REFLECTIONS. In This Issue. Worship Services and Bible Study

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1 May 2013 In This Issue 1 Dates and Updates 2 Stewardship 5 Elder 7 DCM & CDC News 8 Kids Corner 9 Music Ministry 10 Missional Outreach 10 April Birthdays 10 April Altar Flowers 11 April Calendar He Arose Lo, in the grave He lay, Jesus, my Savior! Waiting the coming day, Jesus, my Lord. Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph o er His foes, He arose a Victor from the dark domain, And He lives forever with His saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose! Vainly they watch his bed, Jesus, my Savior! Vainly they seal the dead, Jesus, my Lord! Death cannot keep his prey, Jesus, my Savior! He tore the bars away, Jesus, my Lord! Robert Lowry, 1874 Ascension Lultheran Church 3801 Oakwood Avenue Huntsville, AL HE IS RISEN It s here! Easter, or Resurrection Day, has finally arrived and is being celebrated by Christians dare I say around the world. In researching how other countries celebrate Easter, though, it doesn t seem much like the Easter celebration we have here at Ascension. Flying kites (to explain Christ s ascension into Heaven Bermuda), setting bonfires (Northwestern Europe the fires indicate that Easter is when spring becomes victorious over winter, though today, it s just a time to bring communities together), reading mysteries and going to the mountains to play Yahtzee (Starting on Palm Sunday and ending the Tuesday after Easter Norway), dressing up as Easter witches on the days leading up to Easter Sunday (Sweden), and Holy Week marked by parades with offerings of goats heads to the spirits to show their devotion to the spirits (Haiti). What is that? Thank God for His Word and for the ability to read and study the true words inspired by God. Thank God for being able to worship as we do, having pastors and teachers who spend their lives spreading the seeds to the children and adults in their congregations and mission fields. Thank God for His plan of redemption and our salvation. From Genesis 3:15 (And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. to John 3:16 (For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life), we have been on God s heart and mind. His promise is for all people, everywhere. May He give us courage to tell those who may not have an in-depth knowledge of what Easter really means so that their celebration next Easter will be full of joy and excitement of the heavenly kind. Worship Services and Bible Study Sunday 8:00 and 10:45 AM Worship Sunday Bible Study/Sunday School 9:30 AM Mondays 6:00 PM Worship Tuesdays 10:00 AM Bible Study 4 th Saturday 8:30 AM Men s Prayer Breakfast Phone (256)

2 Stewardship Bobbie Scroggins THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS CHRIST The crucifixion of Jesus Christ and His resurrection are the two most important events in human history. This is so because of Jesus death, the human race has the opportunity for eternal salvation. All four Gospels talk of the crucifixion of Christ. Here are some main points in the crucifixion timeline: Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:43-52): Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard. Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, Rabbi! and kissed him. The men seized Jesus and arrested him. Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Am I leading a rebellion, said Jesus, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled. Then everyone deserted him and fled. A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind. Jesus endured six trials three by Jewish leaders and thereby Romans (John 18:12-14): Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people. Pilate tried to compromise with the religious leaders by having Jesus beaten, but this act didn t satisfy them. Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified (Mark 15:6-15): Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews? asked Pilate, knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews? Pilate asked them. Crucify him! they shouted. Why? What crime has he committed? asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, Crucify him! Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. Phone (256)

3 Jesus was mocked by the Soldiers as they dressed Him in a purple robe and a crown of thorns (John 19:1-3): Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, Hail, king of the Jews! And they slapped him in the face. Jesus was crucified on Golgotha, which means the Place of the Skull (Mark 15:22): They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of the skull ). The sky turned dark for three hours (Mark 15:33): At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. Jesus cried, Father! Into your hands I commit my spirit! and He died (Luke 23:46): Jesus called out with a loud voice, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. [ When he had said this, he breathed his last. Much of Psalm 22 parallels Jesus crucifixion. I have bolded specifically the verses 18 and 19; please reread these two verses after you complete the entire reading of Psalm 22: 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? 2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. 4 In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, corned by everyone, despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. 8 He trusts in the LORD, they say, let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him. 9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother s breast. 10 From birth I was cast on you; from my mother s womb you have been my God. 11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. 12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. 13 Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me. 15 My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. 17 All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. 18 They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment. 19 But you, LORD, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me. Study Note: 22:18. It is a great insult to human dignity to rob a person of everything, even his clothing, leaving him naked and destitute. Jesus the Messiah would suffer this humiliating experience on the cross (Matthew 27:35). Most of us will never know the shame and suffering of being penniless and virtually naked in a public place, as many of the Jews experienced during the Nazi holocaust, or even the shame of being homeless. Most of us would feel equally exposed and naked when some sin, secret or not-so-secret, would be uncovered. At that time, we would need to cry out with David, O my Strength, come quickly and help me! (22:19) Phone (256)

4 20 Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs. 21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen. 22 I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you. 23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! 24 For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. 25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows. 26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the LORD will praise him - may your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, 28 for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations. 20 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him - those who cannot keep themselves alive. 30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. 31 They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it! PRAYER: Jesus, thank you for dying the bitter death on the cross so that in the final judgment, we may have the sweetness of life everlasting with You. Amen. Phone (256)

5 Elder s Corner Rick Hilst 365 DAYS A YEAR When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30). "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. (Mark 16:6) A while back, I was talking with Pastor and he asked me a question about singing Alleluia during the Lenten season. It is the custom of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod (and other denominations) to refrain from singing Alleluias during Lent and Pastor was curious about what I thought of not singing them. My answer was that I thought we should celebrate Easter 365 days a year (i.e., we should always be praising God and singing Hallelujah! ). In his writings, Martin Luther stated that the life of a Christian should be one of repentance in which we daily remember our baptism, the drowning of the old Adam and the birth of a new man. While daily repentance should indeed be the life of the Christian, so also should be a daily remembrance of the Gospel, the good news that, by His death and resurrection, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, for which we need daily repentance, and has therefore opened the kingdom of Heaven to all believers. This tremendous gift of forgiveness and imputed righteousness is one for which we should always give thanks. Without this forgiveness, our repentance would be meaningless. I recently read an article on a movie currently playing in the theaters entitled, Coco. This animated movie focuses on the afterlife and presents a pagan view of what the afterlife might be like. In this article, the statement was made that 72% of Americans say they believe in Heaven and 58% believe in Hell. However, as you read this article, the conceptions most people have of Heaven and Hell are apparently dictated more by nature and wishful thinking rather than by Biblical teaching. Even among Christians there seems to be unclear ideas about Heaven and Hell. Heaven will be glorious by every definition of the word. As adopted children of God, we will be living with glorified bodies, free forever from pain and suffering, living in the presence of almighty God along with our fellow believers and the heavenly host. While few specifics are known of exactly what Heaven will be like, we can be confident that it will exceed our wildest dreams. On the other hand, Hell will be absolutely awful. Eternal punishment with no hope of pardon. Suffering without end. Suffering worse than anything we can imagine. Definitely not a place we would even wish on our worst enemy. While we may think that Hell is a terrible punishment for unbelief, to think so is not to recognize our truly miserable sinful state and the absolute Phone (256)

6 intolerance God has for sin. We all deserve this eternal punishment, this Hell, for the evil things we have done in this lifetime. This is the just penalty, as God Himself has declared, for our sins. If sins were not so heinous to God, then why would Jesus have to humiliate Himself to become man and die on the cross for our sins? If sins could be glossed over, if the due punishment for them was not so severe, then Jesus surely would not have undergone the sufferings and death that He did. God would not have inflicted on His one and only Son this punishment if anything less could save us. Therefore, let us always be thankful for what God has done for us, for the gift of His Son, for His taking on our punishment, for His righteousness being given to us, for His immeasurable love toward us, for the inheritance of Heaven He has promised us. Let us also remember and pray for, and whenever possible witness to, the unbelievers that are unknowingly headed down a path to eternal damnation. As of this writing, we still have some special Holy Week worship services happening if you haven t been on one, yet. We welcome you to join us! Friday March 30 at 7:30 PM is a Good Friday Tenebrae service Saturday March 31 at 7:30 PM is an Easter Vigil service with an adult baptism. Phone (256)

7 CDC News We have reached the end of an era. Ms. Ilse has retired. She has served in the position of infant teacher for more than 14 years. We are having a retirement party on Thursday, March 29 at 12:30 PM. You are invited to attend to wish Ilse a fond farewell and thanks for her many years of service. We are again planning to provide care for children up through 2 nd grade this summer. The activities for this age group are going to be contingent upon finding/not finding a vehicle to transport them off campus. Vacation Bible School is scheduled for June 10 through 14. It will begin on Sunday evening at 5:00 PM with a kickoff supper. Class time will be from 6:00 to 8:00 PM each evening. The theme is Splash Canyon, God s Promise on Life s Wild Ride. I am looking for people to be responsible for the Bible stories, snacks arts and crafts, music and recreation. Once the lead positions have been determined, support staff will be added to each of these areas. DCE News Carla Jo Brakhage As I am sitting at home on a work day shortened by the forecast of severe weather, I am contemplating the storms that go on in each of our lives. Storms are inevitable. In nature, powerful tempests leave a changed landscape behind them. Similarly, challenging circumstances can alter the direction of our life. When difficulties arise, do you say to the Lord, I am doing what You asked, so why is this happening? Such thinking assumes that being in the center of God s will exempts us from problems. In Matthew 14, we learn that Jesus instructed the disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the opposite shore. While they were obeying Him, high winds and waves developed. The truth is, storms can arise even when we are exactly where God wants us to be (John 16:33: I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. ) Another question we sometimes ask is, Father, what have I done wrong? Many of us automatically assume that we are a large part of the problem. God does use trials to correct us, but not all situations come from our mistakes. He may allow troubles to perfect us - that is, to mature us and grow us into Christ s likeness. That was the case with the disciples. Jesus knew what lay ahead for them, and He desired to make them fit for the work He was calling them to do. The lashing winds created an environment conducive to learning key lessons for future ministry. God uses all different ways to train and equip us because He wants us to become strong, vital servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. Realize that nothing can happen to a child of God unless He allows it. Instead of keeping our heads bent low against the struggles of life, let s look up to the Lord and seek His purposes in our challenges. The Board of Education has set a work day to clean out and paint the two rooms that are now being used as a Sunday school classroom, and storage room. It is scheduled for Saturday, April 7. Please clear your schedule to help us out that morning. If we have plenty of help, it won t take long. Phone (256)

8 KIDS CORNER Phone (256)

9 April Birthdays Dhan Abello 4/3 Kallie Cowart 4/13 Andrew Levenhagen 4/6 Katherine Benson 4/20 Cyndi Peebles 4/6 Austin Decker 4/21 Frederick Hartwig 4/9 Roberta Hirschbuehler 4/28 Preston Heritage 4/12 Olivia Burhans 4/29 Greer Heritage 4/12 Haddie Gehring 4/30 Andrew Thies 4/12 April Altar Flowers April 1 Easter Lilies April 8 April 15 April 22 Bob and Sue Ellen Smith Anniversary April 29 - Missional Outreach The schedule for our Missional Outreach groups is on Wednesday mornings and Sunday mornings. If you are interested in being part of one or more of these groups, please see Bob Smith - or just show up! April 4 and 18 - Huntsville Health & Rehabilitation, 4010 Chris Drive at 10:00 AM. April 11 and 25 - Regency Max Luther Drive at 10:15 AM. Every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM, a group leads worship at Regency. Phone (256)

10 April Calendar Phone (256)