Alive in Christ to share life in Christ

5200 Lake Otis Parkway · 563-3499 · FaithAlaska.com

The Second Sunday of Easter April 19, 2020

of Rebellion

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A word from your pastor about this Word of God Although these verses serve as the introduction to the Book of Jonah, did you know that this isn’t the first we hear of the prophet in the Bible? In 2 Kings 14:25 we read, “In accordance with the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher.” The prophet had already made an appearance in the days of Jeroboam II, king of Israel, sometime between 793 and 753 B.C. Jonah is designated “the servant of the LORD,” but here, we see a different slant. He’s more rebel than servant. “Jonah” means “dove” and “Amittai” means “faithfulness.” In this short text, however, instead of displaying the innocence of a dove and the faithfulness of a prophet, he simply flies away like a bird and goes missing in action like a soldier, derelict in his duty. See the map on page 5 of the bulletin insert and listen to the sermon to learn how even the geography of the story of Jonah shows His rebellion!

Jonah 1:1-3

The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.

The First Lesson

❶ What was so intimidating about preaching to Nineveh?

❷ Point out different ironies in this text.

❸ What kind of a city was Tarshish?

❹ Plot each of the places mentioned in this text on the map on page 5.

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The Second Lesson 1 Peter 1:3-9

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

A word from your pastor about this Word of God

What brings more doubt into our lives than grief or sorrow? “Why did this happen to me?” “How could the Lord let my loved one die?” “When will this sickness stop?” Grief and sorrow raise doubts about God’s love and God’s plan for our lives. Peter points us to the resurrection as proof of the living hope we have regardless of our outward circumstances. We may doubt when we face trials, but the trials themselves prove the genuineness of our faith. Faith clings to a Savior we have not seen, but love. And this unseen Savior gives us the inexpressible joy of proof and peace even in the face of doubt. Leave those rebel doubts at the empty tomb and find true joy!

❶ Give one specific reason you can praise the Lord today.

❷ Peter writes that we are shielded by God’s power. Shielded from what?

❸ How does God use grief and trials to boost and bolster our faith?

❹ How can you believe in a God you’ve never seen?

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The Gospel John 20:19-31

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.”

26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed;

blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples,

which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you

may have life in his name.

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Message Notes Emerging from the Shadows of Rebellion

A sermon based on Jonah 1:1- 3 The well known story of Jonah is full of so many unexpected twists and turns

and ironies. At the same time, the simplicity of the Book is also quite striking. As we meet up with the fated prophet in the opening text of Jonah, the table is set for an epic adventure. We’re introduced to the two main characters in the story: the LORD—the God of free and faithful grace, a God who keeps His covenant with His people, and Jonah—a prophet from Gath Hepher. The simple plot is presented: God tells Jonah to get up and go and preach to the Nineveh; instead, the rebellious prophet goes down and remains silent. Even in these opening verses, we see the heart of a rebel in Jonah as he seeks to do the exact opposite of everything that God tells him.

We can understand why, can’t we? The Ninevites weren’t nice people, to say the least. They were brutal, bringing nightmares around the globe by all the terrorist acts they’d perpetrated. But we can understand for other reasons, too. We can relate with Jonah’s rebel heart because it beats in us as well. Thank God for His grace! The empty tomb shows us God’s faithful love to rebels like Jonah and rebels like us! He has kept His promises to save and redeem His people! Emerge from the shadows of rebellion today and see the beauty of conformity!

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Announcements

Our pastors are ready to serve you in any way consistent with their office. If you have spiritual problems or questions, or are interested in church membership please contact one of them.

Pastor Christopher Ewings - Faith Lutheran Church and Iglesia Luterana de Fe en Cristo - PastorChris@FaithAlaska.com - (907) 792-9788 Pastor Nathan Wagenknecht - Faith Lutheran Church and Iglesia Luterana de Fe en Cristo - PastorNate@FaithAlaska.com - (817) 428-2356 Pastor Pao Moua - Hmong Faith Lutheran Church - PastorMoua@FaithAlaska.com - 891-2640 Faith Lutheran School and Preschool offer a high-quality education in an environment enriched with Christian teachings and values. For more information, contact the office at 563-3499.

All face-to-face ministries have been suspended indefinitely. As our local, state and federal governments seek to find a solution to the coronavirus pandemic, we will continue to worship together virtually. Our 10:30am Sunday services will be streamed online. As always, your pastors are here to serve you. Please contact Pastors Chris and Nate by phone, text, email, social media or any other platform you find convenient.

Join us for Sunday Morning Bible Study on Zoom! You can access the link at http://zoom.us/j/679753617. The meeting ID is 679 753 617. You can also dial in on your phone at 1 (253) 215 8782 or 1 (301) 715 8592. The Bible study will take place at our regular scheduled time: 9:07 AKST. We’re taking a look at selected Psalms of Sanctuary.

Join us for a VIRTUAL Toddler Time on Wednesdays! Join the Toddler Time Facebook group to receive weekly updates about activities you can enjoy with your littles in the comfort and safety of your own home. Please contact Robin Brooks (907) 351-1303 or Cara Ewings (907) 792-9388, for more information.

Weekly chapel services still continue at Faith Lutheran School. Even though we can’t meet face to face for the rest of the school year, the Word is still coming to our students in the comfort of their own homes. The theme for chapel this school year is “Getting to Know God.” We’ve been looking at different names that God gives Himself in the Bible. Tune in on Thursday mornings at 8:30 to watch the chapel service. This week, we’ll learn why Jesus calls Himself the Resurrection and the Life.

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Announcements

Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church is a member congregation of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Wisconsin Synod Lutherans are Christians who are convinced that the Bible is the Word of God. We are eager to share the comfort, hope and power of the unchanging message of the Gospel: Jesus Christ crucified and risen for the eternal salvation of mankind.

Faith Lutheran Church: 10:30 Worship Service, 9:07 Bible Study Iglesia Luterana de Fe en Cristo: 12:30 Worship Service with Sunday School and Bible Study to follow Hmong Faith Lutheran: 3:00 Worship Service with Sunday School and Bible Study to follow

Worship with us on YouTube! If you go to YouTube.com and type in “Faith Lutheran Church Alaska,” you will find an icon with Faith’s logo. Here you’ll find archived services from weeks past as well as services streamed live during our weekly worship. You can also find links to our worship services on our church’s Facebook page: Faith Lutheran Church Alaska as well as on our website: FaithAlaska.com.

We need your help in person! We’ve been working together to best utilize the technology that we have to worship virtually. Health Alert 011 issued some clarifications about how churches can proceed with online services. We are welcome to produce our worship services to broadcast to our community. To do so, we are permitted to have up to 10 people to record the service. Here’s where we’d like your help. If you’re interested, we would like a few people to voice the congregation’s responses and sing along with the music at church. Look for an email later this week with a sign up and more details about this opportunity.

Weekly offerings can be given on the “Giving” tab of our website (FaithAlaska.com/giving/tithe-now/) or can be mailed to the church office. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact your pastors.

Ms. Heidi Kruger has accepted her divine Call to serve at Grace Lutheran Preschool in Kenai, AK. Mr. and Mrs. Zarnstorff have accepted their divine Calls to serve as 6th and 2nd grade teachers at Our Savior’s Lutheran School in Peridot, AZ.

We wish them the Lord’s continued blessings in their service!

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Stay up to date with what’s happening at Faith by liking our Facebook page. You can find us at Faith Lutheran Church Alaska.

Calendar

During this time of physical distancing, you may watch our services online. You can view them live or any time after the service is finished. Follow the link on our website at FaithAlaska.com, or go directly to youtube.com and search for “Faith Lutheran Church Anchorage Alaska.”

Offerings April 5 & 12

General: $22,337 Missions: $2,225

Faith Lutheran School April 5 & 12

Tuition: $7,686

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Faith Lutheran School Closed Due to Coronavirus Prevention

Faith Lutheran School Closed Due to Coronavirus Prevention

Faith Lutheran School Closed Due to Coronavirus Prevention

Faith Lutheran School Closed Due to Coronavirus Prevention