An Amazing 10 Days

We're about to have an amazing ten-day stretch at church!  Frankly it took until today for everything to take shape but my goodness, I'm excited about what we have in store for everybody.  Here's the rundown:

Wednesday Night--Final Lenten Evening Service, 6:00 p.m. Supper and 7:00 p.m. Worship at the Valley

These have been very well attended this year.  The speakers and their stories have been marvelous.  This Wednesday will be no exception.  Even if you haven't been to one yet, you won't want to miss the beautiful music and faith-filled story that night.

Saturday Night--Theology on Tap at Phyllis Kanikkeberg's  7:00 p.m.


Anyone who has attended a Theology on Tap knows how incredible the experience is.  If you haven't, you should get in on this one.  It's our next-to-last before summer starts.  The topic will be great:  bring those things that have honestly confused you or been stumbling blocks in your faith and understanding of God.  Church teachings, common conceptions, things the Bible says...we'll look at anything people are struggling with.  The environment is so warm and welcome at these meetings.  Come and see!

Sunday Morning--Palm Sunday at St. John's, 10:00 a.m.


Normally Palm Sunday is an odd duck.  It's not Easter but it doesn't feel like Lent either.  The 'tweener Sunday gets lost in the shuffle.  Not this year, though!  This year we have an IDEAL and IMPORTANT message to go with the Palm Sunday texts, a message that every person in our community of faith needs to hear.  It's about who we are, where we're going, what we need to do.  It's a big deal, making this Sunday distinct this year.  Be there!

Thursday, April 5th--Maundy Thursday 6:30 p.m. Worship at the Valley


This year we're doing a meal for Maundy Thursday, commemorating the Last Supper and Jesus washing the feet of his disciples.  (Don't worry, eating is mandatory but foot-washing is optional!)  We're going to have a simple but delicious supper together, like the disciples would have.  You'll hear a little about Passover, the feast they were celebrating.  You'll hear about the meal Jesus shared with his followers.  It's not a drama but it will be dramatic in a way, reverently setting the stage for Good Friday and the crucifixion story.  Oh, and did we mention you get to eat???

Note the half-hour early start on Thursday.  It's 6:30 p.m., not 7:00.  If you'd like to do something special for the day/season, you could fast that day until the meal.  It'll be light, but delicious.  The absence of food before will make it taste even more delicious.

Friday, April 6th--Good Friday 7:00 p.m. Worship at the Valley


Good Friday worship this year will be an actual service, as opposed to the dramatic presentations which we've had the last couple of years.  There will still be drama of a sort, it'll just be enfolded into worship.  Of all the services of the church year, Good Friday is the most solemn.  It's also one of the most important, especially if you want to understand the true joy of Easter and the true miracle God wrought for us.

Sunday, April 8th--Easter Worship 10:00 a.m. at St. John's


This is the glorious morning!  And oh, what plans we have for you and everyone who comes!  I'm not going to spill them here.  I'll just say that you'll be lifted and blessed by this service.


If you were ever thinking of inviting friends, family, or whomever to get to know us, ANY of these events would be great chances.  I cannot think of so much spirit or power packed into such a short space of time.  This is going to be quite a ride, a fitting conclusion to our journey of Lent.  You're going to come out the other end feeling different and looking at the world differently...providing you participate, of course.  It'll be worth it, and then some!

--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)