Kirchenwald & Nawakwa
Camp Brochures are in the narthex!
Sign-up for summer camp! Lots of discounts apply. Check out the camp brochure. You can find one on the table in the narthex. Pick the camp, the date you want to attend, and get ready for camp. Our church has a “youth fund” and pays a generous amount toward the camp fees. Pick up a brochure. For more information see Patti LaPorte.
Several years ago I found myself as a new pastor in a situation in which I was just learning how to be comfortable. I had been called to the hospital to visit Rose who had just had a massive stroke. I was filled with all sorts of anxieties about saying the right thing and being a comfort and support to a family that would soon be saying goodbye to this lovely woman. As I entered her room her doctor was just getting ready to leave and she informed me that she didn’t have long and that she would not be able to hear me or to speak. The stroke had taken her ability to form words and it had completely paralyzed half of her body while slowly shutting down her internal organs.
Her best friend Gladys was with her, by her side, as she had been since they were in grade school together. I listened to this no nonsense woman process her grief and let the doctor’s news sink in. And then I asked her if we could pray with Rose. And so we joined hands we each other and this lovely woman and we prayed together. We finished our time of prayer by praying the Lord’s prayer and wouldn’t you know it, Rose decided to chime in. Her eyes were closed and half of her face was paralyzed but she was praying the prayer. It wasn’t just in whispers, it wasn’t a trick of the ears, we weren’t mistaken, she was praying out loud with us.
Now, if you speak with other pastors you would surely hear stories that echo this one. When you have been marked with the sign of the cross and you have these words of love and belonging etched into your being, they tend to hold us up and draw us out when we find ourselves in these thin places. These thin places are locales and times where the distance between heaven and earth collapse and we’re able to catch glimpses of the divine. They are like manna for the journey.
When we told the doctor what had happened she simply dismissed it and said that it was impossible. But Gladys and I know exactly what we experienced. And we held onto that moment less than a week later when we buried her. The final word from her mouth was a resounding, “Amen,” as though her life had been a prayer that now rested in God.
My fervent hope is that we all have the opportunity to experience this kind of faith, faith that is so much a part of our very being that when everything else is taken away from us, who we are in Christ remains. This season of Lent is an invitation to remember your baptism. Remember who you are in Christ. Remember that while the world may seem to be spinning out of control and we feel as though we are being caught up in it, Christ is our anchor. The storm will pass, the waves will calm. We don’t allow the storm to change us. Remember who you are in Christ. Let faith define you, and may you become more and more each day the people that God is creating you to be.
Maundy Thursday -April 6th at 7:00 pm: This is the day when Christians remember the Last Supper. At the close of the service the altar and the sanctuary will be stripped in preparation for Good Friday
Good Friday-April 7th at 7:00 pm: This is the day when Christians around the world commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Easter Sunday –April 9th at 9:30 am: This is the day that we as Christians celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Can you believe it? I am sitting here in my office looking out the window at the very first snow of the season and already I am pulling the page on the calendar to Lent. Instead of lamenting the fact that we have had very little winter (weather) so far or that time is just zooming by, I am just going to give you something to look forward. So mark your calendars and set your reminders because you aren’t going to want to miss the Lenten offerings we have at Holy Spirit this season.
In lieu of our regular Wednesday daytime and Thursday evening Bible studies we will be having one session every Thursday of Lent at 11:00 AM in the sanctuary. This series, “On the Cross” will be a joint effort of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, and Holy Spirit. We are also inviting any congregations throughout the conference who would like to participate. This series will be recorded and available via our website for those who would like to attend but are not available during the day. Following the study you are welcome to join with others who would like to have lunch at the Centerville Diner. Below you can also find information about Ash Wednesday and Lenten Wednesday worship services.
2023 Ash Wednesday Worship
Imposition of Ashes
Join us on Wednesday February 22, 2023 at 7:00 pm. We will have an Ash Wednesday service with imposition of ashes and Holy Communion.
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2023 Wednesday Lenten Worship
Prayer Around the Cross
Come join us for candlelight services of meditative music, intercessory prayer, scripture, and quiet reflection as we place our joys and concerns before the cross of Christ. May these services become part of your Lenten devotions. Wednesdays of Lent at 7:00 pm.
2023 Thursday Lenten Series
On the Cross
Thursdays of Lent at 11:00 am.
Medical Aspects of the Crucified= confronting the reality of this means of execution and torture
Crucifixion in the Context of the First Century= Why Rome crucified people, the trauma caused to communities subjected to this means of “Roman Advertisement.”
The Cross and Understandings of How It Saves Us= Looking at the variety of models the church has used to understand the meaning of the cross
The Cross and the People whose “Backs are against the wall”= how the “crucified” throughout history have experienced hope, resilience and meaning in the cross
The Gospel Passion Narratives= reflecting upon how the story of Christ’s crucifixion can be interpreted and used for either healing or for harmful purposes, for giving life or for wielding death
