Holy Week at Calvary
April 16 Holy Tuesday – Jews for Jesus Presentation - Eli Birnbaum - Christ in the Passover - 7 - 8 PM (Free to the Public) - Learn how God marvelously fulfilled the Passover with His gift of the Lord's Supper, death on the cross, and resurrection. This presentation is good for all ages.
April 17 Holy Wednesday – 7 PM A God who was Buried (John 19:38–42). This short service will involve our once a year confession and individual absolution. Meal: Pizza (5:00 - 5:30 PM) Class: 5:30-6:40 PM
April 18 Holy Thursday - A God Who Loves Noon & 7 PM(Exodus 12:1–14; 1 Corinthians 11:23–32; John 13:1–17, 31b–35)
April 19 Good Friday - A God Who Bleeds, A God Who Dies 7 PM (Isaiah 52:13–53:12; Hebrews 4:14–16; 5:7–9; John 18–19)
April 21 Easter Sunday - A God Who Rises 8 & 10:30 AM (Isaiah 65:17–25; 1 Corinthians 15:19–26; John 20:1–18); Easter Breakfast 9:15-10:15 AM
Prayers: Please include the family and friends of Debra Pitts in your prayers. She went to be with Jesus April 9. Her funeral is today at Meyer Brother Colonial Chapel on Hamilton Blvd. She was a confirmed member of Calvary Lutheran Church. I have included a message below as it is true for all of us:
Dear friends and family of Deborah Pitts,
I write from home recovering from surgery, I am Pastor Travis, the under-shepherd of Jesus Christ at Calvary Lutheran Church in Leeds. Deb was a member of Calvary Lutheran Church one of the sheep of God’s Church. She is still even now a member of Jesus’ sheep in heaven. That is not something that Deb always believed whole heartedly because, sometimes she did not feel worthy of being one of our Lord Jesus Christ’s sheep.
As many of you know her health was not perfect here on earth. Many of you knew she did not always feel loved in her family and sometimes wondered if God could love her and her church could love her.
The reality is Jesus gave up his life for Deb and everyone here. Philippians 2:6-9 says of Jesus, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”
Why did Jesus do this for Deb? Why would he do it for me? For you? We don’t deserve it! We are evil! We are poor miserable sinners. Yet, Jesus did tale yours and my place by dying on the cross, taking capitol punishment that we deserved. Deb was right that she did not deserve Jesus. But thank God she knew and continues to know Jesus died for her as her shepherd. Jesus took all of Deb’s sin and failures away, by taking the punishment she deserved!
I want all of you to ask: What is my next step? All of us should have a next step in following Jesus! If you are a lifelong Christian, your next step is to keep having the same attitude as Christ Jesus serving others so that they too will know Jesus (Philippians 2:6ff). Make sure you gather with your fellow imperfect sheep to eat from His Words from the Bible. If you are brand new to the faith in Jesus, a good next step is to go to your local Bible believing church like Calvary and learn more about Jesus, to be baptized and take confidence in what Jesus has done for you.
If you know nothing about Jesus, a good place to start is simply repent, stop going your own way, get with other Christians and hear more about Jesus. Listen to the Bible, that is what Deb did, but don’t just listen to nice sounding words that claim to be Christian. Read Jesus' words in the Bible, join a Bible class, and dig into sermons.
Jesus the Good Shepherd wants his sheep. Listen to Jesus in His owns words from John 10, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
So what is your next step? I know what Deb believes! What about you? Come follow Jesus who has already done all things needful for you! Know the truth!
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