Pastor : Rev. Matthew Uttenreither 535-2282
Editors: Leah Lehman –
535-2172 and Carol Fuhrman – 535-2294
Pastor’s e-mail address: pastoruttenreither@frontiernet.net
Website: http://www.frontiernet.net/~stjohntigerton/
FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK…. Sorry, Mom
The second Sunday of May is Mother's Day here in these 
on others' holiday zeal (or guilt). I won't belabor
any of these points, although if you and your mom are somehow estranged, you have no day like today to start
getting in touch with her.
No, the "Mom" in the apologetic title is another mother — the
Mother of all Believers. And every
Sunday is chock-full of kids who should be sorry about their neglect of her the
day, the week, the month, or the year(s) before. Yeah, that Mother ...
Mom doesn't want the kids
just to visit on Christmas, Easter, and maybe Mother's Day. She'd like to have
every one of us around all the time. All the good our Father brings home —
reconciliation, protection, guidance, and direction — she readily shares
with her family. She sets the table with the wonderful meal provided by her Firstborn
Son and invites the rest of us to eat and drink. She misses the kids when
they're too busy with other stuff to even drop by for a couple hours each week.
Like any good parent, Mother wants us to grow up. Unlike most parents, she
doesn't want us to move out. Instead, she wants us to bring up our own families
within the family she's been raising with our Father. Another mouth to feed? No
problem! Huge loads of soiled linens? Bring 'em on! Like Father, like Mother:
She insists you behave yourself, yet she's always ready to forgive you when you
don't.
So, how are you and Mom getting along? Even if it's been a while, she's always
glad to see you. Just don't try to fool yourself into thinking that as long as
you and Father are on good terms, you can forget about her. You see, they go
together. Disrespect and neglect of Mother is disrespect and neglect of Father.
Our Mother's place is our Father's house, and He warns us not to be
"neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some" but rather to
cherish and seek out every opportunity to join the rest of the family in
encouraging "one another to love and good works. (Hebrews 10:24-25)" Unlike our
American secular holiday, the Lord's Day comes around every week — and
each new Lord's Day also brings a fresh Mother's Day. With it comes a fresh
opportunity to join with our Mother — and all our brothers and
sisters — to celebrate our family, to have our dirty clothes replaced with
the clean robes of righteousness, to have our spiritual hunger nourished and
our need for communion and community met.
One last thing to
consider — I remember asking my dad, "If you get Father's Day and Mom
gets Mother's Day, why isn't there a Kids' Day?" Echoing who knows how many
parents before him, Dad said, "Every day is Children's Day." For the
Christian, this is especially true. Every day we live in our Father's grace is
a blessed day for us. All our days are extra special when we spend them with
our Heavenly Father, our Holy Mother, and all the rest of the family.
So this Mother's Day — and every
Sunday — don't forget Mother. Bring a gift if you want; it's not required
and she's happy if you just bring yourself. Come back home and rediscover how
much she and Father love you.
In Christ, Pastor Matthew J. Uttenreither
Saint of the Month:
Friedrich Wyneken (May 4, 1876) Pastor and Missionary
Friedrich Conrad Dietrich Wyneken stands along-side C.F.W. Walther and Wilhelm
Sihler as one of the founding fathers of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod.
He was born to Pastor Heinrich Christoph and Anne Catharine Louise Wyneken in
on 13 May 1810 and baptized 22 May in St. Andreas Church, Verden, Kingdom of
Hannover, Germany.
Wyneken came to
Together with Loehe and Sihler, he founded Concordia
Theological Seminary in 1846 in
Upcoming Dates for Special Services:
May 13 Examination of the Catechumens Sunday 9:00am
May 17 The Ascension of Our Lord Thursday, 7:00pm
May 20
Confirmation Sunday/Baccalaureate Sunday 9:00am
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CCBC – CHATTY CORNER April 2012
We are almost finished with our CCBC Program for the
year.
It has been a time for laughter, a few tears as the
little ones adjusted to the routine, and silent prayers from the teachers for
patience, wisdom, and understanding. We
truly hope we have planted a spark for learning about our Savior in the
children.
Our graduation party is scheduled for May 16th. We have sent out an invitation to parents to
join us at 5:00p.m. We also extend this
invitation to the congregation. Each
class will do a short presentation of things they have learned throughout the
year at that time. Following the
program, pizza and refreshments will be served for everyone. Please join us.
Time to share a child moment…several month back, I
mentioned the child who was saying the Lords Prayer….Last week I heard it again
– same child – “Our father, You are in Heaven, hallowed by My
name, My Kingdom come, My will be done. I thought…ooh, we failed! But did we??? – I think not. Ponder this awhile – out of the mouths of
babes – really simple, isn’t it?!!
Our God is in heaven – we ask him to bless us by name –
we will one day live in His Kingdom – it is our faith that tells us it is his
will that we be with him. Simple!
It has been “a hoot”. Superintendent,
Sandy Vollmer