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This week we will gather at a Table, a Cross, and an Empty Tomb. We do all this in remembrance of Jesus – who did all of this for you.
Imagine being one of the disciples seated at the table when Jesus announces that “One of you will betray me?” How would you respond? Imagine being one of the disciples at the table when he takes the bread and announces, “This is my body given for you.” Then he takes the cup of wine and announces, “This is my blood shed for you? We hear these words every time we take communion. This coming Maundy Thursday, I invite you to think about this again, for the first time. Imagine being one of the disciples in the garden as he announces, “Keep Awake.” Can you? Imagine being one of the disciples who watches Judas kiss Jesus and then be arrested. Would you follow? Imagine being Simon of Cyrene on the side of the road watching Jesus collapse at the “weight” of carrying in the cross. Then a soldier tells you to pick up the cross. Would you carry it? Imagine being one of the people watching the Jesus hang on the cross and hear him cry out, “Father forgive them, they know not what you do.” Will you do likewise? Imagine being one the woman going to the tomb to find the stone rolled away, a young man sitting where Jesus laid and tell you, “He has Risen.” Would you tell anyone? We don’t need to imagine any of this. We are invited to do this in remembrance of Jesus… Maundy Thursday Worship – March 28, 7:00 PM Good Friday Worship – March 29, 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM Carrying the Cross with the Seven Last Words of Christ – March 29, 5:45 PM Easter Sunday – March 31, 8:00, 9:15, and 10:45 AM
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 What a magnificent event to invite friends and neighbors. There will be a light meal, games, art activities, and a chance to get a picture with an Easter Bunny!
Have you ever wondered what eggs have to do with Easter? Why do we dye and hunt for Easter eggs every year? What is the connection between Easter eggs and the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Many of us might think Easter eggs and Easter egg hunts are a commercialized form of the Easter celebration, but the roots are deeply embedded in the practices of early Christians in eastern cultures. There is religious significance behind the Easter traditions that we still practice today. Although eggs were a symbol of fertility and rebirth in pagan cultures, early Christians used Easter eggs to symbolize parts of the Easter story. Easter eggs represent the empty tomb from which Jesus resurrected. In early Orthodox churches, Easter eggs were blessed by the priests and given to members on the day before Easter known as Holy Saturday. During worship, Easter eggs are handed out to symbolize Jesus’ resurrection. The hard shell represents the sealed tomb, The cracking of the egg represents Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. While it might seem like a strange tradition to hand out Easter eggs in worship, early Christians abstained from eating eggs and meat during Lent. The fast was a form of sacrifice to prepare for Easter. Therefore, Easter was the first time Christians could eat eggs. Christians of Mesopotamia began the custom of dyeing Easter eggs. Originally, Christians dyed eggs red to represent the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross. Over time, this tradition spread throughout eastern Orthodox churches and eventually made its way to Catholic and Protestant churches in Europe. Early Christian missionaries dyed the eggs assorted colors to represent various aspects of the Easter story. They used yellow to represent the resurrection, blue to represent love, and red to represent the blood of Christ. Sometimes, the missionaries would paint biblical scenes on the eggs and hide them. The children would find the Easter eggs and tell the story associated with the paintings. Therefore, early Easter egg hunts helped children learn about the significance of Easter. One of the earliest Easter egg hunts that most resembles the modern Easter egg hunt can be traced to Martin Luther. During this time, men would hide eggs for women and children to find. The joy the women and children experienced as they found eggs mirrored the joy the women felt when they found Jesus’ tomb empty and realized He had risen. And then there is the Easter Bunny. Writings from the 17th century in Germany describe the “Oschter Haws” (Easter hare) for the first time. According to folklore, the Easter hare would lay colorful eggs in the nests (baskets) of well-behaved children. German immigrants brought this tradition of the Easter Bunny to the United States in the 18th century. We hope our Easter Egg Extravaganza will bring the same happiness and joy Jesus’ followers experienced when they heard the Good News of His resurrection. St. Luke’s Baptism Orientation
11:15 AM-Noon, Sunday, March 17 Gather at the Font in the Sanctuary St. Luke’s “First” Communion Class and Training 11:15 AM-1 PM, Sunday, March 17 Gather in Fellowship Hall This Sunday as a congregation we will celebrate Holy Communion during worship. Following worship there will be a Baptism Class and a First Communion Class. Baptism and Communion are the only two sacraments in the Lutheran Faith. A Sacrament is something we do, which is commanded by God and we receive God’s grace. Baptism and Holy Communion are the two rites which fit both those categories. Baptism Class is for those interested in being baptized or affirming their baptism. First Communion is for those who want to learn about communion, followed by a training for those who would like to take communion for the first time. We Baptize because it’s what Jesus has commanded us to do! “Go therefore and baptize…” In Baptism, God has chosen us, and we believe that through the waters of Baptism we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, which grants us faith in Jesus Christ. This gift is eternal and provides forgiveness of sins and a new birth as a child of God. Join us whether you are an adult seeking Baptism or interested in affirming your baptism, or have a child you wish to have baptized. In the Scriptures it is clear that entire households were baptized—including children—so, we welcome and encourage parents to have their children baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As they grow in years, it is our privilege as parents to help our children learn what it means to have been “marked with the cross of Christ and sealed with the Holy Spirit.” Be not afraid! You are not alone in this. The church also takes great joy in helping you raise your child in the faith. (See our Milestone Ministries.) HOLY COMMUNION With wafers (gluten-free available) and wine (dark) or grape juice (light). St. Luke’s celebrates communion the 1st and 3rd Sundays during worship along with other special worships throughout the year. Receiving communion is Jesus inviting us to the table and providing us with all that we need to live in this world and the next. We believe that Christ is present in the meal. When Jesus held up the bread and wine, He said, “This is my body . . . This is my blood.” Communion of the most intimate acts of discipleship. I imagine the curiosity of the disciples as Jesus took bread and wine and said to them, “This is my body, take and eat. This is my blood, take and drink.” Following the meal. It is always a privilege to announce, “The body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, strengthen you and keep you in his grace. Amen.” Such a beautiful and meaningful expression of our faith sadly turns into controversy. It’s as if we didn’t even hear the Post Communion Blessing, that these earthly elements, blessed and received, fill us with Jesus’ strength and grace, as we bicker over the particulars:
Here at St. Luke’s, we invite all children four years of age and older, along with adults to attend the First Communion Class and Training. Faith Formation is a lifelong journey, so no one ever ages out of it. All are welcome. It would be fun to hear your comments on these: What does it mean to you to receive communion? What questions do you have about communion? That is the eternal question. During St. Luke’s third Wednesday of Lent Worship, we will be looking at The Apostle Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 15 that shares Paul’s views on immortality and imperishability. The conversation deepens in Mark Chapter 12, when Jesus is confronted by the religious leaders concerning life after death,
I thought it would be fun to look at two reputable studies concerning the question, first a Gallup International Association (GSI) and the other from Pew Research. After reading these, it would be fun to hear your comments of “What will heaven be like?” From Gallup Research: “Two thirds of respondents around the world claim they are religious. Slightly more people believe in God and there is a life after death. A majority also agree that there is a heaven and hell (although respondents are more confident in the “Good place” than the “Bad one”). Whether religious or not most people seem to believe that there is some mighty power beyond our understanding – a God. Below are a few of the highlights from the special poll conducted by Gallup (GIA) in 2016: 61 countries covering over two thirds of the global population (and more than 90% of those countries which are free to conduct and publish opinion research). Two thirds (62%) of respondents around the world say they are religious, with one in four saying that they are not religious. Atheists account for 10%. The rest are not sure. God and Afterlife More people believe that there is a God. While 62% self-identify as religious, 72% say that there is a God. Just under one in seven (16%) however do not believe that any God exists. 10% are not sure. Most respondents around the world (57%) think that there is a life after death. One in four (23%) do not believe that anything happens when we die. 15% cannot say. Heaven and Hell 59% believe in heaven, with one in four denying its existence. Fewer people (yet still a majority, 53%) believe in hell. From a Pew Research Study – Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults say they believe in heaven. (The survey did not immediately offer a definition of heaven, though subsequent questions explored what respondents think heaven is like.) A majority of all Christian subgroups say they believe in heaven. Belief is much less common among religiously unaffiliated Americans (37%). This unaffiliated group includes those who describe their religion as “nothing in particular” half of whom believe in heaven – as well as agnostics (26% of whom believe in heaven) and atheists (3%). “I love that 3% percent of those who deny in the existence of God still believe in heaven.” - Rob Roughly a quarter of all U.S. adults (26%) say that they do not believe in heaven or hell, including 7% who say they do believe in some kind of afterlife and 17% who do not believe in any afterlife at all. Respondents who believe in neither heaven nor hell but do still believe in an afterlife were given the opportunity to describe their idea of this afterlife in the form of an open-ended question that asked: “In your own words, what do you think the afterlife is like?” Within this group, about one-in-five people (21%) express belief in an afterlife where one’s spirit, consciousness or energy lives on after their physical body has passed away, or in a continued existence in an alternate dimension or reality. One respondent describes their view as “a resting place for our spirits and energy. I don’t think it’s like the traditional view of heaven but I’m also not sure that death is the end.” And another says, “I believe that life continues and after my current life is done, I will go on in some other form. It won’t be me, as in my traits and personality, but something of me will carry on.” An additional 17% of respondents who believe in neither heaven nor hell (but do believe in some kind of afterlife) express a belief in people enduring a cyclical existence or becoming enlightened after death. As one individual puts it, “Maybe something like nirvana or enlightenment? I like to imagine that the living world we inhabit is like a cradle for the soul. We spend our lifetime (or maybe many lifetimes) learning and growing, and then in the afterlife we retain all those memories from our life(/lives), and the lessons we’ve learned, and that we exist for some greater purpose that living prepares us for.” Among many other responses, some people believe that people’s energy rejoins the universe in some form, while others feel that people simply enter a period of peace without suffering. And many people in this group (42% of everyone who says they believe in an afterlife but not in heaven or hell) did not offer a response. In addition to asking about general belief in heaven and hell, the survey asked about specific characteristics of these two destinations to determine what Americans think they are like. In the case of heaven, respondents were presented with nine prospective traits, and asked whether heaven is “definitely like this,” “probably like this,” “probably not like this” or “definitely not like this.” Of the items listed, U.S. adults are most likely to say that in heaven, people are definitely or probably free from suffering, with roughly seven-in-ten members of the general public holding this view. This perspective is nearly unanimous among the 73% of Americans who express belief in heaven. Majorities of Americans also express confidence in the ideas that in heaven, people are reunited with deceased loved ones (65% of all U.S. adults say this), can meet God (62%) and have perfectly healthy bodies (60%). Roughly half of all U.S. adults (48%) believe that people in heaven are reunited with pets or animals that they knew on Earth, while more than four-in-ten say that people in heaven can see what is happening on Earth (44%) and can become angels (43%). Smaller shares believe that people in heaven are able to have relationships with people who are still living on Earth (25%), or that they can choose whether they want to stop existing (15%). This is just a small part of each of the studies. I would encourage you to look at each of them in their entirety: Gallup (GSI) and Pew Research And now it is your turn. What do you think heaven will be like? |