Is Worship a Priority?
Pastor Leland Lantz

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship
the LORD with gladness; come before Him with
joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is He
who made us, and we are His; we are His people,
the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with
thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give
thanks to Him and praise His name. For the LORD
is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness
continues through all generations. Psalms
100:1-5
Worship is personally a high priority for me and
it is one of our major goals for this year of 2009.
Psalm 100 is a beautiful and brief Psalm reminding
us that God is our Creator and that we
were created to worship our Lord. So many
people live as though they are the creator and
center of their world. So often, I hear that
busyness and other activities take the place of
regular worship. God alone is worthy of being
worshiped. This psalm tells us to remember
God’s goodness and dependability, and then to
worship Him with thanksgiving and praise!
Do you willingly and joyfully come into God’s
presence, or are you just going through the
motions, reluctantly going to church? We may be
reaping the results of generations of people who
dropped their kids off for Sunday School and then
picked them up afterwards and only worshipped
on Christmas and Easter. I know there are multitudes
of reasons and excuses why people don’t
worship every week.
I want everyone to know that when you aren’t in
worship, you are missed. I encourage you to worship
every Sunday and to attend mid-week Bible
Study and Faith Formation small groups either at
church or in homes.
If you are in the habit of only worshipping on
Easter and Christmas, then I urge you to try coming
at least once a month. If you are coming once
a month, then try twice a month. Let’s make it
the goal of our church to be in worship as often as
possible for the purpose of praising God, confessing
our sin, hearing God’s Word, and for the encouragement
of growing in our faith together.
How could you prepare yourself to praise and
thank God the next time you come to worship?
Hoping to see you in worship!

Lutheran Church of the Cross & Preschool
(949) 837-4673, fax 829-0215, 24231 El Toro Road,
Laguna Woods, California 92637

Aliso Viejo Church of the Cross & Christian School
(949) 389-0300, 1 Orion, Aliso Viejo, California 92656

Worship Times

Saturday, 5 p.m. at Laguna Woods only

Sunday, 8 a.m. Communion at Laguna Woods only

Sunday, 9 a.m. Worship at Laguna Woods and Aliso Viejo

Sunday, 9:15 a.m. All-Age Sunday School at Laguna Woods (Sunday School is at both campuses)

Sunday, 10:15 a.m. JH thru Adult Sunday School at Aliso Viejo, while kids play outside

Sunday, 10:30 a.m. Worship at Laguna Woods only

Child Care and Sunday School is provided for infants and toddlers during all services.

Wed night midweek program
5:30-6:30 dinner
6:30 evening ministries

Children’s Ministries Family Game Night

Mark your calendars for Friday, March 13th
from 6-9pm @ AV and make plans to join us
for the first Children’s Ministries Family
Game Night. Cost for this event is $20 per
family for pizza and snacks. Bring your family’s
favorite game and come prepared to
play the evening away. Please RSVP for this
event by filling out Family Game Night flyer
and returning it to Kim Butz. If you have any
questions, please contact Kim Butz at kim@lcotc.org
or 949-837-4673.

Crocodile Dock

Crocodile Dock is buzzing with fun for
kids and adults, and this summer everyone
will be on the lookout for God in
everyday life (God Sightings) to see how
He is active in our lives and His fingerprints
are everywhere. This exciting adventure
of exploring the Bayou to discover
God’s presence, power, love, life
and care begins Monday, July 13th – Friday,
July 17th from 9:00am-12:00pm for
children entering Kindergarten thru 5th
grade at the AV campus. The fun begins
for Pre School children Monday, July 27th
– Friday, July 31st from 9:00am-12:00pm at
the LW campus. Cost will be $30 per child
with a max of $85 per family if children are
attending the same week. Mark your calendars
and plan to get swamped with fun
at Crocodile Dock! Registration forms are
NOW available from the church office. If
you have questions or would like to be a
part of this year’s VBS Bayou crew, please
contact Kim Butz at kim@lcotc.org or 949-
837-4673.

March 7-8, 2009
Second Sunday of Lent
Genesis 22:1-18 Romans 8:31-34 Mark 9:2-10

How many times have we heard someone say: ‘I would do ANYTHING ….to get that job…to go on a date with her/him……to get into that college….to have a decent night’s sleep……to live in that neighborhood…..to drive that car…to lose 40 pounds.’ Really? ANYTHING? Granted, many of us are prone to grandiose and exaggerated statements but it does pose an interesting idea…just how far are we willing to go for something? In this weekend’s selection from Genesis we hear the story of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice (at his own hand) his son in deference to his relationship with God. While in today’s culture we would decry such an action as criminal and the sign of a twisted mind, the image of sacrifice reinforces the question of how far we will go in order to obtain what we want/crave/desire/need. Will we remove our kids from private school if our financial health is threatened? Will we forgo a vacation to save for a rainy day or emergency? If we are unemployed and facing foreclosure will we contemplate a move out of state or out of county? If our marriage is in trouble, will we seek out authentic counseling to try to save it? If our friends are inviting us down unsavory paths, will we sever the connections? The cold-splash of maturity reminds us that those things to which we set our hearts and minds will require sacrifice and a prioritization of competing events, ideas and relationships. Just a small example….a few weeks ago Lent was initiated with hours and hours of opportunity to come and receive ashes in the wee hours before work or school. Recognizing that some people completely forgot that it was Ash Wednesday….how about the pretty large number of people who seemingly chose to NOT get out of bed a little early? Was it a definitive choice to NOT wear ashes that day? Was it an impossibility to set the alarm clock a little earlier? When we are in our conversations with God (prayer), do we somehow think that our relationship with Jesus will not require sacrifice? Do we somehow think that we can be a disciple of Jesus and never have to make any changes in our lives? This weekend’s scripture selections remind us that our relationships with God will indeed require sacrifice…as all meaningful relationships do. So, how far will you go…what will you do to deepen your relationship with Jesus? Would you do ANYTHING?

Thank you for joining our Corpus Christi Community as we take a few more steps deeper into Lent. Please take a Bulletin home with you for information on assorted Lenten opportunities throughout the week. Most especially, please take note of our outdoor Stations of the Cross Prayer Walk located on the strip of land between the Parking Lot and AV Parkway…it is available 24/7 for your prayerful use. Next weekend, we will be anticipating the good St. Patrick with the heady beverage synonymous with Ireland…free after all the Masses. Plan appropriately and bring your ‘designated non-Irishman’ to help get you home safely. As the extended hours of daylight savings time hint at the nearness of Spring, remember, you are loved. FKB

Larry Miller Laid to Rest

Doug Alden – Associated Press
02/28/2009 09:13 PM MST

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller received a fitting farewell.

His funeral was held in the arena he built, his casket painted in the scheme of his beloved Shelby Cobras and his five children each driving a sports car in the procession to the cemetery where Miller was laid to rest Saturday.

Miller, 64, died of complications from diabetes on Feb. 20. His funeral was held eight days later at EnergySolutions Arena, home of the NBA franchise Miller twice kept from leaving his hometown. NBA commissioner David Stern and former players including Karl Malone were among about 2,000 people that attended the 90-minute Mormon ceremony.

Miller’s children and grandchildren all recited memories of Miller, who started his career in an autoparts shop, expanded to car dealerships and built a business empire and became one of the most prominent figures in the state. A frugal businessman, Miller also donated generously to charities and many of his contributions were noted Saturday.

“There was a lot more to him than just the Jazz,” coach Jerry Sloan said after the service.

About 30 flower arrangements were placed on and around the dais, where top officials from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sat facing the congregation. Church president Thomas M. Monson was the last of them to speak from the podium, just above the casket painted blue with white racing stripes down the middle.

Miller was a devout Mormon who refused the attend Jazz playoff games on Sundays, adhering to church guidelines to focus on the church and family activities that day. But his faith was one of the very few things that would keep Miller away from his team or any other part of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies.

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Charity Work

Garden Grove Stake

About 65 members of the Garden Grove California Stake Relief Society gathered to quilt up 89 lap quilts as a service project for the community. The Relief Society also donated 344 new, small stuffed animals to give away, according to Peggy Hauret, stake Relief Society president.

The sisters from the stake’s seven wards and branches donated their time from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. recently at the Westminster meetinghouse. They set up quilting tables, laid out material, set a table for refreshments and got to work with energy on the handmade lap quilts.

LDS Donation Has Iraqis Wheelin’ Good

Lynn Arave – Deseret News
02/27/2009 01:49 PM MST

The LDS Church does more than donate food or supplies to disaster-stricken areas. It recently donated 2,000 wheelchairs to the disabled people of the Babil Province in Iraq.

The Iraqi government and several aid organizations from the U.S. gathered along with community members at the Babil rehabilitation center last week to present new wheelchairs to 25 of the neediest people in the area, according to Capt. Stephen C. Short, 172nd Infantry Brigade.