St. Paul’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church
109 S.
Elm, Kewanee , Illinois 61443
Newsletter
Volume 27 May 2015 No. 5
Rogate!
The Gospel for this Sunday includes Jesus words, “And in
that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever
ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked
nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. (St. John 16:23-24)
But this is not simply a discourse on prayer: “Up to now,”
he says, “you have asked nothing in my name.” But have the disciples not prayed
Psalms? Said daily prayers? Thus to ask “in his name” is referring here
to something other than simply praying.
What is “in my name”?
We not that he also says in
that day ye shall ask in my name. In
what day? Here he is talking about the
day inaugurated by the resurrection, the eternal Day of Easter: from Easter
forward, and particularly from Pentecost, it becomes the mission of the
Apostles to ask in Jesus’ stead, as his ministers. On Ascension Day he commissioned
his disciples to go forth into all the world and preach in his name. In that day
means therefore on the day they became apostles. In the day he sent them.
And therefore in my
name is in my stead, that is, in
my place. Here is the office of the apostolic
ministry. Men stand in for Jesus, and
they preach for him, and they do his praying for him.
Consider the architecture of the church: at one end is the
altar, and at the other are the people. The pastors stand in between, taking
the place of Christ, and they communicate both
ways: to the people for Christ, and also to the Father for Christ.
Rogate Sunday is followed by what used to be called the
Rogation Days, the three days prior to, and preparing for, Ascension Day. So
the connection is already made between these matters and the ascension.
What else happened on Ascension Day? That was also the day Jesus instituted Holy Baptism.
Thus the people of God are washed by
Christ. Because we are baptized in the Christ, we are the church. The church prays. The people pray, together and separately, but
never alone. Always as the church. Always through Christ.
And always anticipating the reception of every good
thing. Ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
+ Pastor Eckardt
Peter Eckardt Receives Call to Immanual Ev. Lutheran Church
in Alexandria , Virginia
At the Call Service at
Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort
Wayne , Indiana Lutheran Church in Alexandria ,
Virginia Alexandria
is a suburb of Washington , D.C.
“We
rejoice with all the students who received their assignments this week. These
men and women have been uplifted and strengthened by worship life in Kramer
Chapel, enriched by rigorous academic training in the classroom and benefited
from the support of their families, friends and the entire Seminary community,”
said Seminary President Lawrence R. Rast Jr. “We also celebrate with the many
congregations across the United States that will welcome these new workers. I
am confident they will be faithful servants of Jesus Christ as they serve His
people with grace, mercy and humility.”
Peter Eckardt follows his own father in taking his first
assignment in Virginia Winchester ,
Virginia , some 70 miles from Washington , D.C.
Peter and Allison Everett are to be married at the Fort Wayne
Peter
plans to be ordained here at St. Paul
Supreme Court Considering Same-Sex Marriage Arguments
The U.S. Supreme Court has
been hearing arguments beginning April 28th about whether states
have the power to ban same-sex marriage. A dozen couples are challenging the
bans in Ohio , Michigan ,
Kentucky and Tennessee
Gay
marriage is now legal in 36 states, including many whose bans were overturned
by federal courts. The unions are in limbo in Alabama
Meanwhile a number of high-profile religious leaders
across the country have vowed civil disobedience if the Court redefines
marriage. “We respectfully warn the Supreme Court not to cross that line,” read
a document titled, Pledge in Solidarity to Defend Marriage. “We stand united
together in defense of marriage. Make no mistake about our resolve. . . . While
there are many things we can endure, redefining marriage is so fundamental to
the natural order and the common good that this is the line we must draw and
one we cannot and will not cross,” the pledge states.
The
signees include former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former U.S. Senator Rick
Santorum, National Religious Broadcasters president Jerry Johnson, Pastor John
Hagee, and Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic
Association. The pledge was co-drafted by Deacon Keith Fournier, a Catholic
deacon, and Mat Staver, the founder of Liberty Counsel. Also involved in the
document were Rick Scarborough, the president of Vision America Action and
James Dobson, the founder of Family Talk Radio. “You are essentially saying
that boys and girls don’t need moms and dads–that moms and dads are
irrelevant,” Staver said. “Gender becomes pointless when government adopts
same-sex marriage. It creates a genderless relationship out of a very
gender-specific relationship. It says that it doesn’t matter and that two moms
or two dads are absolutely equivalent to a mom and a dad.”
THE DEFENSE
OF MARRIAGE AND THE RIGHT
OF RELIGIOUS
FREEDOM: REAFFIRMING
A SHARED WITNESS
An Open Letter from Religious Leaders
to All in Positions of Public Service
Released April 23, 2015
Dear
Friends:
At
this significant time in our nation’s history with the institution of marriage
before the United States
Supreme
Court, we reaffirm our commitment to promote and defend marriage—the union of
one man and
one
woman. As religious leaders from various faith communities, we acknowledge that
marriage is the
foundation
of the family where children are raised by a mother and a father together. Our
commitment to
marriage
has been expressed on previous occasions, including the Letter of Shared
Commitment and Letter
on
Marriage and Religious Liberty. This commitment is inseparable from affirming the
equal dignity of all
people
and the necessity of protecting their basic rights.
The
state has a compelling interest in maintaining marriage as it has been
understood across faiths and
cultures
for millennia because it has a compelling interest in the well-being of
children. Every child has a
mother
and a father, and every child deserves the opportunity, whenever possible, to
be raised by his or her
own
married mother and father in a stable, loving home. Marriage as the union of a
man and a woman is the
only
institution that encourages and safeguards the connection between children and
their mother and
father.
Although this connection cannot always be realized and sustained—and many
single parents, for
example,
are heroic in their efforts to raise their children—it is in the best interests
of the state to
encourage
and uphold the family founded on marriage and to afford the union of husband
and wife unique
legal
protection and reinforcement. The redefinition of legal marriage to include any
other type of relationship has serious consequences, especially for religious
freedom. It changes every law involving marital status, requiring that other
such relationships be treated as if they were the same as the marital
relationship of a man and a woman. No person or community, including religious
organizations and individuals of faith, should be forced to accept this
redefinition. For many people, accepting a redefinition of marriage would be to
act against their conscience
and to deny their religious beliefs and moral convictions. Government should
protect the rights of
those with differing views of marriage to express their beliefs and convictions
without fear of intimidation, marginalization or unwarranted charges that their
values imply hostility, animosity, or hatred of others. In this and in all that
we do, we are motivated by our duty to love God and neighbor. This love extends
to all those who disagree with us on this issue. The well-being of men, women,
and the children they conceive compels us to stand for marriage as the union of
one man and one woman. We call for the preservation of the unique meaning of
marriage in the law, and for renewed respect for religious freedom and for the conscience
rights of all in accord with the common good.
This letter was signed
by the leaders of 35 national church bodies, including our LCMS President
Matthew Harrison.
May Anniversaries
5/17/1959 Allan
and Barbra Kraklow
5/22/1976 Ed and
Lynn Woller
5/28/1982 Christine
and Garry Erickson
5/28/1977 John and
Charlene Sovanski
May Birthdays
5/2 Sheri Kraklow
5/6 Emilie Ricknell
5/10 William Thompson
5/16 John Eckardt
5/26 Preston
Powers
May Ushers
Otis Anderson, John
Ricknell, David Ricknell, Bill Thompson
Altar Guild Notes
• No mass on Wednesday, May 13th;
instead, mass is on Thursday, May 14th, which is Ascension Day. The color remains WHITE
• Saturday, May 23rth color changes to RED
for Pentecost and its vigil, and for the following Wednesday (Whitsun week).
• The color changes back to WHITE for
Trinity Sunday and the Saturday evening prior, May 30th. The color
remains white through the following
Sunday, June 7th, and is changed to Green after that Sunday mass.
Peter Eckardt Ordination To Be Set Soon: Late May or
Early June
Plans for Peter
Eckardt’s ordination are still in the works, but as of now it is to be late this month or early in June, possibly
on a Saturday. Following the ordination service, we expect to have a reception
at the Eckardts’s house, perhaps a cookout. Details to follow.
May Meetings: Council remains on the Third Week
First Tuesday meetings
are May 5th, as usual: Altar Guild at 6 pm, Vespers 6:45; Elders 7:15. Although a discussion was held about possibly
moving Church Council, that has not happened, and meetings remain on third
Wednesdays until further notice. This month, that is May 20st, at
5:30 pm.
In
Our Prayers
In addition to our shut-ins, our current list of
prayer intentions at mass includes the following. To update the list, please inform pastor.
in our parish:
Sandra Verplaetse, Sarah Corzine, Emilie
Ricknell, John Ricknell, Linda Rowe, John Sovanski, Ann Baker, Dale Baker, Sharon
Hartz, Carol Kegebein
And also:
Anna Rutowicz [granddaghter of Harrises]
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter, cancer]
Jill Matchett [requested by Diana Shreck]
Lorene Foglesong [requested by Kraklows]
Corbin Gonzales [requested by Chuck Russell]
Cathy Van Wassenhove [requested by Verplaetses]
Shelly DeBord [requested by Jim Watson]
Liam Hampton [requested by Murphys]
Anthony Strand [requested by Murphys]
Maria Thorndike [requested by Murphys]
Ben Brown [requested by Eckardts]
Annie Eastman [requested by Meakers]
Keith Ruggles [Barb Kraklow’s brother, cancer]
David Fowler [heart condition, requested by Murphys]
Robin Hampton [requested by Watson: cancer]
Melissa Hayword[requested by Kemerlings]]
Will Johnson [requested by Kemerlings]
Emily Corzine [Sarah’s
sister]
Barb Corzine [Sarah’s sister]
Dennis Hoag [requested by Diana Shreck]
Pastors Don Chambers[Manito]and Glenn Niemann [Pekin
In the military:
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [requested by Ricknells]
Thomas Kim [requested by Diana Shreck]
Michael and Katherine Creech [requested by Murphys]
Richard Heiden [requested by Eckardts]
Carter Wills [requested by Thompsons]
Luke Van Landigan [grandson of Dick Melchin]
Jaclyn Alvarez [daughter of Kris Harden]
In catastrophe:
The people of Nepal
In trouble:
any unborn children in danger
of abortion, and those suffering from unrest, persecution, and imprisonment in
Kenya, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Uganda, North Korea, Venezuela, and
elsewhere.
And for our own church
Trinity Sunday May 31st
Trinity
Sunday comes on the Octave Day of Pentecost.
Our Festive Trinity Mass will
be preceded by a recitation of the Athanasian Creed.
Commemorative St.
Paul
We
received a commemorative plate having a picture and the name of St. Paul ’s on it as a gift from a Lou Ann Foster (nee
Noard) now living in Waynesville ,
North Carolina
Mourning the loss
We sorrow over the loss of faithful member Carol
Kegebein, who died on Monday, April 13th, was laid to rest on
Thursday the 16th, and we pray for the comfort of the resurrection
to be with her widowed husband, faithful member Don Kegebein.
Ascension Day is May 15th
Our Ascension Day Mass will be Thursday, May 15th,
at 7 p.m. Regular Wednesday evening Mass is cancelled this week, and people who
like to come midweek are encouraged to the celebration of Ascension Day instead.
Pentecost May 24th; Vigil 23rd
Pentecost
is May 24th this year, and will be preceded by the Pentecost Vigil
at 5:30 on Saturday the 23rd.
The Vigil is a special service of
anticipation is a helpful way to observe the Great Feast of Pentecost. It is a
simpler and shorter version of the Great Vigil of Easter; members are
encouraged to attend!
On Pentecost Day, our tradition of
portraying the “other tongues” of Pentecost (see Acts 2) will be kept, as the
opening verse of Pentecost Sunday’s
Gospel will be read in six languages before the entire Gospel is read in
English. The six languages, in order,
are Greek, Latin, Swedish, Spanish, French, Russian, and German.
New adult instruction
class scheduled for August: plan ahead to invite someone
Between
now and August, members are encouraged to consider who might be interested in
considering church membership here, or even an opportunity to learn about the
Christian faith without any pressure to join at all. Family members, friends, neighbors, workplace
associates, or anyone you can think of would be welcome; even people who might
be curious but have no intention of joining, if, for example, they are already
members somewhere else. We are not seeking to steal people away from other
churches. We are seeking to make ourselves and our confession known in the Kewanee area. The best way we can do this
is by word of mouth. Our members are our greatest resource in this regard. So
see if you can find someone, and plan to attend with that person. Even if you
cannot find anyone, you may come on your own, to refresh your own faith by this
study. (I promise to keep it from being old-hat!) It will begin in mid-August,
on a weeknight yet to be determined, in all likelihood either Tuesday or
Thursday. Further details will emerge soon.
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