Your Weekly E-Newsletter -- Thursday, May 11, 2023

“but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you;

yet do it with gentleness and respect.”  

I Peter 3:15

This past Saturday, Charles, the eldest son of the late Queen Elizabeth II and her late husband Prince Philip, was crowned in Westminster Abbey as King of the United Kingdom. The coronation was the public ceremony marking Charles' ascension to the throne, though he became king on September 8, 2022, immediately following the death of Elizabeth. 



The ceremony was structured around an Anglican service of Holy Communion. Charles took the oath of office, was anointed with holy oil, and received the coronation regalia, all of which emphasized his spiritual role and secular responsibilities. Like British rulers before him, Charles is both monarch and head of the Church of England.  As part of his oath, Charles promised to be the kingdom's "Defender of the Faith". This refers expressly to the Christian faith, and Charles, a regular churchgoer, has said that his own faith is "deeply rooted" in the Church of England. 

However, in a 1994 documentary, Charles suggested he was more a "defender of faith" than "the faith." Charles, one newspaper reported, seemed to "question the impulse to prioritize one particular interpretation.” In the documentary he said, '""People have fought to the death over these things, which seems to me a peculiar waste of people's energy, when we're all actually aiming for the same ultimate goal."  More recently, however, Charles clarified his remarks, saying: "It's always seemed to me that, while at the same time being Defender of the Faith, you can also be protector of faiths."

I suppose you can.  His words and the inclusion of a prayer in the coronation service asking God to preserve the freedom of worship in the land balance his roles as ceremonial head of two institutions (the Church of England and the Government of the United Kingdom). Charles has his work cut out for him. I’m not sure he’ll really have much to do with the day to day of either institution, but his sentiments are thoroughly consistent with how people have felt for ages about religion and the state.  This was not the case in pre -Jesus Israel mind you. It was patently clear in antiquity who a Jew was to worship. But Jews who became Christians in Israel after the resurrection all of a sudden had a dilemma on their hands. They were in the Jewish state but no longer of the Jewish faith.  They sort of became “instant aliens” in their own home country.   

It got even more complicated for Christians who lived outside of Israel, to whom Peter is speaking in his epistle of I Peter.  Recall he speaks to “God’s elect … strangers in the world” (I Peter 1:1)  That is why Peter urges them to be ready to defend the faith, but with respect.  These people were sort of “double strangers” – not native to the places they lived and not adherent of local religions.  It’s not easy to ‘gently and respectfully’ defend anything. Defending tends to make a person “defensive”. And before you know it, people defending something can become quite ‘offensive”, if you know what I mean. 

Peter, of all people, knew the pitfalls of being asked to give a defense of his faith. He failed that test spectacularly three times. Then in shame he fled the scene in tears.   Peter concludes that a person needs to “be ready” genuinely. His advice is not flippant. But he is mindful that the manner and tone of defense is well-nigh as important as the defense itself.  Christians should always contend for the faith we hold dear, but without being contentious people.  I’ll give Charles the benefit of the doubt that his faith in Christ is genuine, even as I got a bit squeamish when I read about his 1994 conflation of “faith” with “the faith.”  He is king of “Englanders” who come in all shapes and sizes religiously. He can’t help that, and in that regard his tone of respect toward others is Biblically justified. 

But Peter, warts and all, gives us some excellent counsel in our text for this weekend.  It dovetails nicely with the story from Acts 17 about Paul striking up a conversation in Athens about faith. Paul rejoices that he at least got a hearing for the gospel, and for that matter our Lord’s promise of a Counselor who will be with us forever. Paul later tells his disciples that this Counselor “will remind you of everything I have done and said".  Give defense of your faith the utmost care and attention. Read your Bible; read the Catechism; but also read your audience.  Find out what they wonder about or object to.  Then give it your best – and by that, I mean pray about and even rehearse what you would say about the hope that Jesus gives you.  But above all, remember the Holy Spirit, who is always ready to give you the words you need and to praise the name above all names, Jesus.  

We’ll speak a bit more about this in worship this weekend.  I hope I’ll see you there.

Because of a cross,

Pastor Ken Nelson   

Join us on Sunday, May 21 at 9 a.m. for a lively worship service. The Dudzik Polka Band will lead our worship for a unique and invigorating experience. A staple of traditional Wisconsin culture, this music will have everyone’s toes tapping. Come and enjoy this summer-fresh alternative musical style. 

Join us and bring a friend!

Four of our youth will publicly make their Affirmation of Baptism on Sunday, June 4 at the 9 a.m. worship service.

William Dudzik

Kyle Gall

Addison Meyer

Ellie Sayas

Celebrate Megan Schatz's high school graduation on Sunday, June 11 at the 9 a.m. service and learn about her future plans.

Pastor Ken's and Marcella's Retirement Send-Off

Saturday, June 10

6 p.m.

Fellowship Hall

You can RSVP here or sign up in the Narthex.

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Mother's Day Weekend

May 13-14, 2023

Join us for a Women's Prayer Breakfast THIS Saturday, May 13 at 10:00 a.m. in Fellowship Hall. The devotional message will be given by Marcella Nelson.

Breakfast breads

Muffins

Fruit

Beverages

All ages are welcome -

come and bring a friend!

May Mission of the Month

Compassion International

Compassion International exists as an advocate for children, to release them from their spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults. This is done in a variety of ways. For the Calvary congregation, we are most familiar with their Water of Life and Child Sponsorship programs.

In prior years, our focus has been on the Water of Life program to purchase water filtration systems. Thankfully, this program has been so successful that there is a limit of how many new systems they need each year. The Water of Life program is part of the larger “WaSH” program which stands for Water Sanitation and Hygiene. Donations directed to WaSH might be used for Water of Life but if all the units have already been acquired for the year, the funds would be used for wells, filtration systems, water storage or sanitation facilities.

The focus of the Water Sanitation and Hygiene initiative (WaSH) is to ensure that no Compassion-assisted child has to drink contaminated water or use unsafe sanitation facilities. Compassion provides the resources and infrastructure that help protect each child's health as they make their journey out of extreme poverty.

Safe-water Infrastructure

Children who have access to safe water are protected from waterborne diseases and are

more likely to succeed in school. A nearby safe water source also helps to ensure girls get

an education instead of spending hours each day collecting water for their family.

Proper Sanitation

Providing adequate toilets or latrines prevents open defecation, which leads to the rapid

spread of disease through communities and puts children in physical danger. Combined

with hand-washing facilities, latrines not only protect children’s health but foster dignity

and self-respect.

Hygiene Education

Compassion provides personal hygiene kits and hygiene education so children can form

good habits that will safeguard their health for a lifetime. From basic hand-washing to

dental hygiene, Compassion-assisted children learn to care for themselves and lead by

example.

Every $1 invested in Water and Sanitation Priority Initiative creates a $4 return because whole communities spend less on healthcare and more on education and in the local economy.

The Most Popular Interventions include:

• Drilling wells
• Facilitating waste collection and management
• Providing water filtration systems
• Installing rainwater harvesting systems
• Building water storage and pumping systems
• Providing hygiene education
• Building septic systems
• Training community members on equipment maintenance
• Constructing toilets and washrooms

In fiscal years 2015-18, Compassion’s clean water initiatives impacted more than 170,000 Compassion children and their families through the:

•  Installation of 8,449 toilets, 874 new water-access points near children’s homes and more than 276 hand-washing stations at Compassion church partners.
• Provision of safe water through more than 159 new borehole wells, large water-storage tanks or large-scale water purification systems;
• Distribution of more than 20,400 in-home water filtration systems in 17 countries where Compassion works

To support this important Mission for the Month, you may include it in your weekly offering envelope or designate the donation for Mission of the Month in your online giving.

Just a reminder that contributions to the NALC's 20/20 Vision Campaign need to be designated as "NALC" either on your giving envelope or on your check. If you have any questions, please contact Cindy Rooks at finance@calvarylc.com.

We invite you to provide

Hospitality Treats on Sunday

We invite you to stay after worship on Sunday mornings and enjoy fellowship time and a treat/cup of coffee in Fellowship Hall.

If you'd like to provide treats (donuts, bagels, etc.) for Sunday hospitality time, there is a sheet on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall.  You may bring the treats (six dozen) and drop them off in the kitchen, or simply add a “P” behind your name, pay $30 to the church office and the treats will be purchased for you. 

The sign up sheet for 2023 has been posted on the bulletin board.  Thank you for your support!

If you watch our services via the Live Stream, please take a minute to let us know. There is now a link called "Online Worship Attendance" on the page where you access each week's service.

We appreciate you taking the time to complete this each week. It helps us know that our Live Stream is being viewed and by whom. 

Thank you!

CALVARY LUTHERAN CHURCH www.calvarylc.com

Regular office hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - noon 262.786.4010

Questions or comments? Email Sue Rowe at communications@calvarylc.com