The Shield of Faith. Pastor s Message. Faith Lutheran Church. On the night Jesus was betrayed

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1 Faith Lutheran Church The Shield of Faith APRIL, 2014 Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power Take up the shield of faith. Ephesians 6:10, 16 Pastor s Message On the night Jesus was betrayed what happened? Here s a summary. Before the betrayal Jesus gathered his closest friends to celebrate the Jewish Passover. He washed the men s feet. He gave them a new commandment that they love and serve each other as Jesus had served them. He took unleavened bread and said, Take, eat, this is my body given for you. He took a cup of wine and passed it, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of sin. Thus Jesus gave believers the sacrament of Holy Communion. It was Maundy Thursday ( maundy from the Latin word for commandment ). During Holy Week, this day is the day for God s people to gather for Holy Communion. Not Palm Sunday. Not even Easter. Thursday. The day of serving, the day of the new commandment, the day our Lord s words were connected to simple bread and wine for our forgiveness and peace. You should come to worship on Maundy Thursday. This service accents the stress, the drama, and the unspeakable comfort of Christ s work. I thought about not having Communion on Easter Sunday, just to emphasize its celebration on Maundy Thursday. But I ve thought better of that it s not good to use the Lord s gift as leverage. During Lent we have been going through the 6 Chief Parts of our Small Catechism. The last part, to be the emphasis for Maundy Thursday worship, will be the Sacrament of the Altar. It is usually the final part that I teach in confirmation and adult instruction classes because it brings God s grace together in a wonderful way. You should come to worship that night. Really Trying I ve been using 3 daily devotion books during Lent. One is that provided by Lutheran Hour Ministries, My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me? Another is a little booklet entitled, Lift High the Cross. Both are good. And the third booklet is one I ve pulled out every year for at least 20 years, A Clean Heart Create in Me. The editor pulled short quotes from C. S. Lewis works for daily readings. I ve enjoyed Lewis writing for a long time. He wasn t Lutheran, but that s not bad (for Lewis or anyone). In fact, his different background has given me a different angle on the Christian life than most of the other materials I read. One of the daily devotions that I really like is for Friday during the first week of Lent. It s entitled, Really Trying, from the book Mere Christianity. I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20 Continued on page 2

2 P AGE 2 APR IL, 2014 Continued from page 1 We cannot discover our failure to keep God s law except by trying our very hardest (and then failing). Unless we really try, whatever we say, there will always be at the back of our minds the idea that, if we try harder next time, we shall succeed in being completely good. Thus, in one sense, the road back to God is a road of moral effort, of trying harder and harder. But, in another sense, it is not trying that is ever going to bring us home. All this trying leads up to the vital moment at which you turn to God and say, You must do this. I can t. Lewis says it well, but permit me a couple of comments. Lent in particular, and the Christian life in general, is not about trying to get back to God. God came to us in Jesus. And Lewis admission, You must do this. I can t, gives a hook back to Luther s Small Catechism: I believe that I cannot by my own reason and strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel. Really trying is about our keeping the law. We never get there. The Gospel is not about our really trying to get back to God, but about the Holy Spirit s pointing us back to Calvary where Jesus did what we cannot. Pastor Richeson Men s Breakfast The next Men s Breakfast will be on Saturday, April 5 at 8:00 AM. Men of all ages are encouraged to attend. Lent Mid-Week and Holy Week Services Easter is late this year April 20. (The date every year has to do with the phase of the moon and the coming of spring.) This year we still have some mid-week dinners and worship services on Wednesdays. Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, April 13, and the special services are Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunrise. This is the week of our redemption; this is the week to worship. Wednesday, April 2 Wednesday, April 9 Thursday, April 17 Friday, April 18 Office of the Keys Lord s Prayer Holy Communion Sin and Grace Sunday, April 20, 7AM Easter Sunrise Sunday, April 20, 10:30AM Regular Sunday Worship Pastor Richeson Congratulations Lucas Channing Toye Born January 30 Parents: Channing and Emily Toye Grandparents: John and Brenda Roehrig William Frederick Regan Born March 5 Parents: Stewart and Bethany Regan Grandparents: Ron and Jill Richeson

3 T HE SHIELD OF FAITH P AGE 3 Easter Flowers Orders are now being taken for Easter Lily and Tulip plants for the Altar on Easter. Lilies are $10.50 per plant and tulips are $8.50 per plant. You are welcome to take your plant home following Easter Day worship. Forms are available in the Narthex and should be given to Barb Allison by Sunday, April 13. Checks should be made out to Faith Lutheran Altar Guild. Come and join us For Easter Breakfast April 20 Served in the Fellowship Hall From 8:30-10:00 a.m. Lutheran Women s Missionary League Thank you to everyone who brought donations of index cards and gift cards that were taken to the Spring Rally. Our May meeting will be on Saturday, May 10. We would like all ladies to join us for lunch, prepared and served by the men of the congregation. More information will be in the May newsletter. Faith Book Club We are currently reading I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron. There are copies of the book in the Fellowship Hall to check out if there are any ladies who would like to join us. We will meet after worship on Sunday, April 27 for our discussion. See Diane Yates if you would like to help. Faith s 60 th Anniversary This year is the 60 th anniversary of Faith Lutheran Church. We are looking for people willing to serve on a committee to plan some special events throughout the year. If you are interested, see John Roehrig or Barbara Anderson. Reminder... Church Council Meeting, Tuesday, April 8 Voter s Meeting, Tuesday, April 22 South Louisville Community Ministries Annual Memorial Golf Scramble On April 22 South Louisville Community Ministries will be hosting its Annual Memorial Golf Scramble at Iroquois Golf Course. Our Honorary Chairman this year is Coach Denny Crum! Brochures are available with all appropriate information on the Scramble, including Team Sign Up Sheet, sponsorship information, etc. The cost is $100 per player or $400, per team. Hole sponsorships are $100@. We also would love to have any new item you would like to donate as a door prize! This event benefits our ministry of serving those in need in the South End of Louisville.

4 Servants for April Assistants Readers 4/6 No Communion Steve Anderson 4/13 Dan Fickes Martha Kopatz 4/17 John Roehrig (Maundy Thursday) 4/20 David Futch Barbara Anderson 4/27 No Communion David Futch Ushers Brian Anderson Jeff Gabhart Greeters John and Josie Dennison Altar Guild Lois Drake April Birthdays 1 John Dennison 13 Dan Sullinger 3 Donna Elder 19 Mike Duffy 3 Marilyn Roehrig 21 Edith Fugate 6 Darrell Pryor 26 Brenda Roehrig 11 Bob Helmbrecht 28 Dan Fickes Anniversaries April 2 Brad & Michele Mattingly (9th) 11 John & Brenda Roehrig (33rd) 21 Ron & Jill Richeson (37th) 30 Les & Donna Elder (9th) Financial Report Weekly average needed for 2014 Budget: General Fund Building Fund

5 Special Services April 17 - Maundy Thursday Service with Lord s Supper - 7:15 PM April 18 - Good Friday Service - 7:15 PM April 20 - Easter Sunrise Service - 7:00 AM Easter Worship with Holy Communion - 10:30 AM Faith Lutheran Church 7635 Old Third Street Road Louisville, KY http//faithlutheranlouisville.weebly.com Sunday Worship: 10:30 a.m. Sunday School: 9:00 a.m. Phone: Fax: faithsecty@aol.com Pastor Ronald Richeson faithpas@aol.com