“Early on the first day of the week…” (John 20:1) EASTER: THE GREAT COMBACK DISCIPLESHIP OPTIONS ENDOWMENT FUND DISTRIBUTION PAGE 3 PAGE 6-7 PAGE 19 CONNECT WITH OUR CHURCH & SCHOOL FAMILY AT MIGHTYMESSENGERS.ORG, ON FACEBOOK AND YOUTUBE WE ARE CALLED to make disciples of Jesus The vision of St. Michael Lutheran is to be a growing congregation within our local community that is “Making Mighty Messengers for Christ” by helping people: DEVELOP, by the power of the Holy Spirit BELONG to a loving and caring family of working through His Word and faith with a solid doctrinal heritage Sacraments, a more vibrant and through active membership, ministry personal relationship with God involvement, and Small Group through faith in Jesus Christ that participation; and to expresses itself in consistent prayer and worship; and to GAIN practical, relevant, biblical insights GIVE of ourselves to others in loving for faithful Christian living both Christian service and evangelistic through personal Bible study and witness within the congregation and through our various Christian beyond it to our local community and educational offerings such as Sunday world. School, Bible class, St. Michael Lutheran School; and to Email Updates Sign up for regular email updates from St. Michael. We try to send something mid-day on Friday and when special services and events are happening. Office Contacts: Church + 269-327-7832 School + 269-327-0512 Christ For Kids + 269-327-4889 mightymessengers.org St. Michael’s website is full of helpful information. We are excited about the new design and support WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US FOR WEEKLY WORSHIP SERVICES Saturdays at 5:00pm - Informal Worship Sundays at 8:30am - with the organ and Lutheran Service Book hymnal Sundays at 11:00am - Contemporary Worship Holy Communion: The Sacrament of Holy Communion is offered at Lamplight the Saturday before a second or fourth Sunday; at 8:30am on second and fourth (and fifth) Sundays; at 11:00am on first and third (and fifth) Sundays Supervised child care is provided throughout Sunday morning worship services and Sunday School is available for kids PS-High School during Bible Classes. And we VALUE... “EASTER: THE GREAT COMEBACK” As April of 2021 begins, I can’t help but think back to a year ago when on account of the pandemic, we were sadly not able to have people worshiping from the pews for Holy Week. We didn’t offer the Lord’s Supper to our members even on Maundy Thursday (I’m sure that’s never happened before), and we couldn’t gather in the sanctuary for Easter services either. Thankfully, we were able to bring God’s Word to you and thousands others through our Facebook Live broadcasts (which was truly amazing), but it was still very sad not to be able to gather face-to-face. We were so grateful to be able to open up the sanctuary for worship in June of 2020, but the number of people in the pews for worship on a given weekend continues to be only about half of what we used to enjoy before the pandemic hit. So we’re back, but not all the way back. We still have a long ways to go before we’ve got herd immunity, and we’re still looking forward to the day when our new normal is a bit more like our old normal. At the same time, we recognize that many things will always be different, and that might not be all bad. We’ve learned so many new things in this past year that are here to stay -- that hopefully our new normal will be a new and improved normal, in which our ministry can be even better than it was before. One of my favorite contemporary Christian singers, Danny Gokey, recorded a song in 2017 that is very fitting at this time in 2021 too. It’s entitled “The Comeback” and it goes like this. 1) After a season of night falls and push backs, After Chorus: This is your time, your moment. The fire, the fight, the heartache of wrong turns and sidetracks, you’re golden. You've come so far, keep going! Oh, here just when they think they've got you, game, set, comes the comeback! match, here comes the comeback. 3) You feel the lightning, the thunder, you're soul shakes 2) Just cause you lay low, got up slow, unsteady Under the roar of the heaven, the tide breaks, don't mean you blacked out, or bought out, you're And from the ashes you will take your place. ready. Just when they think there's nothing left, Here comes the comeback. (Chorus) running on empty here comes the comeback. Bridge: There is no mountain you can't face. There is no giant you can't take. All of your tears were not a waste. Your one step away. While the song doesn’t explicitly reference Jesus, it has a kind of resurrection spirit in the song that is fitting for us as God’s Easter people. As a much older song puts it, “we serve a risen Savior,” whom not even death could hold down. He has won a spectacular victory over all that would have defeated us, and so our attitude in the midst of life’s setbacks and suffering (even in death) can be positive and hopeful. We can be optimistic about the future because we’ve read the end of “The Book” and we know it has the most happy ending ever! Like St. Paul said to the Thessalonians, “since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with Him the believers who have died. (and so we can) encourage each other with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18). I pray that this Easter season, and all the seasons ahead, will be characterized as a great comeback for our congregation. May you and your family rejoice in a return to better days, and in a great rebound in your active lifestyle. But may you and I also benefit from what we’ve learned, and yes from all that we have suffered, confident that through Christ Jesus, our Risen Savior, God can, has, and will work all things for the good of those who love Him and are called to belong to His forever family. P.S. If you want watch the music video of the song performed live it’s quite thrilling - https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=hfhFWjaOfJs&ab_channel=DannyGokeyVEVO As an added bonus, watch this one too - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcLwbzHvsNY&ab_channel=CareyGoin WORSHIP Gathering around God’s Word and Sacraments to receive His gifts & give Him glory. Romans 6:3-5 - - “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were We value worship, buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too as we gather around might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection God’s Word and like his.” Sacraments, that is +++ Baptism is such a precious gift from God, and a miracle that connects meaningful and up- us to Jesus’ own death and resurrection! When you were baptized, the “old you” died and the new creation rose to eternal life. That’s right, lifting, including clear, you are living your new, eternal life right now! relevant preaching. To “remember your baptism” simply means to remember who you are and WHOSE you are, especially since you live in a world surrounded by We appreciate both sin. Satan would love for you to forget about your baptism, and to dwell on your own sins. Instead, you can defiantly and joyfully stand in your traditional liturgy baptismal identity, knowing your sins have been washed away and you belong to Jesus. and hymns as well No matter what happens to you in this life, even if you should die, you as contemporary belong to Jesus and “nothing can snatch you out of His hand” (John 10:28). You and I have eternal life now, and we know that JUST as Jesus is physically risen from the dead, we will physically rise too. Live music and desire confidently in Jesus’ love and promise TODAY! variety and quality in +++ all our worship God's own child, I gladly say it: I am baptized into Christ! services so that we He, because I could not pay it, Gave my full redemption price. might have a Do I need earth's treasures many? I have one worth more than any meaningful That brought me salvation free Lasting to eternity! experience of (LSB #596 Text: Paul Gerhardt) praising and At the start of the pandemic, all printed materials were removed from the pews, not knowing how the virus was spreading. The glorifying God with liturgy, Bible readings, and songs were displayed on the screens in the sanctuary and shown in our broadcasts. As a first step the best that we have. back to normal, we have returned the hymn books to the pews for those who would like to use them. The pews and chairs are Colossians 3:16-17) disinfected with an electrostatic sprayer after each worship service. This will now also include the hymn books that are in the pew racks.