April Newsletter

Easter and the resurrection of the body

It’s not uncommon for people to be confused about eternal life. Pop culture has been given to fantasies about it that have no basis in truth.
 
Some say that when you die, you become an angel. Others say you live on in an eternal afterworld that will never again be bound to physicality. And generally it’s held that heaven is open to everyone, if only they haven’t lived too heinous or wicked a life on earth.

But the truth is quite different. Angels are not the same as human beings who have left earth. The popular movie It’s a Wonderful Life, for all its fine elements, has this quite wrong. You’ll recall that the character Clarence, a second-class angel who hadn’t yet earned his wings, used to be a clockmaker when he lived as a human on earth. That has no basis in Scripture or any legitimate Christian tradition. The catechism explains that angels are the foremost invisible creatures, in agreement with the book of Hebrews, which explains that angels are “ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation” (1:14).
 
And the idea that heaven is something we must earn, or that will only exclude those who are too undeserving, is contrary to the grace of God. For while indeed heaven must be earned, we confess that it has been earned for us by Jesus Christ who gave his life for us to pay what we owe. And it is only by faith in him that anyone gains access to heaven.
 
Finally, the idea that death frees us forever from physicality, from our bodies, is utterly opposed to the very heart of Easter. Jesus rose bodily from the dead. He appeared bodily to his disciples, dispelling their grief. And after 40 days he ascended bodily to the right hand of the Father, where he now reigns and governs all things, still very much as the Incarnate One.
 
And he is the first fruits of them that sleep (I Cor. 15:20). Because he lives, we shall live; that is to say, not only is our soul translated to paradise when we die, but on the Last Day, our bodies shall rise again incorruptible, and we shall be changed. This corruptible must put on incorruption (I Cor. 15:53-55). As surely as Jesus rose bodily from the grave on Easter, so shall we rise bodily from the grave at the Last Day.
 
And  this is what we mean when we confess in the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in the resurrection of the body.” It’s our body we believe shall be resurrected. And in the Nicene Creed, it says “I believe in the resurrection of the dead”; that, too, though it doesn’t specifically mention the body, clearly implies it, using the term in the same way it was used to confess that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day.
 
So let us glorify God in our bodies, and learn a bodily piety that regards them as sacred. For these bodies of ours shall put off their corruptible state, and their mortality, and rise from the grave.
 
Alleluia! Christ is risen! And so, too, we shall rise in Him!
 
+ Pastor Eckardt
 
Holy Week and Easter

As usual, there will be special masses every day of Holy Week: Holy Monday, 7 pm; Holy Tuesday, 7 pm; Holy Wednesday, 7 pm; Maundy Thursday, 7 pm; Good Friday, 7 pm, and Holy Saturday the Vigil of Easter, 7 pm. There will also be a praying of the litany at noon on Good Friday. Holy Week is the most important time of the Church’s year, and we take time to listen to the four Passion accounts during this week. It’s like entering into the Holy of Holies.
THE GREAT VIGIL OF EASTER is on Saturday at 7 pm.  It marks the entrance of the greatest celebration of the entire year, with the dramatic Service of Light, Service of Readings, Service of Baptismal Remembrance, and finally, welcoming Easter with the Service of Holy Communion.  Be sure to come!
Easter Sunrise mass at 7 am is a continuation of the celebration! Easter breakfast after Sunrise mass next Sunday. Volunteers needed Saturday. Willing to donate?  Write Easter Breakfast on your check.
Easter Bonnet Celebration!
Ladies, join in the Easter bonnet celebration!  Find yourself a nice hat or bonnet to wear to church and breakfast on Easter Sunday!

April Anniversary
Steve and Sheri Kraklow (4/13/2002)
 
Congratulations Elizabeth Dooley
Elizabeth Dooley has been studying her catechism diligently in preparation for her confirmation. On Palm Sunday during the Bible Class hour is her public examination, and at the Vigil of Easter (Saturday, March 30th at 7 pm) she will receive the rite of confirmation. Congratulations  Elizabeth!

The Church’s Sign
Thanks to Tom Wells and his helper Tim for taking down the fire-ruined church sign. Meanwhile the other sign, to the east, has been taken down for a new paint job, which Sharon Hartz is currently working on; it should soon be back up, good as new! Thanks to Sharon for that.

Save the Date!
The retirement of Pastor Eckardt is quickly approaching. June 9th is his last Sunday, and the end of nearly 29 years as our pastor. We hope everyone will be here for worship, and for the luncheon reception afterwards.
 
April Ushers
Jim Hornback, Steve Kraklow, Tom Wells.

Church Council
Council meets Wednesday, April 24th, at 5:30.
 
Elders on April 9th
The regular schedule is for elders to meet on the first Tuesday of the month, but this month it is moved to the second week, Tuesday, April 9th, including Vespers at 6:45 pm (all are welcome) and Elders at 7:15. Please note!

Shut ins
Jewneel Walker at Kewanee Care in Kewanee, Emmy Wear at Williamsfield Retirement Home, Pat Lagerhausen at Royal Oaks Nursing Home in  Kewanee. Also occasionally Jim Watson, Berniece Harris, and Don Murphy, at home.

Ladies’ Luncheon
The monthly ladies’ luncheon is normally scheduled for the first Wednesday in the month, but this month we’re moving it to the second Wednesday, which is April 10th. Location is Los Ranchitos, at noon. Each month a different restaurant is chosen by one of the ladies. All St. Paul’s’ ladies are welcome! Kris Harden is in charge of scheduling.
 
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:
Sharon Hartz, Bea Harris, Don and Sue Murphy, John Sovanski, Sandra VerPlaetse, John Ricknell, Linda Rowe, Jewneel Walker, Emmy Wear, Pat Lagerhausen, Jim Watson, Judy Thompson, and Father Eckardt
    and beyond our parish:
Anna, Katie, and Jodi Rutowicz, Julie Ross, Elizabeth Godke, Oneida Hendrickson, Janice Hart, Kathy Boeger, Allison Leezer, Shannon Watson, Karen Parker, Deloris Bitting, John VerPlaetse, Becca Adler, Glenda Miller, Sue Berg [wife of Pastor Peter Berg], Ray Moreland, Loren Hartz, Deric Keefauver [Kris Harden’s grandson], Kathy Hopkins [Diana Shreck’s cousin], Gary Gresholdt, Rose Anderman, Kathy Hopkins, [Derrick Baker’s cousin] Albennit Terrell, Barb Doermann [friend of the Eckardts who has cancer], Pastor Justin Kane                    
    in the military:
John Eckardt, Richard Heiden, Traven Wetzel, Eric Verplaetse, Jake Mahaffey, James and Ann Lee Armstrong, Marcus Prentice
    in trouble:
any unborn children in danger of abortion; Debra Reeves’s children Rae Beth and Drew Wayne, those suffering from unrest, persecution, and imprisonment in Israel, Nigeria, Ukraine, Pakistan, Libya, China, North Korea, and elsewhere.
 
The Feast of the Annunciation
The Church celebrates the Feast of the Annunciation nine months before Christmas, the gestational period for a child in the womb. This First Class Feast observes the moment when God became man, in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when the Angel Gabriel came to her and announced that she would be the mother of our Lord Jesus, and therefore the mother of God. Since Christmas is December 25th, the Annunciation is March 25th. But when that date falls within Holy Week, as was the case this year, the feast is transferred to the first available time for having it. That puts it on the Monday after the Easter Octave. This year that makes it April 8th. Since our local custom is to observe important midweek feasts on Wednesday, we’ll be observing it on Wednesday, March 10th, at 7 p.m. In short, rather than omit it altogether due to the ‘intrusion’ of Holy Week, it gets moved to the week after the Easter Octave.
 
Altar Guild Notes
The assignments for Altar Guild members have been updated. The following schedule of who is assigned for altar duty on which day is current, please make a note of it. Altar Guild members are asked to be flexible, and these dates are subject to change as needed.

• First Sunday of the month, Chris Erickson
• Second Sunday of the month, Sue Murphy and Sheri Kraklow
• Third Sunday of the month, Linda Rowe
• Fourth Sunday of the month, Carol Eckardt
• Fifth Sunday of the month, Debra Reeves
• First, Second, and Fifth Wednesdays, Debra Reeves
• Third Wednesday, Linda Rowe
• Fourth Wednesday, Carol Eckardt

This month, note the following:

• Paraments WHITE the entire month except for one day:
• Paraments RED for St. Mark the Evangelist, April 25th, which we will observe on Wednesday, April 24th (the eve of the saint’s day).
• No midweek mass on Wednesday, April 3rd

Pastor to be Away Some Days in April
When Carol Eckardt’s father died last winter, the family planned a gathering to remember him in April, and the burial of his remains. Pastor and Carol will be going to New Hampshire the Tuesday after Easter to do this, and returning Saturday of the same week. There is no midweek mass that week.
 
Pastor must also attend a free conference in Collinsville, Illinois, from April 11th to the 13th (Thursday to Saturday), but that won’t result in any cancellation.
 
Again he must attend the District Pastoral Conference in Springield, the following week, April 15th to the 17th, but that won’t result in any cancellation either.
 
None of this scheduling affects Sundays.  
 
The April Calendar contains all of this information.
 
New Table Talks/Bible Study
We’ve scheduled “table talks” on Saturday mornings for several years, but it has been reduced to a few of us sitting for awhile in the cafeteria with no real agenda.
 
We’re going to try something new.
 
The Saturday Bible class on the Gospel of Matthew has just finished. It was at noon.
 
Now, beginning in April, we’re going to have new table talks, consisting of a real scheduled study of a Biblical or catechetical theme. The hour will be structured and conducted like a Bible Class. The time is moved to 11 am instead of noon. The tentative schedule for April is as follows:
 
Saturday April 6th, the topic is the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Pastor will be discussing the relation of Jesus’ resurrection to our own, and we’ll talk about misconceptions concerning this subject. Join us!
 
Saturday April 13th, no class
 
Saturday April 20th,, the topic is glorifying God in your body. We’ll talk about the meaning of Paul’s exhortation and how our body is critical to our life of faith, and the various ramifications of this for Christian life. Join us!
 
Saturday April 27th,, the topic is men and women. We’ll talk about our created flesh and our gender as a part of that creation, and the destructiveness of the parts of our culture that reject this. Join us!

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