MELC Weekend Reminder, Fri, Apr 29, 2011

"Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." - Jesus to Thomas, John 20:27

Believe with us this weekend!

SATURDAY, April 30
8am SPRING INTO SERVICE

SUNDAY, May 1
9:30 am Service of the Word (ELW 8)
11 am Sunday School for All Ages
3 pm Tribute to Kathleen Koons at Sandzen Gallery
4:30 pm Colossians Bible Study at Kessingers'

MONDAY, May 2
10 am Staff meeting
1:30 pm Prayer Shawl/Swedish Country Inn
4 pm Outreach and Caring
9 pm BYMT

TUESDAY, May 3
10 am [Area 3 Pastor and PMA study]
6 pm Mutual Ministries

WEDNESDAY, May 4
12 pm Women's Ministry Committee
4 pm Seraph Choir Rehearsal
4:30 pm Cherub Choir Rehearsal
5:30 pm KICK Coordinators
7 pm Fellowship Committee

THURSDAY, May 5
7:30 pm Worship and Music Committee

SATURDAY, May 7
8 am Men's Bible Study

NEXT SUNDAY, May 8 Mother's Day
8 am [Senior Breakfast]
9:30 am Holy Communion - Bethany College Sunday
10:30 am Fellowship
11 am Sunday School for All Ages
6:15 pm Genesis for GenXers

Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church
Lindsborg, KS

John 2019When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
24But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."
26A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 27Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." 28Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."
30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

How does Jesus greet the disciples on Easter night? (vv 19, 21, 26)

What does Jesus' peace mean for you?

What do Jesus' breath and the Holy Spirit have to do with each other? (v 22)

How can we receive the Holy Spirit today?

What call did Jesus give to His disciples? (v 23)

Do we as a church and congregation have a similar call? How do we exercise it?

How did the other disciples evangelize Thomas? (v 25)

What are some of the doubts you have or have had about Jesus, the Bible and Christianity? How do you deal with those doubts?

How did Jesus "prove" His resurrection to Thomas? (v 27)

Why do you believe in Jesus' bodily resurrection? If you don't believe it, what could convince you? How could you convince your unbelieving friends and family that Jesus is really risen from the dead?

What does Thomas call Jesus? (v 27)

What is the goal of this scene and of John's gospel in general? (v 31)

Living Last Supper, Tonight!

Join us tonight (Maundy Thursday, April 21) at 7:30pm for the dramatic, musical experience, "The Living Last Supper," in which members of our congregation and community portray Jesus and His 12 disciples on the night before His death. Our choir and a small orchestra will lead us through the drama with beautiful music. We will conclude the evening with a brief service of Holy Communion and the stripping of the altar. See you then!

"Behold! Whom? The Bridegroom. Behold him! How? Like a lamb.
Behold! What? Behold his patience. Behold! Where? Behold our guilt.
Behold Him, out of love and graciousness, Himself carrying the wood of the cross."
- J.S. Bach, St. Matthew's Passion

Have a blessed Holy Week beholding Him who had died for our sins!

SUNDAY, PALM SUNDAY, April 17
8 am Choir Rehearsal
9:30 am Service of the Word (ELW 3)
10:30 am Fellowship
10:50 am Sunday School for All Ages
11:30 am Swedish Dancer Pancake Feed
3 pm Handel's Messiah at Presser Hall

MONDAY, April 18
10 am Staff meeting
1:30 pm Prayer Shawl Ministry at the Inn
7 pm Council Meeting

WEDNESDAY, April 20
3:30 pm KICK and Children's Choir Rehearsal
5:30 pm Family Meal

THURSDAY, April 21
7 pm Living Last Supper and Holy Communion

FRIDAY, April 22
12:15 pm T.A.C.O.L Good Friday Service at First Baptist Church
1-2 pm Individual Confession at Messiah
5:30-6:30 pm Individual Confession at Messiah
7:30 pm Bach's St.Matthew Passion at Presser

SATURDAY, April 23
8:00 am Men’s Bible Study (Family Room)

NEXT SUNDAY, April 24 Easter Sunday
6:30 am Sunrise Service at Coronado Heights
8 am Choir Rehearsal
8:30 am Brunch fundraiser for youth at Bethany Church
9:30 am Holy Communion (ELW 8)
10:30 am Fellowship and Easter Egg Hunt
3 pm Handel's Messiah at Presser Hall

Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church
Lindsborg, KS

"I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live..." Jesus, John 11:25

TODAY, April 8
6 pm ALL 7th and 8th GRADERS: CONFIRMATION RETREAT AT BETHANY LC
6pm Scrapbooking

SATURDAY, April 9
8am Men's Bible Study
8:30am CONFIRMATION RETREAT AT MESSIAH LC

SUNDAY, April 10
8:15 am Senior Choir Rehearsal
9:30 am Holy Communion (ELW 1)
10:30 am Fellowship
11 am Sunday School for all ages
6:15 pm Genesis for GenXers
6 pm Senior High Devotions/Games (Movie)

MONDAY, April 11
10 am Staff Meeting
6 pm Executive Council
6:30 pm Prayer Meeting - 405 N. Chestnut

TUESDAY, April 12
10 am [Area 3 Pastors/PMA Study]
10:30 am [Retired Church Workers]
6 pm [Girl Scouts]

WEDNESDAY, April 13
11:30 am SALT Lunch
3:30 pm KICK
5:30 pm Lenten Meal at Messiah
6:30 pm Lenten Service at Messiah

THURSDAY, April 14
6:45 am Mayor's Prayer Breakfast (Trinity United Methodist)

FRIDAY, April 15
NEWSLETTER DEADLINE

SATURDAY, April 16
8 am Men’s Bible Study (Family Room)

SUNDAY, April 17 - Palm Sunday
8:15 am Senior Choir Rehearsal
9:30 am Service of the Word (ELW 1)
10:30 am Fellowship
11 am Sunday School for All Ages
11:30 am -2:00 pm Swedish Dancer Pancake Feed

Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church
Lindsborg, KS

John 111Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, "Lord, he whom you love is ill." 4But when Jesus heard it, he said, "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." 5Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
7Then after this he said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." 8The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?" 9Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. 10But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them." 11After saying this, he told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him." 12The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right." 13Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 14Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. 15For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." 16Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
17When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him." 23Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." 25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27She said to him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world."
28When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you." 29And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Lord, come and see." 35Jesus began to weep. 36So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" 37But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"
38Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." 40Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" 41So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me." 43When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."
45Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.


What shows you in these verses that Jesus had genuine care for Lazarus and his sisters?


Why did Jesus not come immediately and heal his friend Lazarus? (vv. 4, 15)


How successful was Jesus in consoling Martha and Mary? When you grieve how do you want Jesus to console you? How do you want your friend to console you?


Why do you think Jesus was so disturbed by these events? (vv. 33, 38)


How do you think Lazarus felt by being raised from the dead?