Rev. Tucher

Here at Trinity, we have a Preschool. We have a 3-yr old class and a 4/5-yr old class. We do Chapel with them once a week. I have been blessed to cover many Bible stories with them. Two of the stories that I’ve had a chance to share with them is the account of Jesus being baptized and the Last Supper. Both times have allowed me to talk to them about the Sacraments, Holy Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, respectively.

When we talked about Jesus being baptized, I brought each class up to the baptismal font and showed them what we do for a baptism, talked about what is given to each of us in our baptism. Some said that they were baptized right here, while most said that they were baptized.

Today, we talked about the Last Supper. Following the lesson, I once again brought each class up to the altar and showed them the communion vessels, showed them a host and the chalice and explained to them that this is what we receive when we commune, bread and wine, which is Christ’s body and blood, “given for you, for the forgiveness of sins.”

Some may say that these children are too young to learn about the Sacraments. It’s true, they may be. I’m sure they couldn’t tell you now what I talked to them about just 2 hours ago. That’s not the point. The point is exposing them to the marks of the Church.

Our kids are learning quite a bit regarding the Christian faith. They hear Bible stories each week. They hear about sin and they hear about the forgiveness of sins. The 4/5-yr olds can sing Martin Luther’s Morning Prayer. The 3-yr olds can repeat it after you.

One mother of a preschooler spoke to our director and said that her child is praying a prayer which she doesn’t know. She doesn’t attend church and can’t help her child with their prayers. Our director copied the prayers for her so she can use them with her child. Through the work of our Preschool, a child has now been a witness of the Christian faith to their mother.

Who says that preschoolers don’t know anything???

This weekend, our circuit visitor, Rev. John Hill, is making his tri-annual visit.  Yesterday he met with myself and Gwen for lunch, then a one-on-one meeting with me.  Later in the afternoon, he met with the senior pastor and in the evening, he met with our Board of Elders.  This morning, he will be joining us for worship at both services, then will be staying for a potluck welcoming new members, as well as his visit.  This will give him an opportunity to meet and greet the congregation, talk to them as a whole briefly about the state of the Synod.  If people would like to talk to him individually, he has set time aside following the potluck to meet with those members.

I think that the Wyoming District is unusual in that our circuit visitors actually visit our congregations.  It’s good for the pastors so we can address some issues we have, seek advice and support.  It’s good for the congregation so that if they have issues which are afraid to bring up to the pastor (why, I don’t know.  It’s not like we’re scary or anything).  Maybe in this type of setting, they might be more open.  It’s also good for the District as a whole so as to make sure that all things are going well in the congregation.

Speaking of congregation, I guess I should head to church now.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon comes from the Epistle which was read earlier.

The words of our Collect for today tell us what the season of Lent is all about: repentance. “…Be gracious to all who have gone astray from Your ways and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of Your Word….” When we go astray from God’s ways, we are His enemies. For most of us, that description seems a bit strong. Who has not felt that they have been searching for or grasping for something, someone, who will connect them to the rest of the world? Who has not felt at some time that they are a stranger or an alien to God? When things go utterly bad in our lives, we look to the things of this world to make our lives better, to put some sense of order to our troubled lives. We look to friends and family. We look to the local self-help section of Hastings. Who we often don’t look to is God.

Paul tells us in our text for today that it is precisely at these moments, when we have felt far away, that God has acted on our behalf. God did not wait until we were ready, until we changed, until we made the first move. While the silence of our doubt still rang loud, while our words were nearly erased by our stuttering, while we were reduced to apathy by our confusion, God made things right by the death of Jesus. We were separated, at a distance from God because of our sin, but He brought us back to Him through Christ’s life, death and resurrection, on our behalf.

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If I could, I would sell this stuff like people in Colorado did last winter.  We have received so much snow, Christmas lights are still around our porch poles because the snow hasn’t melted to put the ladder up!

Here are some statistics from our local paper.

February snowfall to date: 4.7 inches
February snowfall average: 7.8 inches

WINTER SNOW

- Snow since October: 34.2 inches
- Precipitation since October: 1.62 inches
- Snow last winter (Oct.1, 2006, to March 1): 35.1 inches
- Winter average: 63.7 inches
- Biggest snow day this winter: Dec. 1, 5 inches

So, if anyone has a lack of snow at their location and would like some, please let me know and I’ll be more than happy to give you some.

Here is a quote. See if you can figure out where it came from?

We must accept Jesus into our lives as our personal savior by permitting Him to make peace between God and us, by following His way of life as our way of life. Jesus is ready now to restore the full life to you. Are you ready now? Then ask Him to come into your life and personally accept Him. The next step is yours. Accepting Christ and finding the successful life in Him can be beautifully simple! Just admit to Him that life is incomplete, ask for His forgiveness, and request Him to begin a new life in you. You may speak to Him RIGHT NOW, for He is present and hears. Talk to Him in your own words, or use this prayer: “Lord, Jesus Christ, I ask for your help. Forgive my sins and give me peace with God. Then, dear Jesus, I ask that You make Your way of life become my way of life. Thank You for the new peace and happiness that You give me. Amen.”

Make your guess and find the answer after the jump. (more…)

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen. The text for the sermon this morning comes from the Epistle, which was read earlier.

What is sin? “Sin is every thought, desire, word, and deed which is contrary to God’s Law.” That is one of the questions which comes from the Explanation of the Small Catechism. It makes a note: “Other names for sin are disobedience; debts; wickedness, rebellion; fault; trespass; wickedness; and wrong.” Sin has infected all of creation. That is just what it is, an infection. An infection spreads, taking something that is healthy and then passing on a disease. That disease which is passed on is death. That is what Paul tells us in our text. He says, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…” “Death” indicates an inclusive death, both the temporal and eternal results of sin. From the moment of Adam’s transgression, he was spiritually dead, and the germ of physical death was in his nature. Through that one man, death has now “come down” to all. Like each son in a family who is included in his father’s will and receives a share of the estate, we have received this damning legacy from Adam.

Sin is a real thing. It has affected all of us, whether we want to admit it or not. In the end, we will all succumb to the effect of sin: death. “For the wages of sin is death…” Death has come for many before us. Death is coming up for us. Death will come for many after us. It is inevitable. As a surgeon told some seminarians in a lecture on the progress of medical science, “Do not forget…that with all this advancement, the mortality rate remains at 100%.”

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I know that Ash Wednesday was yesterday. Needless to say, I was a bit busy with things to get anything posted.

As we were doing the imposition of ashes before the service, it was asked to a lady who was making a mad dash into the sanctuary whether or not she wanted ashes. Her reply: “Yeah, sure, I guess, why not.” For me, I was bothered by this. What kind of reply is that? You came to church for Ash Wednesday, yet could really care less whether or not you had ashes. Do you not know why we do ashes for Ash Wednesday? Here is an excerpt from our bulletin from Ash Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday in the life of the church is a solemn occasion when the people of God remember and contemplate the depth of humanity’s sin. On this day we wear the mark of human frailty and mortality as we are marked with the sign of the cross with ashes upon our foreheads. To dust and ashes we shall return. Just as we are mindful of our sin, this liturgy thrusts us into a vital remembrance of our Baptism, through which God has cleansed us from sin, marked us as His redeemed children, and granted us unmerited immortality.

May God grant us all His blessings during this Lententide.

I got the following email from my mother this morning.

Just talked to Nee and she said Bre’s temp is way down and she’s acting pretty normal. Nee’s giving her Tylenol and her Amoxycillin as well as PediaLite (which she’s sucking down like a cold beer on a hot day). They did get a little sleep last nite…not a lot but a little. Just wanted to let ya know, she’s feeling more like herself today. If I hear anything else, I’ll let ya know.

It’s good to know that all is well with my little niece.  She just celebrated her first birthday a couple of weeks ago.