“After He had said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.”
Acts 1:9
Dear Friends in Christ,
Jesus promised the disciples that they would receive power to witness to others after they had received the Holy Spirit, which they would at Pentecost. It was important for the disciples to see Jesus ascend into heaven. Forty days after the Resurrection Jesus ascended into heaven. That means it happened on a Thursday. We will observe it on the following Sunday, May 21. Two angels told the disciples that one day Jesus would return in the same way He went. Jesus is coming back and when He does, He will come in glory and judge the living and the dead. This is called His Second Coming. His first Coming was as a baby in Bethlehem.
As the Church year goes from the Easter season to Pentecost we celebrate the Ascension. Pentecost was originally a Jewish harvest festival, but it was adopted by early Christians to remember the first great harvest of believers in Jesus. Pentecost is really the birthday of the church, as the Holy Spirit came upon the Disciples and they shared their faith in Jesus and thousands came to believe. The color for Easter and Ascension is white, but Pentecost is red. Red represents fire and blood. Red tells of the tongues of fire received on the first Pentecost, and remembers the martyrs who gave their lives for standing strong in the faith.
May 28th is Pentecost Sunday this year. It will also be Confirmation Sunday and Memorial Day weekend. All three will be part of our worship that day. This year we have four students being confirmed:
Kyra Mauger – Clay Hersh – Cassidy Schaefer – Dane Johnson
They have completed a period of instruction in the Christian faith as confessed in the teachings of the Lutheran Church. In Baptism they were made members of the Church, and are now ready to make a public profession of their faith in the Confirmation service. They have been prepared to assume greater responsibility in the life and mission of the Church. We are very proud of them and thank the Congregation for their support. A special thanks goes out to Holly Schaefer who worked with the students over the past two years on special projects and Worship services. I have the honor of being their Confirmation Pastor. It will also be a special day as we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country.
God bless you all,
Pastor Dan