Waterfall
From our Pastor
Jesus the Christ is risen! He is risen indeed.
This month there is plenty to remember and even more to celebrate. First and foremost, we continue to remember and celebrate our Messiah’s Resurrection from the dead. Jesus the Christ suffered the punishment we deserve for our sin. Jesus died for us. Jesus rose for us. Jesus’ death and resurrection defeated sin, Satan, and death.
Second, we remember and honor our mothers. The Christian vision of motherhood is more about courage and faithfulness than about sentimentalism. The mothers of the Bible were a tough lot. Jochebed put her baby in a floating ark of bulrushes, defying the order of Pharaoh that all Hebrew male children be put to death. Rachel, mother to Joseph and Benjamin, died giving birth to Benjamin. Hannah promised her son to God, and presented Samuel as a young boy for service in the House of the Lord. Mary, the mother of Jesus, risked shame and disgrace to bear the Savior, and to provide all Christians with a model of brave and unflinching obedience. She was there when Jesus Christ was crucified. As Simeon previously told her just after the birth of Christ, "Behold this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed." [Luke 2:34-35] Christians must resist the reduction of motherhood to sentimentality, and particularly that sentimentalism that undermines what mothers are truly to represent -- nurture, fortitude, courage, dedication, faithfulness, discipline, and trust in God.
Third, we remember and give God thanks for those who gave their lives in defense of our country, our Constitution, and the abundance of freedom we enjoy.
Let us never take for granted what Jesus, our mothers, and many brave Veterans did for us.
May God grant you a blessed month.
Pastor Hanson
IS EASTER BASED ON A PAGAN HOLIDAY?
It is often assumed that the name Easter comes from a pagan figure called Eastre (or Eostre) who was celebrated as the goddess of spring by the Saxons of Northern Europe. According to the theory, Eastre was the “goddess of the EAST (from where the sun rises).” This theory is highly problematic.
The major problem with associating the origin of Easter with the pagan goddess Eastre/Eostre is that there is no hard evidence that such a goddess was ever worshiped by anyone, anywhere. The ONLY mention of Eastre comes from a passing reference in the writings of Bede, an eighth-century monk and historian. One reference, that is it. Eastre is not mentioned in any other ancient writing. No shrines, no altars, nothing to document the worship of Eastre exists. It is possible that Bede simply extrapolated the name of the goddess from the name of the month.
In the nineteenth century, the German folklorist Jakob Grimm researched the origins of the German name for Easter, Ostern, which in Old High German was Ostarâ. Both words are related to the German word for “east,” ost.
Grimm, while admitting that he could find no solid link between Easter and pagan celebrations, made the assumption that Ostara was probably the name of a German goddess. Like Eastre, the goddess Ostara was based entirely on supposition and conjecture. Before Grimm’s Deustche Mythologie (1835), there was no mention of the goddess in any writings.
So, there is the assumption that the word “Easter” most likely came from an old word for “East” or the name of a springtime month. There is no evidence that suggests anything more. Assertions that Easter is pagan or that Christians have appropriated a goddess-holiday cannot be proven and are untenable.
Christians celebrate Easter as the resurrection of Christ on the third day after His crucifixion. It also occurs at the time of the Jewish Passover celebration when Holy Week occurred. It is the oldest Christian holiday and the most important day of the church year because of the significance of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the events upon which Christianity is based (1 Corinthians 15:14).
Whether we call it “Easter” or “Resurrection Sonday,” what is important is the reason for our celebration, which is that Christ is alive, making it possible for us to have eternal life (Romans 6:4)!
Remember to give thanks on memorial day for all those who gave their lives for your freedom!!!
ROSES to . . .
- All who brought in flowers on Easter to help decorate the Sanctuary.
- Everyone who brought in food for the Easter brunch. Everything was so Yummy!
- ALL Ladies on Mother's Day.
- Elaine for bringing in candy for the kids on Easter.
- Bob for putting the fertilizer on the yard.
- Those who set up a nursery and reorganized the Bible Study area.
LWML will be meeting on Saturday, May 17th for the Kendallville Zone Rally at Shepherd by the Lakes. We will carpool together and leave at 7:30 am.
After the meeting and speaker, a light lunch will be served.
After church service on May 4th, we will
conduct a quarterly voters’ meeting.
REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS:
- Paul and Dorothy Meyer
- Christine and Melvin Sims
May Anniversaries
2 ~ Jack and Mary Metzger
May Birthdays:
- 8 ~ Robert Brandel
- 13 ~ Sharon Geiger
- 15 ~ Lucia Sroufe
- 15 ~ Sue Amptmeyer
- 16 ~ Michele Kitson
- 17 ~ Leah Hanson
- 20 ~ Judy Snow
- 26 ~ Theresa Hinrichs
Vacation Bible School
WHAT: FREE VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
WHO: Children 3 years thru 6thgrade
WHEN: June 2nd thru 6th, 9 to 12:30p.m.
Including lunch
WHERE: Living Water Lutheran Church, Wolf Lake, IN
For information or a registration form, please call Eileen at (847) 722-6727
OR
Sign up online at Livingwaterwolflake.com/vbs
Also, if you would like to volunteer, PLEASE contact Eileen.
