Dear members of Grace and Zion,
God’s blessings to you this Holy Week! I’m getting this letter out this week especially to those of you for whom I have not received contact information sheet yet. That letter just went out last week, so I wasn’t expecting those all back yet. Incorporating that information into the records I have, and then establishing lines of communication will take further time. So I’ll have to resort to a letter to communicate with many of you. I ask for your patience and I encourage you to send your information in if you’ve not yet been able to do so. Thanks.
A couple of updates and reminders regarding the following:
Our worship plans for this month. We’re waiting for the April 24th directive to expire (the one regarding essential/non-essential businesses and groups’ numbers restrictions limited to ten). The council officers of both congregations will meet on April 19th to review this pending any new developments. We’ll let you know of any changes. Also, for that meeting, please contact your council officers if you have any needs we could meet.
A reminder of our plan to gather for worship again: First Sunday back we’ll have a Palm Sunday Worship Service with communion at our regularly scheduled times. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday celebrations like our past years’ schedule with communion will be held. And we will have an Easter Sunday Worship Service celebration the second Sunday we’re back, no communion. These details the council officers will discuss on April 19th again.
Receiving the Lord’s Supper. I’d be happy to bring it to you privately at your home. I also had a private meeting with someone yesterday at church. Either works when done carefully. To arrange this, just call me, 920-589-2128 .
We have had a steady stream of offerings being mailed in. Thank you.
A website for both churches together is almost completed. I’m planning on posting a Palm Sunday devotion I sent out this week via text and then a new devotion for Holy Week weekend (including Easter Sunday thoughts) The web address is www.grace-zionlutheranmandk.com. The site has a couple of finishing-touch items I need to do work through yet as of this writing. Hopefully that will be done by the time you read this.
A final thought: Hebrews 2:14-15 Therefore, since the children share flesh and blood, he also shared the same flesh and blood, so that through death he could destroy the one who had the power of death (that is, the Devil) 15 and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. The significance of the first Holy Week is just that in these verses. Jesus walked in our shoes … and more. Abandoned by all of his disciples from Maundy Thursday evening onwards, he knew what it was to be isolated. He, of course, faced this in the midst of the fear of what He was going to face at next daylight. He knew, after the close of His prayer to His Father that the cup be taken away, that when He heard the sound of His betrayer coming, that His Father’s answer to His prayer, a very human prayer, was “No.” His heart was so in sync with His Father’s love that He turned with an okay-let’s-get-this-done attitude and spoke aloud to His disciples, “Let’s go. My betrayer comes.” He looked forward through His own fear of death, and, remembering His Father’s Old Testament promises, He believed them that He’d be rescued from death, not by escape but by resurrection.
His faith in the face of fear is righteousness that covers up any sinful cowardice we have in similar circumstances of isolation. His sacrifice of death washes away all our sins. His resurrection guarantees all that. Contemplate your God’s love for you one-on-one with Him these next days. God bless your Easter!
Yours in our Savior,
Pastor Jud Krohn