Dear Beloved in the Lord

St. John’s Messenger Volume 95, Issue 3 March 18, 2015

Dear Beloved in the Lord, Grace and Peace to you in the Name of the One who brings joy through the death of death itself! What is joy, and specifically Easter joy? You might hear those words in the days ahead, and I pray that you don’t hear them like a stranger or a distant member of the family that rarely visits. Distant or close, I pray that you would truly get to know joy and understand more deeply how the Resurrection of Our Lord brings “her” to town. While you can know Easter with or without proper spring weather, you cannot truly know Easter without joy. It is right to begin by thinking about joy almost like a person, because relationships are a critical to experiencing and understanding the rich and full joy of the Resurrection. The joy of God is being in a full and deep relationship with God. In all of the Easter stories in all four Gospels, the Resurrection means restoring of joy by restoring of relationships. The deepest, truest and most lasting joy in the world is knowing and feeling the breadth of brokenness and suffering of Jesus’ Passion lifted up on the cross. There the Tree of Life was momentarily overtaken to become the tree of death. There God participates in God’s own rules of life and death. The Father Creator steps into the child’s game, playing along and participating fully in the score and the tally of points. God does not participate, however, for the points or the win. In fact, God loses. Not like a typical father, faking several moves or rolls to ensure the build-up of the child. No God uses his star lead striker, center forward in the pocket. The demons know who he is. The universe is award of his reputation and potential. Yet, God is not playing to impress. Not even the child is fully enamored with the skill or presence exhibited on the field. God was expected to be there to spend quality time with the child and to fend off the bullies. We know both sides of this metaphor. Parents aren’t always what we expect. Yet, somehow and often late in time they do prove their love for us. When relationships fail it is most often a matter of expectations or trust. Communication either helps or hinders these currencies of building intimacy. When one or both are amiss, and communication isn’t clarifying the disparity—bitterness, frustration, anger, and even hatred are provoked. All of these emotions surround the Passion and cross. After the tomb was found to be empty, all of the disciples began to understand what it means to know, see, trust and share in the reality that death was swallowed up by a love stronger than death. Jesus would appear to the disciples, not just for the purpose of showing scars and healed wounds, but for the purpose of healing relationships, binding up hope, and reconnecting shattered dreams. Jesus extended forgiveness so that the relationships could not move on far beyond where they were to a new path and road leading to the life God intends for us. On this new path and road, even while Jesus may not visible, Joy is evidently walking beside us. Life in the Spirit of the Resurrection is a life full of Joy. Beyond happiness which is temporary, joy becomes a faithful spiritual companion. Yes, this spiritual emotion of joy is also a great witness and sign for others that we know the truth. It is a way that others can know and experience the truth that Jesus was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father so that we too might live in newness of life! Have a joyful and joyous Easter! Yours in the Love and Joy of Christ Jesus, Pastor Andrew Fitch

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Wednesday, March 18 Midweek Lenten Service, Library, 7:00 p.m. Bible Study, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19 Church Council, 7:00 p.m. Scout Roundtable, 7:00 p.m. Saturday, March 21 Kathryn’s Kloset, 9-11:00 a.m. Sunday, March 22 Easter flower orders and money due Wednesday, March 25 Midweek Lenten Service, Library, 7:00 p.m. Bible Study, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 26 Lighthouse Café, 4:30-6:00 p.m. Sunday, March 29 Annual Palm Sunday Breakfast, sponsored by the Cub Pack, Boy Scout Troop and Venture Crew, 7:00 a.m.-Noon. See Tom Propst or Lou VanGilder for tickets. Thursday, April 2 Maundy Thursday Service with communion, 7:00 p.m. Friday, April 3 Good Friday Service, 7:00 p.m. Saturday, April 4 Fellowship Hall reserved, 11:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. Sunday, April 5 Sunrise Service with communion, 6:00 a.m. Worship Service with communion, 10:15 a.m. Monday, April 6 Finance Committee, 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 8 Council, 7:00 p.m. Bible Study, 7:00 p.m. Thursday, April 9 Messenger deadline, 3:00 p.m. Social Ministry, 6:00 p.m. Saturday, April 11 Fellowship Hall reserved, 2-9:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 15 Messenger folding, 9:30 a.m. Bible Study, 7:00 p.m. Saturday, April 18 Kathryn’s Kloset, 9-11:00 a.m.

Wednesday mornings Community Lenten Worship & Breakfast, Zion Lutheran March 18-March 25 Church, Sunbury, 7:00 a.m. Meditation in the Chapel; 7:30 a.m. Breakfast Tuesday, March 31 Selinsgrove Area Adult Band, 53rd Annual Benefit Concert, American Cancer Society. This year’s theme is “Buglers Across America”. Concert begins at 7:00 p.m. at the Selinsgrove Middle School. Tickets are $5 with all the proceeds going to the ACS. For more information contact AJ Shearer at 473-9948 or 374-9396. St. John’s Lutheran Church, 300 Queen Street, Northumberland, PA 17857 Periodical postage paid at Northumberland, PA. POSTMASTER: Send address change to St. John’s Messenger, 300 Queen Street, Northumberland, PA 17857.

ST. JOHN’S MESSENGER March 18, 2015 Volume 95, Issue 3

St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church 570-473-3770 [email protected]

Sundays at St. John’s

8:00 a.m. Worship Service with Communion 8:45 a.m. Sunday School for Preschool-6th Grade 9:00 a.m. Sunday School 10:15 a.m. Worship Service with Communion

March 22 – Rev. B.J. Collins, Assistant to the Bishop March 29 – Mark Giesen, Authorized Lay Worship Leader April 2 – Maundy Thursday – Rev. Ronald Shellhamer April 3 – Good Friday – Rev. Ronald Shellhamer April 5 – Easter Sunday – Carol Black, Authorized Lay Worship Leader April 12 – Mark Giesen, Authorized Lay Worship Leader April 19 – Carol Black, Authorized Lay Worship Leader April 26 – James Girven, Authorized Lay Worship Leader

Church Office Hours Mon-Thurs 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Fri 8:30 a.m.-Noon Rev. Andrew Fitch, Pastor William J. Jacavage, Director of Music April 1 April 10 April 20 Denise Litchard Beth Ginck Andrea Watt Judith Rohland Laura McWilliams Barry Moser April 21 April 2 Margaret Campbell Corey Billman April 11 Jason Dreese Terri Dodge Elizabeth Kinsley Alexa Snyder Logan Gallo Miles Krouse Jr. Zachary Reed April 22 April 3 Parker Volinski Lindsay Pahl Tara Amerman George Stuck Richard Bowman April 12 Becky Connor Michael Gautsch April 23 Angela Kinsley-Chubb Donna Sees Barbara Kiger Betty Meiser April 4 April 14 Gary Smith Gwen Naginey Jennifer Colchado Carl Spigelmeyer III Gerald Runyan III Sandra Shaffer Helen Snyder April 24 April 5 Curtis Bickel Genna Feathers April 15 Kyle Bickel Lindsay Granquist Catherine Broome Nicholas Payne Allen Drumheller Terry Walker Sr. April 6 Jillian Hafer April 16 April 25 Matt Billman Dustin Beaver April 7 Evelyn Ruch Lee Bettleyon Larry Miller Zachary Feaster Louis VanGilder Jr. April 17 Grace Herrold Erin Veronick Matthew Fasold Joseph Meehan George Specht April 8 April 18 Gary Steiner Charles Hudock Brian Bingaman Robert Orr Dean Dunkelberger April 26 Skyle Badman April 9 April 19 Jill Bahner Barb Eisely Heidi Kerchoff Carl Drumheller Aaron Knouse Cole Lynch Lewis Litchard April 27 Jessica Miller Sally Swank Nicole Scholl James Williams Mary Shipe Thomas Stover April 28 Julia Tiedman Craig Treacher

April 29 James Kohler Jr.

April 30 Esther Bartholomew Sunday Monday April 5 6:00 AM Mary and Servic Greg Morton Easter Sunrise

5 6 e April 5 Bob Berry Emily

TOPS 6:00 10:15 AM Bogovich p.m. Lori Bogovich Finance 7:00 p.m. Cub Scouts 7:00 p.m.

Assist April 12 Carol Black presiding Sunrise Service w/Comm. 8:00 AM 6:00 a.m. Sunday School 9:00 a.m. Worship w/Comm. April 12 Betty Judy and 10:15 a.m. ants 10:15 AM Duncan Frank 12 13 Hoffman Mark Giesen presiding Worship w/Comm. 8:00 TOPS a.m. 6:00 p.m. Sunday School 9:00 Cub Scouts a.m. 7:00 p.m. April 19 Worship w/Comm. 10:15 8:00 AM a.m. for Soup orders due April 19 10:15 AM Rachel Trish Long 19 20 Anderson Ginny Butler Carol Black presiding Worship w/Comm. 8:00 TOPS 6:00 a.m. p.m. Sunday School 9:00 Cub Scouts April a.m. 7:00 p.m. April 26 Worship w/Comm. 10:15 8:00 AM a.m. April 26 10:15 AM Caitlin Maryann 2015 Cunningh Berry 26 27 am Bonnie Berry James Girven presiding Date Lector Greeters Worship w/Comm. 8:00 TOPS a.m. 6:00 p.m. Sunday School 9:00 Cub Scouts a.m. 7:00 p.m. Worship w/Comm. 10:15 April 2 a.m. Maundy Ginny Linda and Thursday Butler Harry 7:00 PM Bingaman

April 3 Good Members Friday 7:00 PM