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Join us as we celebrate our second annual Hosanna! Day.
Our activities this year will include:
Following our 9:30 service, we’ll share conversation over a meal, have some fun, make some memories, and take something home to remember the day and prepare us for Holy Week.
- an egg hunt journey with Jesus
- rustic Hosanna! sign-making
- animals to pet, and more!
Bring your neighbors, bring your friends - Everyone is invited!
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FROM A BISHOP: Looking at Scripture - “Hosanna!”
Reflections during Lent come from a devotional written by leaders of the Lutheran and Anglican churches in the United States and Canada.
This week’s reflection is written by National Bishop Susan Johnson, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
How quickly the crowd gathered around Jesus as he entered Jerusalem and how quickly they dispersed as he was arrested, tried and crucified. People were looking for a powerful figure to challenge the status quo.
As churches and as countries, we need to be aware of the ways in which we use power, even in the name of Jesus. We have a painful history of being colonizers and oppressors. How can we who proclaim Christ as our King resist the temptation to build kingdoms and instead work for justice and freedom for all people?
Blessed are you, Jesus, for in you we find strength and vulnerability. As we enter Holy Week, keep us mindful of all who are in need or are vulnerable. May your outpouring of love inspire us, in turn, to acts of deeper love. Amen.
FROM THE PASTOR: Looking at Life Together - The Holy Week Journey
By the time Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey, his path is set. Every step between Palm Sunday and Easter is significant. The Last Supper, washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus’ prayer in the garden, the betrayal and arrest, his trial and rejection, the crucifixion, the three days of waiting, and the tentative joy of Easter are all steps Jesus takes intentionally and willingly.
You are invited to join this journey throughout Holy Week. Each service in the next week has meaning, and focuses on different parts of Jesus’ actions. Palm Sunday is a day of celebration that becomes a little uneasy, but still joyful, as we remember how big this is. On Maundy Thursday, we hear and feel that God’s love is not just big, it’s personal. On Good Friday, we acknowledge the depth of God’s love, the extent of Jesus’ sacrifice, and the hope that it gives us. We chew on that for a few days before we gather again for Easter. On that day, we realize this is not just about the resurrection of Jesus two millennia ago, but our own deeply personal resurrection each day.
God’s action is bigger than any one day. Our focus and our emotions can also only take in so much each time we gather. Therefore, I hope that you’ll join us for as many steps of the journey as you can make this week... so that you can feel how big, how personal, how deep and hopeful, and just how life-changing God’s love revealed in Jesus truly is. May you have a blessed and holy week.
Virginia Bell Has Moved 
Member Virginia Bell has moved within the Liberty area.
If you would like to visit her in her new home or send her a note of housewarming, her new address is Virginia Bell,
The Oxford Grand, Apt. 113, 8280 North Tullis Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64158. Her phone number remains the same. We pray for God’s blessing on her new residence.
We’ve Reached Our Fundraising Goal!!!
With the final fundraising push, we have exceeded our goal for the parking lot. Any funds we’ve received beyond the contracted cost will be used for unanticipated repair costs, replacing worn parking lot signage and lighting, or reducing the funds we use from the sale of the 104th St. right of way. Thank you for your generosity in helping us do this needed work. Every household that donated may pick a prayer cross from the box in the fellowship hall. Resurfacing of the entry and center section is anticipated to be done the day after Easter. Crack-filling, sealing, and striping to be done in May or June.
Update to Church Key List
Please the church office if you have a key or know someone who does so that we can update you with information about our alarm system. This is important information that you will want to have. Thank you for your help.
Lunch Bunch
Join us at the Liberty Olive Garden this month! Tuesday, April 16th at 11:30.
See you there!
Flood Relief Collection
As we celebrate on Hosanna! Day, we will take up a special collection for flood relief. Although heavy rainfall has resulted in major flooding in many places, we are partnering with Immanuel Zion Lutheran Church (a church Pastor Mike served) to provide direct financial assistance to individuals they personally know have great need in and around Newman Grove, Nebraska. Newman Grove is a small town of about 700 people in rural Nebraska that was partially underwater, and is far away from many of the bigger relief efforts. A collection jar will be in the fellowship hall on April 14, but we’ll also give our entire Maundy Thursday offering on April 18 to this flood relief. We believe giving to those in need is a fitting way for us to celebrate Jesus’ self-giving love and care for those in need. If you’d like to contribute to the larger flood relief effort, you can also give to Lutheran Disaster Response by visiting www.elca.org/ldr.
First Communion Invitation
Jesus welcomes the faithful to be a part of the Lord’s Supper. Each spring, we provide an opportunity for children who aren’t communing to learn about this special meal and to receive their First Communion. If your child would like to participate this spring, please speak with Pastor Mike or send an e-mail to pastormike@hosannalutheranchurch.org.
Adult Sunday Updates
- If you are interested in the topic of forgiveness, but haven’t been able to attend the Sunday school discussion, talk to Pastor Mike about borrowing the book and video used in the class, or get a copy of “The Book of Forgiving” by Desmond Tutu and Mpho Tutu
- There will be no adult Sunday school April 14 and 21 due to Hosanna! Day and Easter.
April Sunday School for Kids
- There will be no Sunday school April 21 due to Easter.
- Regular Sunday school will resume April 28.
- Join us for a conversation about Vacation Bible School after Sunday school classes on Sunday, April 28. We’ll meet in the front entryway (by the nursery) to discuss whether to hold VBS this summer and who might be willing to offer leadership if we do.
In Our Prayers
Celebrations
The gift of being Hosanna! together
Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for each of us
Birthdays
Dakota LaSerre April 15
Kathy Brammer April 16
Brad Kunkel April 16
Erin Lindhorst April 20
Anniversaries
Mike & Kris McArtor April 17
Jeff & Jane Bradbury April 18
Russ& Janeen Bollhoefer April 20
Sympathy
Family of Dalton Hanna (friend of Sam Schoening) lost cancer battle (3/26)
Family of Mike Senfert (friend/co-worker of Beth Schoening) died (3/18)
Concerns
RJ (17 y/o friend of Marshall family) recovering from traumatic car accident (4/9)
Scott Hall (Marty Berggren’s husband) bypass surgery on April 12 (4/9)
Robbin Musgrave - recovering from severe stomach ulcer (4/1)
Debi (friend of Jean Morehouse) healing (3/31)
Samantha (3/31)
Steve Harnish (son of Art & Shirley) recovering from surgery March 27 (3/26)
Fran Lantz foot issues related to diabetes (3/26)
Flooding Victims (3/17)
Susan Anderson (Abby Schott’s grandma) dementia complications (3/17)
Trinka (Abby Schott) tragic loss of a friend (3/17)
Jerry Hiers (friend of Jeanine Stubbs) cancer (3/17)
Kim Berry back issues, health concerns (3/13)
John Draggey - brain cancer (3/10)
Louise Ahrens - chemotherapy treatments for lymphoma (3/20)
Jim Cox (friend of Mary Kunkel) recovering from cancer surgery (3/4)
Sherry & Darrel (friends of Beth Schoening) health issues (2/28)
Cindy Plesko broken wrist (2/19)
Wayne Simpson (friend of Mary Kunkel) recovering from lung cancer (2/17)
Randi (Rika Heruth’s sister) cancer (2/21)
Brady Barnes (friend of Jeanine Stubbs) Hodgkin's lymphoma (2/3)
Nora Prom (Dan Prom’s cousin) ovarian cancer (1/27)
Ongoing
Janet Baken receiving care at Ashton Court
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