At Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain, the Father says, “This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” Well, what does Jesus have to say? “The Son of Man is going to Jerusalem to die and then rise again the third day.” The shining glory of Jesus seems like how we think God should look. The blood and suffering and cross is not how we think God should look. But Jesus’ suffering and death for sinners—for you and me—is what makes Him the Beloved Son of the Father. He is doing the Father’s will of saving sinners. Transfiguration teaches us that it’s not about how God looks, but what Jesus has to say. Listen to Him. Jesus’ Words give life. Standing behind those words in the glorious Son of God who shines in eternal glory while at the same time is covered in sins and blood and death on Calvary to save us. That Jesus is the One whose words give life. We’ll hear Him as we celebrate the Transfiguration of Our Lord this Sunday!

Provided my pre-surgery Covid test is negative, my surgery is scheduled for this coming Tuesday (Feb. 8). I am planning to be in the hospital for probably two nights and then out for two weeks. Thank you for your love, support, and most of all your prayers on my behalf!

SCHEDULE CHANGES
Some schedule changes for the next couple of weeks:
Sunday Feb. 13 and 20 – No 8am Bible Class or Learning the Faith
Tuesdays, Feb. 8, 15, and 22 – No 10:30am Bible Class

If you need anything while I’m recovering, please call your elder or the Church Office and we’ll arrange pastoral care.

PEW ATTENDANCE CARDS
We’ve gone back to using the Pew Cards for attendance. Please fill those out and give them to the usher when you come up for Communion or put them on the table next to the Offering Plate. Thank you for helping us keep our records up to date!
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD UPDATE
We tracked several of the boxes made by our school and church families. Our boxes went to Guatemala and the Philippines. We pray they were a blessing to the children who received them!

UPDATE ON PETER POLLACK
First, Peter was transferred to the Ohio State University system and is in Ross Hospital in Columbus. That is about an hour from their home. Second, and this is big news: He was approved for a lung transplant and is now awaiting that to happen. Please continue to keep the Pollacks in your prayers and if you’d like to follow up with another card or note, you can send that to him here:

Ohio State University
Ross Heart Hospital
452 W. 10th Avenue
Room 4046, Peter Pollack
Columbus OH 43210
MASKS IN WORSHIP
We are currently wearing our masks during worship. At this time there is no restriction on capacity or seating arrangements. Please consider the well-being of your neighbor most especially by staying home if you have any symptoms of illness. As always, you can get in touch with me to request a visit if you can’t be in church. Thank you for your patience and understanding and love of neighbor in all of this!

LIVE STREAM INFORMATION
You can watch live and find recorded services at the links below:
We stream live on our FACEBOOK PAGE HERE.
Our videos are also live and recorded on YOUTUBE HERE.

Lots of people imagine a shiny, glorious God. Few imagine that God could suffer and die. Jesus is both! The Transfiguration reminds us that hidden in the cross is the glory of God. We talk about God’s “glory” but that doesn’t just mean His mighty, shiny brilliance. It means His being in the flesh which is pierced and nailed to the cross to save the world from sin. The Transfiguration reminds us that Jesus is truly God but His biggest work of which the Father is more glad, is that He suffers and dies and rises to save us. Transfiguration also begins to shift our attention to Calvary and point us in the direction of Lent and Holy Week which soon follow. See you in the Divine Service!

In Christ,
Pastor Buetow