St. Paul’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church
109 S. Elm, Kewanee, Illinois 61443
Newsletter
Volume 34                                   April 2022                                           No. 4
               
O Death, Where Is Thy Sting?
 
This sermon was preached by Pastor Eckardt at the Easter sunrise in 2017 and published in the Easter 2018 edition of Gottesdienst
 
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
 
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Answer me! You, O death, who have paraded yourself and boasted that you were unstoppable, whom no one could undo, for whom no one had an answer, and thus you have brought anguish and grief to the hearts of many and unassuageable tears to their eyes; you,  O death whose grim pall has been cast over all mankind, who have laughed in our faces, for we have been helpless and pitiful in your sight. Where are you now, O death? Where are you today? Or have you not yet heard that Christ is risen? But we have heard! And we know it! Christ is risen from the dead! O death, what do you say about this? Have you no reply? Have you lost your voice? Perhaps you are busy. Perhaps you are napping and must be awakened. No reply to this, O death?
 
And grave, what of you? You were supposed to be the final resting place, the end of life, you were so sure you had the last laugh. But you are wrong! For Christ is risen from the dead! And your treasury has been emptied; you, O grave, have been robbed by our victorious Thief in the night; your victory has been snatched away from you, and today you have lost everything.
 
You, O death! You, O grave! Today, you are utterly vanquished! And you are the ones who must languish while we celebrate. Today the pall is cast over you, and your power is taken away. And today, the victory we have gained is in fact eternal and impossible to undo. Just as you had made us helpless, now you are helpless and pathetic in our sight, and you have no answer; and our tears are being wiped away, and it is we who sit with our resurrected Lord in the heavens and shall laugh. We shall laugh in your face. For Christ is risen from the dead! O death, you ugly, detestable, deplorable thing: begone! Be forever gone!
 
The sting of death is sin, which is to say, sin is death’s great weapon. For all have sinned, and there is none who is righteous. Therefore all are guilty and all must die; all are mortal. That’s what death had on us, this undeniable truth, that we have sinned and are therefore not only mortal, but under the wrath of God. All of us, that is, except for one: our Lord Jesus Christ was without sin, and he, for us, not only entered our mortal state—even from the point of his conception, he not only became incarnate, but became mortal; not only mortal, but actually suffered death, even
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death upon a cross. Death swallowed him up. Death, like a great sea monster with an insatiable appetite and mouth wide open swallowing everything in its path, also swallowed him: such a tender morsel, a delightful worm. Down the hatch he went. But in that worm was embedded and hidden a great divine hook, and the hook was set, and our Lord by his own divinity raised himself from death, and death was suddenly stopped in its path, and yanked, surprised, from its intention. And the predator had become the prey.
 
Beloved, have you lost someone? Have you been mournful? Does your heart ache in the face of death? Here is immeasurable balm and healing for the mournful, and for the sick at heart: Christ is risen from the dead. For death is vanquished not only in Jesus’ case, but also in ours. Because he is our Brother, the bearer of our own flesh. In Christ, we have gained this victory: Thanks be to God, says the Apostle, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Let these words sink into your ears. Claim this! Seize it! Believe it! Be steadfast and unmovable. You are free now to mock death, and to laugh at the grave.
 
But what if you doubt? What if you cannot bring yourself to this point? I am not calling upon you today to summon your will to believe, or to talk yourself into denying any doubts you might still harbor. Rather, here is what must be done with all such doubts and fears. Collar them and drag them to the tomb of Christ. Force them to look there. What do they see? He is not there. He is risen, as he said. Next, drag these fears to the upper room, and show them what is there. Put their nose in that scene. What do they see there? Jesus himself standing, saying, Peace be unto you, showing his hands and his side. Your doubts and fears must be taken to the evidence that demands to be seen and heard. They must hear these Gospel tidings. And in this way, let them be driven away.
 
And this is no idle talk. This is the truth: Christ is risen from the grave! He stood before his disciples and showed himself alive. He declared peace to them. He talked with them. He ate with them. He proved to them that he was alive. And since he is alive, death is dead. Since he lives, not only is his own grave empty, but the graves of all his saints must give up their victims. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead in Christ shall rise, and we shall be changed. And all because Christ’s flesh is our flesh, his sacrifice is our sacrifice, his death is our death, and his resurrection is our resurrection.
 
So today let us feast. Let us receive Christ here at the altar. This bread is his living flesh; this cup is his life-giving blood. If you need any further evidence—and we always do—that his resurrection is your resurrection, then be partakers in it here.
 
And today let us rejoice. Set sorrow aside. This is the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord. This is a time for a great celebration, than which none could be greater. This is a victory celebration which shall have no end.
 
And today, let us mock. Let us laugh. Let us deride: O death, where is thy sting? Where are you now? Christ is risen! O death, what is your reply? Nothing to say? Has your mouth been stopped? Truly, you are gagged and silenced forever this day. And we confess the life everlasting. O grave, where is thy victory? Your coffins have been emptied and your coffers have been cleaned out; your victory has been turned into utter defeat, snatched away from you forever, and you have lost your prey. So get lost. You are nothing.
 
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
 
Alleluia! Christ is risen!

Passion Readings during Holy Week
​As is our usual custom, there will be readings of the Passion accounts from St. Matthew on Palm Sunday, St. Luke on Holy Wednesday, and Good Friday. These readings involve the participation of the congregation, which is reminiscent of a common choral practice during Reformation times. The subdeacon reads the narrator’s part, the pastor reads the part of Christ, and the congregation reads the parts of groups or crowds of people. These readings are found in special booklets which are handed out with the bulletins.
 
Holy Week and Easter Masses
​
Holy Monday through Good Friday, 7 p.m.
Great Vigil: Saturday, April 16th, 7 p.m.
Easter Sunrise Mass: April 17th, 7 a.m. (Easter breakfast following)
Easter Midweek Mass: Wednesday, April 20th, 7 p.m.
 
Shut ins
Emilie Ricknell at home; Dick Melchin at Hammond-Henry extended care in Geneseo; Emmy Wear at Williamsfield retirement home; Dale Baker at home; Grant Andreson, at Friendship Manor in Rock Island.

First Tuesday
Our First Tuesday events are scheduled for April 5th: First Tuesday Vespers between them, for all to attend, and Elders at 7:15 pm.
 
The Triduum Sacrum
 The Triduum Sacrum (holy three days) are the deepest point of Lent, giving way all at once to Easter. It starts on Maundy Thursday with mass at 7 p.m. There is no benediction for this service, as it is understood to continue on Good Friday and until the Great Vigil. As soon as the last part of the Maundy Thursday mass is sung (the Benedicamus: V: Bless we the Lord. R: Thanks be to God), the pastor and subdeacon remove their sacramental vestments while the choir sings a psalm. They then strip the altar, pulpit, and lectern of all their paraments, remove the reserved Sacrament, take out the torches, and leave the sanctuary bare. Following the congregational singing of another psalm, all depart in silence. On Good Friday, there is an opportunity to pray the Litany at 12 noon, the hour of crucifixion. Then at 7 pm is the Good Friday Solemn Liturgy with Holy Communion. On Holy Saturday, the third day, the Great Vigil commences at 7 p.m. with a newly lit fire outside (near the kitchen doors), from which the new paschal candle is lit. The congregation follows into the church in procession. The Vigil is in four parts, the first three of which anticipate Easter: the Service of Light, the Service of Readings, the Service of Baptismal Remembrance.  And then comes part four, when the lights go up, the pastor wears his white chasuble, and he announces, “Alleluia! Christ is Risen!” to which all robustly reply, “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” This is an ancient versicle and response dating to the early church. It is still used around the world, in virtually all languages.
 
April Anniversary
4/13/2002      Steve and Sheri Kraklow
 
New Bible Class
 A new weekday Bible Class is tentatively to be scheduled Tuesday afternoons, beginning April 26th. The topic of this class is yet to be decided. The time of the class will probably be at 1:30 pm. Pencil it in on your calendars. Details should be coming in bulletins soon. Stay tuned!

In Our Prayers
Our list of prayer intentions at mass includes the names on the lists below.  To update the lists please inform pastor.Bill Thompson, Emilie Ricknell, John Ricknell, Linda Rowe, Emmy Wear, Don and Sue Murphy, Dick Melchin, Bea Harris, Allan Kraklow, Sandra VerPlaetse, John Sovanski, Grant Andreson, Dale Baker, Jewneel Walker, Judy Thompson, Otis Anderson
            and beyond our parish:
Anna, Katy, and Jody Rutowicz [Harris relations]
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter]
Elizabeth Godke [Sharon Field’s mother]
Oneida Hendrickson [Ricknell relative]
Janice Hart [Judy Thompson’s sister]
Caleb Cleaver [Ricknells’ grandson]
Dennis Hoag, Tim Newman [Shreck relations]
Theresa Moore [Ricknells’ niece]
Kathy Boeger [re Harrises]
Allison Leezer [relative of the Kraklows]
Everly Stoner
Marvin Brown
Shannon Watson [Jim’s daughter]
Debra Dawson
Maxine Bitting [Judy Thompson’s sister in law]
Loren Hartz [Sharon’s brother]
Yvette Baker [Dale Baker’s daughter-in-law]
Karen Parker
Rosemary Bloome [Don Murphy’s cousin]
Richard Heiden, Carol Eckardt’s father
Troy Kelly [friend of the Murphys]
Candace Gehrke
Pastor Jacob Sutton
Pastor Justin Kane [relative of Diana Shreck]
    in the military:
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [at request of the Ricknells]
Richard Heiden [at request of the Eckardts]
Luke Van Landigan [grandson of Dick Melchin]
Jaclyn Alvarez [daughter of Kris Harden]
Eli Wetzel, Traven Wetzel [rel. of Kris Harden]
Eric Verplaetse [Sandra’s grandson]
Jake Mahaffey, Trevor Shimmin, Shad Draminski
James and Ann Lee Armstrong
    in trouble: especially
any unborn children in danger of abortion
those suffering from unrest, persecution, and imprisonment in Nigeria, Algeria, Sudan, Madagascar, Iran, Iraq, Syria, India, China, Vietnam, North Korea, Finland, Canada, elsewhere.
 
Easter Preparations
    1) Volunteers needed to help with Spring cleaning on Saturdays at 9 am.
   2) Extra volunteers needed to help with Easter Breakfast preparations on Holy Saturday, April 3rd, beginning at 9
 am.  First, we need volunteers to help with preparations on Holy Saturday,
   3) Items you are bringing for the breakfast. See the sign-up sheet in the gym. Everybody may bring something, but sign up for something in particular, so we don’t have everyone bringing the same thing.
   4) Easter lilies: find a sign-up sheet in the narthex or on the table in the hall. $15 each.
   5) Choir members, please make an extra effort to come to any remaining rehearsals.
   6) Ladies, remember your hats!
   7) Invite your families!
   8) Let us know you’re coming!
 
Judy, Our Volunteer Secretary
Since Judy Thompson broke her leg, she has been out of commission for several weeks, and is expected to be back in early May. The secretarial duties she performs are all  the more appreciated. During her absence, Pastor has been taking care of the mail, bills, bank balances, and other of her duties, at least the minimum of what has to be done. It’s a temporary solution, of course, and we are glad to hear she’s on the mend! Three cheers also for Michelle Armstrong her daughter who has been doing a lot of what is needed for her care.

April Birthdays
4/3      Adam Shreck
4.14     Emmy Wear
4/19    Luke Wells
4/22    Grant Andreson
4/25    Mason Dooley
 
Easter Lilies
There’s a sign-up sheet in the narthex.  Cost. $15.00 apiece
 
Easter Hats
Ladies, remember our hats tradition! Easter is the time to wear your best, and if you are able, set it off with a handsome hat! And by all means, leave them on for the Easter breakfast.
 
Robin Sighting
The winner of this year’s robin sighting contest is Steve Kraklow, who saw one on Ash Wednesday, March 2nd. This is his third time as winner. The eligibility is limited to people in Illinois extending as far south as Peoria. As promised, as winner, he might get a check for $10,000 a month for the rest of his life. He might. Maybe.
 
2022 Steve Kraklow
2021 Andy Eckardt
2020 Michele Keehner
2019 Steve Kraklow
2018 Steve Kraklow
2017 Barbra Kraklow
2016 Judy Thompson
2015 Carol Eckardt
2014 Michele Keehner
 

April Ushers
Jim Hornback, Steve Kraklow, Tom Wells
 
Church Council to Meet Wednesday, April 20th
 
The monthly meeting of the Council is scheduled, as usual, for the third week of April, which is the 20th. at the usual 5:30

Altar Guild Notes

• The veils will be placed on images and statues on Passion Sunday, which is April 3rd. Some of them will have been placed prior to mass.
• Paraments WHITE for Maundy Thursday
• Altar stripped after Mass on Maundy Thursday, and for Good Friday
• Fair linen and corporal only, wooden candlestands, black veil on Good Friday
• Paraments WHITE for the Easter Vigil and all the rest of April

Always check supplies. When wine supply (when the second to the last bottle is opened) or supply of hosts gets low (when the last sleeve is opened), please inform Pastor.

 

St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
   109 S. Elm Street
   Kewanee, IL 61443

St. Paul’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church
109 S. Elm, Kewanee, Illinois 61443
Newsletter
Volume 34                                   March 2022                                            No. 3

​THE LENTEN DOWNWARD TREK
 
It’s a very good thing to be in touch with the sanctoral cycle, better-known as the church year, a year superimposed on  the calendar year.
​
We generally manage our lives according to the calendar year, which counts onward year after year since our Lord’s coming and looking toward his return. This is why this year is called A D 2022. A D stands for anno domini, which is Latin for “the year of our Lord.” This is the year of our Lord 2022, counting that many years we have been waiting for our Lord’s return in glory. It’s a rough count, since the beginning of that counting was not altogether accurate, but the letters A D are a subtle reminder, all the same, that we’re still counting, and patiently waiting. Society doesn’t look at it that way, of course, but we Christians certainly do. A D is a subtle confession that Christ shall come again in glory to judge both the quick and the dead, as we confess every Sunday morning. That’s the calendar year, which, aside from that, we all understand pretty well.

Then there’s the church-year, the sanctoral cycle. Many people have little idea about this, generally paying attention only to its highlights, Christmas and Easter. But the Church does well in ordering our days around the year according to these high Feasts. Hence we count Advent as  the season leading to Christmas and Epiphany the season after Christmas.

And then there come the seasons surrounding the high feast of Easter. Eastertide itself is seven Sundays, preceded by Lent, the season of penitential preparation and fasting. Lent itself is also preceded by Septuagesima, also called pre-Lent, a season of three Sundays prior to Ash Wednesday. Those Sundays are Septuagesima (70th), Sexagesma (60th) and Quinquagesima (50th) named for the days (approximately) remaining before Easter. The emphasis during this season is on the Word of God and its power, and it is the season we begin as it were to march downward into the recesses of Lent. The somber season of Lent is itself subdivided, with the last two weeks designated as Passiontide, and the images are veiled. This two week period is itself subdivided, because the second of those two weeks is Holy Week, the most important week of the entire year. And Holy Week is then subdivided, because the period from Maundy Thursday until the Vigil of Easter is called the triddum Sacram, or the Holy Three Days of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, the very deepest part of Lent.

All this leads to the sharp and immediate contrast with Easter, which is ushered in at the Vigil itself. Moving directly from the throes of Lent’s deepest moments to the heights of Christianity’s most joyous day, we can the more easily recall the great wonder and joy experienced by  the apostles upon suddenly seeing the risen Christ, as he stood before them, alive.
All of this teaches us that the Christian faith is  rooted in real-life events, things that actually happened, and have made all the difference to us, sealing our eternal salvation.
+ Pastor Eckardt

Still No Robins? 
As it did last year, the robin sighting contest continues into March, since no robin sighting has yet been reported. Who can find the first robin of spring? Call Pastor if you see and can verify one. This is the ninth year of the contest.
Past winners:
2021 Andy Eckardt
2020 Michele Keehner
2019: Steve Kraklow
2018: Steve Kraklow
2017: Barb Kraklow
2016: Judy Thompson
2015: Carol Eckardt
2014: Michele Keehner
A sign of spring, the robin may also help us think of the approach of Easter!  
Remember, the winner of the contest might get a check for $10,000 a month for the rest of his life.
March Birthdays
3/1       Barbra Kraklow
3/25     Carol Eckardt

March Anniversary
 
3/19/1977 Jeff and Diana Shreck
 
Church Council
Council meets Wednesday, March 16th, at 5:30. This is the fourth Wednesday of the month.

March Ushers
 
Jim Hornback, Steve Kraklow, Tom Wells
 
In Our Prayers
Our current list of prayer intentions at mass includes the names on the lists here following.  Anyone wishing to update the list by addition or subtraction, please inform the pastor.in our parish:
Bill Thompson, Emilie Ricknell, John Ricknell, Linda Rowe, Emmy Wear, Don and Sue Murphy, Dick Melchin, Bea Harris, Allan Kraklow, Sandra VerPlaetse, John Sovanski, Grant Andreson, Dale Baker, and Jewneel Walker
and beyond our parish:
Anna, Katy, and Jody Rutowicz [Harris relations]
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter]
Elizabeth Godke [Sharon Field’s mother]
Oneida Hendrickson [Ricknell relative]
Janice Hart [Judy Thompson’s sister]
Caleb Cleaver [Ricknells’ grandson]
Dennis Hoag, Tim Newman [Shreck relations]
Theresa Moore [Ricknells’ niece]
Kathy Boeger [re Harrises]
Allison Leezer [relative of the Kraklows]
Everly Stoner
Marvin Brown
Shannon Watson [Jim’s daughter]
Matt Verplaetse
Maxine Bitting [Judy Thompson’s sister in law]
Loren Hartz [Sharon’s brother]
Yvette Baker [Dale Baker’s daughter-in-law]
Karen Parker
Rosemary Bloome [Don Murphy’s cousin]
Richard Heiden, Carol Eckardt’s father
Troy Kelly [friend of the Murphys]
Pastor Jacob Sutton
Pastor Justin Kane [relative of Diana Shreck]
in the military
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [at request of the Ricknells]
Richard Heiden [at request of the Eckardts]
Luke Van Landigan [grandson of Dick Melchin]
Jaclyn Alvarez [daughter of Kris Harden]
Eli Wetzel, Traven Wetzel [relatives of Kris Harden]
Eric Verplaetse [Sandra’s grandson]
Jake Mahaffey, Trevor Shimmin, Shad Draminski
James and Ann Lee Armstrong
in trouble:
any unborn children in danger of abortion; those suffering from unrest, persecution, and imprisonment in Nigeria, Algeria, Sudan, Madagascar, Iran, Iraq, Syria, India, China, Vietnam, North Korea, and elsewhere, also Paivi Rasanen  and Bishop Juhana Pohjola  of Finland.

Trial of Räsänen and Pohjola Continues
 
The Finnish trial of Dr Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Juhana Pohjola resumed on Monday February 14th. The essence of this trial is that our Christian confession
of faith according to Scripture is itself on trial, since these stalwart Lutherans have been charged with “hate speech” because of their public confession that Scripture’s teaching on human life, sexuality, and marriage is true and correct, meaning that homosexuality is sinful, as Scripture also teaches. Dr. Räsänen was awarded the Gottesdienst Sabre of Boldness in January, and Bishop Pohjola had been awarded the Sabre in 2006.
 
The Prosecutor General of Finland had charged Dr. Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola with hate speech for openly confessing the faith, and for insisting on freedom of religion.
 
The latest news comes from a report that emerged on February 16th from the resumption of the trial on the 14th. It was announced that the verdict  would be reached and announced on March 30th. Bishop Pohjola, using a megaphone to address a large crowd of supporters after the session on the 14th, also spoke to reporters, and his remarks were published in English two days later. by the Diocese News of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of Finland. Here is what he said: “The prosecutor’s primary idea seems to be that, in public, one’s own understanding of the Bible may not be taught, and that freedom of religion does not give one permission to voice aloud a teaching if it is considered to discriminate against a minority group. Therefore, in line with this view, the biblical teachings on marriage, sexuality, sin and grace could not, according to the prosecution, be preached in public. This is an attack on religious freedom.” The demonstrators had gathered outside the courtroom to show their support for the defendants, as this trial has quickly gained international interest.

Catechism Schedule and Confirmation
 
The schedule for catechesis this season are as follows:
Adult catechesis Mondays at 1:30 pm
Junior catechesis on Tuesdays at 5:00 pm.
 
A New Study in Sunday Bible Class
 
Beginning sometime in March, depending on when our study of Hebrews ends, we will begin in our Sunday morning Bible Class to consider  the book of I Samuel. We began this study at our Day of Reflection, held on Saturday, February 5th, when we looked at the first two chapters. A brief review will be followed by a study of the remaining chapters of I Samuel. Join us for breakfast and an invigorating study hour that always begins after  Sunday mass, in the parish hall.
 
Choir rehearsals again!
 
In preparation for special music during Holy Week and Easter, choir rehearsals have started up again. The first Wednesday in March will have  to be skipped, as Pastor and Carol plan to be visiting her father in Florida for a few days that week, so we plan  to resume rehearsals on Wednesday, March 9th at 5:30 pm. That is a relatively new time, as the choir members seem to find it easier to attend at the earlier hour. Check the calendar and make a special note of it: March 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th, and April 6th. We will not rehearse after that unless we decide we need it.
 
Midweek Lenten Services
 
Following an old Lutheran custom, we suggest people to make a little more effort to come out for midweek masses during Lent, as another laudable way of observing the season. It’s a good part of the Lenten season. 7:00 Wednesday evenings.

 
 
  
St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
   109 S. Elm Street
   Kewanee, IL 61443