Maundy Thursday Seder Meal at Gloria Dei April 2 nd at 5:30 PM ($10 per person). ✞ Good Friday Service will be held at Bethany on the 3 rd at 6:00 PM Join us for Easter service on April 5 th (see Facebook for updates) TLC LADIES The TLC Ladies warmly invite all women of the church to join us for fellowship, faith, and service in the coming months. Our Bible Study continues to meet on the 4th Friday of each month at 10:00 AM, and our fellowship and activity gatherings are held on the 2nd Friday at 1:30 PM. We would love to have you join us! We are especially looking forward to our TLC Ladies Tea on April 10 at 1:30 PM, with the theme “The Music of Our Lives.” Please confirm your reservation with Cynthia at 503-860-6544 (call or text). If you volunteered to bring food, please confirm that as well. Looking ahead, in May we will hold a baby shower to benefit the Crisis Pregnancy Center. This is a wonderful opportunity to support mothers and families in need. All women of the church are warmly invited, bring a friend—we hope to see you there! SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS Scholarship applications for college tuition are available in the church office. Applications are due at the office by Sunday May 10. SOCIAL MINISTRIES A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to Milky the Cow! Because of your generosity, we have met our goal of replenishing the funds given to Community House from our Social Ministries account. Any additional funds received will be used to purchase hamburger as needed to further our support efforts. During the months of April and May, our focus will be supporting the Emergency Shelter. A list of much- needed items is available in the narthex, as well as on our Facebook page via the shelter’s Amazon wishlist. Your donations are both needed and deeply appreciated. Your kindness truly makes a difference. The Emergency Support Shelter invites you to Be A Change Maker: “To truly create social change, activism must happen not only nationally but also right here in Cowlitz County. It can happen in small, everyday actions as well as creative ways using large-scale or far-reaching venues like the media or social networking. Some of the most important steps you can take are simple and can make a big difference.” Thank you, and God bless you for your generosity and caring spirit. -Social Ministries SUNDAY BIBLE STUDY We are studying the Gospel of Matthew following church on Sundays during Adult Bible Study. Join us! Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16) One of the professors at the seminary has stated, “If Jesus knew he was going to be raised from the dead, he could not be my God.” If I remember correctly, this professor believed that the words of Jesus’ prophecy about his resurrection were added by his followers and not spoken by Jesus himself. And while I may disagree with this theory, it does bring out a feeling that many people think, “How can Jesus understand my suffering because he is God?” This assumes that Jesus did know that he would be raised – that he knew the will of the Father and the outcome of all. However, this ignores Paul’s quote of what is thought to be an early hymn in Philippians. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself While the Bible ascribes to Jesus all the powers and abilities of God, we also find that humanness of anxiety, worry, and despair. I think Jesus shows this in John’s Gospel when Jesus says, “Now my soul is troubled. And what could I say ‘Father, save me from this hour?” Another example of Jesus’ human anxiety is found in the garden when he cries, “Abba. Father if it is possible remove this cup.” Jesus was struggling with the path that had been set before him. It was a risk for him and a reminder that when he became human, he became vulnerable in order to save us. Vulnerable to pain, to sickness, to rejection, to death. I do admit it is an interesting question whether or not Jesus knew that he would be resurrected. If he did not know, then his giving of himself, risking death without resurrection would be even more incredible. However, even if he knew that he would be raised, he is still like us. We believe that we will rise again, but it does not always take away all the fear of death. In Jesus, God experienced what we do in our everyday lives – the pain, sickness, rejection, and death. What the author of Hebrews is telling us is that God does understand and is there for us in our struggles. As we continue our journey to the cross this Lenten season, let us focus and understand the God of all creation walking the same path that we do and who indeed walked the path of suffering and death before us. Blessings: Pastor Craig

TLC LADIES The TLC Ladies warmly invite all women of the church to join us for fellowship, faith, and service in the coming months. Our Bible Study continues to meet on the 4th Friday of each month at 10:00 AM, and our fellowship and activity gatherings are held on the 2nd Friday at 1:30 PM. We would love to have you join us! We are especially looking forward to our TLC Ladies Tea on April 10 at 1:30 PM, with the theme “The Music of Our Lives.” Please confirm your reservation with Cynthia at 503-860-6544 (call or text). If you volunteered to bring food, please confirm that as well. Looking ahead, in May we will hold a baby shower to benefit the Crisis Pregnancy Center. This is a wonderful opportunity to support mothers and families in need. All women of the church are warmly invited, bring a friend—we hope to see you there!