Dear Members and Friends of Zion,In the book of Exodus, the Lord sent plagues upon the Egyptians. When the magicians of Egypt couldn’t duplicate the events anymore, they told Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God!” Jesus tells His accusers that He is casting out demons by the finger of God. The Lord plagued Egypt to cause them to repent and to set His people free. Christ points His finger at the devil and casts him down. The finger of God brings judgement for the sake of our repentance and it brings salvation for the sake of our eternal life. We might ask if this whole coronavirus situation is the “finger of God.” Let’s put it this way: it’s just one more reminder that we are mortal, that we are sinful, that we stand under God’s judgment apart from Jesus. But in Jesus, the finger of God has cast out sin and death and God has only blessings and salvation for us. No matter what happens, Jesus saves us and will work out all things for our good. We don’t fear a virus or anything else more than God! Rather, we love Him and trust He will take care of us in this life and bring us to the life to come.
Now, speaking of coronavirus and all that sort of thing: Our desire as Christians should be to confess that we fear, love, and trust in God above all things: That means we want to be gathered in the Divine Service and receive His gifts. We also want to love and serve our neighbor. So here are some things to know and keep in mind:
We will continue to hold worship services at our usual times. We will continue to offer both the chalice and individual cups for Communion. There have not been any recorded cases of people contracting illnesses from the chalice or individual cups at any greater rate than any other way.
Please make sure to practice good hand washing techniques. This is the number one best line of defense against germs and viruses.
You are free to shake hands or not shake hands, to use a fist bump or bump elbows, etc. Please honor the wishes of others if they choose not to shake hands, etc.
If you are sick: cough, fever, body aches, or any other symptoms, of if you’ve been around someone who is sick, please stay home!
If you become seriously ill or are hospitalized, please let me know so that I can visit you and bring you the comfort of Christ’s Word and gifts.
Please pray for those who are ill and those who have to make decisions for our community about precautions and preparedness. Always pray for our first responders and medical professionals.
Most Nursing Homes and Assisted Living facilities have instituted strict no-visiting policies. This means I’ve been unable to visit some of you. I hope that we can stream our services via our church’s Facebook page. Please call the office or get a hold of me if you need anything, or to talk, pray, etc.
We were also informed today that McHenry School District 15 has shut down beginning Monday until further notice. This means our school will be closed as well. Please keep our students and staff in your prayers during this difficult time.
Unfortunately, our Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention even that was scheduled for tonight has been cancelled. A new date will be determined.
Our Annual EASTER EGG HUNT is SATURDAY, APRIL 4, at 10:00 AM. Like previous years, we need your help to fill the eggs the kids will gather. We’ve almost gotten them all filled. Just a few bags left! Please take a bag or more of eggs from the narthex, fill them with candy and bring them back to church. Blue bags have 25 eggs and all the other bags have 50. Thanks for your help in making our Easter Egg Hunt the great event it always is!
Make sure you join us for MIDWEEK LENTEN SUPPER on WEDNESDAY at 5:30 PM and MIDWEEK WORSHIP at 7:00 PM. Give up a couple hours a week in Lent for some fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ and the fellowship of Jesus’ Word and Body and Blood! We’re taking about the gift of prayer on Wednesday nights. Come hear what blessings the Lord gives us in the prayer that He Himself taught us!
It’s strange that when Jesus was casting out Satan, He still had accusers who were out to get Him. But it’s just that hatred of the world that leads to our salvation. Jesus has cast down the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of God has come to us. You are a part of God’s kingdom. While the world around us may seem to be falling apart, we have an eternal hope of everlasting life where there will be no more sickness and tears! Come hear that Good News! See you in the Divine Service!
In Christ,
Pastor Buetow
Kids Singing at Nancy Woellert’s Funeral
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