Author: Atonement

Atonement’s News

MISSION
Atonement Lutheran Church is a Christ-centered congregation that cares for the whole person with the Good News of Jesus Christ
VISION
To be a strong leader of our community in caring for its needs with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
CORE VALUES
Witness
We are God’s redeemed people who bear witness to Jesus Christ
Mercy
We are God’s redeemed people who show mercy to those who have physical needs
Life Together
We are God’s Redeemed people who gather together around the life giving Word and Sacraments and have fellowship with one another.

2015

A Monthly Publication of Atonement Lutheran Church

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).
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.

FINANCIAL SECRETARY REPORT

BOARD OF LAY MINISTRY

For the month of February receipts totaled $10,558. To meet the approved budget, we need $10,768. Fiscal year to date, receipts total $98.466 vs budget of $104,988 which puts us $6,522 behind budget. A total of $40 has been received through February for Lent folders that will be given to Lutheran High School of San Diego.
- Ann Duggan

Mary Magdalene
One of the most appealing women in the Bible, Mary was a prominent character in Jesus Christ Superstar. In the Bible she is described as one of Jesus’ many devoted women followers, someone from whom He had exorcised seven demons (Luke 8:2). According to tradition (but not the bible itself) she was a reformed prostitute. She followed the body of Jesus to its burial place and was the first to learn of His resurrection (Matt. 28:1-8; Mark 16:9). Chapter 20 of John’s gospel relates a touching story of Mary going to Jesus’ tomb, finding it empty, then encountering the risen Jesus, whom she does not recognize at first. Mary goes to Jesus’ disciples with the news “I have seen the Lord.”
“Magdalene” probably refers to her coming from the village of Magdala.
Mary Magdalene was a favorite subject for artists, who often portrayed her weeping over his past sins.
Peace
To us it means “no war”. In the Bible it meant much more: the state of well-being, security, the condition of being in a right relation with both God and man. The Hebrew word Shalom and the Greek Eirene both convey this rich meaning. For one with faith in God, this type of peace could be had even if war was raging. Christ the Savior is referred to as “our peace” (Eph. 2:14). The Bible’s view of peace is summarized nicely in Isaiah 26:3: “Your will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”

BOARD OF FELLOWSHIP

Please remember that donations to the ‘kitty’ help fund our Sunday morning fellowship snacks and coffee.

BOARD OF STEWARDSHIP

“And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? . . . I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you? Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?” (Matthew 20:11–15).
Entry into the Kingdom of heaven is by grace not by works. And this is the point of the parable. Those hired first received the same wage as those hired last. Those hired first, even though they bore the heat of the day, received the same wage as those hired last. Entry into the kingdom comes by grace, by the gracious call and invitation of the owner of the vineyard.
And we chafe against this. We, like those hired first, object to the master’s decision. We begrudge him because of his generosity. We think that those who labored longer should receive a greater wage. And we protest that it’s not fair. But that is precisely the point. It’s not fair. It’s by grace. It’s given from God’s undeserved love and kindness, not by merit. So we should rejoice. For to ask for fairness, to ask to be treated by what deserve and have earned, is simply to ask for hell.
For God owes us nothing. For by grace you are saved, by his underserved love and mercy. And even though it was undeserved, that doesn’t mean it was cheap. It wasn’t cheap, but costly. It cost God the Father His own Son. It cost the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, His very life. God’s grace is costly grace. It costs us nothing but the cost for God was great. For it was achieved by the shedding of the holy and precious blood and the innocent suffering and death of Jesus. And it is by that shed blood that God by grace calls us to be His own. It is by that death that God by grace gives us entrance into His kingdom.
He doesn’t owe us. We’re not entitled to anything from God. He is not indebted to us. We are indebted to Him. For we have not lived as He mattered most. We have not loved Him with our whole heart, body, mind, and soul, with all that we are and all that we have. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve his temporal and eternal punishments. But unlike us, He doesn’t hold this debt over our heads. He has instead place our debt upon the head of His Son, and His Son has taken it willingly so that we would be forgiven and free.
For reasons all His own God has determined to love us. He has taken the punishment we deserve upon himself. He has given gifts to those whom He knows would take it for granted. This is grace. He is kind, forgiven, steadfast. He is slow to anger and abounding in love. For the kingdom of heaven is entered by grace, by His giving not our earning.
He is allowed to do what He chooses with what belongs to Him. But it doesn’t work the same way with us. For what belongs to us? Nothing. We belong to Him, by water and His Name. He purchased and won us from sin, death, and the devil by His holy, precious blood and His innocent suffering and death, so that we would be His own special possession. Thus, we have nothing of our own, it all belongs to Him. We are stewards of what He has given to us. And so we give of ourselves, all that we are and all that we have, to those whom God has placed us to care for in our vocations of members of a family, society, and the church.
And if He has done all this for us, how can we not do with everything that He gave us likewise?

From the Pews

The exaltation of Jesus Christ is repeatedly presented in the New Testament as the fulfillment of Psalm 110:1 "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool."
This means that Christ reigns from His present place of exaltation and must do until all His enemies are overthrown, " The last enemy that will be destroyed is death"(1 Cor 15:26).
During His earthly ministry, Jesus declared that He had greater works to do in the future. He specified two of these greater works as follows: The raising of the dead and the passing
of the final judgment. Those who were spiritually dead received new life when they accepted in faith to the Son of God. They were passing judgment on themselves as they accepted
or rejected the life which He offered. Both the present work of Christ and His future work are dependent on His "finished" work. This work will not be completed until "the day of
Jesus Christ" (Phil.1:6), when the entire universe will be united "in Christ" (Eph. 1:10).
- Remi Tufts

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Mike Heidtbrink
Kathy Munnik
Dylan Smith
Erika Luther
Leslie Olsen
Chaz Riley

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Bob & Bonnie Imig
Jared and Jobana Weber

There is still space to sign up for flowers in 2015. The suggested donation is $30 and the flower chart is hung in the narthex.

April
Lay Ministers Acolytes Flowers
2 Jim Dysart Sheree Moody
3 Robert Bryant
5 Larry Betancourt Junior Betancourt
12 Don Geisinger Rebecca Moody Dylan Dysart’s Birthday
19 Robert Bryant Vanessa Contreras
26 Jim Dysart Phillip Brann Cruz
Usher: Curtis Duggan Asst. Usher: James Contreras

2014—2015
Officers and Board/Committee Members
Executive Board
President Todd Martens
Secretary Shenoah Riess
Financial Secretary Ann Duggan
Treasurer Nancy Riley
Board of Lay Ministry
Chairperson Manny Cruz
Member Don Geisinger
Member Jim Dysart
Member Robert Bryant
Member Larry Betancourt
Board of Stewardship
Chairperson Judy Dysart
Member Lynn Chiaravalle
Member Kathy Martens
Member Jenny Moody
Board of Properties
Chairperson Art and Beth Puls
Member Manfred Luther
Member Bobby Riess
Member Dave Brinchman
Member Bob Imig
Board of Fellowship
Chairperson Jennie Green
Member Donna Hurd
Member Carol Hernandez
Board of Education
Chairperson Seth Heidtbrink
Member Gloria Ollhoff
Board of Outreach
Chairperson Sandee Boelter
Member Bob Karo
Member Remi Tufts
Flowers Carol Hernandez

ATONEMENT LUTHERAN CHURCH
10245 Loma Rancho Drive
Spring Valley, CA 91978
(619) 670-7174
Rev. Joshua LaFeve, Pastor
atonementspringvalley.org
atonement.sv@gmail.com
Weekly Service
Sunday at 9:00 am
Bible Study
Sunday at 10:30 am
Tuesday at 6:00 pm (Men’s)
Wednesday at 10:00 am
Wednesday at 6:30 pm (Women’s)
Sunday School
Sunday at 10:30 am
Confirmation
Tuesday’s at 5:00 pm
Choir Rehearsal
Tuesday’s at 7:00 pm
Atoner’s Bell Ringers
Tuesday’s at 6:00 pm
Hiking Club
Last Saturday of each month. Location and times to be announced

SUNDAY	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY
			1 / 6:30 pm Scouts	2 / 11:00 am Lay Ministers / 11:30 am Better Life / Together / 7:00 pm Maundy Thursday	3 / 7:00 pm Good Friday	4 / 9:30 am Easter Dress Rehearsal
5 Easter Sunday / 9:00 am Easter Service / 10:30 am Easter Breakfast / 11:00 am Easter Egg Hunt	6	7 / 9:00 am Al Anon / 5:00 pm Confirmation / 6:00 pm Bells / 6:00 pm Men’s Group / 7:00 pm Choir	8 / 10:00 am Bible Study / 6:30 pm Women’s Bible Study	9 / 11:30 am Better Life / Together	10	11
12 / 9:00 am Prayer/ Preaching / 10:30 am Bible Study / 10:30 am Sunday School	13 / 6:00 pm Church Council	14 / 9:00 am Al Anon / 5:00 pm Confirmation / 6:00 pm Bells / 6:00 pm Men’s Group / 7:00 pm Choir	15 / 10:00 am Bible Study / 6:30 pm Scouts / 6:30 pm Women’s Bible Study	16 / 11:30 am Better Life / Together	17 / 7:00 pm Game Night	18 / 9:00 am LWML Spring Celebration
19 / 9:00 am Divine Service / 10:30 am Bible Study / 10:30 am Sunday School	20	21 / 9:00 am Al Anon / 5:00 pm Confirmation / 6:00 pm Bells / 6:00 pm Men’s Group / 7:00 pm Choir	22 / 10:00 am Bible Study / 6:30 pm Women’s Bible Study	23 / 11:30 am Better Life / Together	24	25 / 9:00 am Hiking Club / 10:00 am Al-Anon Business Meeting
26 / 9:00 am Prayer/Preaching / 10:30 am Bible Study / 10:30 am Sunday School	27	28 / 9:00 am Al Anon / 5:00 pm Confirmation / 6:00 pm Bells / 6:00 pm Men’s Group / 7:00 pm Choir	29 / 10:00 am Bible Study / 6:30 pm Scouts / 6:30 pm Women’s Bible Study	30 / 11:30 am Better Life / Together	1	2