PILGRIM LUTHERAN CHURCH
44 CHAPEL ROAD – KENMORE, NY 14217
(716) 875-5485
A Congregation in Mission, Community and Service
PILGRIM’S PROGRESS
APRIL 2013
PASTOR: Rev. Ben Eder
EDITOR: Mary Werth
ASSOC. EDITOR:
SUNDAY SCHOOL: 9:00 AM
TUESDAY BIBLE STUDY: 9:30 AM
WORSHIP: 10:00 AM
For the first time in my nearly 30 years in the ministry I’ve been handed a newsletter assignment
by my esteemed editor…to write about “joy” and “laughter” in the Bible. If I had known I would be so
good at this, I would have written for Jay Leno, David Letterman, or some of the other late-night comics!
It was Alfred North Whitehead, an ardent critic of the Bible who claimed that "the total absence
of humor from the Bible is one of the most singular things in all of literature." Little did he know how
wrong he was! First of all, did you know that God laughs? Here are some examples from the Psalms: In
Psalms (2:4), the Psalmist says: "He who sits in heaven will laugh, the Lord will mock them." In Psalms
(37:13): "My Lord laughs at him for He sees that his day is coming." In Psalms (59:8): "But as for You,
God, You laugh at them; You mock all nations."
Humor in the Bible can take many forms, including puns; sarcasm; and irony: examples of these
are found in abundance in the Bible (especially the Old Testament). I suppose a Bible study could be
based on this topic, and there are too many to relate here: however, here are some examples that come
readily to mind (both from the Book of Acts):
When the Holy Spirit came upon the assembly on Pentecost and many languages were spoken
(which became understandable to the listeners), some critics said, “They have had too much wine.” But
Peter addressed the crowd and said, “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain
this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in
the morning!” (Acts 2)
Or, there was the man who fell asleep when Paul was preaching: 7 On the first day of the week we
came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day,
kept on talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.
9
Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked
on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.
10
Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he
said. “He’s alive!” 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight,
he left. 12 The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted. (Acts 20)
These are but some examples of humor in the Bible. We know that God has a sense of humor,
because (as more than one pundit has observed), “After all, he made us.” Sometimes we in the Church
can take things too seriously, and think that humor and laughter is for “outside” the church. However,
laughter is a gift from God; medical studies indicate that regular doses of laughter can lower blood
pressure and improve daily health.
A friend of mine has a plaque on the wall which says simply, “Laugh!” Next month, I will focus
on another reason for celebrating as we look at “Joy” in the Scriptures.
+ Pastor Ben Eder
SUNDAY SERVER SCHEDULE
APRIL 2013
DATE
READER
Apr. 7
Wes Weirs
USHERS
Pat
Watkins
*
Roger
Watkins
Jack
Hambridge
COMMUNION
ASSISTANT
Apr. 14
Karen
Smith
Peggy
Clark
*
George
Alessi
Gary
Smith
Apr. 21
Beverly
Cravak
Naomi
George
*
Harvey
Caldow
Jim
O’Brien
Apr. 28
Carolyn
Alessi
Eric
Fellner
*
Gary
Smith
Frank
Alessi
A word of wisdom
You cannot stay where you are and go with God. You cannot continue doing things your
way and accomplish God’s purpose in his ways. Your thinking cannot come close to God’s
thoughts. For you to do the will of God, you must adjust your life to him, his purposes and his
ways.
—Henry Blackaby
After Easter
After is every Christian’s middle name. In his autobiography A Song of Ascents,
missionary E. Stanley Jones tells of an African man who changed his name to After immediately
following his conversion. Because all things were new and different and important after he met
Christ, the man wanted to reflect that new reality in his name as well as in his thinking.
Easter is what makes us After Christians. After Easter, nothing in life is ever the same
again.
Jim Rodgers
Apr. 6
Eric Alessi
Apr. 15
Melody Keef
Apr. 20
Jeanette Donnelly
Apr. 21
Adam Keef
Apr. 22
Kevin Rodgers
Apr. 25
As you celebrate with family and friends, may God continue to
shower you with blessings from above.
There was a lady who was going to Disneyland. Upon
approaching the city, she saw a sign that read “Disneyland Left” - so
she turned around and went back home.
The Pilgrim Active Laymen (PAL) will meet on Saturday, April 20th, at 8:00
a.m. in the fellowship hall. All men are welcome for a time of fellowship and
spiritual nourishment.
• If you have no joy in your religion, you have a leak in your Christianity.
—Billy Sunday
• It is pleasing to the dear God whenever you rejoice or laugh from the bottom of your heart.
—Martin Luther
The next Community Dinner is scheduled for Friday, May 3rd, from 5-7 p.m.
Volunteers are always needed. Please contact Gary Smith or Wes Weirs if you
would like to help.
ESTHER CIRCLE
The next Esther Circle meeting will be held on April 8th at 6:30 p.m. at
church. ALL WOMEN of the congregation are invited.
Our speaker will be Dr. Eileen Trigoboff, RN, PMHCNS-BC, DNS, DABFN.
She is a Clinical Nurse Specialist with a specialty in Adult Psychiatry-Mental
Health in a private psychotherapy practice in western New York. An important
part of her practice is the cognitive-behavioral treatment of a variety of mental
health issues. She is the Director of Program Evaluation at the Buffalo
Psychiatric Center in Buffalo, NY. Her topic will be Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD).
Please join us for an evening of learning and fellowship.
WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB
The Pilgrim Women’s Book Club will meet on Wednesday, April 10th, at 7
p.m. at church. We will discuss books we have read over the winter and suggest
reading material for this coming year. We meet monthly and would like to
encourage more women to join us. If you would like more information, please
call Sue Holway at 773-3625.
April 2013
Dear Friends in Christ,
It was Jesus’ love for us that brought Him to Calvary that dark day to offer us everlasting life.
He truly loved us and gave His life for us so that we could share in eternity with Him. That is
truly a love beyond all human telling.
I wrote this poem for Easter to illustrate the power of love. Within our very hearts is a love so
unspeakable, so divine. In a way this demonstrates the power of love which Jesus had for each
one of us.
God bless you as you read this lovely poem and meditate on His word through Holy Scripture.
LOVE AT EASTER
Love for each other
With gifts free and clear;
Love for our friendships
So far and near.
Joy for the living,
Praise for the King,
Peace everlasting
As we joyously sing.
Flowers of springtime
Essence sublime;
Roses in blossom
Rise on the vine.
Our hearts can fathom
Joys from above;
With Easter we cherish
The crossroads of love.
Doris V. Neumann
A time to laugh
On the Monday after Easter, some Greek Orthodox Christians gather to swap jokes.
Why not? What’s more uplifting than God’s triumphant victory over sin and death?
Easter is absolute proof that God is Lord of both life and death. That’s cause for not
only rejoicing but hearty laughter.
Mirth upon the earth
On April 1, you may well have a joke or two played on you. If so, enjoy the
moment. Laugh, even if the joke is on you.
Christians have great cause for laughter on a daily basis. We can laugh because we
know that no matter how much tragedy we see or may suffer personally, we have the
assurance that God can turn it all around and bring great good out of evil.
The proof of that, for Christians, is Jesus’ resurrection.
Christians and laughter
Of all the people on earth, Christians ought to have smiles on their faces and be
ready to laugh. After all, if God has defeated death by raising Christ from the dead,
we have cause for joy at all times.
After a long day at work, two ministers decided to take a walk before darkness
came. As they walked, they told humorous stories and were soon laughing heartily. It
felt so good, so therapeutic, that one pastor turned to the other and said, “Theodore,
let’s kneel down and thank God for laughter.”
They did just that. Then they arose and went joyfully on their way.
Remember that we are abundantly blessed by God and have cause to laugh often.
After all, the Savior lives and we are his friends.
Q: Where do you put a noisy dog?
A: In a barking lot.
Sailor: I was shipwrecked, and lived on a can of sardines for a week.
Captain: My, weren’t you afraid that you’d fall off?
Q: When is a car not a car?
A: When it turns into a gas station.
Q: Where did the king keep his armies?
A: Up his sleevies.
The greatest miracle in the Bible is when Joshua told his son to stand
still and he obeyed him.
David was a Hebrew king skilled at playing the liar. He fought with
the Finklesteins, a race of people who lived in Biblical times.
Solomon, one of David’s sons, had 300 wives and 700 porcupines.
Jesus enunciated the Golden Rule, which says to do one to others
before they do one to you.
He also explained “Man doth not live by sweat alone”.
The people who followed the Lord were called the 12 decibels.
The epistles were the wives of the apostles.
One of the opossums was St. Matthew who was, by profession, a
taximan.
St. Paul cavorted to Christianity. He preached holy acrimony, which
is another name for marriage.
A Christian should have only one wife. This is called monotony.
A FEW THINGS TO THINK ABOUT THAT YOU PROBABLY NEVER
THOUGHT ABOUT
Can you cry underwater?
Why do you have to “put your two cents in”. . . but it’s only a “penny for your
thoughts”? Where’s that extra penny going to?
What disease did cured ham actually have?
How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good
idea to put wheels on luggage?
Why is it that people say they “slept like a baby” when babies wake up often - like
every two hours?
Why do people pay to go up in tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to
look at things on the ground?
If the professor on Gilligan’s Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can’t
he fix a hole in a boat?
If corn oil is made from corn and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is
baby oil made from?
If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?
Why did you just try singing the two songs above?
KIDS ON LOVE AND MARRIAGE
It’s better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need somebody to clean
up after them! (Lynette, 9)
It gives me a headache to think about that stuff. I’m just a kid. I don’t need that
kind of trouble. (Kenny, 7)
If falling in love is anything like learning to spell, I don’t want to do it. It takes too
long. (Leo, 7)
Love will find you, even if you are trying to hide from it. I have been trying to hide
from it since I was five, but the girls keep finding me. (Bobby, 8)
THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR THE MAY
NEWSLETTER IS APRIL 22ND.