April 2010
Central Lutheran Church

                  925 North Forest St., Bellingham, WA 98225

                  phone: (360) 734-7180 fax: (360) 734-0788

                  www.centrallutheran.net; email, office@centrallutheran.net

                  119 years of faith in the heart of Bellingham

                

Grace and peace to all the saints-and-sinners of Central Lutheran Church:

Greetings in Christ!

“But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.”
—Luke 24:11

This verse from Luke describes the reaction to the first sharing of the news of the resurrection when the women who had gone to the tomb to prepare Jesus’ body reported that they had found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. I imagine a room of disciples and others, gathered together in grief and fear, listening to those women with silent disbelief and perhaps annoyed amazement. It’s not that they didn’t believe that someone could be raised from the dead. After all, Jesus had raised others from the dead, and they had seen it. But this was Jesus who was dead. Who was there to raise him? This news seemed too impossible to be true—even for Jesus. Caught in their grief and fear, they could not allow themselves to hope in such a tale.

If they were to allow themselves to give such a tale the possibility of being true, it would mean that everything that Jesus had said and done was being vindicated by God. Jesus had challenged the worldview of nearly everyone who listened to his words. Now God’s chief event in creation—the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus—would become the gift of grace and a new life for all who are touched by that grace. That new life, based in grace, had the possibility of re-establishing the relationship between humankind and God first intended in creation. Sin and death, the consequence of the broken relationship, would be replaced by a new life of faith that reflects God’s nature of justice and love. Forgiveness would become more than just sin removed; it would become righteousness established apart from works but by God’s favor. If these followers of Jesus were to allow the possibility that the tale was true, it would mean giving grace a chance in their lives—and that would change everything.

God raised Jesus. God overturned the guilty verdict, the sentence, the execution, and even the burial. God raised Jesus to life to give you new life. What at first seemed an idle tale was in reality the first report of the beginning of the celebration of a new creation in Christ. You are invited to join in that celebration beginning in Easter Worship and continuing until the Day of Jesus Christ. Come join in giving God’s good news a chance in your life!

Holy Week services begin on Palm Sunday (March 28), with a traditional Processional Communion Worship. Wednesday’s Lenten Luncheon starts at 12:10pm with worship (looking at why we say Christian instead of Catholic in the Apostles’ Creed), followed by lunch at 12:30pm. On Maundy Thursday, the New Commandment Thursday Worship begins at 6pm with a stew and bread potluck, followed by a simple service of communion in the fellowship hall beginning at 7pm. Good Friday Worship is a Tenebrae service from the ELW. Easter morning celebration begins at 7am in Fairhaven Park with a Community Sunrise Service followed by a light breakfast at the park (or by Easter breakfast here at Central). Easter Morning Communion Celebration Worship in Central’s sanctuary is at 10am; it is a service of sacraments, hymns, Easter Choir, electrons, Grace and Faith; and the good news.

Come, give the good news a new and renewed place in your life of faith.

See you in church,
Pastor Tim

Mailbag

? Dear Central Lutheran Church:

Two Bibles have been purchased by the local Gideons in your honor. We wish to express our thanks to you for your support of the Gideon Ministry as a missionary outreach of your church. Thanks again for giving us the opportunity to share this ministry with your congregation.

? Dear Central Lutheran Church:

Thank you from all of us at New Frontiers! [This note, received from the NA group that uses the Rose Street House, was sent with a donation of $175 to the CLC general fund and $100 toward the plumbing repair. So thank you, New Frontiers!]

? Dear Central Lutheran Church:

You were an answer to prayer! Thank you for finding my hearing aid. I picked it up the next day after you let us know you found it. Thanks again. [This note was received from a worshipper who accidentally left a hearing aid in the pew.]

Kids’ Central Preschool

We are now enrolling for fall classes and need the congregation’s help in spreading the news about our open houses and Kids’ Central Preschool. The next open house is April 15th, 2–7pm. Here’s another way you can help: Preschool parents are volunteering to help with day-to-day preschool activities. As a member of Central’s family, you can also volunteer, gaining the opportunity not just to interact with the kids but also to get to know the volunteering parents. Fill out a sign-up sheets from the narthex and leave it in the church office for Miss Angie.

New Wednesday Evening Worship

We invite you to try out our new Wednesday evening services (not held during Holy Week)—a simple supper served at 5:30, followed by a brief communion service downstairs. This fellowship and worship opportunity offers an informal way to get to know fellow members of Central, to experience midweek worship, and to enjoy lively Christian music. Come join us!

Ways You Can Help Lutherwood

1. Call and sign up for one of our monthly work parties
2. Keep Lutherwood in your prayers, that God will continue to provide for and bless this ministry.
3. Give financially to Lutherwood. Your donation can be earmarked for specific purposes.
4. Become a member of our Lutherwood Ambassador Program to help promote Lutherwood in your congregation.
5. Invite a friend or neighbor to come to summer camp with you!
6. Round up your youth group to put on a fundraiser for camp.
7. Check out our needs list to see if you have anything you don't need but camp does.
8. Sponsor a summer staff member in our counselorship program.
9. Donate to our campership program.

From Pastor Tim: My Thoughts about the ELCA, Lutheran CORE, Word Alone, and the North American Lutheran Church

What are we going to do? Worship with humility, offering to God our thankful hearts for the gift of grace, faith, and call to service! With the passage of the sexuality statement by the ELCA, many congregations like Central find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. It is not news that I’m one of the traditional type theologians. When I interviewed at Central, one of the specific questions I was asked was whether I was one of those WordAlone types or the opposite of those WordAlone types. It seemed like a pretty straightforward question and I gave it a straightforward answer: I’m a WordAlone type. Okay? Not news.

What it means to me to be a WordAlone type is that I am a confessional, biblical, traditional Lutheran. It also means that I am not a fundamentalist; while I’m very orthodox, I am also a modern liberal scientific theologian. It is not that I do not understand and do not use the scientific approach to biblical study; it is that I do fully understand and do fully use the scientific approach to biblical study. I also understand the philosophical presuppositions to my liberal education—as well as both the logic and the consequences of the mistakes of those who do not understand or acknowledge their own philosophical presuppositions. It is because of these parts of my mental process that I believe some of the most recent decisions of the ELCA are closer to theological disasters than they are to good theology.

That being said: I love my church. I love my church enough to chastise it when in error, to challenge its leaders, and to openly disagree with its policies and social teaching/opinion statements. I also love the work it is doing in our community, our state, our nation, and around the world. Lutheranism is synonymous with Christian faith around the world. Outside of this country, Lutheranism’s work is understood as a powerful evangelism. I’ll not easily or quickly leave this church. That is why I have been a part of the WordAlone movement since it first came into existence. WordAlone has changed radically since its first days. Its newest expression is Lutheran Core (although most of the people in it will need another year or so to figure that out and merge the groups’ administrations). What WordAlone has discovered is that the ELCA structure is flawed in that its three inter-dependent expressions are not inter-accountable. There is a huge disconnect between congregations and synods, and between congregations and the national church. As such, the national church is not responsive to congregations needs.

There is also a proposed North American Lutheran Church. The intent is that it will essentially look and hopefully function like a fixed ELCA, having three inter-dependent and inter-accountable expressions, being congregationally based, with congregationally based representative delegates at all expressions. As nice as that all sounds, I want to caution anyone about hopes or fears of changing national denominations. In my short career I have seen a couple of these “new” churches start with high expectations, only to become very sectarian splinter groups. I don’t think that is a healthy place to be. I cannot predict what will be best for this congregation two years from now. Right now, it seems that our saber rattling is part of a much larger chorus, and that is a good thing. But the NALC will need to have a track record before we can take a serious look at it as a congregation.

So what are we going to do? What we actually can do right now, and what we should be doing no matter what else is happening: worship with humility; offer to God our thankful hearts for the gift of grace, faith, and call to service…in Jesus’ name; and get really good at it.

Spaghetti Dinner/Dessert Auction Update

The total dollar amount raised at Central’s recent dinner and dessert auction was $2384.25 (including meal tickets, the sale of auction items, and donations). When that sum is applied to our mortgage, it will reduce our interest cost by $12,609 over the remaining life of our mortgage. Thank you, Central, for your wonderful generosity!

Updated on April 7, 2010

© 2010, Central Lutheran Church