Soaring with Spirit. ST. JOHN LUTHERAN CHURCH Melbourne, KY

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1 March 2016 Soaring with Spirit ST. JOHN LUTHERAN CHURCH Melbourne, KY On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a scroll, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the neediest people shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. (Isa 29:18-19) Lord! This is our Lenten Evening Prayer theme this year: Fresh Joy in the For all of my ministry, during Advent and Lent, I ve presented a character sermon for the Wednesday evening services. These were usually based on the perspective of someone who witnessed either the birth of Jesus or the events of the Passion during Holy Week. We ve experienced prophets, Magii, the animals in the manger scene, Roman guards and the centurion, and many others. This year I m doing something differently: In browsing around for ideas for this Lent, I ran across the graphic above. Something in the Fresh and the Joy struck a chord in me. When I looked up the Scriptural reference, I was even more taken by Fresh Joy in the Lord. Isaiah has been one of the prophets who has visited us during Lent. The prophet is powerful in shaping our understanding of our relationship with God. It is Isaiah who connected God with the image of a Suffering Servant whose concept Jesus associates with himself. It is Isaiah who, in chapter 25, speaks of an incredibly powerful image of feasting and life with God after our death. Here Isaiah is again creating a picture of God who completely transforms the life of someone who seems to have lost all hope. God not only gives them a glimmer of hope, but changes their entire lives to be lives of joy and hopefulness. On that day the deaf shall hear the words of the scroll. Imagine what it must be for someone who is deaf to suddenly be able to listen to the Words of the Lord! You can t put that complete a sense of Joy into words. Or out of their gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see. When we know that in complete darkness, even the small glimmer of a candle seems almost sun-bright, how much more Joy fills the heart and soul of someone who is blind but is suddenly given the gift of sight by the One who calls Light to come forth from darkness. The meek and the neediest are those who feel completely overwhelmed by life, who struggle to find value in themselves, and we ve all been there. Yet Isaiah proclaims we shall find Fresh Joy in the Lord and shall exult in the Holy One of Israel! What an utter transformation this makes in our lives! Because God is love, because God loves us, we experience joy and exultation in the presence of God. God grants us this, sends exultation and joy into our lives to draw us closer. May your life, filled with the presence of the Living Lord, be also filled with joy and exultation, a deep sense of belonging to the One who creates us, who redeems us with His own self-sacrifice, and who restores us in the midst of whatever circumstances we find ourselves. Serving Christ, Serving Others, Serving You

2 Seniors enjoyed Valentine decorations and a presenter last month. This March we look forward to hearing from Dr. Bill Landon, head of the History Department at NKU. Join us for a luncheon on the first Wednesday of each month at 11:00 am at St. Luke Lutheran Church, 4800 Alexandria Pike. This month we re also investigating having LaRosa s (across the street) cater the main meal, and we ll bring desserts or snacks to share. Our Ash Wednesday Worship was threatened by bad weather but over two dozen hardy souls gathered to receive ashes, hear those words, Remember that you are ash, and to ash you shall return, and from ash you will rise to new life in Christ and to share in the Lord s Supper. Each Wednesday during Lent we gather for Soup & Bread Lenten meal at 6:00 pm and Lenten Evening Prayer at 7:00 pm. Our offerings on Wednesdays, at the upcoming Seder, and with a special noisy offering on Easter support the Campbell County Backpack program and the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. Property Improvement Committee will be taking up its work again on each first Monday of the month beginning on March 7th at 7:00 pm. We re hoping to discuss options and design of the restrooms and lift/elevator so we are ready to get started when the roof loan is paid off. Join us for this important discussion. All are welcome. Baptisms coming up! We have several baptisms approaching: Samantha Asher, daughter of Holly & Dan, will be baptized on Sunday, March 13th. May God s presence dwell with you richly throughout your life, Sam. Bowling Fellowship Event for everyone in St. Luke and St. John churches will be held at the Southern Bowling Lanes on Sunday, April 13th, at 1:00 pm. Please join us for fun and this opportunity to get to know each other better! Chrism Mass is held with the Bishop each year in Lent. It offers an opportunity for the clergy to renew their ordination vows and also is the time the oils for anointing are dedicated. This year it will be in Jeffersontown, KY, at Christ Lutheran Church on Tuesday, March 15th. Spring Clean-up is scheduled for Saturday, March 19, beginning at 9am. We re planning on yardwork and inside projects to get our worship space ready for Holy Week and Easter Worship. Won t you join us in making God s house as presentable as our own?

3 Holy Week events are a faith-building reliving of the most important week of all human history. Maundy Thursday Seder celebrates the institution of the Lord s Supper in the setting of a Passover Meal, at 6:00 pm. St. Luke will be our guests for this evening s feasting. Good Friday Worship Services will include a worship at St. Luke described as a reflective service at noon. Roses at the Cross will allow you time to worship Jesus and remember his sacrifice for us in a personal way. Then at 7:00 pm will be Good Friday Tenebrae Worship which incorporates growing silence and darkness to depict the events of that day. On Sunday, the day begins with Easter Sunrise Worship at 7:30am in the outdoor amphitheater. The Easter Brunch begins at approximately 8:45 am. Then Easter Celebration Worship will take place at 10:00 am. Easter Egg Hunt will see the joy and happiness on the faces of the children on Saturday, March 26th, from 1 3 pm. Please contact Kelly Leisring, , for more information. The origin of "Easter" It s not certain where the word Easter, which never appears in Scripture, originates. In some places, the day is called Pasch, which comes from Passover, the festival during which Jesus was crucified. Others call it Resurrection Sunday. Some scholars think the church absorbed the word Easter from pagan roots, because the goddess of spring, Eostre, was celebrated about the same time as Passover. Others suggest the word derives from an old Latin phrase referring to the white robes traditionally worn by people being baptized on the Sunday that celebrates Jesus resurrection. +Christian Symbol+ Ewer and basin The ewer (a vase-shaped pitcher) and basin, which symbolize cleansing, are related to two biblical events from Holy Week: when Jesus washed his disciples' feet (John 13:1-17), and when Pilate "washed his hands of" Jesus' blood before the crucifixion (Matthew 27:24). Because of the foot-washing, the ewer and basin have become a symbol of service ministry.

4 Modern Lutheran Women Modern Lutheran Women will meet March 6 after worship. All women of the church are heartily welcome to join this vital mission of St. John Lutheran. This month we will be completing the hygiene kits we are putting together for victims of human trafficking. We will also be planning the Easter Sunday breakfast we will provide between worship services on March 27. Please join us this month and every first Sunday of the month for devotions, fellowship and our monthly business meeting. The readers are: March 6 Nancy Enzweiler March 13 Anna Teichmoeller March 20 John Walker Easter, March 27 Karen Castle Gerald Benson Highland Springs Room # Highland Avenue Ft. Thomas, KY Emmelhainz Scholarship Bake Sale Immediately following worship. Bring your sweet tooth! March 13, 2016 Milton Chalk 182 Dogwood Drive Highland Hts., KY Ruby Emmelhainz 2335 Darlington Road Melbourne, KY Charlie Johnson CareSpring # Plaza Drive Cold Springs, KY Manwich, Chef Boyardee and toothpaste If you have enjoyed the singing provided by our church choir each Sunday, think about joining. We will have Choir rehearsals after church on March 20. mail: c/o Bill Johnson 5 Bryan Lane Alexandria, KY Sonny (Bernard) Smith 226 Vater Rd. Butler, KY Please let the church office know if there are others who need to be added to the list.

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6 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory as a father s only son, full of grace and truth Jn 1:14 St. John Lutheran Church 5977 Lower Tug Fork Rd. Melbourne, KY Join us for these special events: Young at Heart, Wednesday, March 2nd, 11am Lenten Evening Prayer, Wednesday, March 2nd, 9th, 16th, 7pm Modern Lutheran Women, Sunday, March 6th, 11:15am Property Improvement Committee, Monday, March 7th, 7pm Church Council Meeting, Tuesday, March 8th, 7pm Emmelhainz Scholarship Bake Sale, Sunday, March 13th, 11:15am Bread of Life Food Pantry, Monday, March 14th and 28th, 1pm-3pm Maundy Thursday Seder meal, Thursday, March 24th, 6pm Good Friday, Tenebrae Worship, Friday, March 25th, 7pm Easter Egg Hunt, Saturday, March 26th, 1:00pm Easter Sunrise Worship, Sunday, March 27th, 7:30am Easter Brunch, Sunday, March 27th, 8:45am Easter Celebration Worship, Sunday, March 27th, 10:00am AA Meetings, every Thursday and Friday, 7:00pm