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March Newsletter | Vol. 26, Issue 3

Zion Holy Week Services

From the Pastors Desk | March

Rough Translations

by Jan Richardson

Hope nonetheless.

Hope despite.

Hope regardless.

Hope still.

Hope where we had ceased to hope.

Hope amid what threatens hope.

Hope with those who feed our hope.

Hope beyond what we had hoped.

Hope that draws us past our limits.

Hope that defies expectations

Hope that questions what we have known.

Hope that makes a way where there is none.

Hope that takes us past our fear.

Hope that calls us into life.

Hope that holds us beyond death.

Hope that blesses those to come.

I’ve chosen this poem by Jan Richardson to be a focal point for our Lenten midweek services. This poem comes from her book Circle of Grace and it is a poem she wrote specifically about the Lenten season.

Right now, hope can sometimes feel hard to find. So much of what is going on in the world tells us that hope is distant: a far off endeavor that is beyond our reach.

Our midweek Lenten sermon series this year comes from Working Preacher. It is titled Walking the Palm Sunday Path and it focuses on Jesus’ character, particularly his public character. It invites us to follow allow Jesus’ path to Jerusalem and the cross. These midweek services will remind us of where we are going this season of Lent: the cross, just as we do each Lenten season.

This sermon series will remind us that even when we are walking a path that leads towards death, even when we are troubled and suffering, even when hate seems to prevail, God in Christ is transforming the world by the power of the Spirit. This is the story we tell each Sunday: a story in which death did not win. So, there is hope.

Our time walking the palm Sunday path will culminate on Palm Sunday (March 29) at First Lutheran Church in Duluth where we too, will live our faith boldly and publicly as Jesus did. See more details below.

Palm Sunday: The Power of Love

Sunday, March 29, 3-5pm

First Lutheran Church, 1100 Superior St, Duluth, MN 55802

Since September, Christian clergy across the country have been planning for Palm Sunday as a meaningful moment to live our faith in public. Who is this Jesus who walked into Jerusalem and eventually to the cross? The Gospels depict him as a leader who stirred up an obvious contrast between the power of domination and the power of love. Together with Christians across the Northland, representing over a dozen congregations and counting, we will gather for worship, hospitality, and mutual aid, not just proclaiming but also living Jesus’s call to love and care for our neighbors.

Financially Supporting those Affected by ICE

Our synod’s Neighbor to Neighbor Fund is a great way to share your financial resources with those who are negatively impacted by the presence of ICE in our state. The Neighbor to Neighbor Fund is shared with the other 5 synods in the state of Minnesota. As needed, funds stay within our synod to support people closer to home.

https://www.standwithminnesota.com/ has an extensive list of funds that support various efforts throughout the state including rent relief, mutual aid funds and food sourcing.

Please give generously as you are able.

Book Club

Ongoing Help Needed!

Second Sunday Surprise

Zion Choir Practice | 1st Wednesdays

Quilters | Tuesdays | 9a

Zion Lutheran Church

1000 Washington Ave.

Cloquet, MN 55720

Pastor:
Rev. Christina Johnson

pastorchristina@zioncloquet.org

Office Administrator:

Kristy Cummings

office@zioncloquet.org

Council President:
Tracy Bockbader

Director of Music Ministry:

Gretchen Chelseth

Choral Director:

James Sheetz

Financial Secretary:

Paul Holm

Office Phone: 218.879.4647

Office Email: office@zioncloquet.org

Liturgical Assistant &

Graphic Design:

Elise Ames

media@zioncloquet.org

Notes from the Pastor’s Office

Pastor Christina's schedule for the Lenten season is as follows:

A more detailed monthly schedule is posted on Pastor's Office door.

Email with any questions or to arrange a meeting: pastorchristina@zioncloquet.org

Notes from the Office

Elise continues to support Zion’s worship life through liturgy preparation and offsite graphic design support.

Contact Elise at media@zioncloquet.org for support with bulletins, website, posters and social media.