April-2017-Online
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April 2017 HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE (April 8-16) PALM SUNDAY 5:00 p.m. Worship Service (Sat.) 8:00 a.m. Worship Service 10:30 a.m. Worship Service MAUNDY THURSDAY 10:00 a.m. Worship Service 5:00 p.m. Sedar Meal 7:15 p.m. Worship Service GOOD FRIDAY Holy Cross Lutheran Church 1:00 p.m. Worship Service 7:15 p.m. Worship Service HOLY SATURDAY 5:00 p.m. Worship Service EASTER SUNDAY 7:30 a.m. SonRise Service 8:30 a.m. Breakfast 9:00 a.m. Easter Egg Hunt Cross Talk 10:30 a.m. Worship Service FROM PASTOR’S HEART down, which has resulted in offerings being behind budget. If you do take a look at the financial state- ments, you would probably say that we are not doing e is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia! so badly. I am only mentioning this because I would HYes, I know we don’t celebrate Easter until April 16, like all of us to be in prayer about this. I know that but we will be halfway through the Easter season the economy is not doing well here in Yoakum and when the May Newsletter comes out. Please don’t our surrounding area, and that we had some very cold forget our Holy Week services begin with Palm/ weather on a few weekends which hurt us. What I am Passion Sunday on April 8/9. We will have a Com- asking is that all of you remember that this is God’s munity Palm Sunday/Easter Service at Austin Street Church and that His will shall be done; but at the Baptist Church at 5:30 p.m. and those that attend we same time, this is your church and without you, the are asked to bring a dessert. Here at Holy Cross we church cannot function or exist. Please consider how continue our solemn observance of Holy Week on you can help or participate. Maundy Thursday (April 13 at 10:00 a.m. or 7:15 Lately I felt a renewed sense of purpose for the p.m.) with Holy Communion and the Stripping of the mission and work of Holy Cross. What I mean by Altar at both services. Don’t forget to sign up for our that is that I feel God is leading our congregation to Seder observance which will happen before our eve- renew our purpose. We have been talking about Vi- ning service. On Good Friday, April 14, we will have sioning in our council meetings and we have an up- a 1:00 p.m. service, which will focus on the Seven coming Congregational Workshop in May that will Last Words of Christ, and then we will have a Good help us and of course we had a Renewal Workshop Friday Tenebrae service at 7:15 p.m. This is a service back in January. Therefore, I having been asking my- of Darkness, which you might not have experienced self the following questions: why are we here; what the way that it will be presented. I am not going to are we doing; what are we supposed to be doing; and tell you what we will be doing, because I do not want what has God called us, as a congregation, to do? Of to take away from the intention of that service. I just course we need to answer these questions according would like to encourage all of you to think about to God’s will for this congregation. coming to both services because I have done the ser- Therefore, to help us answer some of these ques- vices so that you could attend both and experience tions, I want to invite those of you who have been Good Friday in two different ways. I would think asking these questions yourself, to come together as a that you would be especially moved in our evening group in order to study God’s Word and listen to service, which I have been told in the past is very God. We would then brainstorm what God wants us moving and powerful. to hold near and dear to our hearts as a congregation. Our Easter observances begin with an Easter Vigil I am very much concerned about the future (10 or 20 on Saturday April 15 at 5:00 p.m. and then will con- years from now) of Holy Cross. You need to remind tinue with our Easter Sonrise service, April 16 at 7:30 yourselves that this is your Church, it is not the Pas- a.m. followed by an Easter Breakfast by JC’s Crew at tor’s Church. Yes, I am one of the Shepherds, but we 8:30. We will have an Easter Egg hunt at 9:00 a.m. don’t just do what I want to do. We are the body of which will be followed by our late Easter service at Christ, here in Yoakum, we work together to do 10:30 a.m. Seeing that Easter is the high point in the God’s will, not only for our Church, but for the com- Church year, let us make this the biggest celebration munity as well. Therefore, I am asking if there are for Holy Cross Lutheran. We have the best reason to others, not just Council members, who are willing to celebrate because Jesus, our brother and Savior, has come together to listen to God’s Word and in prayer risen from the grave and has defeated the devil and seek out His will for our Church and community then death for us. Therefore, we need not fear them, so let let’s get together in God’s name. Have a joyous us come together and sing glorious praises to our Easter Celebration, for He is risen! He is risen, in- Lord and Savior. deed, Alleluia! Speaking of worshiping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I have noticed that our attendance has been Pastor Alsen 2 A NOTE FROM PASTOR SARAH o all God’s people, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the T Lord Jesus Christ. Lent is ending and Easter approaches! No longer do we let sin keep us in ashes and sack cloth while wailing out of despair for our fallen natures! Our Messiah has come! Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna! Before our Lord Jesus, all was dark, frightening, demons everywhere waiting to swallow us up. But now humanity has a new hero. He is greater than any hero of Greek mythology, and greater than any hero ever dreamt up in the DC or Marvel comics. Our hero battles the agents of darkness, who are the minions of the Devil. What does He fight them with? His divine light that drives them back into the fiery pit of Hell! Does our hero have a highly ad- vanced super suit that makes him invisible and can withstand the impact of a scud missile? Does our hero have a fancy plane or a weapon loaded armored car that can climb walls and become a submarine? No. Our Hero wears a simple robe of linen and rides a donkey. Our hero chooses to be vulnerable, just as we are. Our hero lived life as anyone of us did and chose not to use His super powers unless His Father asked Him too. Our hero is humble, meek, mild, and loves us, even the villains. Our hero let the villains capture and kill Him. They thought they had won and celebrated. But! Our Hero had a plan. To die, go to Hell and defeat the Devil once and for all! Three days later, His Father raised Him from the dead and brought Him back home. Our Hero died so that He could conquer the villains and make it possible for us to join Him forever in paradise. Who is this Hero? Jesus (His identity is only secret if we let it be.) Blessings, Pastor Sarah What’s New with the JC’s Crew! The JC’s Crew has 6 new members through our outreach program. We are so excited that they have joined even though their families have not yet been to our church! Through the Evangelism Committee’s efforts to reach families in need of hearing the Gospel and receive Christian love, children from several families are get- ting picked up in the church van for Little JC’s Crew, JC’s Crew and Family Fun time. We hope that this is the beginning of a fruitful ministry in our community. This month the JC’s will be helping with the Blue Bonnet Youth Ranch’s fundraiser on April 2nd , attending a live Christian concert in Victoria on April 22nd, playing “The Amazing Race to Jesus”, and “The Glow in the Dark Olympics.” If you know of a disadvantage child or teen that could benefit from our youth programs, please let me know and we will reach out to them. Please note that there will be NO JC’s Crew on April 16th because of Easter. God Bless You, Pastor Sarah 3 FOOLS FOR CHRIST April Fools’ Day isn’t a religious holiday, though it may date to Pope Gregory XIII and his new calendar. In 1582, he shifted New Year’s Day from April to January, and people who didn’t believe the change were called April fools. April Fools’ Day may also be connected to the lightheartedness that comes with warmer weather, as well as to medieval Christian festivals that involved pranks, disguises and a temporarily inverted social order.