Although the celebration would come to an abrupt end, in this moment, there is joy, hope, and love. Today let us live in this moment.

Worship this week:

Saturday — 5:00 p.m. in the chapel

Sunday — 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship

9:30 a.m. — Generations in Faith Together – a time for all ages to gather for learning and fellowship

10:30 a.m. — Contemporary Worship

Devotions for this week:

The Triumphal Entry (Palm Sunday)                            March 19-20, 2016

SHARE:   What was a high point of your day? What was a low point?

 READ: Read the following daily readings to deepen your understanding

Sunday, Mark 11:1-11, Triumphal Entry

Monday, Mark 14:3-9, Woman Anoints Jesus

Tuesday, Mark 14:43-65, The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

Wednesday, Mark 14:66-72, Peter Denies Jesus

Thursday, Mark 14:12-42, The Lord’s Supper

Friday, Mark 15:16-39, Crucifixion

Saturday, Mark 15:40-47, The Death and Burial of Jesus

TALK: Consider some of these ideas:

The road, at last, has taken Jesus and the disciples to Jerusalem. The dance with the powers of the world has been going on for a while. But now matters begin to come to a head. They enter the city to great acclaim amid a public spectacle. Although things would change quickly, in this moment there is hope, and joy, and love.

• Notice and discuss the high points and low points of this emotional and eventful week.
• How does your life reflect shifting views or emotions toward Jesus? When in your life have you felt close to Jesus? When have you felt a distance?
• How might you explain the events of Holy Week to someone who has never learned of Jesus before? What do these events mean to you?

 PRAY: God of great and small, use every occasion to teach us. In all the places we journey, the public square and own dwelling places, grant us sacred encounters with you. Amen.

 BLESS: May God walk with you on your Holy Week journey. Amen.

More than just the beginning of Daylight Savings Time, this weekend’s story asks us to consider how we are dealing with our days.  Jesus tells the disciples not to panic, but to stay alert and make the most of the days we are given.

Worship this weekend:

Saturday — 5:00 p.m. in the chapel

Sunday — 8:30 a.m. Traditional worship

9:30 a.m. –Sunday School

10:30 a.m. — Contemporary worship

Devotions for this week:

The end of the age                                                                   March 12-13, 2016

SHARE:   What was a high point of your day? What was a low point?

 READ:Read the following daily readings to deepen your understanding

Sunday, Mark 13:1-8, 24-37, End of the Age

Monday, Mark 13:9-13, Persecution Foretold

Tuesday, Mark 13:14-23, The Desolating Sacrilege

Wednesday, Mark 14:1-2, The Plot to Kill Jesus

Thursday, Mark 14:10-11, Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

Friday, Mark 15:1-5, Jesus before Pilate

Saturday, Mark 15:6-15, Pilate Hands Jesus over to Be Crucified

TALK: : Consider some of these ideas:

Across from the temple, great edifices and porticoes of stone, Jesus responded to yet another question from his disciples. “When will we see the end of all things?” No one knows, he says, and many will mistakenly attempt to declare the time, but a disciple’s priority is not to predict, but merely to stay alert.

• How do these stories take a dark turn? Why do you think so many were against Jesus?
• How are you prepared for the end of all things? How are you unprepared? How are you prepared to live a long, healthy life?
• What do you imagine the end of the age will be like? What will happen to the earth? To humanity?

PRAY: Spirit of life, inhabit our reflections, our actions, our hope. Guide us to understand all things in light of your great promises. Amen

BLESS: May God prepare your heart and mind for whatever is to come. Amen.

When challenged with questions about which commandment was the greatest, Jesus presented an answer to which all the commandments would point: love God and love others. In a world where righteous hatred and blind prejudice seem to run rampant, this word of love is a refreshing reprieve.

Worship with Holy Communion this week:

Saturday – 5:00 p.m. in the chapel

Sunday – 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship

9:30 a.m. – Sunday School and Adult class

10:30 a.m. – Contemporary Worship

The Great Commandment –                                             March 5-6, 2016

 SHARE:   What was a high point of your day? What was a low point?

 READ: Read the following daily readings to deepen your understanding

Sunday, Mark 12:28-44, The Great Commandment

Monday, Psalm 89:1-4

Tuesday, Psalm 102:12-17

Wednesday, Psalm 121

Thursday, Psalm 116:12-19

Friday, Psalm 22:1-2, 14-21

Saturday, Deuteronomy 6:1-9, The Great Commandment

 TALK: Consider some of these ideas:

How do we sort through the hundreds of commandments offered in Holy Scripture? How shall we be judged? Such questions were brought before Jesus by all the people he encountered, whether experts disputing a point of law, disciples seeking to learn, or everyday people negotiating situations that were anything but theoretical.

• How is the theme of love woven throughout these readings?
• How is love for God, others, and self woven into your life?
• Of these three, do you love one more than another? Why or why not?
• Who do you find it difficult to love? Why? What could you do to love even more?

PRAY:   Lord of life, direct our gaze toward what we need to see. Grant us the ability to attend to what truly matters. Amen.

BLESS: May God fill your heart with understanding, acceptance, and love. Amen.

 

GUEST CHOIR AT Evangelical Lutheran Church-Mt. Horeb (315 E. Main St.) on MARCH 9 at 8:00pm. 
ELC will be hosting the Mansfield University Concert Choir from Mansfield, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday evening, March 9. This highly select ensemble is directed by former Mount Horeb High School choir director, Dr. Peggy Dettwiler. Under Peggy’s direction, the Mansfield University Concert Choir has earned an impressive reputation of excellence, having been chosen each of the last twenty years to perform at conventions and festivals around the world. Admission will be free.

As we consider Jesus’ parable of the tenants, and the question about paying taxes, Jesus’ teaching pushes us to consider who is truly in charge of our world, and our lives.

Worship this week:

Saturday 5:00 p.m. in the chapel

Sunday 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship

9:30 a.m. Sunday School

10:30 a.m. Contemporary Worship

Devotions for this week:

Parable of the Tenants, question about taxes February 28, 2016

SHARE: What was a high point of your day? What was a low point?

READ: Read the following daily readings to deepen your understanding

Sunday, Mark 12:1-12, Parable of the Tenants

Monday, Psalm 86:8-13

Tuesday, Mark 12:13-17, Taxes to Caesar

Wednesday, Mark 12:18-27, The Question about the Resurrection

Thursday, Isaiah 5:1-7, The Song of the Unfruitful Vineyard

Friday, Psalm 121

Saturday, Hebrews 1:1-4, God Has Spoken by His Son

TALK: Consider some of these ideas:

In the midst of a controversy over authority, Jesus is unable to provide an answer that would satisfy those who questioned his authority. Rather than continue trying to reason with them, he offered a parable. A little story set in a vineyard becomes a flimsily veiled threat to the chief priests, the legal experts, and the elders.

• What tone do these stories and parables take? How do Jesus’ words shape Jesus’ journey?
• What do you find most challenging about following Jesus? What could you do to make following easier?
• Who in the world suffers because of the lifestyle you lead? What could you do to change how your lifestyle affects the world?
• Write a parable that Jesus might tell to describe your life. Are you the bad guy, the good guy, or a blend of both? How does your parable end?

PRAY: Creative, creating one, let your words challenge us, engaging our imaginations in a revolutionary story that reshapes our understanding of the reality around us. Amen.

BLESS: May God teach you and give you courage to follow. Amen