The Epistle
Newsletter of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church of Random Lake, WI ELCA
705 Grand Avenue, Random Lake, WI 53075
Volume XLVI, #3, March, 2023
Church Phone: (920) 994-4043
Website: www.stpaulsrandomlake.com email: stpaulsrandomlakewi@gmail.com
Pastor Elizabeth Jaeger (920) 331-0874 Pastor Dale Erickson (262) 376-0037
Email: jandejaeger2@gmail.com Email: daerickson29@gmail.com
Pastor’s Article
You never know what March weather in Wisconsin will be like. Will there be snow on the ground and ice on the lakes or warm winds melting the piles plowed high through the winter? Will warm breezes
soften the ground or cold blasts cause you to button up more tightly?
Whatever, you can count on the Church Year bringing reliable change. The faithful who developed the Church calendar in the northern hemisphere were aware not only of the weather, but also of the life of our Lord Jesus. They planned a calendar that would keep believers conscious of our unity with Christ’s ministry of preaching, teaching and healing–his giving life for us.
By March this year, we will have gathered with Peter, James, and John on the Mt. of Transfiguration, awed by the vision of the “Son of Man” suddenly appearing in glorious splendor with Moses and Elijah. We’ve heard God’s voice from the cloud: “This is my beloved Son, listen to him.” And so, we remembered what Jesus predicted about his suffering, death, and resurrection. Although, we, like the early disciples, do not know the full impact of the divine Word. Nevertheless, we’ll stick together in worship, as we relive the final march of Jesus to Jerusalem, probing the mystery of God’s love for us,
unworthy pilgrims that we are.
The creators of the Church calendar were rooted in the Scriptures. They helped adult candidates for Holy Baptism to learn about Moses’ forty days on Mt. Sinai receiving rules for living well; forty years of God’s rescued people in the wilderness learning how to trust God’s Word; Elijah’s forty days back to Mt. Sinai for spiritual renewal in a hard and broken world. And of course, Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness, preparing for his ministry. Likewise, we believers in the 21st century set
aside time in the trying and unpredictable days from Winter to Spring to seek spiritual renewal–personal and congregational growth. It’s like renewing our baptism, having the waters of God’s grace clean us and spruce us up for Easter and our service in this challenging time.
“Lent” is what we call this time in the Church. It’s time to shake off some bad habits, disappointment and excuses. It’s time to come before God with open hands to receive God’s blessings. Here is a prayer for our journey together:
Bless now, O God, the journey that all your people make,
The path through noise and silence, the way of give and take.
The trail is found in desert and winds the mountain round,
Then leads beside still waters, the road where faith is found.
ELW #326, stanzas one.
Pastor Dale
The Epistle article deadline for April, 2023 is Monday, March 27th at Noon.
Sunday Bulletin article deadline is every Monday at Noon.
FROM YOUR PARISH NURSE – Nancy Eberhardt
Dear Friends of St. Paul’s Lutheran,
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13. As we continue our Lenten journey, I would like to focus on “Living Water: God refreshes our bodies and our souls”.
Water is important to all living things—physically it is the most abundant substance on the earth and in our bodies. We and all living things need a large amount of water to function and grow properly! Even Jesus was thirsty. In the account of Jesus and the woman at the well, He asked her for a drink of water. Most of us do not drink enough water. This Lent I offer you a challenge to consciously increase the amount of water you drink each day.
Our loving God has provided living water for our souls. Without this living water, we are spiritually dead. Indeed, thinking of that familiar glass of refreshing water as a symbol for life makes a lot of sense both physically and spiritually. In the Bible, the reference to living water is usually understood to mean the gift of the
Holy Spirit. We need to ‘drink’ in the Holy Spirit until we are filled with the Lord! This Lent I encourage you to care for your precious souls and be filled with the Holy Spirit. During this month strive to drink eight glasses of water daily. Reflect also on these passages: John 4:13, I John 3:6, and Matthew 11:28, to renew you spiritually by drinking of the gift of the Holy Spirit. “Happy Drinking”
Prayers from the people for the people.
We pray especially for…
Dave Torrison, Sr., Candace Snider,
Joanne Hafemann, Pastor Dale Erickson, John Knuth (Lorna’s cousin), Art & Sherry Jaeger (Pastor Elizabeth’s mother- and father-in-law), Dianna Maerz (Pastor Elizabeth’s friend), Karen Mole, Jim Engel, Pastor Bridget Hill, Mari Allen, Theresa Wilke
John Wulff, Alba Torrison, Tim Torrison
those on our prayer list and those we name in our hearts.
We pray for all serving in the military, especially:
Derek Kumrow
LENTEN ECUMENICAL SERVICES will be held Wednesdays in March at 6:30 PM. Location and topic of each Lenten service is below.
March 1: St. John’s UCC “I Am the Vine” John 15
March 8: Zion UMC, Batavia “The Coming of the Holy Spirit” John 15:26-John 16
March 15: New Horizon UCC “His Final Prayers” John 17
March 22: St. Paul’s Lutheran “His Arrest” John 18
March 29: Our Lady of the Lakes “He is Sentenced” John 19
Lenten Offerings will support the residents of Gables on the Pond.
FROM YOUR CHURCH PRESIDENT…
It’s time for us to talk a little bit about money. We finished last year in the black which was fantastic. I thank you for staying committed to the church with your offerings. Times are tight, we all know that. Our grocery bills have gone up, our gas prices fluctuate a lot, our energy costs are going up, and on and on. What happens in your home, also happens to our church. Our energy costs have risen. Our sewage rate may jump up a lot in the next few years. If we get a lot more snow, plowing costs will be up. We are going to have to look at redoing our parking lot soon so we don’t start falling in the cracks. I would like to encourage everyone to take a look at their giving to St. Paul’s. If you haven’t increased lately, please consider a small increase now. If 20 giving families increased their giving by only $1 every week, that would increase our giving by over $1000! That would go a long way in our church budget. Please prayerfully consider what you may be able to do. Thank you for your support of this congregation! Sandi
FOOT CLINIC Our Parish Nurse, Nancy Eberhardt, will be holding a Foot Clinic on Thursday, March 17th from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. You can schedule an appointment by calling Nancy at (920) 207-1654.
EASTER PLANT orders are now being taken. The order form is on the back table.
HOLY COMMUNION will be celebrated on the first Sunday and third Sundays of the month. Wafers and wine are in disposable cups.
SERMON NOTES If you have missed a Sunday and would like to have a copy of the current or previous sermon, see Sandi Wulff.
MEDICAL AIDS St. Paul’s has had a number of medical aids that have been donated. We will start a lending program for anyone needing to borrow these items. So far we have available: 4 walkers, 1 with a seat and hand brakes; 2 bath chairs; crutches; 3 canes; long shoe horns. Anyone in need of any of these items should contact Sandi Wulff.