A View From the TowerA View From the Tower

Easter is coming… Altar Guild will have

Information to purchase Easter lily in the bulletin later

this month

Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Church

8801 North 43rd Avenue Phoenix AZ 85051

623.934.3286

ctrlutheran.org

ctrlutheran@ctr.phxcoxmail.com

March March 20172017

We recognize life as a precious gift from

God, and re-turn our lives towards Jesus

Christ. We may make resolutions and commit

to change our lives over the next forty days

so that we might be more like Christ. In an

Ash Wednesday service, usually a minister or

priest marks the sign of the cross on a per-

son's forehead with ashes.

Why ashes? In Jewish and Christian history,

ashes are a sign of mortality and repentance.

Mortality, because when we die, our bodies

eventually decompose and we become dust/

dirt/ash/whatever. Repentance, because long

ago, when people felt remorse for something

they did, they would put ashes on their head

and wear "sackcloth" (scratchy clothing) to

remind them that sin is pretty uncomfortable

and leads to a sort of death of the spirit. This

was their way of confessing their sins and

asking for forgiveness.

Where do the ashes come from? On what we

now call Palm Sunday, Jesus rode a donkey

into Jerusalem while people waved palms and

cheered him on. Less then a week later, Jesus

was killed. The palms that were waved in joy

became ashes of sorrow. We get ashes for

Ash Wednesday by saving the palms from

Palm Sunday, burning them, and mixing

them with a little oil. It's symbolic.

What do Christians do with ashes? At an

Ash Wednesday service, folks are invited to

come forward to receive the ashes. The min-

ister will make a small cross on your fore-

head by smudging the ashes. While the ashes

remind us of our mortality and sin, the cross

reminds us of Jesus' resurrection (life after

death) and forgiveness. It's a powerful, non-

verbal way that we can experience God's for-

giveness and renewal as we return to Jesus.

From: www.upperroom.org

What is Lent? Lent is a season of the Christian Year

when Christians focus on simple living,

prayer, and fasting in order to grow

closer to God.

When is Lent? It's the forty days before

Easter. Lent excludes Sundays because

every Sunday is like a little Easter. Basi-

cally, it's about one-tenth of a year (like a

tithe of time). Mardi Gras is the day be-

fore Lent, which begins with Ash

Wednesday. This year it's from March 1

(Ash Wednesday) to April 16 (Easter),

2017.

What does Mardi Gras have to do with

Lent? Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday."

It refers to the day before Lent starts.

Since Lent always starts on a Wednes-

day, the day before is always a Tuesday.

And it's called "Fat" or "Great" because

it's associated with great food and par-

ties.

In earlier times, people used Lent as a

time of fasting and repentance. Since

they didn't want to be tempted by sweets,

meat and other distractions in the house,

they cleaned out their cabinets. They

used up all the sugar and yeast in sweet

breads before the Lent season started,

and fixed meals with all the meat avail-

able. It was a great feast! Through the

years Mardi Gras has evolved (in some

places) into a pretty wild party with little

to do with preparing for the Lenten sea-

son of repentance and simplicity. Oh

well. But Christians still know its origin,

and hang onto the true Spirit of the sea-

son.

Is Ash Wednesday the beginning of

Lent?

Yes. Ash Wednesday, the day after

Mardi Gras, usually begins with a service

where we recognize our mortality, repent

of our sins, and return to our loving God.

SUNDAY WORSHIPSUNDAY WORSHIP 9:00am9:00am Communion 1st & 3rd Sundays

SUNDAY LEARNING HOURSUNDAY LEARNING HOUR 10:30am10:30am

QUILTERS March 14, 2017

9am—3pm Fellowship Hall

If you would like to join this ministry or have questions,

contact Sally Ackerman

623-930-0084

Men’s Bible Breakfast

March11 & 25, 2017 6:45-8:00 am

Jordan’s Bank Café

For further information contact Richard Effertz

602-944-2859

Come to the Upper Room . . .

And Be Warned 3/05

And Be Comforted 3/12

And Be Fed 3/19

And Be Challenged 3/26

View Time of Grace at: www.timeofgrace.org

THE LUTHERAN HOURTHE LUTHERAN HOUR March 5 - "A Savior Who Fights for You!" (Matthew 4:1-11) Satan is a bully, but Jesus is the Savior Who fights for you.

March 12 - "The Power of a New Beginning" (John 3:1-17) Real help comes to us from the outside. In Christ, new beginnings and greater endings are still possible.

March 19 - "A Well That Runs Deep Because You Need It" (John 4:5-26) Jesus is determined to meet you today with the water of grace only He can give.

March 26 - "God's Got It In For Me" (John 9:1-41) God can use our troubles and crosses for a higher purpose that we may not understand until we reach heaven.

The Lutheran Hour can be found on the Web at www.lutheranhour.org, on XM’s Family Talk Radio (170)

Sundays at 1:00 pm (EST), and on KFNX (1100 AM) Sundays at 9:30am

CHRIS TOMLIN CHRIS TOMLIN

Worship Night in AmericaWorship Night in America

Performances by: Chris Tomlin, Big Daddy Weave, Phil Wickham, Zach Williams, Mosaic MSC and speaker Jason Barton.

Friday 5/12 @ 7p.m. Talking Stick Resort Arena

When you purchase a ticket to a Talking Stick Resort Arena event, you can ride the METRO LIGHT RAIL at no cost for four hours prior to the event through the end of the transit day.

Ushers: Paul & Jane Wood

Greeters: Mel & Mary Runyon Kirsten Awe & Allison Schoenback

Welcome Desk: Doris Mildebrandt

A/V: David Brewerton & Rick Fisk

Altar Guild: March 5 Vicki Fisk & Lora Gerske March 12 Candace Rowland March 19 Sharen Effertz & Mary Holdman March 26 Gerri Catalan

Comm. Asst March 5 & 19 Richard Effertz Sharen Effertz

Readers: March 5 & 19 Richard Effertz March 12 & 26 Gail Coulthard

Scripture Readings: March 5 Romans 5:12-19 March 12 Romans 4:1-8,13-17 March 18 Romans 5:1-8 March 26 Ephesians 5:8-14

WORSHIP SUPPORT

Terri Comey 3/3 Henry Catalan 3/9 Terry Maaske 3/12 Sara Shute 3/14 Nancy Konrad 3/17 Marjorie Farrier 3/19 Sherri Pavlisick 3/24 Barbara Edwards 3/26 Donna Mincher 3/27 David Brewerton 3/28 Kevin Fries 3/31

Michael & Terri Comey 3/14 Ken & Sherri Pavlisick 3/21

ANNIVERSARIES

BIRTHDAYS

MAUNDY THURSDAY

April 13 7:00 p.m.

GOOD FRIDAY April 14 7:00 p.m.

EASTER SUNDAY April 16 9:00 a.m.

PALM SUNDAY April 9

9:00 a.m.

Kapelle Choir Tour Kapelle Choir Tour March 11 March 11 7:00 pm7:00 pm Kapelle is Concordia's premier choral performance ensemble. This select voice choir tours annually throughout the U.S. as well as internationally every four years, and records regularly. They will be performing in Mesa on Saturday, March 11 at 7pm at St. Luke Lutheran Church (807 N. Stapley Dr.).