FROM THE DESK OF THE INTERIM PASTOR
April 2008 - Dennis D. Marttala - ilc-pastor@hotmail.com - (503) 939-7359
Christ is risen!  Christ is risen indeed!  Alleluia!
 ?the shout of joy echoed on March 23rd as we celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Throughout the Easter Season we will be discovering again the way to New Life in Christ - it might well be called New Life of Christ.
OF
 Easter is one of the OF seasons.  On another page in this newsletter I have copied the Introductions to the liturgy for the Sundays in of April.  They are four of the seven Sundays of Easter.  You might want to read those introductions to get a sense of what I am saying in this article.
 Evangelical Lutheran Worship says of "The Church Year" (page 13):
"Time is a gift of God's creation.  People order time in various ways, often based on the rhythms of nature.  The church organizes time by the church year.  It tells the story of God, who is beyond time, acting in history - above all through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
"All Sundays of the year are festivals of our Lord Jesus Christ.  In a profound sense, Sunday - the first day and the eighth day of the week, the weekly celebration of the Day of Resurrection - is the primary Christian festival.  Other principal festivals and observances are the Nativity of Our Lord and the Epiphany of our Lord, Ash Wednesday and the days of Holy Week, the Three Days of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Resurrection of Our Lord, the Sundays of Easter, the Ascension of Our Lord, and the Day of Pentecost, and the Holy Trinity.  . . ."
 Advent and Christmas have Sundays of the season, but others are Sundays after Epiphany and after Pentecost.  That little word, of, has such interesting use.  Sometimes the of  something or someone is part of the main word.
 In a sense we could say these Sundays of Easter are Easter's Sundays, just like Sunday is sometimes referred to as the Lord's Day.  Various languages have incorporated the of someone by adding a suffix (or prefix).  In my Finnish heritage my surname actually means of Martha (Martta).  Here at Immanuel we have ancestral heritage abounding in names like Johnson (of John), Olafson (of Olaf), Anderson (of Anders), Jorgensen (of Jorgen), Nickila (of Nicki), Peterson (of Peter), Hanson (of Hans), etc.
 The blessing, the joy of the Easter Season is knowing we are OF God in Christ.  We are God's people, God's children.  Children of the Resurrection!  As we gather for worship during this blessed season, celebrate the blessings by knowing our worship intends to instill in us faith that proclaims ? The risen Christ opens the way to abundant life.  He anoints our heads with oil and guides us beside the still waters of our baptism.  Each Sunday he spreads a feast before us in the midst of the world's violence and war.  We go forth to be signs of the resurrection and extend God's tender care to all creation.[4/13/08]
Blessings of Peace and Joy this Season of  The Resurrection, Pastor Dennis

Sunday, April 6, 2008
Third Sunday of Easter
INTRODUCTION
Today's gospel begins with two disciples walking to Emmaus, overcome with sadness, loss, and disappointment.  They had hoped Jesus, who was crucified, would be the one to redeem Israel!  Yet the risen Christ walks with them, and then opens their eyes in the breaking of the bread.  Each Sunday our hearts burn within us as the scriptures are proclaimed and Christ appears to us as bread is broken and wine is poured.  The story of Emmaus becomes the pattern of our worship each Lord's day.

Sunday, April 13, 2008
Fourth Sunday of Easter
INTRODUCTION
Today is sometimes called "Good Shepherd Sunday."  Jesus is called the "gate" of the sheep in today's gospel.  The risen Christ opens the way to abundant life.  He anoints our heads with oil and guides us beside the still waters of our baptism.  Each Sunday he spreads a feast before us in the midst of the world's violence and war.  We go forth to be signs of the resurrection and extend God's tender care to all creation.

Sunday, April 20, 2008
Fifth Sunday of Easter
INTRODUCTION
As we continue to celebrate the fifty days of Easter, today's gospel includes Jesus' promise that he goes to prepare a place for his followers in his Father's house.  Our baptism commissions us to share Jesus' mission in the world.  As First Peter reminds us, we are a holy people, called to proclaim the one who called us out of darkness into light.  In words and deeds we bear witness to the risen Christ ? our way, our truth, our life.

Sunday, April 27, 2008
Sixth Sunday of Easter
INTRODUCTION
Jesus does not leave his followers orphaned.  Through the Holy Spirit Jesus comes to abide with his disciples of every generation.  As Pentecost draws near, we are reminded that the risen Christ dwells in us as the Spirit of truth. We receive this Spirit in baptism and pray that in our gathering around the Lord's table the Spirit will transform us to be the body of the risen Christ in the world.