Christ Lutheran Church
Sunday School 9:30 Worship Service 10:30
A HOLY WEEK MESSAGE OF GOD’S LOVE, PEACE AND HOPE
This year the holiest week in Christianity begins on March 29 with Palm Sunday. Let these brief messages for these Holy Days guide your prayer, meditation and reflection throughout Holy Week…
PALM SUNDAY… Jesus is welcomed enthusiastically by a crowd that, in just a few days, will turn their cheers into taunting and even his closest disciples and friends will turn away from him. Christians remember this change of heart and turn of events by transforming the palms waved on Palm Sunday to become ashes that mark the cross of Christ on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season.
MAUNDY THURSDAY… The day on which Christians remember the Last Supper is also known as Maundy Thursday. The word Maundy comes from the Latin word “maundatum” which means “command.” The new commandment Jesus gives to us, “I give to you a new commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.” (John 13:34)
This “love” is a Godly love that is sacrificial. It is a “love” enacted on the cross. Jesus wanted us to know and then to live this “Godly love,” which is thinking of others before oneself. He did not think of himself, only, what he could do for us…God’s creation. His was a sacrificial love, and there was no limit to what he would do for us, even on the cross.
GOOD FRIDAY… The day we hear the story of Jesus’ betrayal, suffering and death. Seen as a part of the larger celebration of the mystery of salvation. It is appropriate for Good Friday to be an austere time of reflection and intercession, as well as of the adoration of Christ, the sacrificial lamb. However, austere this day is, it does not take away the sense of triumph in the cross. We remember and celebrate Jesus’ sacrificial gift for us. This is the Good News of the Cross!
EASTER SUNDAY… We celebrate what God did for us in the Son, Jesus Christ. The Resurrection is a declaration that Jesus Christ, Son of God, has fulfilled the mission of the Messiah, and we have been forgiven, saved by his death and new life. You and I can join Mary and the other disciples in believing in Jesus, because of his resurrection. John 3:16 says; “God loved the world so much, that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.”
God’s action at Christmas and Easter reveals God’s mysterious power to accomplish the plan of salvation. God’s power is sufficient for us, so that we can identify with God, and trust in Christ’s death and resurrection. Jesus gives us the power to live by GRACE! In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul wrote, “My grace is all you need, for my power is strongest when you are weak.”
When we are weak, Christ is strong for us. His power gives us hope. Christ wins the victory over evil for us, so that we are free to live with him on earth in his spiritual kingdom, and after death in Christ’s heavenly kingdom. These promises and gifts come from God’s love for us.
Pray for God’s personal love, powerful love, abundant love and eternal love. Thank God for the gift that will not perish and is offered to all of God’s creation out of Divine Love.
Holy Week Blessings and Love in Christ! Pastor Connie Bramlett
Lenten Calendar
Sunday Services – 10:30am (In person and online)
Wednesday Lenten Soup Supper starting February 25 – March 25 at 5:30pm, Worship Service @ 6:30pm
Maundy Thursday Worship April 2, 7:00pm Service
Good Friday Worship – April 3, 12:00 noon and 7:00pm Service
Easter Sunday Sunrise Services – April 5, 7:00am Kennesaw Memorial Park – 1306 Whitlock Ave.
Easter Sunday Worship – April 5, 8:45 am Jazz Worship Service & 10:30am Traditional Worship Service at Christ Lutheran Church
Easter Continental Breakfast Potluck - April 5, 9:45 am
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.7 million members in more than 8,400 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther. Please click here for more information
Office Hours
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