Fourth Sunday in Lent
“Welcome Home”
March 27, 2022
CLICK HERE
As We Gather
The parable of the Prodigal Son is a powerful picture of the grace of God. But it is actually three pictures in one. It is a story about receiving grace, about giving grace, and about celebrating grace given to others. As God comes to us in His grace this morning, may His Spirit be at work in us that we may live each day in light of His amazing grace.
Live-stream and in-person worship begin at 9:30 AM. Please CLICK HERE to download the link to the live-stream itself.
We will be streaming on our Facebook Page as well: CLICK HERE .
Witnesses to Christ: People From His Passion
March 30 – Lent Midweek Series
“In My Place – Barabbus”
Barabbas was a brutal criminal with blood on his hands. Custom dictated that Pontius Pilate should release one prisoner at the feast of Passover. Pilate knows Jesus is innocent and tries to get the crowd to ask for Jesus’ release, but the crowd calls instead for Barabbas. The crowd condemns the innocent Jesus and demands that the guilty Barabbas receive a pardon. We are Barabbas. We are guilty and sinful and deserving of death. But we are also Barabbas in that Jesus takes our place, takes our punishment, and sets us free..
Join us for worship at 7:00 PM on March 23 in the Sanctuary or online.
Holy Week at St. John’s
During Holy Week (April 10-17), we follow Jesus from His arrival in Jerusalem to His rising from the grave. These are the events by which we are saved, and are the source of our hope. May God bless our St. John’s community as we journey to the cross and empty tomb!
Palm Sunday (April 10, 9:30 AM)
We celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We will begin worship in the Faith Chapel (weather permitting) and process with palm branches into the sanctuary. As the service continues, our attention shifts from the entry into Jerusalem to the upcoming Passion of our Lord, culminating in the cross. The Gospel of the Passion will be read in Dramatic Narrative format. The Choraliers will be singing a Palm Sunday anthem as well as a choral benediction. This will be a Communion service.
Maundy Thursday (April 14, 7:00 PM)
We join Jesus and His disciples in the upper room as they gather to celebrate the Passover. During the course of this meal, Jesus will transform the Passover to what we celebrate today as Holy Communion. The service will conclude with the “stripping of the altar,” a symbolic commemoration of Jesus’ humiliation on His way to the cross.
We will also be celebrating with eight young people who will be making their First Communion.
Good Friday (April 15, 7:00 PM)
We celebrate the death of our Savior. This will be a Tenebrae service, the gradual darkening of the sanctuary as we anticipate Jesus’ death. We will journey with Jesus to the cross and tomb through readings from the Gospels, songs and hymns.
Easter Vigil (April 16, 8:00 PM)
We wait outside the tomb, waiting for the announcement of resurrection, reviewing the story of salvation from the creation to the resurrection. The service begins in the Faith Chapel with the service of light, and then processes into the sanctuary by candlelight. We conclude with the church fully lighted as we celebrate the resurrection.
Easter Sunday (April 17, 8:30 and 10:30 AM)
We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. There will be two Communion services on Easter with Pastor Mark Heine as our guest preacher. The 8:30 service will be a traditional service in the Sanctuary with choir and organ. The 10:30 service will be in the Faith Chapel with the band. Please note that only the 8:30 Easter service will be streamed.
Please Join Us For Easter Breakfast!
Where: St. John’s Lutheran Parish Hall
When: 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Sunday, April 17, 2020
Sponsored by: St. John’s Lutheran Youth
Our Menu:
- Egg Bake Casserole
- Assorted Pastries
- Fresh Fruit
- Assorted Juices
- Milk, Coffee and Tea
- Free Will Donation: All proceeds from this year’s breakfast will support our youth budget including the LCMS National Youth Gathering & the CNH Jr. District Youth Gathering.
Sunday Bible Class: The Gospel of Matthew
This Sunday we will look at the surprising faith a a woman as she responds to an apparent insult from Jesus. We will also look at the second feeding miracle, this time taking place in Gentile country. What does this text say to us today? Join us at 11:00 AM in Room 10.
We Need VBS Volunteers!
We are so excited to be able to offer VBS this year! It feels like forever since we last put one on. We are opening registration to kids who have at least one year of preschool under their belts through incoming 5th graders.
The only way this will be possible is with many helping hands. This link will allow you to register as a volunteer as well. Click here to Register!
Please consider joining us for VBS this summer as we hope to impact as many kids with the Good News of Jesus as we can! Incoming 7th Graders and above are eligible to volunteer for VBS. VBS will take place June 20-24 from 9am- Noon.
peace, Kevin Mathison, Director of Youth Ministry
Palm Sunday Dramatic Reading of the Passion
For the Passion Gospel on Palm Sunday, we will have people from the congregation stand up and read the words of several of the people who are part of the gospel narrative. If you are interested or have questions, please contact Pastor Mike (pastormike@stjohnslutheran.net)
Mission India Partnership for this Year
Our partnership with Mission India (https://missionindia.org/) last year included sponsoring ministry partners with financial and prayer support. We partnered to support 8 church planters, 5 literacy classes and 5 Children’s Bible clubs. In addition, we provided enough aid to Mission India during India’s COVID-caused humanitarian crisis to provide resources for 625 families of four for four weeks.
How did God use these ministries?
- 535 New Believers in Christ
- 240 Baptisms
- 69 Prayer groups formed
- 20 Worshiping groups planted
In April, we will be determining the level of our partnership for the coming year. We will base our financial support on how much has been offered for Mission India by the end of March. If you would like to support this ministry, please mark your offering “Mission India.” You can do this with an offering in the offering plate or online. Click here to make an online offering.
Looking for Thrivent Members
Designate Your Thrivent Choice Dollars by March 31st
Grant funding from Thrivent Financial through its Thrivent Choice® program can help support organizations you care about – like St. John’s Lutheran Church. Don’t let Choice Dollars expire. Eligible Thrivent Financial members who have available Choice Dollars® have until March 31, 2022, to direct them. Don’t miss this opportunity to recommend that Thrivent Financial provide outreach funding to St. John’s Lutheran Church.
CLICK HERE to learn more or call 800-847-4836 and say “Thrivent Choice” after the prompt.
As a Thrivent member, you are eligible for two Thrivent Action Teams per year. Thrivent Action Teams are a great way to make a positive impact in your community. Thrivent offers all the resources you need to get started, including up to $250 in seed money. Your team below provide the passion that brings your project to life. Here are some ideas on how you can help us here at St. John’s…
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Youth Easter Breakfast, VBS, Mission Farm, Large Print Ministry and LCC K9 Comfort Dog Ministry
Please call the church office if you are inspired to help with projects like these above and much more. Christy Kramer will be happy to help you apply for your Action Team Card.
CLICK HERE for instructions. CLICK HERE for more information.
The MARCH 2022 monthly Vine is available on our website.
To keep up-to-date with what is happening at St. John’s, CLICK HERE
April Vine is coming soon!
Plan to attend a Concordia University or Seminary?
The congregation is now accept applications for student grants for the 2022-2023 academic year. All members of St. John’s, who plan to attend any of our ten synodical universities or our two seminaries, are eligible to apply. CLICK HERE for details. The deadline is March 31st.
Give+ App is Changing…
The Give+ Mobile App from VANCO shut down 1 Oct 21 and no longer is available for download as a mobile app. The new app is called VANCO Mobile.
Giving through Vanco Mobile is easy! Just download the new app and create a new user profile in VANCO Mobile.
Do you wish to receive the E-Vine by text?
Signing up is simple. Just text “sjlctext” to 855-906-0515. When an e-vine is sent out, you will receive a text with a link which will take you to the current e-vine. If you currently receive the e-vine by email, you will continue to receive it that way as well, unless you request for it to stop.
Drivers Needed
We have members that no longer drive and need a ride to and from church on Sunday mornings. If you can help, please contact the church office.
Where do I find sermons and services that I missed?
You can find previous sermons in three places. The full services are available on the YouTube channel.
- YouTube Channel:
- https://www.youtube.com/user/stjohnsnapaca/live
- There are playlists for sermons, Sunday Services, Wednesday Night Worship and teaching on Matthew
- RightNow Media Channel
- https://www.rightnowmedia.org/CustomLibrary/41667
- Scroll down to find recommendations as well as sermon and Gospel of Matthew lessons
- Website
- https://stjohnslutheran.net/sermons-2/
- The sermons are arranged by worship series
If you haven’t already signed up for Right Now Media, CLICK HERE.
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