From Pastor Ryan
“We believe in the Holy Spirt”
It is tradition to switch to the Nicene Creed for the Easter season. It is a longer, more in-depth creed than our regular Apostles’ Creed and that is why we revisit it during our higher church seasons. You may have noticed something different this year. It is a small change that may seem insignificant on the surface but actually packs a lot of meaning. It has to do with our belief in the Holy Spirit.
On Easter Sunday, we confidently declared, “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life; who proceeds from the Father; who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified…” Notice anything different? I heard a few of you start to say the missing words on Easter. The old familiar words that are missing are “and the Son.” Most of us have, for our entire lives, declared that the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father and the Son.”
Did you know that those three simple words were not actually part of the original Nicen Creed? The Nicene Creed was developed at the Council of Nicaea in the year 325 and modified in Constantinople in 381 always without “and the Son”, which is a clause known as the “Filioque Statement”. It wasn’t until the Council of Toledo (Spain) in 589 that this statement was officially adopted, and even then, it was only adopted into the Latin churches of the West. It wasn’t approved by the Papacy of Rome until the 11th century. Until now, it has been a point of contention and a source of fracture between the Eastern and Western Christian Churches (the Eastern churches have never included it in the Creed).
The reason the Western churches decided to add the Filioque was to combat a heretical view put for by Arius, one our early church fathers, who believed Jesus did not always coexist with God the Father. He essentially said, “There was a time when He was not.” This has been deemed a heresy because we believe that Jesus has always coexisted with God. “Let us make humankind in our image.” (Genesis 1:26) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.” (John 1:1-3a) It was thought that adding the Filioque would give some weight to the idea that Jesus existed in the beginning by suggesting that the Holy Spirit came from him as well.
The problem with this statement is that it makes the Holy Spirit seem subordinate to Jesus, when in reality all three persons of the Trinity are coequal and has always existed together. Jesus may not have always been in physical bodily form, but he has always existed. God eternally begets Jesus. Jesus is eternally begotten from God. Likewise, the Holy Spirit has always and does always proceed from God. God is God. Jesus is God. The Holy Spirit is God. Neither Jesus nor the Holy Spirit are created from God. That would make them creatures like us and would mean that we would be worshipping parts of God’s creation. That would make them idols. That is why the words “begotten” and “proceeds” were carefully chosen by the authors of the Creed.
This is obviously a complex issue that I have tried to simplify as much as possible. And all of this is to say I come bearing good news! In May of 2024 the Lutheran World Federation decided to end the controversy, and in a spirit of unity, has removed the Filioque from the Nicene Creed. 1,000 to 1,500 years of division are over! The Lutheran World Federation and the Orthodox Church put forward a joint declaration regarding this new unity, affirming that we all believe in the coequal, coexistent persons of the Holy Trinity. We believe the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all in intimate relationship with each other and are all one God.
This may seem like a small thing but is theologically a big deal. It may not change your everyday life, but for pastors, bishops, scholars, and educators of faith, this small change makes a difference in our understanding of this very complicated Triune (3-in-1, 1-in-3) God we worship and are in relationship with.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little look behind the curtain of systematic theology as much as I’ve enjoyed sharing it with you!
May the peace and love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be with you always,
Pastor Ryan
Email Pastor Ryan: pastorryan@sotpmail.com
From Our Offering Counters
Just a reminder that in 2025 everyone will receive offering envelopes by mail quarterly. We realize that some of you in the past have opted out of receiving envelopes so before you throw these envelopes away, we encourage you to remember a couple of things related to your giving to Shepherd of the Prairie.
When the offering counters receive an envelope which has a check enclosed and the distribution is marked on the envelope, this helps our counters tremendously to quickly account for your gift. We just need to open the envelope, make sure the figures agree on the check and envelope, and put each one in separate piles to be totaled.
When a loose check is received there are several more steps to be taken in order to process each donation.
Our counters must look up the name on the check, then fill out an envelope form which is a copy of the back of the offering envelope, with the giver’s name, envelope number, and gift amount. This is then paperclipped to the check and given to the counter that is opening envelopes that day. As you can see a loose check takes our volunteers much more time to process to be sure each gift is given proper credit to donors. So far, we have processed over 180 loose checks from households that opted out of 2024 envelopes.
Please keep the 2025 envelopes to be used on special services and various things that come up during the year like the food pantry and memorials. Of course, regular giving may be done online which is also a wonderful way to easily give to the ministry we share at SOTP.
Thanks again for your ongoing support. We are surely blessed by the generosity of every gift received!
Contact: Ralph Wehnes
ralphwehnes@sbcglobal.net
Updating Pictures & Information
As you may know, we are now publishing our Member Directory with members’ photos. 
If you need to update or add your photo, please send your photo to Donna Kelly donna@sotpmail.com, or Ed Cuttle
edschn28@comcast.net and we will update or add it to the directory.
We publish an updated directory every time we receive new members, so 4 times a year. If you would like to receive the updated
directory via email, please let Michelle Rankin know, michelle@sotpmail.com or you can pick one up at the office or at the Registration Desk.
If you have any questions, contact Donna Kelly, donna@sotpmail.com or through the church office.
We Encourage You to Read This Reading for This Upcoming Weekend
Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-23
If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.
For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
Gospel: Mark 1:29-39
As soon as [Jesus and the disciples] left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.
Register Your Wheels Now
Summer is kicking off with an Ice Cream Social & Wheels Show.
Join us Friday, June 2nd from 6:30pm-8:30pm for the Ice Cream Social.
Sign up to bring your wheels at www.bit.ly/SOTPwheels23 . They can have 4 or 3 or 2 wheels, maybe someone even has a unicycle!?!?
The best decorated kid’s wheels will win a prize.
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We will also have games, relays, face painting, an ice cream Pinata, and lots of fun!
Let us know you’re coming – register at www.bit.ly/SOTPsocial23
Contact: Jill Gillming jill@sotpmail.com
For more information on how to donate altar flowers, go to www.bit.ly/SOTPflower
Contact: Diane Mollis dem910@outlook.com
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By Donna Kelly
A few years ago, my husband and I were driving home to Texas from visiting family here in Illinois for Christmas. The road was smooth, we had made our stops for restroom, snacks and a drink. We had even made it through the traffic maze know as St Louis. It looked like clear sailing ahead. We went around a curve in the road and there it was; a huge traffic jam. The lines of cars ahead of us looked never ending! Far up ahead we could see the blinking of what looked like a thousand emergency vehicle lights. We were stuck! There was a roadblock ahead and nowhere to go to get around it!
We started grumbling about the hold up and how we weren’t going to be able to get to the motel we had booked a room in that night. After we had sat there for a while without moving, we went from frustrated to resigned to being stuck behind this roadblock. As we began to creep along, we could see that it was at least a mile to where the actual roadblock was. After about an hour (seemed like 10) we had moved forward enough to get to an off ramp. We had no idea where we were or how to get through St Louis and back on to the interstate beyond the roadblock. We had to make a decision, stay stuck where we were or venture out into the unknown and find another way. We couldn’t just give up trying to get home, walk away, leave the car on the highway and go find a place to live in St Louis.
I haven’t thought of this incident for years, but a few weeks ago my daughter and I were talking about her work. She works for a mental health system. They had a guest speaker who talked about personal and mental roadblocks. When we hit a roadblock in our lives, we tend to get stuck. We try the same technique or answer over and over and find it didn’t work before and still doesn’t. Often, we simply give up! “I’ll never be able to finish school!” I’ll never lose the weight I want!” “I’ll never figure out how to make this relationship work!” “I’ll never get past this hurt, or grief, or struggle!” So, we quit trying and let the roadblock beat us.
But what if we didn’t give up and take a deep breath and keep on trying? Or venture out into the unknown and find a new highway to travel? We don’t give up at a traffic roadblock and we don’t just give up in life either. We can stay calm and persevere or find a new path.
By the way, we decided to venture off the highway and find another road around the roadblock caused by the accident. Luckily Russ had received a new thing called a GPS for Christmas and it worked like magic. We were through St Louis and past the roadblock in a matter of a few minutes.
When I find myself staring at a roadblock in life, I now try to remember this incident and look for the way around it.
Donna
email Donna at: donna@sotpmail.com
