FROM THE DESK OF . . .
Sunday, May 28, 2023
From the desk of Pastor Ernie Green:
Add these to your calendars: We’ve got a lot of things planned at St. Paul, and these are scheduled for us. Playground dedication June 25,
VBS: July 31–August 4, right here at St. Paul.
Our St. Paul Church picnic is scheduled for Sunday, August 13. Weather permitting, our first service will be held in church, and the late service at West Canal Marina where the picnic will begin right after worship.
Saturday, September 30, Oktoberfest at St. Paul.
Saturday, October 28, Trunk or Treat. Start making plans now.
Question: Where do we find information that Jesus descended into Hell as spoken in the Apostle’s Creed (and Athanasian Creed)?
This is a nice way to begin our Question and Answer column. As you are all aware, the Apostle’s Creed states that after Jesus was buried, and having His spirit made alive, He descended into Hell. He left the tomb alive on Easter morning. This can be found in 1 Peter 3:18-19: 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison,
Early Christians, and Lutherans have long understood the Bible to teach that Christ went to hell to declare His triumph as God’s Messiah over death and the power of the devil. The Lutheran confessional writing, the Formula of Concord, states in summary: “We simply believe that the entire person [Jesus Christ], God and man, descended into hell after the burial, conquered the devil, destroyed hell’s power, and took from the devil all his might” (Solid Declaration, Art. IX).
Jesus did not go to Hell to suffer further. When He stated “It is finished” from the Cross, the suffering was indeed complete. His trip to Hell was simply to declare victory over Satan. Thank you for this question.
Next week’s great Question: “Why does the name Lord appear in all capital letters in the Old Testament, but in normal Upper and lower case in the New Testament?” Stay tuned for this answer next week.
God’s Love and Mercy be to you this day, and all days! Pastor Ernie Green
All are welcome at St. Paul Lutheran – Please allow God’s love to work in and through you to brighten the lives of members and visitors alike.
_________________________________________________________________________
UPDATE: LUTHERAN WOMENS’ MISSIONARY LEAGUE (LWML) NEWS:
GOOD NEWS! The Planet Green Recycle Fundraiser Program continues and again are accepting ALL brands of ink cartridges. You can drop off ALL your empty cartridges in the labeled bin in the Gathering Place. Thank you!
THE ALTAR GUILD is looking for 2 more Teams for 2023 – men and women. We currently have 3 wife/ husband teams. A team serves 1 month a year. During busy times such as Lent/Easter, Advent, Christmas or vacation times, individuals can volunteer to help the designated team for that month. Ask a friend to join your team or if you don’t have anyone special you would like to serve with, we’ll find you a teammate. See or call Nancy Witkop at 716-731-4223 or email: dwitkop1@roadrunner.com) with questions. You can also ask anyone on Altar Guild what duties are involved.
——————————————————————————————————–
Confirmation Class Assignments –
First Year Class – The class has completed all lessons for the year. They are now finished until they begin second year Confirmation in September. Please remember to honor the acolyte schedule throughout the Summer.
We’ll see you in September.