes on April 17th. Yet, as I prepared to write this column and offer an Easter message, I realized that at the time of this writing, we are but halfway through our Lenten journey. As the children of God, we long to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord at Easter, but in order to be faithful, we cannot look past the lessons of Lent and the events of Holy Week. Of course, there are plans underway for our traditional Easter breakfast and Easter egg hunt. Yet, in the midst of all these plans for celebration, if we fail to consider the journey of Christ to the cross, suddenly the story loses much of its meaning.
Since Ash Wednesday, Christians the world over have focused on our need for repentance and our reliance on God’s mercy and grace. Lent is a season of penitence, a time for spiritual renewal and a time of dedication to discipleship and following Christ. Each Wednesday, our congregation, along with four other congregations, have been engaged in a series based on the prophet Joel’s call to “Return to the Lord.” As we consider what Christ endured on our behalf, we hear God’s call to turn away from our betrayal, bearing false witness, and denial. We have also heard the message that God calls us to return to him in prayer, seeking his kingdom first above all else.
Each Wednesday, we continue to hear the call to return to the Lord from neighboring pastors who have prepared messages for us according to our theme. These voices of repentance provide us with very real examples of how we are to respond to God’s grace. God meets us where we are and in our every need. He provides that which we need to live and calls us to share these good gifts with others. Just as Christ loves us, God calls us to love our neighbors and be as Christ to them.
Finally, as we prepare for the week the Church calls Holy, we look to Jesus’ triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem where he was greeted as king and called blessed. The Bible study we have shared concerning the Passion of Christ has focused attention to those events of Holy Week that have
been leading up to Jesus’ arrest, trial and crucifixion. For me, it has been a particularly meaningful time of Bible study. I strongly encourage those who are able, come on Wednesday morning and join in. We will engage Scriptures as we read of Jesus before Caiaphas, Herod and ultimately Pilate. We will consider his passion as the ones whom he came to save. And finally, we will study and meditate on Christ words from the cross as he completes his earthly mission and wins the victory over the powers that defy God.
Many of you will come to the service of Palm Sunday and hear the passion narrative of our Lord Jesus. Many more of you will come to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord and feel the power of God’s love, mercy, and grace. Still, I encourage you to attend the services of worship dur-ing Lent and especially Holy Week. This is the time to consider what God in Christ Jesus has done and continues to do for the sake of God’s people. This is the time to dedicate yourselves to deepening your relationship with God. This is the time to cast away those aspects of our lives that do us harm and give thanks to God for rebirth as children of God as we bathe in the waters of our baptism onto Christ.
The Easter celebration is not far off, but it is also not yet here. In order that we may fully and joyfully experience the wonders of Christ’s empty tomb, we must also hear and consider his journey to the cross. I look forward to seeing more and more of you as Easter approaches. I look forward to sharing the gospel story of Jesus with you and receiving the feast of Christ body and blood that God sets before us each week. And most certainly I look forward with great anticipation to sharing with you the Easter proclamation that Christ is risen, he is risen indeed!
Grace to you and peace,
Pastor David Nuottila
