On April 13th, 2025 at 10:30am,  join in as Risen Lord Lutheran Church and St. Laurence Episcopal Church celebrate Palm Sunday.

  What does hosanna mean, anyway? As Jesus entered the holy city of Jerusalem, the people shouted "Hosanna!" Which means, "Save us!" or "Save, please!" They were proclaiming Jesus to be the messiah and king, the one who would save them and bring about salvation from the rulers in power. It was thought that the messiah would be a great and powerful military leader who would overthrow the government and take charge. But instead, what Jesus did in the following days would change the world forever.  Join in to this service and the other services on this Holy Week to find out more. 🌴

On April 17th, 2025 at 6pm,  join in as Risen Lord Lutheran Church and St. Laurence Episcopal Church celebrate Maundy Thursday. 

But, what is Maundy Thursday? Let me tell you a story, on the night before Jesus was betrayed and handed over to be crucified on the cross, he gathered with his friends around a table in an upper room. They were gathered to share in a meal as  they celebrated the Passover, but as Jesus was apt to do, he retold that story from the inside out. "While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘Take; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. He said to them, ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.’" (Mark 14:22-25)

In this act that Jesus did, suddenly this holy and sacred Passover meal took on an expanded meaning. Now Jesus is the sacrificial lamb, whose death and resurrection liberates us from sin so that we might liberate others and be a part of the inbreaking Kingdom of God. Through the cross we are reminded of God’s with-us-ness or in other words the continued promise of Emmanuel. God was with us. God is with us. God will always be with us. This means that,  we can view the empty cross as a symbol of God’s continuous empowerment. The empowerment that comes through our liberation from sin.

This doesn't mean that we throw out the history and holiness and sacredness of the Passover meal. If we did that, this holy and sacred practice of communion would lose a lot of its weight and meaning because communion should not only tangibly connect us with Jesus and the sacrifice he made, but also with the promises that God has been making with God’s people since the beginning of time. And we know from reading stories recorded in the scriptures that we mess up time and time and time again, yet God is there with love for us in our messiness and our brokenness. Join in to find out more. 🥖

On April 20th, 2025 at 9am,  join in as Risen Lord Lutheran Church celebrates Easter!

This is the day! The day when tears are wiped away,  shattered hearts are mended, fears are replaced with joy. This is the day the Lord rolls away the stone of fear, throws off death's clothes, goes ahead of us into God's future. This is the day the Lord has made; therefore, death has no fear for us, sin has lost its power over us,  God opens the tombs of our hearts to fill us with life. Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Hallelujah! 

Join in to find out more & join us for brunch following the service! 💐