february 2021 - bemidji

1

Worship Services

9:00 am, Sunday

6:30 pm, Wednesday (Divine Service 1st & 3rd Wednesday)

Sunday School (Sept - May)

10:30 am - 11:30 am

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

In this Issue

A Publication of Trinity Lutheran Church, Bemidji, Minnesota (218) 444-4441

February 2021

www.trinitybemidji.com

LCMS Article 1

From Pastor Wentzel 3

Refocus For Lent 5

Kids In Divine Service 6

Birthdays/Anniversaries 7

F.Y.I. 8

Bible in a Year 8

Kid’s Activity Page 9

Valentine Coloring 0

Stewardship 11

Online Giving 12

Ongoing Fundraisers 13

The Serpents Shield” (19) 14

Monthly Calendar 17

God’s Prescription for Happiness January 2010 / AThe Lutheran Witness / by Martin S. Sommer

Continued on Next Page

REV. MARTIN S. SOMMER

Editor’s note: Along with Prof. Theodore Graebner, Prof. Martin S. Sommer shared the editorship of The Lutheran Witness for 35 years, from 1914 to 1949. This column is from 75 years ago, Jan. 1, 1935, in many respects, a time not unlike our own–economic uncertainty, high unemployment (more than 20 percent in 1934–35), and debate about, among other things, church relations, social issues, and the role of government in the lives of citizens. Then as now, Prof. Sommer re-minds us of the true path to happiness and contentment.

Here, then, is God’s infallible prescription for happiness. Every one who follows this direction will be able to say: “My cup runneth over.” Indeed, happiness will actually pursue him, so that he may say: “Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” God’s goodness will provide him with everything that he needs, and God’s mercy will forgive all his sins and graciously help him out of all his troubles; these two angels of God will continually follow him and never leave him.

Of course, God will not give you happiness if you run away from it and seek it where it is not to be found. We shall never find happiness in sin. God will not make you happy if you devote your life to making other people unhappy. You will not find happiness in delighting to injure others. “Delight thyself in the Lord,” that is God’s direction.

Be sure of this, that all those who seek happiness in wickedness are blinded by Satan. They shall fall in the dark and “know not at what they stumble” (Prov. 4:19). They are doomed to destruction. To them we say: O man, O woman, you are destroying yourself. Why? Because you are not seeking happiness at that Fountain from which alone all blessings flow. That is the Lord. Turn from your sin and delight yourself in the Lord.

But what delight is to be found there? The first delight is this, that you learn there from God’s holy Word that the gracious Father in heaven has created you and given you your physical and mental powers. Moreover, He has given you an immortal soul; He has created you a human being. You are the most precious visible creature of God. God has therefore forewarned all men not to do you any harm. God allows us to kill any animal, but He allows no one to kill you. He allows any one of us to trap, to shoot, or to drive off, and exterminate, any animals; but God has strictly forbidden any one, no matter how high his station, to injure you in the least. He commands all men, high and low, to love you as they love themselves. He has told all men to be of help and service in keeping what you have. He has threatened punishment to those who undertake to deceive or to cheat you. He has even threatened to tear any one to pieces who dares to speak evil of you (Ps. 50:22).

2

Then you learn from this same source of blessing that God loved you even unto death. He sacrificed His Son for you. The Holy Spirit comes into your filthy, wicked, sinful, and corrupt heart and cures it, heals it, purifies it. He makes of that which was a cesspool in which the devils dwelt a holy temple in which the Triune God abides. Isn’t that a joy to think of?

And now, all this that He has done for you is only the beginning of His blessings. He has promised–and He certainly will keep His promise–to give you a perfect body, free from all ills and pains, to provide for you not only some joys, but fullness of joy, so that there is absolutely nothing lacking to make you perfectly happy. He has promised to provide you with company more delightful than any person ever found on this earth. God is going to provide you with companions that are absolutely free form all sin, folly, or deficiencies of any kind. You are to live with the saints made perfect, whom you will love with a greater love than you loved any one on this earth and who will love you as no person ever loved you here upon this earth.

Delight yourself in the Lord, and your best days are yet to come. This wonderful God, who made heaven and earth, is going to create a new heaven and a new earth, in which dwelleth righteousness. The Holy City, the new Jerusalem, is coming down from God out of heaven. God Himself will dwell with us, God Himself “shall wipe away all tears from our eyes; there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away” (Rev. 21:4).

Believe this, and you will be happy in the new year, let come what will. For who that believes these things could be unhappy? How happy our children are, looking forward to Christmas, to the tree, to its lights, to the presents, to the good things, and to the joys and the services of God’s house! And yet, how imperfect all these things are! How quickly they vanish! And should we not be far happier when we think of the perfect and the unnumbered things that are awaiting us? Should we not say: “My heart for very joy doth leap, My lips no more can silence keep”? “O that I had a thousand voices” to express, to sing, to proclaim, to shout, not only what good things God hath done for us, but what better and best things He still has in store for us.

Let therefore this new year bring what it may, that almighty God who has power over all things, whom nothing can resist, will see to it infallibly that all things, whatever may happen, must work together for our good. He Himself is preparing a place for us. There will be no regrets there. Everything will be just as it should be, and there will be no interruption of our joys. It is just a little while, and in that little while there may be some sorrow, some tears, some battles, and some unreasonable fears; but let hell and Satan rage all they will, there will be no weapon that can conquer the arms of the Lord; there is no enchantment and no divination against God’s people. Believe it because God, who cannot lie, has told you: “I give unto them eternal life; … neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:28).

But now beware of allowing your sinful flesh to say to you: “O yes, it sounds very good, and it is very delightful, but is it true? Do you know what happens to those people who are fearful and unbelieving? “But the fearful and unbelieving … shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8). Beware of unbelief. Delight yourself in God’s Word, use it daily in your home. Determine at once to institute private or family devotion. Make the Word of God your delight, and He will give you courage to meet anything; He will give you faith which overcometh the world; through His Word He will preserve you in the true faith and finally take you to Himself. He does not only intend that you should have daily bread while here on this earth, He intends that you are to have eternal blessedness and happiness, riches, joy, and an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, with Him and with all His saints. God give you that happiness!

I recall the very last visit which I had with Dr. Pieper, shortly before the Lord took him to his heavenly blessedness. We spoke of just these things, and although Dr. Pieper knew that he had but a short time to live, he spoke of all this with glowing eyes and said: “Our best days are yet to come.”

______________________________________________________________

In addition to his role as co-editor of The Lutheran Witness, Martin S. Sommer (1869–1949) was president of the English District from 1914 to 1919 and became professor of homiletics at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis,

in 1920, serving in that position until his retirement in 1947.

Text reprinted from the Jan. 1, 1935, Lutheran Witness. LCMS congregations may reprint for parish use.

All other rights reserved. Photo courtesy Concordia Historical Institute.

3

Dear brothers and sisters of Trinity,

Last month I announced that I would emphasize the idea of ‘Sacramental Pie-

ty’ this year. This kind of piety, or reverence, focuses on our Triune God’s gifts to us in Word and Sacrament. The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ comes to us

in sacramental ways. What does this mean? The word ‘sacrament’ means ‘a

holy thing of God.’ It’s a translation of the Greek word ‘mysterion,’ from which we get the word ‘mystery.’ God’s ways with us are mysterious—he gives His holy

gifts through the preaching of the Word, through Baptism, through Absolution, and through the Lord’s Supper in ways we cannot fully understand, but nonetheless we confess that sacraments do exactly what God purposes them to do: deliver to us forgiveness of sins on account of the work of Jesus Christ for our salvation. And where there is forgiveness of sins, there is surely life and salva-tion!

Sacramental Piety, then, focuses on what God does in and with us, rather than on what we do for God or how we ‘feel’ about God. I ran across the following article in my reading which will serve as a guide to differentiating a God-pleasing piety from that which focuses on our human words and ac-tions. It’s a bit of a long read, but well worth it. Enjoy!

Piety vs. Pietism Author: Russell P. Dawn, associate professor of history and political thought and director of the pre-law program at Concordia University Irvine.

“DON’T BE SO PIOUS!”

It’s strange that what was once a term of honor has become an insult. In mainstream America, “pious” has come to mean stuffy and self-righteous. It can mean that in Lutheran circles, too, but with us there tends to be even more of an edge to it. For one Lutheran to label another one “pious” often implies that the other is not genuinely Lutheran. He or she has not embraced Christian free-dom, the freedom that comes when the shackles of the Law fall from our wrists because of the Good News of salvation in Christ by grace alone through faith alone. The term is often used interchangea-bly with “pietistic.”

The problem is, pious and pietistic are not the same thing. Indeed, all Lutherans both are and ought to be pious. But what is piety?

Piety, that is, being pious, can be thought of in two ways. The first is inward piety, piety in the soul. Another term for it is righteousness. Every Christian in the history of the Church, from Adam and Eve down to you and me, is pious in this sense. We cannot strive for this piety; we cannot earn it; we don’t even naturally want it.

This is the righteousness of God that becomes ours through the Gospel by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the righteousness of faith. It is our salvation. We should never confuse this piety with lofty emotions, or a holy attitude, or even a feeling of trust. It doesn’t reside in our brains or experiences,

although faith does transform us “in heart and spirit and mind and powers” (FC SD IV). It is God’s inexplicable gift to wicked sinners. It is in this sense that Lutherans are pious.

The second way to think of piety is outward, or piety that we live out. Another term for it is good works. “Aha!” says the Lutheran. “You said good works. Those are for Catholics and Methodists and revivalist preachers. Good works don’t apply to us because we’re already saved!” Well, in a way, Yes, but mainly No No No! I say Yes because good works don’t make us good or righteous or Chris-tian. They don’t save us or anyone else. But emphatically I say No, because good works flow natu-rally from faith, outward piety from inward piety. The Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord says that “it is God’s will, order, and command that believers should walk in good works,” that the works to be done are “those that God Himself has prescribed and commanded in His Word,” and that these works are done “when a person is reconciled with God through faith and renewed by the Holy Spirit” (FC SD IV).

From The Pastor


4

The Formula then goes on to warn against the anti-good works attitude:

For many create for themselves a dead faith or delusion that lacks repentance and good works. They act as though there could be true faith in a heart at the same time as the wicked intention to persevere and continue in sin [Romans 6:1-2]. This is impossi-ble. Or, they act as though a person could have and keep true faith, righteousness, and salvation even though he is and remains a corrupt and unfruitful tree, from which no good fruit comes at all. In fact, they say this even though a person persists in sins against conscience or purposely engages again in these sins. All of this is incorrect and false.

Thus, a scornful attitude toward piety is not more Christian or more Lutheran than piety itself. In fact, it isn’t Christian or Lutheran at all.

Are we to continue in sin that grace can abound? By no means! (Rom. 6.1). Rather, we let love be genuine, abhorring what is evil, holding fast to what is good, loving one another and outdoing one another in showing honor (Rom. 12.9-10). It is in this sense that Lutherans ought to be pious. One might wonder, then, why so many Lutherans shun the idea of piety. The answer may be partly because of the sins against which the Formula of Concord warned, but it is also partly because of confusion with the word “Pietism.”

So what, then, is Pietism? Pietism is a belief system, a theology, with roots in a 17th-century Ger-man movement and far-reaching consequences across the centuries and around the globe. It is not the same thing as the Christian life of piety, although Pietists past and present tend to equate the two.

In the first half of the 17th century, armies from all over Europe marched and fought in the king-doms of Germany as the Thirty Years’ War raged. By the time the war ended officially with the signing of the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, Germany was blood-soaked, exhausted and impover-ished. It was also deeply in doubt that the theological differences which had at least partly driven the war could be resolved, or even really mattered. At the same time, scientific discovery was showing great promise, which led some people even more deeply into religious doubt. In this broad malaise, Christian piety suffered.

Knowing that this was the world into which Pietism was birthed should make the movement a bit easier to understand. Faith without works is indeed dead, and dead faith was widespread in Germa-ny’s churches in the late 17th century. In response to this, various Pietist movements arose around that time, some of them Lutheran, others Reformed. But the most influential strands go back to Philipp Jakob Spener, a Lutheran theologian. He sought to revive the faith of a morbid church, and his intentions were good, even laudable. But harm tends to result from good intentions when those intentions aren’t accompanied by sound biblical teaching. Let’s explore where Spener and Pietism went wrong.

Spener called for Christian laity to meet together apart from Divine Service in order to mutually en-courage piety. Such groups were the forerunners of modern in-home Bible study groups. But the fact that earnest people were meeting privately for admonition and encouragement isn’t what caused the movement to stray from biblical principles. The root of the error, as Bengt Hägglund describes in his History of Theology, is epistemological. Epistemology is the study of how we know things. It’s a strange word for something that all of us do. Even children are epistemologists when they demand, “How do you know?” or when they sing, “for the Bible tells me so.”

Spener’s epistemology was that experience is the basis of all certainty, so he emphasized the im-portance of the individual Christian’s experience of renewal or new birth. Rather than focusing on the objective truth of Christ’s death and resurrection for us, and the objective and Spirit-filled Word that brings this objective truth to people in need of Good News, Spener turned the Christian’s focus in-ward toward a subjective experience of inner transformation.


5

In the following generation, Pietism began to move beyond Spener’s modest but crucial departure from historic Lutheranism. Led by August Hermann Francke, the Pietists of the German city of Halle believed that any true Christian could point back in his or her life to an inner struggle with sin that culminated in a crisis and ultimately a decision to start a new, Christ-centered life. It is after that ex-perience and that decision that one would receive faith and forgiveness. Also, these Pietists did not see the new life as a life of Christian freedom, but of Christian legalism. They saw the Law as even more strict for Christians than for non-Christians. They viewed natural desires and pleasures as sin-ful whether or not they were contrary to God’s law.

In the town of Herrnhut, east of Halle, Nikolaus von Zinzendorf took the emphasis on experience in a different direction. His United Brethren or Moravian church emphasized the experience of intimate relationship with Christ, especially an emotional solidarity with Christ in His suffering on the cross.

All of these should seem eerily familiar in our modern American context. The need for a conver-sion experience and a “decision for Christ,” the focus on experience and intimacy — all are wide-spread in Christianity today. Indeed, we can find them even within our Lutheran churches and schools, turning eyes that belong on the cross inward toward ourselves.

In a nutshell, then, Pietism is simply an oversized and out-of-place emphasis on works. It is a con-fusion of Law and Gospel in which a human work (a decision or emotion), rather than the cross of Christ alone, brings the assurance of salvation. Pietism also plays right into our fallen nature by ap-pearing to focus on Christ (a decision for Christ and sympathy with Christ), while actually focusing on the sinner’s personal experience. But our experience, decisions and emotions are ultimately un-reliable. They cannot save us.

God alone saves. Redeemed by Christ, we thank God for giving us His righteousness, and we re-spond willingly by putting to death the deeds of the flesh. Freely, and only freely, do we embrace a life of genuine piety, while remaining always on our guard against Pietism, lest law replace the Gos-pel and the cross be emptied of its power.

In Christ, Pastor Wentzel

Refocus for Lent Give up complaining — focus on gratitude.

Give up harsh judgments — think kind thoughts. Give up worry — trust God to provide.

Give up discouragement — be full of hope. Give up bitterness — turn to forgiveness.

Give up hatred — return good for evil. Give up anger — be more patient.

Give up pettiness — become mature. Give up jealousy — pray for trust.

Give up gossiping — control your tongue. Give up sin — turn to virtue.

Give up giving up — persevere. —Author unknown

February 17th IS

7

Address/Phone

If your address and/or phone number changes, please let the church office know, so your information will be correct in the church database. Thank you!

Altar Flower Volunteers Needed!!

Please sign up to tend the Altar Flowers. We still need volunteers for 2021!

February Birthdays and Anniversaries at Trinity Lutheran Church

1 Margaret Richer

2 Madelyn Schuette

3 Gordon Carlson; Mike Peske

5 Colt Freye

6 Pam Eichstadt

7 Linda Erickson

10 Vern Holzhueter

Ron Nelson

11 Jennifer Bock, Donovan Lundin

Emily Manecke

12 Don Bock

14 Tanner Lang, Georgina Walter

15 Hal Wilhite

17 Greg Anderson

Sheldon Bruun

18 Hannah Dressen

Kris Thiemecke

19 Nate Lundeen, Jack Walther,

Louis Blocker

22 Jim Erickson

24 Tammy Freye

26 Arlyce Stanko

Randy Yarbrough

27 Clyde Bell

Tim Freye

8

Trinity helps at the Food Shelf on the first Friday of every month for 4 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the afternoon. We need at least 6 volunteers for each shift so we always need people to help out. If you are interested or

have questions, please call June Roxstrom at 333-1495. Items that are always needed are pancake mix, syrup, baby food, and laundry soap. We appreciate any items of your choice! We also accept good used towels and washcloths. Thank you for all your support to help feed the hungry in Beltrami County!

Bemidji Area Food Shelf

The Newest

Portals of Prayer for

January - March 2021

are in the basket on the

table near the sanctuary.

Members of Trinity

If you see a member of Trinity in the newspaper,

please let us know so we can acknowledge them

by posting the article on the bulletin board. please

clip the article or picture and put in the “Bulletin”

folder in the pocket on the office door. Thanks.

A “Gluten Free” option is now

available for communion. If you

would like to take advantage of

this option, please let the office

know prior to Sunday so we can have one availa-

ble for you or speak with Pastor Wentzel.

The first Sunday of Epiphany commemorates the visit of the Wise Men to the infant Jesus and the second Sunday observes the Baptism of our Lord. Therefore, the paraments are white, the color

of purity and eternity. The remaining Sundays after the Epiphany have green paraments. The last Sunday after the Epiphany is again white for the Transfiguration of our Lord. The emphasis for the whole season of Epiphany is on the self-revelation of God to the world.

The Trustees have suspended the collection of aluminum cans until March. If you collected the cans for

the Youth, please hold on to them until then.

1 Luke 2:29-32 Exodus 1-3

2 Psalm 59 Exodus 4-6













15 Psalm 72 Leviticus 1-3









24 Psalm 81 Numbers 1-3




28 Luke 2:29-32 Numbers 13-15

Read Through the Bible in a Year - February

Lenten Midweek Worship

Wednesdays at 6:30 pm

Beginning February 17th

Ash Wednesday

11

February Stewardship

“I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the

earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich,

yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich" (2 Cor.

8:8-9).

Without commands or even arm-twisting, St. Paul encourages, even challenges, the Church in

Corinth to demonstrate the sincerity of their faith by their generosity in giving. He does this because

giving generously is a gift of the Spirit given to us through the Gospel.

St. Paul wrote: “But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete

earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving” (2 Corinthians

8:7). In other words, just as we grow in faith and speech and knowledge of eternal things by the Holy

Spirit through the Word of God, so also do we grow in giving from the same Spirit through the same

Word.

The problem is that the grace of generosity often grows cold in us. It’s not so much that we stop

giving, but we don’t put it first. We treat it like all the other bills that must be paid. It becomes a

chore, just one more thing to check off a list of things to do. That empties it of its spiritual power and

robs us of the joy that Christ and the Scriptures assign to it.

On top of that, since this generosity is linked to faith and knowledge of divine things, a lack of

excelling in giving is sure sign that our faith and knowledge of God are under attack as well.

Thus St. Paul points to the foundation of generosity: the generosity of Christ Himself. Even though

He was rich, He became poor so that we who are poor might become rich. Thus, the incarnation,

suffering, and death of our Lord on the cross is the reason, source, and driving force for our

generosity in giving to the church.

And since Christ who was rich became poor so that we might be rich in His grace—of which gener-

ous giving is part—so we also who are rich in His grace can excel in pressing His grace into service

toward the gracious work of the church.

Pay attention to what you give to the church so that you may excel at it. And if you find that your

heart has grown cold or indifferent toward it, immerse yourself in God’s Word. Read it at home.

Attend Bible Class. Hear and listen to it preached in the Divine Service. Be reminded of what Christ

has done for you in His incarnation, suffering, and death. For this will strengthen your faith and

knowledge. And where that excels, so will the grace of giving excel also.

12

It’s Easy, just follow these steps...

1. Visit Trinity’s Website at www.trinitybemidji.org.

2. Click on “Donate” at the top right of the Home Page.

3. Fill out the form on the Donation Page and click “DONATE” when you are finished.

4. You will now be directed to our PayPal page. Once there, you can either

Log In to your existing PayPal account OR if you don’t have an account

just click “Continue” under the heading “Don’t Have A PayPal Account?

5. From here you just complete using your credit or debit card information and submit.

YOU CAN NOW GIVE YOUR TITHE OR OFFERING

ONLINE?!

The Benefits Of Online Giving

STEWARDSHIP You have the option of giving a one time gift, or having your tithe post monthly.

CONVENIENT You can continue to support Trinity even if you are away on vacation or gone for the winter.

FLEXIBILITY You can give to the General Fund or choose to give to a specific Ministry of the church.

If you would like help in learning how make your donation or tithe to Trinity online, just stop in to the office, we are happy to help.

13

The youth group is still collecting aluminum beverage cans. Put them by the can near the kitchen door. The money earned will be used toward youth group activities. PLEASE: aluminum cans ONLY! The recycler won’t accept other materials and I have to sort out unacceptable materials by hand! Yuck!

Any questions? Call Tom Smith at 444-3818

Trinity collects ink cartridges cellphones, smart phones, and iPads for recycling to raise funds for the TLC Preschool and The Growing Tree Childcare! We can no longer accept other small electronics like: old laptops, MP3 players, digital cameras, handheld game systems, GPS devices, radar detectors, or electronic book readers. Sorry for the inconvenience. There is a collection tub in the Fellowship Hall. Thanks for your continued support of the TLC Preschool and The Growing Tree Childcare!

Trinity collects Campbell’s Labels for Lutheran Island Camp to help

purchase camp equipment. The list of eligible labels is on the hallway

bulletin board. Bring your labels and put them in the basket marked

“Campbell’s Soup Labels” on the table in the Fellowship Hall!

Darlene Peterson will take care of the rest! ~ Thanks! ~

***Please include the “Campbell’s Kid” with the UPC code when you clip!***

The Evening Guild is participating in the Pop Tab Collection Program. Little things can make a big difference. You can help support the Ronald McDonald House by collecting the little tabs you pull to open soda and other aluminum cans. The funds generated from recycling these aluminum gems help offset the House's expenses.

Box Tops

The youth group is collecting proof of purchase (bar codes) for the Our Family brand at Lukens Village Foods. The youth group will receive $25 for every 500 box tops that we turn in. You can put your box tops in the labeled collection box in the Fellowship Hall.

Suspended until March 2021

14

Chapter 18 Warriors for Dinner

Estelle and Barbara woke with sore shoulders. A gray-blue Thanksgiving Day with thinner clouds let a bit of sun brightened their windows. After the blizzard even a calm cloudy day felt attractive. But they moved slowly as if caught in the grayness, each lost in her own thoughts of the previous day’s encounter with profes-sor Wan.

Wonderful how their ‘delivery’ came in the form of Luke and Tony thought Estelle. And strange how proper and calm Professor Wan seemed at the evening meal when Headmaster Rosenbaum gave out the Thanksgiving Day invitations. Estelle touched her bruised shoulder. It had turned black and blue and purple. The thought of Professor Wan made her shiver as if cold.

Better think of nice things Estelle reminded herself. She and Barbara had been teamed with Jane and Rebecca to feast with Mrs. Chatterley, one of the pastry cooks at Kirkpatrick. It promised to be a delightful time. Es-telle knew Mrs. Chatterley, a widow, who was sweet and ready to help with any special nutritional needs of the students. Barbara didn’t know much more about her.

Luke and Tony awoke, but didn’t get out of bed. Ken and Benjamin were busy in the bathroom. Luke turned to Tony and raised himself on an elbow. “What really happened to Estelle and Barb? I can’t believe it was ‘nothing, only a misunderstanding’ as they said. Estelle and Barb were scared.”

“I saw that too. Where had they been?” The boys stopped as Benjamin came out for his socks.

“Maybe, just maybe,” said Luke, “we have been watching the wrong Professor. What if Kantact is an un-knowing delivery pawn to this Todd?” Luke raised his hand, as Tony opened his mouth to speak. “Just a mi-nute. Listen, I know this sounds, well backward, but if we think of Professor Wan as the bad guy, then some of this makes more sense.”

Tony headed to the bathroom for a shower. “Okay, I’ll play along.”

Luke followed in his bathrobe. “If Professor Wan wrote the notes – he made it look like Professor Kantact’s Greek class. Kantact, a new Professor, would be more suspect.” Tony stepped into the shower. Luke sat on a bench not doing much to get ready. “Yeah. Todd carries the notes from Wan to Kantact who delivers them to the truck driver who…whatever after that.”

“Only one problem,” said Tony popping his head out to grab a towel. “Professor Wan has no reason to do anything to anyone in this school. He’s been here for twenty years and has a clean record full of commenda-tions.” Tony with towel around his waist combed his hair.

Luke still sat on the bench. “You’re probably right. Why would he? It was just a thought. Forget it. But the girls were very frightened.” Luke looked deep in thought, then he changed the subject. “Where do they go exploring, Tony, do you know?”

Tony finished brushing his teeth before he could answer. “Oh, some of the lower levels. Remember? They claimed there is a lower level three. But we only found two lower levels on the plant diagrams. You’d better get ready.”

“Yeah, I remember.”

As Tony went to his closet, he told his friend, “Your turn to shower, Luke, get with it!” The boys finished in time for a light breakfast before Thanksgiving Day assembly in the auditorium.

The entire town’s people who had been able to shovel themselves out attended the Thanksgiving Day as-sembly. Individuals shared about those times in the past year for which they were grateful. Mrs. Chatterley shared how grateful she was to have students who liked her cookies, bars, and other snacks. Luke and Estelle both took a look at Tony and smiled. Neither one was going to let on that they had figured out who supplied Tony’s pockets.

Headmaster Rosenbaum said words of gratitude for the students and their progress in studies and safety, and for the faculty and staff and their dedication to the welfare of the students. It ended with some cheerful songs of praise and gratitude.

The four girls waited in the large foyer for Mrs. Chatterley. Tony and Luke also waited to catch sight of Care-taker. They were spending the festive meal with him. The friends gave each other feasting wishes and teased about having the best meal.

Mrs. Chatterley cheerfully bundled the four girls off to her “English Cottage” across and down the street. As


15

they left, Estelle wondered what goodies Caretaker could possibly be giving the boys. She was happy to be going to Mrs. Chatterley’s cottage. Estelle’s mouth already anticipated the taste the delicious food.

Luke and Tony followed Caretaker to his little cabin near the barns and woods. A very narrow path with high snow banks had been shoveled to the little cabin. When the door opened both Luke and Tony inhaled deeply a most wonderful aroma. “Caretaker, that sure smells good!” exclaimed Luke.

Tony had an almost heavenly smile as he took another deep breath of the fragrant air. “Right! What are you making?” He thought of his manners and added “if I may ask.”

“Oh, an old family favorite,” said Caretaker in his soft and easy way. His voice didn’t hold a bit of strain from preparation or shoveling. “Now sit down and we’ll begin. That’s right you sit here, Chief’s Ransom.” He looked at Tony. Tony smiled and took his seat.

“And Young Winged-Ox, take this place.” Luke nodded and sat down. The kitchen and living area were small. Caretaker had a couch in one corner with a small table and lamp beside it. A couple of small chairs, that were usually against the adjacent wall, had been placed around the table. The other half of the rectangular shaped room was kitchen. The short wall held cupboards and a sink. The stove and refrigerator were opposite each other. The table filled the middle of the room. The house felt warm not just from cooking but because its heating system was connected to the school.

Luke and Tony politely looked about at the different items that were on the walls. Caretaker had placed hunting gear that had been used by his family many years before he was born on the walls. Other items mean-ingful to Caretaker’s ancestry decorated his living area.

Caretaker took a roasting pot of venison from the oven and placed it on the table. Then he set a large bowl of boiled potatoes on the table. Caretaker sat down. “Now we give thanks. Great Father, we thank you for this food that you’ve given. Give us grateful hearts, merciful spirits, and wise minds.” He paused. “Who is first?” Both boys held up their plates. They began eating and made grateful comments.

Caretaker got up and reached for some warm fry bread. “Now, for some sweets!”

Tony patted his tummy. “Yum, yum!”

Luke looked up at Caretaker. He didn’t want to be rude. “Uh, what is this? I’ve never seen this. Smells good.”

Caretaker sat down, and placed the plate of fry bread between the boys. “It’s fry bread, Young Winged-Ox.” The boys ate heartily. Caretaker enjoyed the boys as they feasted on the fry bread. He also ate a good share of his bread. When Tony could eat no more, he pushed his chair back and let out a soft moan. Luke had not eaten as much, but being too full to answer only nodded.

“It’s good?” asked Caretaker, “you like my food? Many students don’t. That’s why I asked for you.” The boys looked surprised.

Luke found it hard to believe that no one would want him. He looked directly at Caretaker. “You asked for us?” Tony just sat with his mouth partly open.

Caretaker quietly placed his hands together on the table. “Yeah, you boys are true warriors. I watch all stu-dents. I hear many things. I see each one act. You boys are protectors, real warriors.” He nodded to each as he spoke.

Tony after gaining some self-control, found his voice. “You watch all of us? I thought you cared for the gar-dens, animals, forest and…and…”

Caretaker cleared the table as he spoke. “One who cares also knows what each needs. I see how you shield Secret Star and Novel One. You work together like brothers.”

Tony looked at Luke puzzled. “We do?… who is Secret Star and Novel One?”

“Oh, Secret Star is Estelle, and Novel One is Barb. Didn’t you know?”

Luke shook his head. “Guess we’ve never asked. And Tony is like my brother! But what’s with this warrior stuff…Tony and me warriors?”

Caretaker nodded and stretched out comfortably in his chair. “I have story for you. It is still early. You will hear?” The boys nodded agreement. Caretaker began his narrative.

Once, a great Chief ruled over many lands. He taught his people to care for the animals and gardens. They


16

lived well. The great Chief taught his people to use only what they needed – not to hunt for the trill of the kill. His people were prosperous. But the Chief was sad. He did not have a son to share the vast lands. He could have had any boy from among his people. But he would not take what was not rightfully his. So he waited.

Not everyone liked the Great Chief. On the far side of his lands lived an antagonist. He knew that if the Chief did not have an heir, the rule would go to the Chief’s younger brother. The younger brother had three sons. These sons were soft and easily influenced, because their father did not give them firm discipline that every good warrior needs. So the antagonist made plans to end the great Chief’s rule, divide the lands among the three soft sons, and then easily conquer each small ruler.

This is how he schemed. He would go in disguise to the younger brother’s sons. He would go as a wise man and fill their heads with wicked ideas. All lies. His disguise would be his shield from suspicion. People think a wise man does not tell lies.

So he set out to end the Great Chief’s rule. It took many months to reach the village of the Great Chief. By then his disguise looked worn. He called out to passers by, “Where can I find the family of the great Chief, I have urgent message for them.” The people directed him to the house of the great Chief. The antagonist, shielded by his disguise, was received into the Chief’s house. For many days he talked with members of the Great Chief’s house-hold. He dropped his choice lies in the ears of the soft young sons. Then he went on his way and waited for the plan to work. There was no rush. Lies work best when left to germinate and grow into wickedness.

The lies grew and bloomed as hatred, envy, and finally murder. The three soft sons murdered their Uncle, the Great Chief. The news of the Great Chief’s death spread, and chaos with it. This was just what the antago-nist had been waiting for. The three sons covered their deed and wailed loudly at what had happened to their Uncle. But they also feared what could happen.

Here Caretaker paused. The boys anxious to hear the end of the story asked, “then what happened?” Care-taker smiled and quietly went on with the story.

Amid all the agony over their Great Chief’s death, the royal household warriors remembered the Great Chief’s teaching: “the greatest warriors protect more than attack.” They quickly surrounded the Great Chief’s wife and prepared his funeral.

The Great Chief’s younger brother took his place as Chief. The chaos quieted. The antagonist waited. The warriors protected. Many months later the three soft sons murdered their own father during a hunting trip. They now held rule and divided the Great Chief’s lands among themselves, one part for each soft son.

The antagonist waited. His lies had worked. Now he waited for the envy to grow to full bloom. He would then conquer the three soft sons.

The warriors also waited and protected. The old Great Chief’s wife bore a son. The Great Chief had a son.

Again Caretaker paused. “Then what?” asked Tony.

Luke had taken a keen interest in Caretaker’s story. “Is there more? What will the warriors do?”

Caretaker smiled, drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. “Maybe another time. You, boys can make up endings.”

Luke looked puzzled. He scratched his head. “It doesn’t have an ending?”

“You’re just challenging us. Right?” asked Tony. He looked at Luke, then the idea of a challenge hit home. They nodded to each other.

Caretaker simply smiled. “Time to return to your dorms, Chief’s Ransom and Young Winged-Ox. It has been a good day.”

“Yeah,” mumbled the boys. They put on their winter gear and thanked Caretaker for an excellent afternoon.

17

Calendar

february 2021 - bemidji

Documents