*Friday after the Resurrection of Our Lord*
Dear Saints and Friends of Grace & Trinity,
This Sunday is
*The 2nd Sunday of Easter within the Octave*
*T** Quasimodo Geniti** T*
Ezekiel 37:1-14; 1 John 5:4-10; John 20:19-31 <www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+37%3A1-14%3B+1+John+5%3A4-10%3B+John+20%3A19-31&version=ESV>
*The Wounds of Christ Give Us Life*
*“For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood” (1 John 5:7). These three point to Christ and flow from Christ. Jesus shows His disciples His hands side, from which blood and water flowed, saying “Peace be with you.” He presents the wounds which turn our fear to gladness and which restore us to the Father. Jesus breathes on His disciples and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:23). His breath, His words are Spirit and life. They raise up our dry, dead bones and give us new and everlasting life (Ezek. 37:1–14). Christ now gives His ministers to speak His forgiving, Spirit-filled words to the penitent in His stead. Our Lord continues to come to His people, presenting His wounds to us in the Sacraments of water and blood. He bids us to touch His side at His table, to receive His risen body and blood in true faith, that believing we may have life in His name.*
*Remember: Voters’ Meetings This Sunday.*
Grace will meet at 9:30am immediately after the Service.
Trinity will meet at 12:30pm after the service.
*To prepare* your hearts and minds for the Sunday gathering of the faithful, here is the bulletin for Sunday <mcusercontent.com/a90ee03ff0810e6c55bae6a58/files/5f759bab-3a51-8c86-fa44-aac795ab243e/2022_04_24_Second_Sunday_of_Easter_Quasimodo_Geniti.pdf>. Meditate on the readings, pray the prayers, and consider what gifts our Lord has for us this week. Also, here are the news/notes <mcusercontent.com/a90ee03ff0810e6c55bae6a58/files/aaac97cc-3486-9818-aa35-486357911ecd/4_24_22_News_Notes.01.pdf> and the congregation at prayer <mcusercontent.com/a90ee03ff0810e6c55bae6a58/files/7ad33b43-9756-a045-5ef2-fcb636b80384/2022_4_24_The_Second_Sunday_of_Easter.pdf> .
*Those Serving* *at Grace & Trinity today…*
*Trinity** Grace*
*Counters: The Lewallens Counters: Jennifer*
*Greeters: The Smiths Greeters: The Unruhs*
*Ushers: Derrel Pressnell & Ushers: Jim & Sandy*
* Dave Ketteman Altar Guild: The Kennys*
*Altar Guild: Sheryl Anderson *
*Elder: Kendall Patterson*
*Prayer Requests…*
· For Karl Shultz, Minda’s son, who underwent a successful surgery on Wednesday.
· For Amy Haist, who fell and broke her wrist on Monday.
· For the family of Alice Keist, a former member at Trinity, who fell asleep in Christ on Tuesday.
*Coming up this week…*
· *Today: *
o *9am *Matins, Grace
o *4-5pm *Private Absolution, Trinity
· *Saturday: *
o *2-4pm *Concordia Academy Open House, Immanuel
· *Sunday (4/24): **Quasimodo Geniti *
o *8am *Divine Service, Grace
o *9:30am *Grace Voters’ Mtg., Grace **No Bible Study*
o *11am *Divine Service, Trinity
o *12:30pm *Trinity Voters’ Mtg., Trinity
o *2pm **Misa en Español*, Grace
o *3:30pm *Elders’ Book Study, Grace
· *Monday: **Feast of St. Mark*
o *9am *Festal Divine Service, Grace
· *Tuesday: **Founding of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (1847)*
o *9am *Matins, Grace
· *Wednesday*:
o *9am *Matins, Grace
o *9:30am *Bible Study, Grace
o *11am *Divine Service, Grace
o *4:15pm *Bell Choir, Trinity
o *5:15-6:45pm *Youth Catechesis, Trinity
o *7pm *Evening Prayer, Trinity
· *Thursday*:
o *9am *Matins, Grace
o *7:30pm *Hall of Men, the Ladder
· *Friday: *
o *9am *Matins, Grace
o *4-5pm *Private Absolution, Trinity
· *Saturday: **Lutheran Lecture Series XXVI* <gracelutheranchurch-wichita.org/LutheranLectureSeries2022.html>
o *12:30pm *Festal Divine Service for St. Philip and St. James, Grace
o *1:45-4:45pm *Lutheran Lectures, Grace
o *5pm *Vespers, Grace
· *Sunday (5/1): **Misericordias Domini*
o *8am *Divine Service, Grace
o *9:30am **Lutheran Lectures* Bible Study, Grace
o *11am *Divine Service, Trinity
o *1:30pm *Call Meeting, Grace
o *2pm **Misa en Español*, Grace
o *3:30pm *Elders’ Book Study, Grace
*Looking Ahead…*
· *April 30*: Lutheran Lecture Series XXVI – We’re thrilled to have the Rev. Dr. Andrew Das joining us for our 26th annual Lutheran Lecture Series here at Grace. Click here for more details <gracelutheranchurch-wichita.org/LutheranLectureSeries2022.html>.
*Other Things…*
· *Preparations for Calling a New Pastor:*
o *Call Committee: *Each congregation designates its Board of Elders as the call committee for the congregation but does not *limit* the committee to the Elders. Should anyone desire to serve on this committee for either congregation, please contact Curt Engelbrecht or Bob Petersen. A tentative date for the first meeting is set for Sunday, May 1 at Grace.
o *Pastoral Characteristics: **Apparently last week’s link to the form didn’t work. Please try this one <mcusercontent.com/a90ee03ff0810e6c55bae6a58/files/7100a359-0dbe-ef80-d5fb-7050ede64a10/7_Pastoral_Characteristics.pdf>. Also, I did put copies in the narthex. Please return the form before May 1 to either Bob Petersen (spiroides@protonmail.com) at Grace or Curt Engelbrecht (curtengelbrecht@protonmail.com) at Trinity.
· *Missionary Newsletter from Mexico*: Here’s the latest installment <mcusercontent.com/a90ee03ff0810e6c55bae6a58/files/c87b1c26-1131-ebb6-b0b6-24b3345b4f85/NewMarAp22FinalPdf.pdf> from the Conrads in Mexico City. At the moment, they’re in the States. Pr. Conrad is scheduled for his second surgery on the second of May at the University of Michigan medical center. Please pray for a successful procedure and for our prompt return to Mexico.
· *Call Day Service* for Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne (CTSFW) is Wednesday April 27, 2022 at 7pm EDT. These services can be streamed through Facebook and the seminary’s Daily Chapel page. For more information about Call Day 2022 at CTSFW, visit callday.ctsfw.edu. Our member, Kyle Nelson, will receive his call at this service.
· *Christ Academy: *The Seminary in Fort Wayne offers a 2-week summer camp for men and women in or entering high school that might consider a vocation of ministry. It meets June 19-July 2 in Fort Wayne, IN. The cost is $650, which includes room and board as well as all meals and instruction. For more information, click here <www.ctsfw.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/2022-Christ-Academy-Bulletin-Insert.pdf> .
· *Open House for Concordia Academy-Wichita! *Join us TOMORROW from 2-4pm at Immanuel (909 S. Market) to see the facility, meet the headmaster, and enroll your student for this fall. Please remember to spread the word about our open enrollment and LARGE tuition grants at Concordia Academy. You can find the enrollment application here <www.concordiaacademywichita.org/uploads/1/3/1/6/131611242/application_form.pdf> .
· *Continuing Ed Class in Albuquerque, NM:* “Pastoral Care in an After-Word World” – July 25-29, 2021, at Grace Lutheran Church, Albuquerque. Living in an age of Ideology, of cancellations and “wokeness”: What does this mean for Word we preach? We live in what George Steiner calls “an epilogue world.” The poet-prophet T.S. Eliot laments our cultural loss of Christ this way: “Where is the Life we have lost in living?” Alas, for our Western culture! Notwithstanding Western culture’s rejection of the Word of God, God is not dead, and Christ the Life has not changed His resolute will to seek and save the lost. The Lord God remains resolute in His desire that all should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, but *nisi per Verbum*, “only via the Word.” What is at issue, then, is our disposition toward God’s Word and our use, disuse, or abuse of the means by which we practice pastoral care. On the basis of Christ as the Word as the content of God’s verbatim Word, we will study classic and contemporary Western texts as the basis for our discussions of pastoral care via the Word of God in our epilogue world. For more info and to register: www.ctsfw.edu/ctsfw-events/continuing-education/albuquerque-nm/
Many blessings and much joy to you all in Christ our life.
-Pastor