Dear Brothers and Sisters at Messiah,
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
As the Easter season continues, we draw strength and hope from Jesus' promises to His disciples in the Upper Room, the night before His atoning sacrifice for our sins. As He says in this coming Sunday's Gospel (John 14:15-21),
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
Speaking of May 17, we've slightly changed our online "delivery system" for this weekend's worship service, as follows:
On Sunday, May 17, the Service of the Word will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel, beginning at the new time of 10 am. You'll be able to watch it as it happens by going to our YouTube home page! (Previous services have been pre-recorded.)
An audio recording of the service will also be available; it'll be posted on Messiah's website and Facebook page by 12 noon on May 17.
We're grateful that you continue to find our video and audio services helpful to your spiritual growth. We're definitely interested in your feedback; let us know what you think about one or both formats! You can also get ready for this Sunday with a version of the Hymn of the Day, "Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice", posted on YouTube and at Messiah's Sacred Music page.
We'll also conclude our current Bible study on the first Epistle of Peter this coming Sunday, May 17th, at the new time of 9 am. We'll dig into 1 Peter 4 and 5 (the source of the Epistle for May 24) focusing on how Christ's shepherds and flocks rely on the sure hope found in God's Word , especially in times of trial and temptation. The pre-recorded study will available first on YouTube, then later that day on our website and Facebook page.
There will be no Bible study on Memorial Day weekend (Sunday, May 24); we'll resume on Sunday, May 31, looking at Martin Luther's letter "Whether One May Flee From A Deadly Plague". Written to a brother pastor, it's rich in Scripture, with a surprising amount to say about our lives here and now! You can get a head start on our study by downloading the letter from the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod website.
Thanks as always for your faithful stewardship and kind support of Messiah's ministry in these extraordinary times. Your ongoing generosity and your response to our new Online Giving option are enabling us continue Knowing Christ and Making Him Known; along with the rest of Messiah's staff, I am deeply grateful.And I pray that all of us will continue to rely on our loving Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Spirit that comforts us in and through God's Word!
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Yours in Him,
Rick Krueger
Messiah Lutheran Church
