Atonement Lutheran Church - Spring Valley, CA
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Worship >
      • Sermons
      • Prayer Requests
    • What We Believe
    • Newsletter
    • Staff
    • History
  • Activities & Events
    • Monthly Calendar
    • Choir and Bells
    • LWML
    • Hiking Club
    • Kids & Teens
    • Photos
  • Education
    • Atonement Tutor Center
    • Adult Bible Studies
    • Membership
    • Sunday School
    • VBS
  • Contact Us
    • Location
    • Resources
  • Blog
(619) 670-7174

April - Pastor's Newsletter Article

3/30/2015

 
Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

This year, as the calendar turns from March to April, Atonement Lutheran Church will be in the midst of its Holy Week observance. This month I would like to help us all prepare for Holy Week by taking a brief moment to consider the incredible unity of the Holy Scriptures. I want us to see in greater clarity the connections between the events of Holy Week as recorded by the four Biblical Gospels and the week of creation as recorded in the first chapter of Genesis. We will refer to an article by Professor Charles Arand of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis to help draw out these connections. It is my prayer that our trust in our Creator God who in the fullness of time sent forth his Son to renew all creation might grow. 

Consider this: on the 6th day of the week, God created his human creatures; on the 6th day of the week, Jesus (the Creator incarnate) dies for his human creatures. God’s human creatures were not content to remain creatures. They wanted to rise above and transcend their creatureliness. They wanted to be like God. Yet in that very moment, when they overreached, they fell. And when they fell, they dragged down with them the entire creation into violence, death, and decay. And then we come to Holy Week. The sixth day, the day on which the God had made his human creatures, now becomes the day that the Son (through whom all things were made) now suffers and dies as a human creature. Jesus dies and endures God’s judgment upon his human creatures. And creation fell apart: the earth quaked, the sky darkened.

The parallels continue. In Genesis, after God finished creating, He rested on the seventh day and delighted in all that he had made. And now on the seventh day, after Jesus declared on the cross that “it was finished,” Jesus rested in the tomb. This time he rested not from his work of creation, but from his work of rescuing creation. And then the new beginning. On the first day of the week he arose bodily from the dead. Again, consider the connections. God began his work of creation on the first day. He now ushers in the new creation on the first day of the week—first for humans and then for the rest of creation.  And so Sunday becomes the first day of the new creation or the 8th day of creation—a point illustrated by the shape of many of our baptismal fonts. And so where the fall of the entire creation began, there the restoration of the entire creation begins (namely, with us, God’s human creatures). [1]

The one who created all things in a week has intervened in in a week of new creation to recreate you in the image of his Firstborn Son, Jesus Christ. Let us ever be found in this Christ as baptized, believing new creations.

A blessed Holy Week and Easter season to all of you!

In Christ,
Pastor Josh




[1] Dr. Charles Arand, “The 6th Day” found on togetherwithallcreatures.com.



Comments are closed.

    Atonement is ...

    Atonement Lutheran Church is a Christ centered congregation that cares for the whole person with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

    Archives

    October 2016
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011

    Categories

    All
    Advent
    Catechism
    Church Growth
    Church Year
    Devotional Resources
    Hymnal
    Lent
    Liturgy
    Lutherans
    Membership
    Newsletter
    Reformation
    Synod

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos from davecito, quinn.anya