Church guide

“Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him."” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2:18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭20:3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Christ is RISEN! What difference does it make? Find out with Mary outside the Garden Tomb...

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭3:8-9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Dual Membership Today’s Scripture: “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are truly my disciples.” John 8:31 ESV Our 2019 Centennial Scripture: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Col. 2:6-7 Today’s Meditation: How did you become a member of Grace Lutheran? Some of you are lifetime members. You were baptized as an infant at Grace. Some of you became members when you were baptized as a youth or adult. Some of you transferred to Grace from another Lutheran congregation. And some of you became members through an “affirmation of faith.” How did you become a member of the Holy Christian Church? You became a Christian when Jesus called you by the Gospel, and He blessed you with a saving faith because of His grace—His undeserved love. So you have a dual membership! You are a member of Christ’s Body, the Church, and you are a member of Grace Lutheran Church, a congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Everybody knows that a plant needs water and fertilizer to grow and flourish. Christ provides the means for us to flourish as members of His Body. Our faith grows and flourishes as we spend time in His Holy Word, the Scriptures. That precious Word is read and preached from the lectern and pulpit during every worship service. But that Word is also available to us through Sunday School, Bible class, personal devotions and scripture reading. Our faith grows and flourishes through the Sacrament of the Altar where we receive Jesus’ body and blood in, with, and under the bread and the wine. This Sacrament is also served to us in worship services at Grace. What happens to a plant that doesn’t get enough water and fertilizer? At best it doesn’t grow, doesn’t thrive. At worst it shrivels and dies. That’s why Jesus encouraged the Jews “who had believed Him” to abide or continue in His Word. That’s why He encourages His 21st century disciples to continue to abide in His Word. ~Paul Leckband

“For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2:25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2:24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Our Good Friday message didn’t record properly, so here is a text version (with images) if you’d like to still soak it in.... ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< Text: Exodus 12:11-14 “Agnus Dei” In the Prado Museum in Spain you will find this stunning masterpiece. The seventeenth-century Spanish artist Francisco de Zurbaran painted it from 1635-1640. He called it Agnes Dei — Latin for Lamb of God. The painting is simple: a wooly merino Lamb is lying on his side on a grey slab. As we observe the picture, the Lamb is facing left. He has elegantly curved horns. All four of his feet are bound together above the fetlock with two strands of a cord. The knot isn’t visible. With his feet tied together, the Lamb’s back is elevated as he lies on the slab. His left eye (the only eye we can see) is open, pale eyelashes delicately line his eye. We can see that the Lamb is looking down, past his pink nose, at the grey slab. There is no blood in the painting so the Lamb is alive — but the Lamb won’t be alive for long. Still life paintings of the seventeenth century rarely displayed emotion. Not here. Not in the Agnes Dei. The Lamb shows emotion — the emotion of resignation. He isn’t struggling to free himself. He isn’t kicking and screaming. The Lamb is ready to die. Light shines down on the Lamb from the upper left at a high angle, so that only a little shadow is thrown. Beyond the pool of light that bathes the Lamb, it is all dark — very dark. We’re in a series on the book of Exodus and today, for Good Friday, we are in Exodus 12. It’s all about the Agnes Dei — the Lamb of God. Exodus 12:3-5: “Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect.” The Passover Lamb must be male and he must be perfect — he can’t be crippled, lame, spotted, or off-color. After choosing the Lamb, the people are to guard and watch over him for three days. Then, on the fourteenth day of the month, the entire community of Israel is to gather at twilight. What happens next? They slaughter the Lamb. And then what? Exodus 12:7: “Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the door frames of the houses where they eat the lambs.” The blood of the Lamb will set the people free — free from the darkness and death of Egypt. Look again at the Agnes Dei. The black background serves to highlight the lambs white wool. Here is a lamb that is perfect and without defect. The dark background, though, does something else. It also highlights the reason why the Lamb was slaughtered. Luther famously called it incurvatus in se — another Latin phrase that means “turned in on oneself.” In our darkness we turn inward toward our own interests and our own desires and our own needs and our own agendas. Call it individualism. Call is narcisicm. Call it selfishness. But whatever you call it you must also call it what it is — sin. Sin is dark — sin is very, very dark. “To turn outward towards God and other people is too risky. I might get hurt and disappointed and frustrated. It’s better, and it’s much safer, to turn towards self.” So we live in a tight, fetal position. It leads to isolation, disconnectedness and despair. Sin — incurvatus in se — it seduces us, it traps us, and then it kills us. People sometimes dream that they can enter into painings. Take a walk into the Starry Night with Vincent Van Gogh. Or listen to the Mona Lisa with Leonardo da Vinci. What would we do if we could enter de Zurzaban’s masterpiece, Agnus Dei? The impulse, of course, is to untie the Lamb. Let him loose. Allow him to go free. He looks so innocent, so kind, so loving. He doesn’t deserve to die! But the knot is out of sight. Why is that? What’s going on? The knot is out of sight because the Lamb can’t be freed. There is nothing we can do for this Lamb. The lamb must be slaughtered because his blood alone will set us free. “The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt” (Ex 12:13). The Lamb’s blood flowed again in Gethsemene when, as Luke tells us, Jesus was in such agony that he sweat great drops of blood. You can bet that when the Roman soldiers blindfolded Jesus and began punching him in the face that there was more blood. And the blood flowed from his scalp as a crown of thorns was shoved onto his head. But the real blood bath was at Gabbatha where our Savior was stripped naked and whipped — whipped without mercy. Blood continued to flow from his open wounds as he carried his crosspiece on the Via Delarosa — more Latin, meaning “the Way of Sorrow.” Then there were three nails and the final blow — the Roman spear thrust where there was a sudden flow of blood and water. The Agnus Dei inspired another masterpiece, a marble sculpture. It was created by Stefano Maderno, a seventeenth-century Italian sculptor. It’s called Saint Cecilia. Maderno draws on de Zurbaran’s uncanny capacity to reproduce textures. A very calculated and directed light creates broad areas of shadow. It helps us concentrate our attention on Saint Cecilia. She, like the Lamb, is lying down, has her arms tied together. She, like the Lamb, is resigned to God’s will in her life. There is one more connection between Agnus Dei and Saint Cecelia. Do you see it? It’s the most important connection of all. The woman is white. Head to toe, all white. Just like the Lamb. What’s the point? She is washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. And so are we! He shed his blood for us, too. By faith, we are washed clean in the blood of Jesus. It’s the only way to free us from an eternity of incurvatus in se — turned in on self. In the end, at the very end, blood was all Jesus had. His disciples had deserted him. His garments had been gambled away. Even his Father had turned his back. Blood was all Jesus had, but the blood of Jesus is all we need. The blood of Jesus is all we need! Isaac Watts, the great seventeenth-century hymn writer, brings our two seventeenth century masterpieces together. “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.” Amen.

“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2:4-5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1:3-4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Christ is RISEN!!!

“For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭12:40‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Rev. David Russert will be visiting Grace on May 4th and 5th. A potluck luncheon will follow the worship service on Sunday, May 5. Please bring two out of the following: Entree, side dish, dessert. Thank you to the Ladies Aid for hosting the luncheon. David grew up at Grace. His father, Rev. Martin Russert, was the pastor at Grace from 1961-1987. David wrote: First and foremost, I am husband to Sandra and Dad to Angelica, 26, Angeanette, 20, and Angeleisa 17. I have been teaching High School Health Education and coaching at Bronxville High School in Bronxville, NY for the past 25 years. I also serve the New Jersey District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod as a "pulpit supply" and vacancy pastor. Over the past 2 decades I have served over 12 New Jersey congregations from as few as 3 months to as much as 3 1/2 years. Currently I am serving Trinity Lutheran in Morris Plains. What seems as a part-time effort truly gives me a full-time spiritual experience with the only hard part being saying good-bye to all the wonderful people the Good Lord has given me the opportunity to serve. My favorite memory of Grace Lutheran: Growing up right next to the church and playing basketball in the back parking lot...on Thursday the choir would rehearse and everyone would park far away to allow me to keep playing... just speaks wonders of the character of the people of Grace Lutheran to let a kid keep shooting baskets! My anniversary wish for Grace Lutheran is: Thank you... thank you for being the guiding light in a world that can be dark. Thank you for showing kindness in a world that can be mean. Thank you for showing the LOVE and FORGIVENESS of Jesus Christ for 100 years to a world so desperate for love!!!

“Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭47:1‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“They shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭22:31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“What Wondrous Love Is This” Shekinah Bells Maundy Thursday

Some extra Easter fun...

“What Wondrous Love Is This” Shekinah Bells Maundy Thursday

“Then the ringing and the singing then the end of all the war Thine the living Thine the loving evermore evermore.” -Thine the Amen, Thine the Praise LSB 680 v3

Watch this here! Rev. Ray S. Wilke receives his Honorary Doctorate of Divinity at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. I’m not crying... you’re crying...

“Go, My Children, with My Blessing” You are such a blessing from God to us! “Every good and perfect gift comes from above” (James 1:17). Thanks kids for singing today! Sunday School is done for the year, but we look forward to seeing you throughout the summer in worship and at VBS, June 25th-29th. Many thanks to your families for bringing you! Thanks also to our leaders and teachers: Rhiannon Johnson Dyer, Jana Markes, Valinda Klug, Ally Wilke, Kylea Wilke, Katie Ferguson, Tim Ferguson, Brandon Scheffler, Laurel Scheffler, John Laskowski, April Laskowski, Megan McWilliams, Emily Carlson, Linda Baumann, Larry Kortje, Donna Kortje, & Pastor Chris Asbury. (We recorded this video during practice at Sunday School, so even more kids also sang during worship.)

Holy Holy Holy! Thanks, kids, for leading us into worship Sunday! Thanks to Megan McWilliams and Emily Carlson for leading and accompanying!