Perhaps you know that the word Lent comes from an old English word for spring: lencten,  which points to the lengthening hours of daylight as the world moves from the depths of winter to spring. Lent is the Church’s spiritual spring when through repentance we turn from the death of sin to the new life which flows from the life-giving death and resurrection of our Lord. As we again meditate on His passion and death, we see both the ugliness of human depravity and the beauty of Christ’s “love to the loveless shown that they might lovely be” as we sing in the fine hymn of Samuel Crossman (1624-1683).

No one needs to be told that we live in a world of desperate need,  a world where there is so much selfishness and indifference to the plight of those who suffer in so many ways. In Christ our Savior we see the generosity of our Maker: “God so loved the world that He gave…” (John 3:16). As children of God, who by His grace are daily being transformed into His likeness, we Christians are called to give – generously! The traditional Lenten discipline includes not only prayer and fasting but also almsgiving. Our Lord’s own teaching about prayer and fasting and almsgiving can be found in His Sermon on the Mount: Saint Matthew 6:1-18.

One way of giving “alms” are the donations given in connection with the soup suppers  before Vespers on Wednesday evenings in Lent. These donations contribute to the Aldi Gift Certificates which are given at Thanksgiving and Christmas to needy families connected with the Waverly School. Another way of giving “alms” are donations of food for the  GEDCO Food Pantry and of personal items for the Helping Up Mission. Boxes for both are just outside the door to the church office.. And do remember that you can give “alms,” providing desperately needed help to people suffering both at home and abroad, through our Synod’s Contributor Care Line (888-030-4439) or by sending a check to LCMS World Relief and Human Care, PO Box 66861, Saint Louis, MO 63166-6861. Make your check payable to The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and mark the check for LCMS World Relief and Human Care. You can also donate through our Synod’s secure website: lcms.org/givenow/mercy.

Be sure to read Gabe Purviance’s update on the repair of the church’s heating system at the end of this newsletter. Gabe serves as Director of Stewardship on the Church Council. He notes that, while we have the money in hand to make the necessary repairs, we also need to replenish our cash reserves. Christian stewardship involves the responsible use of our time, talents, and treasure.

I wish to thank all those who gave of their time by participating in the work day on Saturday, February 8th, taking care of a number of clean up chores around the church. Here at Our Saviour we are certainly blessed with willing workers!

Let me encourage you to subscribe to The Lutheran Witness, our Synod’s official periodical which appears eleven times a year. You can subscribe by calling 800-325-3040 or at this email address: lwsubscriptions@cph.org. The Witness is attractively illustrated and has excellent articles about the faith and work of the Church. I always look forward to seeing what the President of Synod, Pastor Matthew Harrison, has to say in each new issue; our chief pastor truly has the heart of a genuine shepherd of Christ’s flock!  A copy of recent issues can be found on the table in the back of the church.

We continue to remember in prayer Bridget Bauman, James Bauman, Christopher Bell, Bertha Buchanan, Dana Carmichael, Quilla Downs, David Dowdy, Bunny Duckett, Joyce Eaves, Albert Ford, Frank Ford, Iris Ford, Yolanda Ford, Sean Fortune, Katherine Gray; Marvalisa, Sierra, Jonathan and Steven Gibson; Katherine Gray, Sherry James, Gloria Jones, Jake Mokris, Mary Mokris,Pastor Elliott Robertson, Marian Rollins, Julia Silver, Robert Siperek Jr., Lawrence Smallwood, George Volkman, Dennis Watson, Gary Watson, Goshen Witt. Yoland Ford remains at Future Care, 1046 North Point Road, Baltimore, MD 21224.

The Epistle which from ancient times has been read at the Divine Service on the Sunday before Lent begins is I Corinthians 13 which has been called Saint Paul’s “Hymn to Love.” In this “Hymn to Love” we find a sublime expression of the kind of life to which we are called as those who know the love of Christ. It has often been said that in speaking of love Paul is in fact speaking of Christ who is the embodied Love of God. As we examine our lives and reflect on the state of our world in the light of these sublime words of the Apostle, we are called to repentance and amendment of life. Of the earliest Christians it was said, “Behold how they love one another!” Some words of Charles Wesley’s great hymn, “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” can be a prayerful response to the Apostle’s words, indeed a good prayer as we begin this holy season of Lent:

Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
Pure, unbounded love Thou art;
Visit us with Thy salvation,
Enter every trembling heart.

Affectionately in our Lord,

Pastor McClean

Update on the Heating System

As many of you may recall, about ten years ago we replaced the boiler for the church heating system after it provided more than 80 years of service. Several years ago we needed to replace the boiler for the heating for the Education Building. The last major component of the system, the blower, finally gave out in the middle of January after nearly 95 years of service. Developing a solution to the problem while minimizing the cost has been the main challenge, and we do have a solution. The Church Council at its last meeting approved a contract with AJ Michaels to replace the blower. The cost of this is $18,435, which is being paid out of the church’s cash reserves. The parts for this take a while to order, so the new blower will not be installed until about mid-May. Fortunately, in the meantime, our account representative at AJ Michaels was able to improvise a solution that has enabled us to have some minimal heat in the sanctuary. It is very important that we replace these funds as soon as possible, so that we are able to maintain upkeep of our building and address future repairs. Please consider making a donation to help defray what we need to take out of cash reserves for this. Mark your checks “heating system.”

-Gabe Purviance, Stewardship Director