Fifth Sunday in Lent

e-Connector
Keeping the members of CALC connected.

March 21, 2021

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42)

The word translated “ransom” in Mark 10:42 is the Greek word λύτρον pronounced lutron. This Greek word means to set a person in bondage, like a slave,  free by paying a price. The price of the slave’s freedom was called the "ransom price." According to this type of transaction, the ransom price for the slave is paid by someone else on his/her behalf allowing him/her to be set free, liberated, delivered from bondage.

In the Old Testament we learn that an Israelite man or woman could become a slave to a fellow Israelite or a foreigner by reason of a debt they had accumulated and they were unable to pay. Under the Law given by Moses, all debts were cancelled every seven years and the debtor would be set free of the debt. (Deuteronomy 15:1ff) However, Deuteronomy 15:1 applied only to Israelites; if the debt was owed to a foreigner, the debtor was required to stay a slave until the debt was paid. The debt owed could be so great that the debtor would have to remain a slave a long time. God in His mercy provided a way out for the Israelite slave in bondage to a foreigner. Leviticus 25:47-53 provides for their release. Specifically, “An uncle or a cousin or any blood relative in their clan may redeem them." (Leviticus 25:49) A kinsman redeemer paid their debt and thereby set them free from their obligation to the foreigner.

The verses of Leviticus 27:47-53 reveal God’s heart. The Lord was calling his people to imitate him. In the Exodus, God had mercy on His people, who were impoverished, enslaved, and living in Egypt. He freed them from the bondage to Pharaoh and led them into the promised land. The Israelites were likewise called to have mercy and show mercy to their indebted relatives, and seek to deliver them from their bondage and poverty, and to bring them back to their home. Each instance of mercy shown to an impoverished Israelite was a re-enactment, on a very small scale, of the exodus. In the innocent suffering and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, for all those who have faith, we see the exodus re-enacted in the most profound way.

We regularly confess that we are slaves and that we are in bondage. In our Brief Order of Confession before Holy Communion we confess before God an one another that: “we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves.” We further confess to God: “We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.”

Our liturgy is inspired by theses words written by King David in Psalm 51:3-5.
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

With King David we confess that we are born children of a fallen humanity. We are destined to sin. With King David we confess that all of our sins are, in the final analysis, sins against God alone. We confess that God is our judge and his judgment against us is true and correct. We confess that we are indebted to God as a consequence for all of our sins.

God knows we cannot pay our debt to Him. God gives us the grace to believe that we  cannot pay for our sins or their consequences, and like King David must ask God to mercy on us.  God had mercy on us. He provided the payment of our debt by the innocent suffering and death of Jesus Christ, the “Son of Man,” our kinsman redeemer. God accepts Jesus ransom and we are set free from our sins. Our liturgy declares:

Almighty God, in his mercy, has given his Son to die for us and, for his sake, forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the Church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

On this side of eternity, as sinner/saints, we will continue to become indebted to God for our sins. But we believe in the forgiveness of sins for Jesus' sake. We confess this every time we say the words of the Apostles' Creed. We believe in God's providence, that He forgives us here and now. We also believe in an exodus of the redeemed from this world to the next world because of our Kinsman Redeemer. Luther summarizes what we believe perfectly in his explanation to the Third Article of the Creed in his Small Catechism. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.

In Christ
Pastor Ed Skutshek, President

Pastor Ed Skutshek, President of CALC, has completed a five part Lenten Lecture Series on the Old Testament Book of the Prophet Habakkuk. The Prophet Habakkuk can be described as a "Minor Prophet" with a "major" impact in the New Testament. Links for each of the five episodes are found below.

Click here to access Part 1

Click here to access Part 2

Click here to access Part 3

Click here to access Part 4

Click here to access Part 5

Our congregations are asked to vote in a referendum to approve amendment to CALC’s constitution approved by delegates to the 2020 Annual General Convention (AGC). The amendments would allow the delegates to a convention to vote to hold the next convention as wholly online convention, or a hybrid convention with some delegates participating in person at a meeting and some participating by ZOOM or other video conferencing service. Another amendment affirms National Council’s authority to form and appoint ad hoc committees. Congregations have until Wednesday May 12th to return ballots to the CALC’s Secretary. New ballots have been mailed out. A congregation votes on the amendments at an annual or special congregational meeting. An amendment is passed if a simple majority of those present and voting at the congregational meeting approve the amendment.

Members of the Reformed Lutheran Church of Rwanda are especially hard hit by their country’s strict COVID-9 lockdown. They have appealed for funds. Victory congregation is asking other members of CALC to help them make Easter 2021 better for our brothers and sisters in Rwanda. You can donate by:

The Evangelical Church of Bremen (BEK), a church body whose congregations are located in the city/province of Bremen, Germany, has suspended Pastor Latzel following his conviction for "inciting hatred" in the criminal court of Bremen. He was the Pastor of St. Martini Church in downtown Bremen. His crime was using harsh language that condemned same gender marriage and transgenderism as against God's created order. He spoke at CALC's 2016 Annual General Convention. St. Martini congregation has over 1,200 members and more than 20,000 follow Pastor Latzel on Youtube. He is barred from preaching, teaching and ministering to his congregation. He cannot preach on the internet. His lawyer, who is appealing his criminal conviction, has asked our church body to stand in solidarity with Pastor Latzel.

On Thursday March 4th a special e-Connector was published that linked readers to an online petition that can be signed electronically. Click here to access the March 4th special edition. We hope to garner 200 signatures in two weeks and present them to the BEK along with the petition. We have 54 signatures. Please forward the March 4th special edition to your friends who you believe would be willing to stand with Pastor Olaf!

CALC’s 2021 Annual General Convention will be convened on Saturday June 12th as a one-day in-person event beginning at 9:00 AM and concluding at 5:00 PM (MDT). It will include the annual business meeting and an address by a keynote speaker. Delegates will also be able to participate in the event by ZOOM. CALC is in final negotiations with the Coast Nisku Inn which is conveniently located a 5 minute drive from the Edmonton International Airport. They have committed their Grand Ballroom for our event which will seat at least 50 (following COVID-19 protocols).

Register For The April 10, 2021 ZOOM Educational Event Bill C-6 - Ban on Conversion Therapy.
CALC will hold an online educational event on April 10th from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM (MDT). It will be a presentation by Jose (Jojo) Ruba. The presentation will focus on Bill C-6, the federal government’s proposed ban on conversion therapy. It is open to all members of CALC at no cost. Click here to register.

Click the button below. You will be re-directed to CALC's website. Click on "CALC ONLINE" in the navigation pane at the top of the Homepage and you will be directed to an alphabetical list of congregation's with online worship services. Click and enjoy!!!

A Prayer for the Fifth Sunday in Lent

Almighty God,
our redeemer, in our weakness we have failed to be your messengers of forgiveness  and hope in the world. Renew us Holy Spirit so that we may follow God's commands and proclaim God's reign of love;
through  your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

Fifth Sunday in Lent

A Podcast Interview Presented By:

Pastor Rick Bergh

Bereavement Educator & Counselor

Congregational Referendum – Extension of Time to Return Ballots:

Rwandan Appeal.

Pastor Olaf Latzel Suspended by the BEK - Call to Stand in Solidarity With Him

CALC's Annual General Convention - Saturday June 12th, 2021

Spring Educational Event