This Week at Mt. Olive

Good evening, fellow redeemed!

Every once in a while, one of our older members tell me something, reminding me of something I learned a while back and had somehow become lodged in the logjam that is my memory. One of the truth with which farmers have had to deal throughout the ages is times of planting and times of harvest rarely wait for anyone. As Lutheran families established farms in the United States, this truth applied no less to families as they struggled to survive and then make a living. As it's been related many times, during those times of planting and harvesting, families would work in the fields to complete the needed tasks regardless of what day it was, even if that meant Sunday morning.

For the unlucky ones who couldn't take the morning off for Sunday, the church had a practice to keep the workers in the field "up to speed" with what was happening in the church. During the liturgy of the Eucharist, as the pastor began to intone the Lord's Prayer, the church bell would ring: Our Father who art in heaven [ring], hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; Give us this day our daily bread [ring] and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil [ring]. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen

Those working in the field would hear the bells, knowing that the Sacrament of the Altar was being celebrated and the Lord's Prayer was being prayed.

It is always humbling for me as a pastor to visit someone who is in and out of consciousness, that, when I start reciting the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and a Psalm, that person floating in and out of consciousness is suddenly jolted into the present through the primary texts of the faith. And they say God doesn't work in His Church anymore.

Lent is now a scant 10 days away. This blessed season is always a good time to try to reclaim good spiritual disciplines such as daily Scripture study and a review of the primary texts of the Christian faith, not to mention the Small Catechism. Take some time over the next ten days to give some thought to a time of devotion, study, and prayer during the blessed season of Lent.

This week at Mt. Olive Lenten preparations begin. This coming Sunday, March 6, is Transfiguration Sunday, the last Sunday before Lent begins. This year, as part of our entry into Lent, we will "bury the Alleluias" before the last hymn. I invite all families to print the attached coloring page, color the alleluia, cut it into the shape of a rectangle, and bring it to church next Sunday. There, we will bury the alleluias, looking forward to returning them to the sanctuary on Easter Sunday.

I will be out of the office on Tuesday, but Lutheran Book Club will meet Tuesday evening. This week, Mere Christianity Book 3. By consensus last week, the Book Club will continue to meet during Lent. After Mere Christianity, we'll be looking at Why I Am Lutheran by Pastor Daniel Preus.

Finally, it's always a welcome surprise to look out on the congregation and see some of the young people who have returned from college for the weekend. I'd like to invite all college student, both here in Corpus and abroad, to send me a blast: Where are you attending, what are you studying, and how are things going for you? I'd be happy to include this important information about our brothers and sisters in Christ who are expanding their knowledge.

Prayer Concerns:
Catherine Worley, Maureen's daughter, who will be undergoing surgery Wednesday.
Emmett and Emma Wright, Shirley Middleton (Ruth Prytz's daughter), Bob Whitworth, all who are recovering
Walter and Pearly Theiss, Ann Cleveland, Norene Estes, and Ruby Rieder, the home bound among our family of faith
Those who serve in our armed forces and their families: Rob Vadney (Afghanistan), Richard Rhode (North Carolina), John Sorenson, Ryan Radtke, Dru Blanc (Corpus Christi)
The Church throughout the world as she proclaims Christ crucified in this last week of Epiphany

This Week at Mt. Olive
Monday, February 28
6 p.m.
Zumba Aerobics

Tuesday, March 1
7 p.m.
Lutheran Book Club (at the home of the Blanc family)

Wednesday, March 2
8:30 a.m.
Chapel

9:30 a.m.
Bible Study

6 p.m.
Zumba Aerobics

7 p.m.
Choir

Thursday, March 3
6:30 p.m.
Pack 278 Cub Scouts

7 p.m.
Guitar Worship practice

God bless!
Pastor Kevin Jennings