Christ is Risen - Alleluia!

The dark days are ended. The grave cannot contain the Lord of Life. Easter morning the tomb is empty, and Jesus appears as a testament of God's power to bring life from death, redemption from desolation.

Christ's Church throughout the world and throughout time celebrates God's gift of new life. At. St. Matthew's, we celebrate:

Sunday 4/20
9:30am Easter breakfast
11am Holy communion

Christ is risen! Alleluia!
St. Matthew's Lutheran Church
Pastor Hans Arnesen
85 Wayne Street (btwn Barrow & Jersey Aves)
Downtown Jersey City
201.432.9319

Holy Week

In Holy week, we journey with Jesus through the paschal journey: his last supper with his disciples; his judgment, crucifixion, and death; and the Holy Mystery of his resurrection from the dead.

Maundy Thursday 4/17 - 6:30pm We gather for a light vegetarian supper, followed by a short service and stripping of the altar at 7:30.

Good Friday 4/18 - 7:30pm We meditate on Jesus' Passion in a Service of the Blues.

Easter Sunday 4/20 - 9:30am We share a pot-luck breakfast, followed by a service of Holy Communion at 11:00.

God be with you throughout this and every week.

Lent - A season for turning

For everything there is a season • Turn, turn, turn
a time to plant, and a time to harvest • Turn, turn, turn
a time to break down, and a time to build up • Turn, turn, turn
a time to keep, and a time to put aside.

Lent is a season of turning –
Turning from what is hurtful & towards what is healing
Turning from what is shattered & towards what is whole
Re-turning to the Lord

We turn towards the Lord to know God's grace.

LENT SCHEDULE:
Sundays 11am • Holy Communion
Wednesdays 7pm • Bible study
Palm Sunday 4/13 10:30am • Procession, 11am worship at Grove Plaza
Maundy Thursday 4/17 6:30pm • Dinner followed by Holy Communion
Good Friday 4/18 7:30pm • Meditation at the Cross
Easter Sunday 4/20 9:30am • Community breakfast - 11:00am • Resurrection!

Wishing you a holy Lent and a holy life.
St. Matthew's Lutheran Church
Pastor Hans Arnesen
85 Wayne Street (btwn Barrow & Jersey Aves)
Downtown Jersey City
201.432.9319

Sat 12/7 Gingerbread & Sun 12/8 Holy bread

This Saturday 10am @ St. Matthew’s:
    + Advent decorating
    + Gingerbread houses for the kids

And Sunday at 11am in worship we will hear the word of the Lord:
"A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding…"
Isaiah 11:1-2

While the church decorations are green and festive, anticipating the joy of Christmas and the coming of light, the bare stump should give us pause. Isaiah is speaking to his people who have had their hopes cut-off at the base. Their country has been invaded, their leaders killed and exiled, their Temple in ruins.

After devastation, you wonder if anything will ever really live again, if anything can grow out of

God says yes.
In the coming of Christ, God says yes. In the bread and the wine of reconciliation, God says yes. In the community gathered together, God says yes.

God is faithful, and God's promise is sure.
St. Matthew's Lutheran Church
Pastor Hans Arnesen
85 Wayne Street (btwn Barrow & Jersey Aves)
Downtown Jersey City
201.432.9319

11am Sunday Worship and Movie Screening

Join us for a Service of Holy Communion this Sunday, September 8 at 11:00am. (note the change back to our regular worship time.)  We gather to hear some of Jesus' more difficult sayings. Must we hate our father and mother to follow Jesus?  Must we rid ourselves of all of our possessions to follow Jesus?  Pastor Hans Arnesen preaching.

On Saturday, September 7 at 4pm in the Barrow Mansion (Andrew C. Rhode theater), we will screen the documentary For the Bible Tells Me So by Dan Karslake.  Mr. Karslake had originally agreed to join us for a Q&A, but the vagaries of Hollywood called.  We will still have discussion and refreshments, and Mr. Karslake will join us for Holy Worship later this Autumn.

In Peace,

Paul Ellis

The Season after Pentecost

The season after Pentecost is sometimes called "the long green season." The church color is green, mirroring the summer colors of the northern hemisphere. It also evokes the "greening power" of the Holy Spirit, associated with vitality, growth, and the unstoppable power of God to bring forth life.

The readings in these months focus on the journey of God's people in the Old Testament, and on Jesus' teachings as he journeyed through what we now call the Holy Land, but which he simply knew as his homeland.

This summer at St. Matthew's we worship downstairs at 10am with the comfort of air conditioning. At the same time we are asking ourselves "What is God's vision for us in this place?"

Each Sunday we touch a piece of the answer. In scripture, in prayer, and in the bread of fellowship God reaches out to lead us into God's kingdom of peace, of justice, of overflowing joy and mercy and gratitude.

Walk with Christ, who walks with us.
St. Matthew's Lutheran Church
Pastor Hans Arnesen
85 Wayne Street (btwn Barrow & Jersey Aves)
Downtown Jersey City
201.432.9319

Season of Easter - Spring 2013

In the season of Easter, Jesus has returned. In the lessons we read, the church turns its attention to formation - who are we as a people living in the light of resurrection-power?

God has gathered us in to a new community, which has different rules (graceful and miraculous) than the "way of the world." At the same time, God is preparing us and leading us to share that great great good news with the world.

Each Sunday we gather at 11am to live in God's grace, and to share at God's banquet table.

Walk with Christ, who walks with us.
St. Matthew's Lutheran Church
Pastor Hans Arnesen
85 Wayne Street (btwn Barrow & Jersey Aves)
Downtown Jersey City
201.432.9319