Spring has sprung

The grass has ris’

I wonder where the flower is

Right before Easter, we were saying the above because absolutely no one had Easter lilies. Lacking faith we talked about what we could substitute that would look pretty and joyful. Then true to form, God had lilies all bloomed out, at Publix about 5 days before Resurrection Sunday. The church looked beautiful and smelled great for the center of our faith. Jesus rising from the dead after He paid for our sins by His death on the Cross. There were many new people in worship on Easter Sunday and we have been blessed by God with others we can encourage to attend regularly and we have more people to add to our prayer list.

For many people Easter is over, but for the people of God, every day is a new day in Christ and a new start for us loved and forgiven by Him. Christians don’t take God for granted but live every day in the presence of God and are looking forward to a reunion in heaven when our bodies wear out. Out of love for God we gather together regularly on Sunday to be renewed by His Word and the Sacraments. We need the renewal more than ever as people turn away from the Bible and seek to make the world as they want it.

The archbishop of Washington D.C. says that many Catholics are ‘Cafeteria Catholics’ meaning they pick and choose what they want to accept as the teachings and doctrines of the church. As Missouri Synod Lutherans we adhere to the Bible in its entirety. God’s Word stands firm for us and gives us the only hope we have in this life. God supplies all that we need if only we acknowledge it — even Easter lilies.

God has certainly blessed us as a congregation and me as He has allowed me to serve you. A sincere thank you to everyone who helped with the preparations for Holy Week and Easter. Thanks for all your kind words and wishes.

We will continue with our Easter joy for the next 40 days until we gather to celebrate the Ascension of Christ into heaven on May 9 at 7:00 P.M. Jesus is giving us last minute instructions and reassurance before He leaves the earth and returns to His Father. We look forward to His return to earth but realize it could be at any time so we need to be ready all the time.

We are looking to start a new ministry where people volunteer to visit with our members who cannot come to worship at the church. They will be paired with a person to regularly communicate with and pray for. If you have interest in a program like this, please let me know and I can share more on this.

In the joy of our risen Lord, enjoy your spring and the blessings of God. Please pray for those who are ill and/or shut in and share the comfort and strength that Christ our Lord gives us.

May God bless you and keep you in His care.

Pastor Weikart

QUILTING NEWS

Raffle tickets to win a beautiful quilt made by the ladies of the Quilting group are on sale. Tickets are $1.00 or 6 for $5.00. All proceed will go for quilting supplies. Mark your calendar and plan on going shopping with us on Saturday April 27 from 8 A.M. to 2 P.m.m at our Spring Quilt and Raffle Sale !!! We will have various quilted items for you to purchase.