Messiah News

What's a Synod Assembly? (For that matter, what's a "synod"?!) Well, the "Synod" is the 88 congregations and 30,000 some ELCA Lutherans in SW Washington. There are 65 synods in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and each synod is served by a bishop and the bishop's staff. Our bishop is Rick Jaech, and the Bishop's Associate is R...

Okay, Cleopas and his friend weren't ambushed. But, deep in grief over the death of Jesus (and possible theft of his body) as these two men walk home from Jerusalem to Emmaus they totally don't recognize the stranger that joins them. And, Jesus isn't volunteering any clarity about who he is. I guess he knows they'll figure it out whe...

Vacation Bible School is just around the corner!  Vacation Bible School will take place July 17-21, and the program is available for all children ages 4-years-old* (*must be 4 by August 31, 2023) - 5th grade.  VBS for 1st-5th grade will run in the church building from 9am-12pm, and VBS for preschoolers and kindergartners will take place a...

Did you notice a lot more singing than usual during the Easter Sunday service at Hazel Dell? The liturgy that the Messiah worship team is using throughout the Easter season is a setting called "Now the Feast" by contemporary composer Marty Haugen. In addition to short liturgical music, it contains two of Haugen's standalone hymns, As the Grains of ...

On the second Sunday of Easter we always turn to the one who is often called "Doubting Thomas." He is the one who misses out on the first meeting with Jesus behind the locked doors that keep them safe from the world. The others are thrilled with having seen the risen Lord and Thomas expresses his need to see for himself. He wants his own experience...