One of my good friends who is a pastor has stated that even if he was told that the resurrection wasn’t true he would still be a follower of Jesus. What difference does the resurrection make in your faith?

It was a point of disagreement for the two of us. Professing the faith using the words of the Apostles’ Creed is one of the most powerful things I do each week; and it deeply moves me during funerals. “I believe in…the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen” It is a truth that I cling to in this life with all the pain and suffering, injustice and inequities, the shortness of life on earth, which has been amplified during this pandemic.

We are in the midst of a six-week series on the Risen Lord. Jesus promised his disciples that he would rise again. Jesus met them on the mountain, walked with Cleopas and his friend back to Emmaus, returned to dispel Thomas’ doubt, joined his disciples for breakfast on the beach, reinforced his love for Peter, and commissioned the disciples to be his witnesses before ascending to heaven. The Apostle Paul writes, “…then [Jesus] appeared to more than 500 believers at one time.” (1st Corinthians 15:6).

Hello from my abode to yours!

Al Buss here. Rob called and asked if I would be willing to share with you how this current COVID-19 pandemic situation has affected me and my family.

First off, I wanted to let you know that I am in my second year as a member of your church council and serve as your “At Large” representative. My job is to hold a meeting on the Sunday after our council meeting to report on actions or discussions that have taken place. Other council members often attend and provide additional input. I’m always thankful for their support.  

Please know that during this “time away” from our normal gathering place of worship, you can still ask those questions or make those suggestions by emailing me at oldbussstop@aol.com.

Soooo….how has this almost total shut-in affected us?  My wife, Audrey finally taught me the card game called “Hand & Foot”. Pretty straight forward game with lots of luck involved. So far, I have managed to only win one game. The losses keep mounting; however, since I am not a “sore” loser, I can take it. Once in a while we may play a little cribbage at which I am not very good.

We both have our favorite shows that we watch, once in a while they happen to be the same show-Blue Bloods. I find westerns more to my liking than cooking shows. I also find the internet/computers to be very frustrating at times but those frustrations remind me of what life was like without them. It is amazing what progress and changes have occurred in our lifetimes.

With the temperatures warming up I am looking forward to preparing the ground for planting flowers and a few vegetables and of course, “goin’ fishin”.

More importantly that all of that, I find that I am thinking more and more about the different kinds of trials and tribulations so many people are faced with every day. I think of the problems my girls and their families are facing during this pandemic. ​

Worry and fear are something we all experience. I feel that although I know I have failed my God in so many ways, I know that I am forgiven and loved for who I am. I know God is telling me that it is my job to love others as he loves me. Being connected to St. Luke’s helps me remember that.

Thanks to Rob, Stephanie, Sean, our church staff, the readers, the singers, Greg’s piano and Lori’s talents that help keep me connected to God through St. Luke’s. ​

Al Buss, Church Council, At-Large

​I started this message writing about how we'll always remember this Easter service because of how unique it was--sitting at home, Easter Dinner modified or cancelled, trumpets barely audible, no Easter clothes, etc. However, the more I wrote, the more grateful I became to all of the people that helped make Easter and much of the season of Lent.

The Lent and Easter services this year may have had fewer people making it possible. With the shelter-in-place, no choirs gathered, no trumpets blared, no Easter bonnets dotted the pews--but it still takes lots of individual efforts to produce a worship service. I am eternally grateful for these people. And while running the risk of omitting someone, I'd like to tell you about the efforts of our friends and family who are helping make this possible.

Stephanie, after hearing rumors of a shelter-in-place, started frantically emailing singers to come in that day(!).  She then rewrote the service to blend our different services together (and added in rewriting, taping, and editing the Children's services). Julie and Cheryl redid all the projection slides, redid bulletins that had been completed weeks before, and searched the server for pictures to incorporate into worship services. Rob has to rewrite his sermons before taping, because things change so regularly and wants the message to stay as fresh as possible. Since I taped most of the worship services and edited all of the non-children's worship services, my wife pulled double-duty keeping the kids at bay while I worked late at night finishing things.

Besides the Musicians/Assisting Ministers you've seen on screen, Pat Lair, Mollee Erickson, Karly Jacobson, Tim Krieg, Andy Hayden, Jesse Myers, Greg Anderson, and Lori Murray; Jon Sasseville and Nancee Erickson reconfigured the soundboard and ran it for the worship services and cameras when I was filmed. Howard Johnson, our original cameraman and Diane LaFontaine ran the projection for many services. All of those people came in at least twice for filming different services. Then there are the many lectors who came in quickly to tape their part in the service--Laurie Blanchard, Becky Olson, Greg Hornicke, Mark Bergherr, Al Buss, Lori Murray, Bette Gamboni, Michelle Sundet, Mark Roberts, and Jodi Murphy. And Bette Gamboni made sure that all the paraments for Holy Week and Easter were accessible because we were filming so many different parts. 

I am also grateful for each of you. Thank you for your patience as we try new things and make mistakes. I know many of you are praying for me and I continue to pray for you all. When we come back at join together singing and praising God, that will be a great day. One I look forward to with eagerness.

We will continue to experiment with worship. We have recordings of worship (except the sermon, children's message, and a few things) through April. Starting May 3, though, we will need to do something else. Some of the people I mentioned you will see online again, but we are hoping to provide some variety with personnel, depending on how things change with Governor Walz's directives. Then I will have more people to be grateful for. 

With Sure and Certain Hope of the Resurrection,
Sean Johnson, Choir Director

*Update: first version omitted some key people in our first worship services.

What a wonderful Ash Wednesday Worship we had on February 26, 2020. I added the year because it seems like it has been that long since we have gathered together in person for worship. I have not changed my digital calendar and continue to receive reminders for worship and other church events that were planned prior to the “Stay at Home” directive from Governor Walz. I thought about deleting them at first, but these notices have become a way for me to be mindful that we will gather in person again; we just don’t know when.

As I write this, I was supposed to be at St. Luke’s heading to the last Wednesday Lunch following the 11 AM Worship. This year we returned to our midday Lent worship and lunch. It was well received by a dedicated group. A special thanks to Paul Klein and Terry DeShepper who had lunch waiting for us in Fellowship Hall. This will return.

Much thanks to all who have made online worship possible. Sean Johnson, Choir and Bell Director has added Video Director to his job description. Sean has been working tirelessly recording, editing, and producing the online worship. Deacon Stephanie Luedtke coordinated members on short notice to help lead worship and read. The choir included members from the Choir and Jubilee. These people had originally signed on to do one Sunday and when word came that we would be sheltered in place, every one of them agreed to return the next day and the Tuesday following to provide worship through April 26. And then there are the musicians Lori Murray, Greg Anderson, and Jesse Myers who played a month worth of worship in a few days. Note that the messages and prayers are added a few days prior to worship so they speak to what is happening closer to the viewing.