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The Church: Living between Good Friday and Easter- Wednesday, April 13, 2022 Here at Gloria Dei we are blessed to have our own "theologian in residence" - Rev. Dr. Larry Denef. Pastor Larry (as we affectionately call him) has served the church as seminary professor, as curriculum editor for Augsburg publishing house, and Executive Director of the Division of Parish Life for the ELCIC - just a few of his many roles. Our congregation has grown in faith in Jesus Christ because of his ministry. If you spend any time with Pastor Larry, you will soon hear him encourage you about what Christianity and faith is all about - not a dogma or a set of rules, but a relationship with a God who says, “Trust Me!” As the Church commemorates Holy Week, we are pleased to offer this timely reflection from Pastor Larry on the nature of the Church. The Church: Living between Good Friday and Easter The Lutheran confessions define the church by its ministerial function: the gathering of the people, the proclamation of the gospel and the administration of the sacraments. Luther affirms those so-called marks of the church, but he also writes that, “The Christian people are externally recognized the the holy possession of the sacred cross.” For Luther, the cross is most often designated with something with which it is associated; namely suffering. He often uses the word cross and suffering interchangeably, and in essence sees it as “identical . . . with the cross we are called upon to bear” (Regin Prenter). The Christian people as church, “must endure every misfortune and persecution, all kinds of trial and evil from the devil, the world and the flesh [as the Lord’ Prayer indicates] by inner sadness, timidity, fear, outward poverty, contempt, illness and weakness ,in order to become like their head Christ,” (Luther). In other words, human suffering is not only a reality in life but necessarily designated as the place in which the church becomes identical with Christ in its midst. “Amid the suffering of the world, the church is there waiting for the Word to be proclaimed and the sacraments to be administered; it is already there hidden or latent as Luther said, waiting to be manifest in the gathering of the people around the Word and sacrament” . . . For more infomation visit: http://gloriadei.ca/blog/the-church-living-between-good-friday-and-easter
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Easter Message from Bishop Susan Johnson and Anglican Primate Linda NichollsHope, Joy and the Promise of the Risen Christ In thei Easter message, National Bishop Susan Johnson (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada) and Archbishop and Primate Linda Nicholls (Anglican Church of Canada) remind us of the hope, joy and promise of the risen Christ. Click on the "Read more" button that will take you to our webpage where you can view the Bishops' video message. For more infomation visit:
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Cleanup Day
Spring cleanup day will be held on April 23rd beginning at 9:00 am. The focus will be on the outside as we have a rental in the hall Saturday mornings until noon. Any questions please contact Jason Assam! Thanks! |
Ringing the Bells for UkraineSunday, April 24, 2022 On Pascha (Easter Sunday on the Julian calendar) we are joining with churches across Canada to ring our church bells in solidarity with the Ukrainian Bishops of Canada as a sign and celebration of hope. We will have coffee and fellowship after our 10AM service and then we will gather in the courtyard to ring our bell and pray for Ukraine. This is an initiative of the Canadian Council of Churches together with the Ukrainian Bishops of Canada. You can read more here
For more infomation visit: http://gloriadei.ca/events/ringing-the-bells-for-ukraine/2022-04-24
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