Welcome to St. John Lutheran Church-LCMC

From the desk of Pastor Geske....

Greetings to you in the name of Christ! During the month of April, we will 

once again celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. We believe that Christ’s 

death and resurrection give us the certainty of forgiveness of our sin and the 

promise of eternal life. In the world in which we live, too many people don’t

know or don’t understand the power of the resurrection for their life. Unfortunately, too many want  nothing to do with the resurrection, but Jesus clearly tells us, “I am the wa and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 

14:6 NIV) As I stop to think about the power of the resurrection, I am reminded of this story, “In a cemetery in Hanover, Germany, is a grave on which were placed huge slabs of granite and marble cemented together and fastened with heavy steel clasps. It belongs to a woman who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Yet strangely, she 

directed in her will that her grave be made so secure 

that if there were a resurrection, it could not reach her. On the marker were inscribed these words: ‘This burial place must never be opened.’ In time, 

a seed, covered over by the stones, began to grow. Slowly it pushed its way through the soil and out from beneath them. As the trunk enlarged, the great slabs were gradually shifted so that the steel clasps were wrenched from their sockets. A tiny seed had become a tree that had pushed aside the stones.” Isn’t it amazing how one little thing can have such a dynamic life force? The power of the resurrection may seem small in that it was 

an event occurring about 2000 years ago, but in that event is the tremendous power of God's Word. The above story continued by sharing the point that God’s Word will someday call to life the bodies of all who are in their graves. He will also bring back every person 

drowned at sea, cremated, or destroyed in some other way. We continue to do ministry in an environment that is hostile to the message of the cross, but we remember that the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us it is salvation. Nothing could 

deter the resurrection long ago and nothing can deter Christ’s coming again. As you celebrate the resurrection, may you be reminded again of God’s incredible love for you now and each day of your life. Know with certainty that the glorious resurrection is 

coming. May God find you faithful at His coming and may God use the gifts that He has given you to share again the resurrection message of Jesus Christ through 

your life. God equips, strengthens, and sends you through His Word and through His Church. 

May you be ever so faithful in your attendance and participation

 in His House. I pray that you have a blessed Easter!

In Christ,

Pastor Jeffrey D. Geske

We are at the beginning of Lent. During the Lenten season, the church calls to our attention the sufficiency of what God gives. It points to the sufficiency of God’s grace in the atoning work of

Jesus. It shows us the sufficiency of faith in Jesus' work for us. It makes known the sufficiency of God’s Word in faith and life.

But Lent doesn’t just remind us of the sufficiency of God’s spiritual gifts — the gifts that pertain to our redemption and salvation. Lent also reminds us of the sufficiency of the physical, temporal gifts of God which pertain to this body and life. In other words, it reminds us of the importance of godly contentment and of outward discipline and training of the body.

This outward training of the body teaches us not to give in to every desire of our flesh, but to learn to say no to   

them. And it does this in such a way that if you fail, it is no sin. It is a way to practice without putting yourself into a compromising situation.

Fasting is a good example of this outward training. When you fast, you are practicing saying no to the desires of your body. But if you fail in this, if you break your fast, you have not sinned. But you have learned something about how your flesh works, how difficult it is to fight against it, and how you need help from 

above to discipline the desires of your body.

Another example is almsgiving. An increase in giving to the church and its mission during Lent is also a form of outward training. We all know that our flesh finds security in money and stuff. By committing to give more to the church, you are training your flesh. You are, by this outward discipline, training yourself to be content with what God gives. You are practicing saying “no” to your desires. Again, if you fail, you have not sinned.

But you’ve learned just how powerful your flesh is — it leads you instead of you leading it. You’ve learned how you need help from above in being content with what Godgives.

This is why St. Paul instructs young Pastor Timothy in this way:

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (1 Tim. 6:6-10)

Our sufficiency is not of ourselves; it is in God. Let us learn 

this without sin by training our flesh this Lenten season