We gather for a Worship Service in-person at the Chapel (2700 W 14th Street) on Sunday, April 14, 2024 – continuing to encounter the resurrection story on this Third Sunday of Easter.

To join us at the Chapel, buzz Zion Church (Bob Bucklew) from the Directory at the front of the 2700 Building on the campus of San Sofia apartments or enter from the accessible ramp from the rear parking lot. When you arrive, call Bob at 216-375-5323 to open the parking lot gate.

The Sunday Bulletin is attached in PDF format. You may use it as a devotional during the week.

April is Earth Month

For congregations, it can be a great time to further discern how to best answer our first calling as Christians: the caretaking of God’s creation. Form a plan for making the most of April. Check out these suggested activities:

• Join the UCC Earth Day Summit Featuring Bill McKibben! This online event will take place on Saturday, April 20th at 1 PM ET. In addition to a keynote delivered by McKibben, this two and a half hour summit will feature a panel of award-winning grassroots activists in a David-versus- Goliath struggle against one of the world’s largest producers of plastics. Register now: https://tinyurl.com/mvk6vsnj
• Celebrate Earth Sunday (April 21st, 2024)! Many churches celebrate God’s creation on the Sunday closest to Earth Day (April 22nd). For this occasion, the UCC partnered with the ecumenical organization Creation Justice Ministries to produce an Earth Sunday resource on plastics entitled “Plastic Jesus: Real Faith in a Synthetic World.” Join Creation Justice Ministries and the United Church of Christ in observing Earth Day Sunday.

April Religious Celebrations

This month of April, 2024 brings religious celebrations and festivities to Muslims, Jews, and Christians.

• For Western Christians, we celebrate resurrection and new life in Jesus Christ and his kingdom in Eastertide. For Orthodox Christians, this is the season of Lent as they prepare to follow Jesus on the road to resurrection. Orthodox Easter will be celebrated on May 5th. 2024.
• For Muslims, April has seen the conclusion of the holy month of prayer and fasting, Ramadan, and the celebration following of Eid al-Fitr
  (began April 10th, 2024). Please join us in wishing Muslim friends and neighbors: “Eid Mubarak” (Blessed Eid) or “Eid sa’id” (Happy Eid). Eid-al-Fitr – which began on April 10th, 2024 – is a three-day festival celebrating the completion of the fasting month of Ramadan by Muslims across the world.
• For Jews, the festival of Passover is upcoming (beginning at sundown on April 22nd, 2024) celebrating God’s deliverance of the Jewish people from enslavement in Egypt and their journey to freedom. Please join us in wishing Jewish friends and neighbors: “Happy Passover” or you could also say “Chag Sameach,” which means happy holiday in Hebrew. This year, Passover starts at sundown on Monday, April 22, and concludes after nightfall on April 30 in the United States. Many Jewish communities will host Seder meals the first two nights of the holiday. Passover is considered the “festival of freedom” – a celebration of freedom of God’s deliverance of the Jewish people from enslavement in Egypt. The holiday is rooted in the biblical story of Moses and the 10 plagues, which contributed to freeing the Jewish people from Egypt.

The Focus Scripture Reading is Luke 24:36b-48

The resurrection account continues in Luke 24. Jesus appeared before the disciples, and they were frightened. Jesus shows them his hands and feet (similar to John 20:19-31). The disciples, while full of joy, continue to struggle with their doubts and disbelief, but Jesus asks them for something to eat, and has some broiled fish (similar to John 21). Repeating the discourse with the two travelers on the road to Emmaus told earlier in the chapter, Jesus goes through the scriptures with the disciples, to understand that the Messiah was to suffer and die, and on the third day rise again. The disciples are witnesses of his death and resurrection, and the proclamation of repentance for the forgiveness of sins in Christ’s name. They are called to go forth from Jerusalem to proclaim what they have seen and heard.

Sermon/Reflection: “In the Flesh” by the Rev. Scott Rosenstein, based on the reading of Luke 24:36b-48.

Please join us this Easter season to give thanks to God and to seek the companionship of Christ in-person at Zion Chapel.

Easter Blessings,
Pastor Scott Rosenstein
216-273-7561 – church
216-577-1514 – mobile

Bulletin Cover Image:
The Risen Christ 014
The Risen Christ is a sacred icon
by iconographer Fr. William H. McNichols
for The Risen Christ Church in Denver, CO
PX Pixel. https://pixelsmerch.com/