We are entering into the most somber time of the year. Lent is hailed in by Ash Wednesday, Feb 18th. Worship is in the Sanctuary at 7:00pm.

Ash Wednesday is the official start of the season. These are the holiest of times. During Lent people give up things for the 40 days. I have given up French fries, sweets, meat. Not all during one Lent! I’m not crazy! I also quit buying Starbucks and the money I saved from those purchases I gave to the food bank. I have also heard that people add things for Lent. For example: spend more time in prayer, or volunteer at a food bank. I picked the grapefruit off my tree and brought it to Paradise Valley Food Bank. I may spend an hour away from anything electronic: phone, TV, computer. This year for my Lenten devotion, I’ve decided to write letters, otherwise known as "snail mail!" It’s not something I typically do, but I always appreciate getting mail from friends and I thought it would be a nice way to reach out to folks, some in town and some out of town. Maybe for your days during Lent you would consider attending Wednesday dinner and worship?!?

Musically, we put 'Alleluia' away for the 40 days and bring it out to shine on Easter morning. You will notice in the sung liturgy (if there is a Gospel text), Alleluia is never sung, when during the rest of the year Alleluia announces the Gospel text.

Whatever you decide to do during these 40 days, make it an intention that brings Easter to the forefront. I wish you a positive and meaningful Lenten season.

Jennifer Sheldon

Director of Music & Worship

As I progress in my French, I’ve noticed many interesting church terms which are cognates (words that look the same) in both French and English. Especially noteworthy are the words that have a circumflex over vowels: they often reveal where a word either lost an “s” in French or, perhaps, gained one in English.

Pentecôte                       baptême

Pâques (Easter)              fête

ancêtre                          vêtements

prêtre

Other useful words: église (church); croix (cross); Noël (Christmas); le luthéranisme; la Bible; mon organiste préféré est…

Dr. Jeremy Peterman

Organist and Handbell Director

🎼 Get to Know Your Choir

Alan Steffe

I was born in Saginaw, Michigan, and grew up in Reese, a small community east of town. There I attended a Lutheran grade school followed by a Lutheran high school in Saginaw. In high school, I played first chair clarinet in the band, was a member of the touring choir, and played on the golf team which won the state class championship my junior year.

I achieved a BSE in Electrical Engineering from General Motors Institute (now known as Kettering University – a five-year cooperative education program) and a Masters in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan. Following graduation, I worked in various manufacturing and engineering positions in General Motors’ operations in Michigan, Illinois, and New York. I retired as the Manufacturing Engineering Director for General Motors’ Casting Operations in the GM Powertrain Organization in 2006 after 44 years with the company.

I have two daughters and a son, seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. After 41 years of marriage, my wife passed away from cancer in 2010; however, the Lord saw to it that I should not be alone and provided me with another wonderful woman, Roxanne. We were married in 2013 and added another son and two grandchildren to the family. Roxanne has enriched my life by getting me involved in many expanded travels, downhill skiing, 5K races, 10-mile races, and a half-marathon (I’m a walker, not a runner, and did come in 3rd place in the 10-mile event for my age group [70] with a 12.5-minute/mile average).

I have always loved music, playing clarinet with a local community band following high school, singing in my church choirs and a local performance chorus while in Michigan, especially when harmonizing with some true bass notes. Hobbies include healthy walking, and golf, which has been my primary sport since childhood. I have even been blessed with three holes-in-one over the years.

My first exposure to Arizona occurred in the mid-1980s when we came to Scottsdale for a warm winter golfing vacation while living in New York’s north country. We fell in love with Arizona at that time and eventually purchased a second home in Scottsdale. As they say, the rest is history. We are blessed now that I am retired to enjoy sunshine year-round.

We were introduced to La Casa de Cristo when we attended Arizona Musicfest performances and joined the church in 2024. We feel very blessed with many new friendships. We are truly fed through the Word and the many Bible studies and activities available to us. I was quickly welcomed into the choir and felt very comfortable with all the music, the fellowship available, and the very accomplished musicians leading the way. One of my favorite hymns is I Know That My Redeemer Lives, a hymn that will be sung very soon. It is truly a blessing to be part of this congregation.

LA CASA | WOMEN

Wow LA CASA | WOMEN! What a remarkable, watering of souls we experienced right here on our beautiful campus two weeks ago at our Women’s Refresh Conference. I thank SO MANY of you who truly rose up as ambassadors of the LORD at La Casa and welcomed dry, weary women from across the Valley to be refreshed in life-changing ways, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

It was beautiful and powerful and palpable!

But we don’t stop there; the watering schedule continues.

Have you ever noticed when watering your yard with a garden hose that the driest place in your yard can be located right below you, at your own feet? As you extend the hose from your hand, reaching far away, parched earth… that which is located right below you, potentially remains brown. That is, if we merely stand still and don’t move and water…

The LORD will always lead you, satisfy you in a parched land, and strengthen your bones. You will be like a watered garden and like a spring whose water never runs dry.

Isaiah 58:11

Jesus promised the indwelling of the Holy Spirit after His ascension into heaven, the Living Water to live within us. It is up to us to ‘tend to the spring’ within, immersing ourselves IN the Word of God. All women are welcome to join us on February 10th (am or pm) for a refreshing time to do just that. Or join one of our Women’s ministry Lenten groups. Also, Unattached Valentine’s (women & men), please don’t forget to register to join us on Valentine’s Day morning for brunch! All FREE here at La Casa; be encouraged to invite friends. Come. Drink. Women who live loved, live differently!

XO Paula

Paula Webb

Director of Women's Ministry

Our new series is called Like & Subscribe, a title kids instantly recognize from YouTube but with a deeper meaning we want them to truly understand. In a world where “liking” and “following” often mean a quick tap or a momentary reaction, Jesus invites us into something much more lasting.

On the night before Jesus gave up His life, He told His friends, “Everyone will know you are my disciples if you love one another.” It sounds simple but it’s anything but easy.

We live in a culture that uses the word love for almost everything-from what we enjoy to what makes us feel good in the moment. Kids hear this word constantly, yet it’s often unclear what love truly means. That’s why they need something different-a true picture of love shaped by Jesus. A love that is intentional and rooted in how Jesus treats us.

This month, our kids will explore what that kind of love looks like through the life of Jesus. They’ll discover that God’s love is bigger than themselves and that it’s for the whole world. They’ll see how loving God leads us to love others, how Jesus’ love transformed lives like Zacchaeus and how compassion moves us to notice and care for people in need.

What we’re doing together matters. When kids experience love in action through safe spaces, caring leaders, and stories of Jesus lived out, they begin to understand what real love looks like. That love has the power to shape how they see God, others, and themselves for years to come.

Staci Medina

Director of Children's Ministry



I am going to guess one of the key thoughts that pop into your mind when you think of the month of February is Valentine’s Day.

I pulled up the following from Google:

Lutheran views on Valentine's Day focus on Christian love (Agape), seeing it as a chance to honor God's boundless love in Christ, remember martyrs like St. Valentine, and express sacrificial love, rather than just love; and see it as an opportunity to bless relationships within God's grace, even while acknowledging its secular traditions.

I would like to share some key themes and scriptures as reminders of the love that only God can give us:

• God's Unconditional Love: Focus on Agape love—God's selfless, divine love shown through Jesus.
• Scripture: John 3:16; Romans 5:8 (Christ died for us while we were sinners.)
• Contentment in God's Love: Counter feelings of lack with the truth that nothing separates us from God's love.
• Scripture: Romans 8:38-39 (Nothing can separate us from God's love.)
• Love as a Verb (Giving): Shift focus from receiving to giving God and others love, using earthly love as a reflection of His love.
• Action: Thank God for specific blessings, ask how to show love, and prefer the "blessor over the blessing."
• Forgiveness & Reconciliation: Ask God to help you extend grace and let go of past wrongs.
• Action: Commit to not bringing up past hurts and replace them with thankfulness. 

I would like to leave you with a devotional starter and a prayer prompt to take you through this month of Love.



Devotional Starter

• The Greatest Gift: Start by acknowledging God's immense love (sending Jesus) as the ultimate Valentine gift, inspiring love for Him and others.

Prayer Prompt

• "Father, thank You for Your incredible, everlasting love. Help me center my life on You, not on earthly expectations for Valentine's Day. Show me how to reflect Your love to my family and those around me."



Suzan Scudder

Director of Youth Ministry



After a few of the usual Sunday hymns, the church’s pastor slowly stood up, walked over to the pulpit and, before he gave his sermon for the day, briefly introduced a guest minister who was in the service. In the introduction, the pastor told the congregation that the guest minister was one of his dearest childhood friends and that he wanted him to have a few moments to greet the church and share whatever he felt would be appropriate for the service.

With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit and began to speak, “A father, his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific Coast.” He began, “when a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to shore. The waves were so high that, even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright, and the three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized.”

The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in the story. The aged minister continued with his story. “Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life: to which boy he would throw the other end of the life line. He had only seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian, and he also knew that his son’s friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of the waves. As the father yelled out, ‘I love you, son!,' he threw out the life line to the son’s friend. By the time the father had pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beneath the raging swells into the black of night. His body was never recovered.”

By this time, the two teenagers were sitting up straight in the pew, anxiously waiting for the next words to come out of the old minister’s mouth. “The father,” he continued, “knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus, and he could not bear the thought of his son’s friend stepping into an eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son to save the son’s friend. How great is the love of God that He could do the same for us. Our heavenly Father sacrificed His only begotten Son that we could be saved. I urge you to accept His offer to rescue you and take hold of the life line.”

With that, the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled the room. The pastor again walked slowly to the pulpit and delivered a brief sermon with an invitation at the end. However, no one responded to the appeal. Within minutes after the service, the two teenagers were at the old man’s side. “That was a nice story,” politely said one of the boys, “but I don’t think it was very realistic for a father to give up his only son’s life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian.”

"Well, you’ve got a point there,” the old man replied, glancing down at his worn Bible. Sorrow began to overtake the old man’s smiling face as he once again looked up at the boys and said, “It sure isn’t very realistic, is it? But I am here today to tell you that I understand more than most the pain God must have felt to give up His only Son. For you see, I’m the man who lost his son to the ocean that day, and my son’s friend that I chose to save is your Pastor.”

Remember La Casa de Cristo’s mission statement: “Loving those who don’t know Jesus and growing those who do." Amen!

Blessings...

Jean Knowling, R.N.

Parish Nurse