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Sundays
8:30am Worship Service
9:35am Youth Forum - Grade 6 - High School (Youth Room)
9:40am Sunday School - Children ages 3-5th grade
9:45am Adult Forum (Fellowship Hall)
10:45am Worship Service

Worship Opportunities:
Sunday, February 7:   Epiphany 5  Whom Shall I Send   Luke 5:1-11
Adult Forum:    Historical Insights Into Scripture………………Alfred Wolfram
Historian, actor, former teacher and husband of Irene

Sunday, February 14:  Transfiguration Sunday   Luke 9:28-36
Preacher:   Pastor Mark O
Adult Forum:    The Basis of Prayer led by Pastor Marilyn
Noon:  Shared-Dish Luncheon:  A send-off for Mark and Heather O.,
Mark has accepted a call to serve in Shishmaref, Alaska

LENTEN THEME:  Sowing Tears – Reaping Joy

Wednesday, February 17: Ash Wednesday, 6:00pm Supper & 7:00pm Lenten Worship

Sunday, February 21 Lent 1  Luke 4:1-13
Youth Sunday Service
Adult Forum:    The Lord’s Prayer – a video study with James Nestingen,
Former Luther Seminary professor

Wednesday, February 24: 6:00pm Supper & 7:00pm Lenten Worship

Sunday, February 28:  One Service at 9:00 a.m. Luke 13:31-35
Preacher:  Bishop Peter Rogness
A Service of Holy Communion, Followed by a Light Brunch
10:30 a.m. TOWN HALL MEETING with Bishop Rogness and the Rev. Susan Miller, Assistant to the Bishop

You are encouraged to engage in weekly sermon preparation.  Your worship experience can be greatly enhanced by reading and studying the scripture lessons in advance.  To help you do this, we have listed below the Biblical readings for each Sunday in February.  Take some time during each week to read ahead and see what kind of a sermon God plants in your heart.

February 7th                                
Isa 6:1-8                              
Ps 138                  
1 Cor 15:1-11          
Luke 5:1-11                    

February 14th
Exod 34:29-35
Ps 99                          
Rom 10:8b – 13
Luke 4:1-13

February 21st                
Deut 26:1-11            
Ps 91:1-2, 9-16        
2 Cor 3:12-4:2          
Luke 9:28-36            

February 28th  
Gen 15:1-12, 17-18
Psalm 27
Phil 3:17-4:1
Luke 13:31-35

Exploring Your Spiritual Well During Lent

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."  (John 4:13-14)

Lent is the time when many Christians from all over the world increase the intensity of their spiritual practices.  Jesus provides the water which gives us spiritual nourishment.  What kinds of practice can you do to access this water?  In the past, many of you heard me talking about prayers, contemplation, and Scripture reading as important practices.  But for Lent, many Christians from all over the world fast as well.

We Lutherans think of fasting as obedience to Christ and a form of good works.  Also, many think that it is good to understand what it is like without food, and it is a way to develop compassion. Essentially it is a type of self inflicted punishment like whipping yourself.  

Fasting is something I have enjoyed doing in the past.  It has health benefits because your body goes into a detoxification mode after your stomach is devoid of food for 16 hours.  Your body would divert some of the energy that is normally used to digest food toward regeneration.  The sensation of huger goes away after the first day.  After fasting for a couple days, I usually feel renewed and recharged.  Your brain waves slow down so that you don’t feel as agitated.    Many people feel closer to God and feel that they are more tuned into God’s Spirit through fasting.

Please join myself and many Christians from all over the world to practice more intentionally during the season of Lent.  I pray that you will find your spiritual well and obtain the water of life from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God’s Peace,
Intern Pastor Joseph