ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH
Princeton, MN
The Resurrection of Christ
Dear Members of Zion,
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
My friends, if there is one day of the year that is the most important of the Christian year, one could argue that it is Easter Sunday. If there is one message that is central to the Bible and our church, it is the lifesaving message of the Gospel. If there is part of the message of the Gospel that is so vital it simply cannot be ignored, it is the good news of The Resurrection of Christ. For the Apostle Paul said, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:17). Then he says, “but in fact Christ has been raised from the dead” (1 Cor. 15:20). Paul preached the Gospel, that Christ died, was buried and that He was raised on the third day! And he said that it was by this Gospel that we are being saved if we hold fast to (believe) the Word that he preached. This same Gospel continues to be preached at every Worship Service, because it is this Gospel that saves us.
Holy Easter is this Sunday, April 17th and I invite you to Worship on arguably the most important day of the Christian Year. There is nothing bad about Easter, it is all good and it will feel good to be in Worship with the Risen Lord. One of my confirmation students made a great observation about Church and I want to repeat it to you. He said something like this, “You know how there are places where someone died or something bad happened and people will say that the house or place is haunted or that you feel a bad aura when you are there?” Then he said, “It is just the opposite in the Church, there is a good aura here and you can feel it when you walk in.” My friends the Church has a good aura because our God is alive and He is here in worship with His children. He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Happy Easter!
In Christ, Pastor Tischer
Maundy Thursday Worship – April 14 – 7:00 pm
Good Friday Worship – April 15 – 7:00 pm
Easter Sunday – April 17 – 8:00 am (Easter Breakfast served after Worship)
Zion Lutheran Church
Princeton, MN
I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” (Psalm 122:21)
Dear members of Zion, Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is time to Rejoice! It is time to Rejoice as we “go to the house of the Lord.” It has been a long time since church has felt “normal.” As a church family, decisions were thoughtfully made over the last 2 years that changed how we “normally” gathered in God’s house. Last night at the Church Council meeting, because of the significant decrease in covid-19 infections in our area, a motion was passed to return to “normal” in regards to worship. What that means is that we will be increasing our singing in worship and no longer recommending the wearing of masks inside the church. So, as of Monday, March 7, masks will be optional for all worshippers. (The Church Council will continue to monitor our covid safety plan.)
We began the Season of Lent on Ash Wednesday, March 2, so there are now 2 opportunities to worship each week. We offer Mid-Week Lenten Worship on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm and Sunday Worship at 10:00 am. The Season of Lent has a focus on Repentance as we consider why Jesus left the glories of heaven to suffer and die on the cross. The “Why” truly is you and me. “For God so loved the world that He gave His One and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God sent His One and only Son, Jesus, (Why?) because He loves us and wants to save sinners like you and me. Jesus saved us by His perfect life of righteousness in our place and by His suffering and death on the cross in payment for all our sins. John 3:16 says that “whoever believes in Him (Jesus, Who died for us and rose again) will be saved.”
Throughout the Lenten Season and in fact during every Season in the Church all year, our focus is on repentance and faith. We recognize or acknowledge that we are sinners and can not save ourselves, so we turn or return in faith to the Lord. In faith we believe that God loves us and sent His Son to save us by His death on the cross on Good Friday and His glorious resurrection from the dead on Easter morning. Now more than ever we have reason to Rejoice! Now we truly can join the Psalmist and say, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:21).
In Christ,
Pastor Tischer