Pastor’s Pen
21 And when the LORD smelled the pleasing odor, the LORD said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease." Gen. 8.
Just recently there appeared on our kitchen table two Jonquils, and a crocus blossom. Each Spring this is a ritual for my gardener partner, Janet. It is something that I have grown accustomed to and look forward to each year. It means, in part, that for the next 6 to 7 months, up to as late as mid-October, we will have fresh, home grown flowers on our kitchen table and on display in our home. Not only is this a testimony to the gardening skills of my wife, but, for me, it is a reminder of the passage from Genesis 8 quoted above.
As with the flowers that are placed on the altar at church those flowers on our kitchen table are reminders of God’s saving grace and mercy as he sustains us each day through his providential care and as he has kept his promise to redeem us through the life and death of his son Jesus. In the same way the Lord saved Noah and his family alive through the totally destructive universal flood, so He carries us through our lives that are filled with the otherwise overwhelming heartache and evil that surrounds us. He does this with his providential care and redeeming mercy.
To express his joy and thanksgiving to the Lord, Noah built an altar and offered burnt offerings to the Lord. Our text reveals God’s response.
The Lord smelled a sweet savour, that is, he was well pleased with this religious act, performed in obedience to his own directions, and in faith of the promised Savior. That this sacrifice prefigured that which was offered by our blessed Redeemer in behalf of the world, is sufficiently evident from the words of St. Paul, Eph 5:2: Christ hath loved us, and given himself for us, that sacrifice is an offering and a sacrifice to God for as a SWEET-SMELLING SAVOUR.
I will not again curse the ground, there shall not be another deluge (flood) to destroy the whole earth: ALTHOUGH the imagination of man's heart should be evil, i.e. should they become afterwards as evil as they have been before, I will not destroy the earth by a FLOOD. God has other means of destruction; and the next time he visits by a general judgment, FIRE is to be the agent. (2 Pet. 3:5-7.)
As dark and foreboding as those words may be, they are immediately followed by the gracious promise of God expressed in verse 22
This is a very merciful promise to the inhabitants of the earth. There may be a variety in the seasons, but no season essentially necessary to vegetation shall utterly fail. The times which are of greatest consequence to the preservation of man are distinctly noted; there shall be both seed-time and harvest-a proper time to deposit the different grain in the earth, and a proper time to reap the produce of this seed.
I like to think of these words as seasonal reminders of God’s providential care and eternal promise. When I stop to think about how it has happened that each Spring there are the flowering evidences of God’s love, I am compelled to think even more thankfully of all the ways that He has, and continues, to sustain us and our world through His almighty power.
What is more, we are reminded by the annual appearance of our Spring flowers of how wonderfully the promises of God to send a Savior have also been kept. May the seeds of the Gospel continue to grow in your hearts and minds and may those seeds show forth in the beauty of God’s grace in our lives as they spring forth and grow each day.
Pastor Kogler
Youth Group
by Rachel Krueger
Spring Aluminum Can Drive – The time has finally come to clean out your garage of those aluminum cans you have been collecting all winter long. The Youth Group will be collecting aluminum cans now through the end of May. Please leave your bag(s) of cans by the shed.
And while you’re at it, pull and save the tabs off the aluminum cans before recycling them. The tabs will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House. Each tab is worth 50 cents! There is a labeled container on the narthex table to put them in. The tabs may be brought in at anytime, not just when we are collecting cans.
Car Wash - The Youth Group will also be holding a car wash on Saturday, May 17th from 11 am to 4 pm in the church parking lot. Monetary donations will be appreciated. We are raising money for our Milwaukee trip in July.
Thank you for supporting our Youth Group!
Vacation Bible School 2008
Plans are underway for our 2008 Vacation Bible School. It will be August 5, 6, and 7 (Tuesday through Thursday) from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.
Your tour guide, Tad Venture, invites you to embark upon a three-day balloon adventure this summer with Soaring HIGH!, a new vacation Bible school program from Northwestern Publishing House. Soar to places like California, Brazil, Yellowstone, the shores of Lake Michigan, and Hawaii, and learn fun facts about each place. But exciting travels are just the beginning! Tad also leads students through Bible lessons, interactive activities, and theme-related crafts and music to learn important Bible truths.
Please talk to Larry Reckner if you would like to help with the planning and implementation of this year’s Vacation Bible School.
Joyful Noise Notes
The last month of school is upon us and is filled with many activities. We will finish up our alphabet and begin reviewing letters A-Z, numbers, and our readiness skills.
The Mother’s Day program will be held May 8 from 10:45 – 11:30 and 2:15 – 3:00. The program will include a dessert and songs. All mothers are invited.
The children will be singing for the last time this school year on Sunday, May 18. Please be at church by 8:45 am.
Our big project will be preparing for the last day of school, which is Thursday, May 22. That evening the children will perform their plays, sharing the songs they have learned, and receiving their preschool diplomas. Refreshments will follow. The event will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 22 in the church sanctuary. Everyone is invited.
Memorial Day
Memorial Day emerged from the grim shadows of the American Civil War. Before the close of the war, women began decorating the graves of soldiers who had died in that war. The practice quickly spread, and a few years later May 30, 1868, was designated as Decoration Day — a day for placing flowers on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers throughout the United States.
In 1882, Decoration Day became known as Memorial Day, and soldiers who died in other wars were also honored. Over the years, it has become a day when all loved ones who have died — in war and otherwise — are remembered. In 1971, the United States Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be observed annually on the last Monday in May.
On this Memorial Day, remember those who gave their lives for our country. But also pray for those who continue serving to keep America free, especially those who are in harm’s way.