| | | |
April Birthdays 4/2 Katy Gerome Marlene Mueller 4/4 Holly Jensen 4/5 Robert Ellis 4/6 Ethan Sosa 4/7 Al Naiman 4/9 Norma Blank 4/10 Rosalie Ellis April Anniversaries 4/2 Russell & Norma Smith 4/6 Steve & Anne Ellis 4/8 John & Audrey Ohanesian 4/13 Stephen & Karla Regnier 4/14 Antonio & Aida Landaverde 4/19 Steve & Bernadette Vigneau | 
|
| | Dear Friend,
How Can A Pastor Forgive My Sins? A recent article that I read included the above question. The context was that the person felt they had responsibility to "no one but God" and therefore didn't need or want anyone to forgive them. This simple question is really two separate questions. Where does the Pastor get his 'authority' and where does the 'authority' to forgive, or retain, sins come from? Let's look at the second question first. Luther's Small Catechism states the question (269) "What special authority has Christ given to His church on earth?" and answers it "Christ has given to His church the authority to forgive sins or to withhold forgiveness." The Biblical reference for this is Matthew 18:18 "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." This teaching is confirmed in John 20:22-23 where John records "[Jesus] breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." The Church has given this 'authority' the name of the "Office of the Keys" since it works like a key to open heaven by forgiving sins, or to lock heaven by not forgiving them." Matthew 16:19 "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven." However, this does not mean that the church of God has greater authority than God Himself, so the church cannot call that which God calls evil, good nor that which He calls good, evil. The proclamation of forgiveness to a repentant sinner is the greatest joy in the church and of heaven above! Forgiveness for our sins is why Jesus went to the cross and died! The retention of sins is done solely to warn unrepentant sinners that, despite what they would like to believe, they are not on the path to heaven! It is both loving and courageous to so warn people. So, understanding where the authority to forgive sins comes from, how does the Pastor have the authority to act in God's place? The Catechism answers this "The Christian congregation by the command of Christ call pastors to carry out the Office of the Keys publicly in His name and on behalf of the congregation. The pastoral office is a divine institution." Accordingly, the Office of Pastor has special requirements. Some Biblical references for this are Eph. 4:11, Acts 20:28 and 1 Cor. 4:1 "Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." And 2 Cor. 2:10 "What I have forgiven... I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake." And with regards to the Pastors qualifications, 1 Tim. 3:1-2; 2 Tim. 2:2 and 2 Tim. 2:15. Our church body has also exercised the "Office of the Keys" by further restricting the pastoral office by stating "our churches teach that nobody should preach publicly in the church or administer the sacraments unless he is regularly called." (Augsburg Confession XIV) The Bible also warns pastors that they are going to be held to a higher standard, James 3:1 "Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." And so it becomes the role of the congregant to pray for, aid and respect the Pastoral office. Finally, does all this mean that only the Pastor can forgive sins? By no means, we may come to someone we have sinned against, confess to them, repent and ask their forgiveness AND they can forgive us for our sins against them! In fact, we pray in the Lord's Prayer that God will forgive us AS we forgive others! In conclusion, the answer to the question, "How Can A Pastor Forgive My Sins?" is found in the words of Absolution we use in our Worship Service: "I, as a Called and Ordained servant in the stead and by the command of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, forgive you all your sins in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit." In His Name, Pastor Kelly + Phil. 4:8 |
| THIS & THAT |  The Experience- High School Youth Group Meets on Sundays from 6-8pm Sunday School
10:15am in the Calvary Club Room. Hope to see your kids there! Prayer Quilters Meets on Wednesdays from 9am-12pm in the Parish Hall Donations Leanna Mueller is donating the following items to anyone who may want it or need it: 1. Little Tikes bed w/ mattress shaped in a blue car 2. Plastic slide/sports theme (toddler size) Please contact Leanna Mueller for addition information, 510-276-9418 |
| | | PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING Alicia Matthews gave birth on March 27th to a healthy baby girl. Peace in the World President Obama and our country's leadership - For our soldiers in Afghanistan: James Greenleaf; for those overseas: Thomas Caspersen, Justin Higgins, David Oliver; for those in the Reserves- Jonathan Ellis, Frank Mitchell II; Talitha Benz, now stationed in Arizona For our Staff Fred Brauer; Margie Luehrs; Chrystle Vincent; Traci McClain; Christina Grace; Bethany Chhom; Ellen Hackerd; Kristi Morlock; Mike Souza; Doug Henry; Kim Heggins; Blenda Schultz; Sherrie Akre; Carol Liston; Cecilia Guerra; Cindy Suppus; Lydiana Sanchez; Holly Contier; Pastor Kelly Peace and Comfort Boston Marathon Cancer Patients Larry Sousi; Marjorie Britts- kidney cancer; Ralph Foskett; Robert Kruger; Joanna Chan; Richard Cole; Melody Saldate; Pat Brown; Evelyn Asker Healing Holly Contier Expectant mothers Jacqulyn Riley due in May; Amy Goldhammer due June; Nicole (Souza) Stark due August Unemployed and/or underemployed Jerrie Moyer; Nancy Schibler |
| |  Change, Growth, & New Life As spring is upon us we are reminded of change, growth, and most importantly NEW LIFE. I am privileged to see this growth every day in my Kindergarten students! This school year was a change for all of us as the Kindergartners began a new school year with a new teacher and I began a new school year with an entirely new grade. This school year has been a joy as I have taught Kindergarten for the first time and relied on our Lord every step of the way. He has given me the excitement, energy, passion, and ability to teach these Kindergarten joys and share His love with each of them. We began the school year with 15 students; 10 boys and 5 girls. We experienced another change with the winter seasons as students moved away and our class became a class of 13; with 9 boys and 4 girls. We have enjoyed the change that comes with every season and now are seeing the blessing of NEW LIFE and our continued growth academically, physically, emotionally, and spiritually! As the season of Easter is upon us we have studied Jesus death and resurrection. We are studying the gifts of NEW LIFE all around us as we use our five senses to explore God's beautiful creation, including the NEW LIFE of animals and plants. In Religion we are studying God's insurmountable love, grace, and mercy in sending His only Son to die on the cross for us to forgive our sins and give us eternal life! The Kindergartners are learning about Jesus' resurrection and His defeat of sin, death, and the power the devil. We have been given NEW LIFE in Christ and have now inherited eternal life if we believe in HIM. In Science we are studying different animals and the NEW LIFE that comes as the baby bird hatches and bunnies are born. We have also studied the growth of plants and the stages plants go through, including the NEW LIFE of plants in the spring. It has been incredible to see the growth of every Kindergartner throughout the fall, winter, and now spring season. They have grown immensely in so many ways, including physically, emotionally, socially, academically, and spiritually. They have grown as they learn about manners, social skills, and what it means to be a student. It is amazing how much information these young Kindergartners can retain and how excited they are to learn. They are like wet sponges soaking up all I have to offer them. They are so proud as they all can count well past 100 in Math, they all know the names and location of the seven continents and four oceans in History, they all know the parts of a plant/flower in Science, they all know their days of the week, and have begun to READ! It is a joy to watch them grow and see the light bulb go on and see a child finally understand a concept or skill. We just finished out study of different fairy tales and had a blast at our Fairy Tale Ball. Pictures can be found on Calvary Lutheran School's facebook page. We have become a class filled with God's love and compassion. These Kindergartners really do serve each other and show one another God's love through what they do and say! May you all enjoy this Easter season and be reminded of the change, growth, and most importantly NEW LIFE that comes with spring. He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia. Love in Christ, Mrs. Chhom & Kindergartners |
| DATES TO REMEMBER |  Friday, April 26th 7:00pm (Calvary Church) Spring Production Preschool 1st & 2nd Grade Saturday, April 27th 10:00am-12pm Blessing of Pets & Car Wash (Calvary Church/School parking lot) Sunday, April 28th 11:00am Secret Sister Spring Breakfast - (Calvary Church Parish Hall)
Saturday, May 4th Wittenberg Spring Tea
Sunday, May 19th - Confirmation (Calvary Church)
Wednesday, May 29 at 7pm Ohio Northern University National Tour Choir Concert
VBS August 5-9
|
| | | | Church Contacts
Calvary Lutheran Church
|
| |
| |
