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Parish Newsletters

Our Saviour Parish News, December, 2023

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OUR SAVIOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH

3301 The Alameda
Baltimore, MD 21218
410.235.9553
December, 2023

CHRISTMAS AT OUR SAVIOUR

Christmas Eve – The Holy Night Communion, 7:30 P.M.
Christmas Day – Divine Service, 10:00 A.M.
First Sunday after Christmas Day – Divine Service, 11:00 A.M.
New Year’s Day: The Circumcision and Name of Jesus –
Divine Service, 10:00 A.M.
Eve Of The Epiphany Of Our Lord, Friday, January 5th
Divine Service, 7:30 P.M.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The beginning of this month of December brings with it the beginning of the season of Advent in which we make ready for the annual celebration of our Savior’s birth.  I often think that the best image for the Advent season is that of waiting in the darkness for the coming of the Light. As another candle of the Advent wreath is lighted on each of the Sundays in Advent, the increasing light of the candles tells us that we are drawing ever closer to the coming of Him who is Himself the Light in all our darkness both through His coming in lowliness at Bethlehem and through His coming in glory at the Last Day. The Epistle which from ancient times has been read at the Holy Night Communion points both to His coming in Bethlehem and to His final coming in glory. Saint Paul writes: “The grace of God has appeared” and then he speaks of how we Christians are “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus” (Titus 2:11, 13). As Christians we live in joyful hope between these two comings of our Savior, our hope meanwhile sustained by His coming to us in the Holy Sacrament of His Body and Blood. Christ came, Christ comes, Christ will come again! With Christ’s coming again in glory faith will give way to sight and hope will give way to fulfillment. In the words of a familiar Christmas carol:

For lo! the days are hastening on,
By prophets seen of old,
When with the ever-circling years
Shall come the time foretold,
When the new heavens and earth shall own
The Prince of Peace their king,
And the whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing.

Every few years Christmas Eve falls on the Fourth Sunday in Advent as it does this year. This means that the Sunday morning service is an Advent – not a Christmas – service. Our Christmas celebration begins with the Holy Night Communion at 7:30 P.M. and continues with Divine Service at ten o’clock on the morning of Christmas Day. Note that the New Year’s Day Divine Service also begins at ten o’clock. On the eighth day after His birth the infant Savior was circumcised and given the name Jesus (Saint Luke 2:21). And so on January 1st we not only celebrate the New Year but also the circumcision and Name of Jesus.

December 3rd is the deadline for contributions for the Aldi Gift Certificates for needy families connected with the Waverly School. Be sure to mark your check “Holiday Gift Certificates.” In giving to others we express our thankfulness for God’s generosity to us in His gift of His Son to be our Savior.

The church will be decorated for Christmas following the Divine Service on December 17th, the Third Sunday in Advent, which is also the deadline for ordering poinsettias. Wayne and Jean West are in charge of ordering the poinsettias: (410)236-6392, (410)236-8092. Each plant costs $11.00.

Our dear sister in Christ, Queenie Hardaway, fell asleep in the Lord on Thursday, November 9th. Her funeral service was held here at church on the following Thursday. May the Light perpetual ever shine upon here and may the risen Lord comfort all who mourn with the sure and certain hope of the resurrection.

A memorial plaque for the new organ console has now been affixed to our organ. It reads:

Console given to the Glory of God
and in memory of Joseph Silver
a devoted servant of God and His Church
1924-2022
October 22 the Year of Our Lord 2023

Do remember to bring food items for the GEDCO Food Pantry and personal items for the Helping Up Mission. The need remains great and each of us can and should make a contribution as we are able.

We continue to remember in prayer Bridget Bauman, James Bauman, Louis Bell, Dana Carmichael, Timothy Doswell, Quilla Downs, Bunny Duckett, Steve and Joyce Eaves, Albert Ford, Frank Ford, Iris Ford, Yolanda Ford, Sean Fortune, Helen Gray, Gloria Jones, Althea Masterson, Chris Mokris, Marian Rollins, Elaine Schwab, Julia Silver, Robert Siperek, Jr., Lawrence Smallwood, George Volkman, Dennis Watson, Gary Watson; Marvalisa, Sierra, Jonathan and Steven Gibson.

Helen Gray is now at the Keswick Multi-Care Center, 700 W. 40th Street, Baltimore, MD 21211. Yoland Ford remains at Future Care, 1046 North Point Road, Baltimore, MD 21224; Louis Bell at Autumn Lake Healthcare, 7 Sudbrook Road, Pikesville, MD 21208.

Please do not hesitate to email me (charlesmcclean42@gmail.com) or call me (410-554-9994) if there is anything on your mind that you would like to talk about or if you wish me to visit you or bring you the Sacrament. If you need a ride to church, I will see to it that that need is met.

There is a prayer for the Advent season, written by John Goter (1650-1704), which wonderfully expresses the spirit of this season:

We ask Thy grace, O God, that we may make a due use of this holy time for preparing our souls to receive Christ our Lord coming into the world at the approaching solemnity of Christmas. Grant that we may be watchful at this time above all others, in avoiding everything that can be injurious to our neighbor, whether in afflicting him, or giving him scandal, or drawing him into sin or casting any blemish on his reputation; but in all things, O God, may we follow the spirit of charity, being forward in bringing comfort and relief to all, as far as their circumstances shall require, and ours permit. Grant, O Lord, that thus we may prepare to meet our Redeemer.

It goes without saying that in these difficult days Christians will turn in prayer to the Lord “who makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth” (Psalm 46:9).

God bless us all in these Advent days.

Affectionately in our Lord,

Pastor McClean

Parish Newsletters

Our Saviour Parish News, November, 2023

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OUR SAVIOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH

3301 The Alameda
Baltimore, MD 21218
410.235.9553
November, 2023

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

November 1st is All Saints Day and, when November 1st does not fall on Sunday, we keep the festival on the following Sunday, this year November 5th. On this festival we celebrate the blessed reality of the communion of saints, the wonderful fellowship of all who belong to Christ both in paradise and on earth. For many years our custom at Our Saviour has been to remember especially those members of our church who have been called to Christ’s nearer presence since the last All Saints Day. This year we will remember Lucille Carmichael, Maggie Doswell, and Robert Siperek. In the words of Bishop William Walsham How’s great hymn, “For All the Saints”:

O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine,
Yet all are one in Thee for all are Thine.

November 24th is Thanksgiving Day and as is our custom we will keep this holiday with a service of  Vespers on Thanksgiving Eve at 7:30 P.M. People of a certain age are much given to nostalgia: that’s certainly true of me! I freely admit that I am nostalgic about Thanksgiving Day when I was a boy. In those days our churches were full but that is – sadly – true no more. Many churches have simply abandoned public worship at Thanksgiving. It seems that nowadays most Americans see no reason to go to God’s house to give Him thanks for all His blessings to us as a nation. Of course we all are troubled by many circumstances in our country’s life, but – especially when compared with less fortunate lands! – we have so many reasons for thankfulness for all the blessings we do in fact enjoy.

And looking ahead to Thanksgiving, be sure to read Bernie Knox’s article at the end of this newsletter about the gift certificates which we give to needy families both at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Family Day, which we keep as the anniversary of the dedication of this church building, was as always a very happy occasion. Our good friend Pastor Elliott Robertson preached a wonderful sermon showing how God has guided and blessed our congregation through the years, highlighting the fiftieth anniversary of the merger of the Church of Our Saviour and Saint Matthew’s Church which was founded by people who had been members of Saint Matthew’s Church in Meherrin, Virginia. That congregation had been founded in 1888, four years before Our Saviour, (then known as Jackson Square) was founded in 1892. In the late 19th century the Missouri Synod to which we belong was – to put it mildly! – emphatically German! Yet Saint Matthew’s Meherrin was founded as an African American congregation and Our Saviour was founded for English-speaking people. To this day there are members of our congregation whose roots are in Meherrin. This is a unique history and one of which we can be justly proud! Copies of Pastor Robertson’s sermon will be available on the table in the back of the church and on the piano.

Our new organ console was dedicated on Sunday, October 22nd, and we are also planning to have a special celebration in January. Details will be announced in the December newsletter. We owe a great debt of gratitude to Paul Techau for his tireless efforts in bringing this project to a happy completion. A plaque will be affixed to the organ noting that this new console is dedicated to the memory of Joseph Silver.

A crepe myrtle tree has been planted in front of the church near the bus stop. We are hoping that when it has grown it will provide shade for people waiting for the bus. Wayne West procured the tree and he and Paul and Mary Techau planted it.

We continue to remember in prayer Bridget Bauman, James Bauman, Louis Bell, Dana Carmichael, Timothy Doswell, Quilla Downs, Bunny Duckett, Steve and Joyce Eaves, Albert Ford, Frank Ford, Iris Ford, Yolanda Ford, Sean Fortune, Helen Gray, Queenie Hardaway, Gloria Jones, Althea Masterson, Chris Mokris, Marian Rollins, Elaine Schwab, Julia Silver, Robert Siperek Jr., Jonah Rogness, Lawrence Smallwood, George Volkman, Dennis Watson, Gary Watson; Marvalisa, Sierra, Jonathan, and Steven Gibson. Yolanda Ford remains at Future Care, 1046 North Point Road, Baltimore, MD 21224; Louis Bell at Autumn Lake Healthcare, 7 Sudbrook Road, Pikesville, MD 21208, Queenie Hardaway at Augsburg Village, 6825 Campfield Road, Baltimore, MD 21207.

Please call (410-554-9994) or email (charlesmcclean42@gmail.com) me if you are unable to come to church and want me to visit you or bring you the Sacrament. Also let me know if you are in need of a ride to church and I will see to it that that need is met.

Let us be diligent in prayer for the whole Church and the whole world, and especially for our own congregation and country and for one another.

The Lord’s People are in the Lord’s House for the Lord’s Own Service every Lord’s Day.

Affectionately in our Lord,

Pastor McClean

GIft Certificates

Again this year OSLC will be providing Aldi’s Gift Certificates to needy families at Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are including this in our bulletins and newsletters now so that our gifts may be as generous as possible. Please indicate on your check memo line or on an accompanying note that the funds are designated for these Gift Certificates.

We also use the collections taken at our Lenten Soup Suppers to help support our Gift Certificates. In 2022 our four Soup Suppers yielded a total of $143.00. By Thanksgiving, including the Soup Supper funds and congregational donations, we were able to provide 12 families with a $65 gift certificate. At Christmas time our congregational donations were greater and we were able to provide 12 families with a $100.00 gift certificate. The recent 2023 Soup Suppers provided $348 as a beginning for our 2023 Thanksgiving and Christmas Certificates.

Please begin now to think about making generous contributions that will allow us to continue to help those less fortunate than ourselves provide a special meal for their families at a holiday which reminds us to be thankful for all the Lord has given us and at a second holiday which celebrates God’s greatest gift of all – the birthday of our Savior Jesus.

– Bernie Knox

Gate of Heaven

93rd Anniversary of the Dedication of the Our Saviour Church Building

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OSLC front Holga-ish93rd Anniversary of the Dedication of the Our Saviour Church Building

October 1, 2023 AD
Rev. Elliott Robertson

Old Testament: I Kings 8:22-30
Epistle: Revelation 21:1-5
Gospel: Luke 19:1-10

Click here to listen and subscribe to Pastor McClean’s sermons on iTunes.

Gate of Heaven

Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

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16th Sunday after Trinity

September 24, 2023 AD

Old Testament: I Kings 17: 17-24
Epistle: Ephesians 3: 13-21
Gospel: Luke 7:11-17

 

Then [Jesus] came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak and Jesus gave him to his mother.

Saint Luke 7:14, 15

We read in the Gospel for this Lord’s Day, “Jesus went to a town called Nain and his disciples and a great crowd went with him.” The city of Nain was about five miles southeast of Nazareth where Jesus had grown up in the home of Mary His mother and His foster father Joseph. It’s also not far from Mount Tabor which is thought to be the place of Christ’s transfiguration. The city of Nain survives to the present day as a village called in Arabic Nein. It seems that the name Nain was taken from a Hebrew word which means pleasant, delightful and Nain does have a fine view of the Plain of Esdraelon and there is a spring that makes possible groves of olive and fig trees.

But as Jesus and His disciples and the great crowd approach the gates of the city they encounter an utterly familiar, completely ordinary scene: a scene experienced by countless people countless times every day in every part of this fallen world. A funeral procession of mourners, a body being carried to the grave. But what then happens is utterly OUT of the ordinary because this procession to the grave is met by another procession: a procession of life consisting of Jesus’ disciples and a great crowd and Jesus with them. THIS procession is a procession of LIFE because Jesus is the Lord of Life who said, “I AM the resurrection and the life, the one who believes in me — though he were dead — yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in ME shall never die.” And those WORDS are not JUST words! They come to life as the Lord of Life has compassion on the widow following the dead body of her only Son to the grave. You might say that here these two processions collide, the procession of death and the procession of life — and LIFE triumphs! JESUS who IS the resurrection and the life triumphs!”

“Do not weep” He says to that sorrowing mother. He goes and He touches the bier “and the bearers stand still. ‘Young man, I say to you, ARISE!’” says Jesus and the dead man and begins to speak “and Jesus gives him to his mother.”

Jesus not only GIVES life. Jesus IS the Life just as He says, “I AM the way, the Truth, AND THE LIFE…I AM the resurrection and the life.” To this fallen, death-bound world the One who IS LIFE has come. In dying He DESTROYS death and in rising from the dead He bestows everlasting life not only on us human beings but on the whole death- bound creation. For the Apostle Paul says that — in a way we cannot now even dimly imagine — “CREATION ITSELF will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God.” And in his vision while exiled on Patmos, Saint John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, saw a NEW heaven and a NEW earth where there are no tears, neither sorrow nor crying for — as John writes — “the former things have passed away.” I love those memorable words of the late Vladimir Lossky: “An infinite ocean of light flows from the body of the risen Lord.” “AN OCEAN OF LIGHT FLOWS FROM THE BODY OF THE RISEN LORD.”

“From the BODY of the risen Lord” because HIS body is the body of God the Son who IS Light and Life from all eternity, made FLESH of the virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit. I love the words of one of the great FATHERS of the Church, Saint Cyril of Alexandria, when he explains the meaning of Jesus’ touching the bier which held the corpse of the young man. Saint Cyril says:

“The Lord Jesus works the miracle NOT ONLY by WORD of mouth, but also by TOUCHING the bier — so that we may know that the sacred BODY of Christ has power to save mankind. For it is the Body of the One who is LIFE and the FLESH of the omnipotent Son and Word of the Father whose power it possesses. For as iron applied to fire will do the work of fire, so FLESH, after it has been united with the WORD who gives life to all things, ALSO becomes LIFE GIVING and a banisher of death.”

And how wonderful it is that this LIFE-giving Body of Christ is mysteriously yet truly given to be our Food in the Sacrament of the Altar. Christ’s BODY is LIFE-giving Food, Christ’s BLOOD is LIFE-giving drink: the Medicine of Immortality, the Pledge of the resurrection.

So there before the gates of Nain the procession of LIFE collided with the procession of DEATH – and LIFE TRIUMPHED! REMEMBER that EVERY LORD’s DAY is a little Easter because ON this day the Lord rose from the dead. And because of the Gospel read today, we are on this Sunday perhaps more conscious of this than we usually are. Just as EASTER is the glorious triumphant CROWN of the Christian YEAR so also EVERY Sunday is the CROWN of the week. On THIS day Christ speaks His WORD OF LIFE. On this day Christ who IS LIFE gives Himself to us in that wonderful Sacrament of Life and Love. The ancient Christians knew and understood this in a wonderful way and nothing could keep them from coming to receive their risen Lord and Savior in the Holy Mysteries of His LIFE-giving Body and Blood! How WONDERFUL it would be if we Christians in these gray and latter days could recover this joyful consciousness of EVERY DAY as the DAY of Life and Light, the DAY of the Savior’s resurrection!

Amen

Click here to listen and subscribe to Pastor McClean’s sermons on iTunes.

Parish Newsletters

Our Saviour Parish News, October, 2023

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OUR SAVIOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH

3301 The Alameda
Baltimore, MD 21218
410.235.9553
October, 2023

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Family Day is Sunday, October 1st. Our guest preacher will be our good friend, Pastor Elliott Robertson, who for many years was pastor of Martini Church in south Baltimore. Lunch will follow the Divine Service. As is our custom we will also celebrate the 93rd anniversary of the dedication of our church. When Jacob awoke from his dream of a ladder reaching from heaven to earth with the angels of God ascending and descending on it, he exclaimed: “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:16,17). For 93 years our Lord and Savior has been graciously present in this place through His holy Word and Sacraments. We think of all who have heard the preaching of the Gospel and of all who have been made children of God through Holy Baptism and then confessed their faith in their Savior in confirmation, of all who have here been absolved of their sins and received the holy body and precious blood of Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar. We think of all the couples who have spoken their marriage vows and received the blessing of Christ the heavenly Bridegroom. We think of the mourners who have here been comforted with the sure and certain hope of the resurrection. We think of all who have offered their prayers and praises through Christ our heavenly High Priest. Like Jacob at Bethel we too must say, “Surely the Lord is in this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” Since all this is so, it is a joyful thing when year by year we give thanks for so many blessings!

Our dear sister in Christ, Maggie Doswell, fell asleep in the Lord at Medstar Hospital in Washington on the evening of Tuesday, September 12th. Her funeral was held here on Friday, September 22nd. For several years she was cared for at Cadia Healthcare in Hyattsville. It was always a privilege and a pleasure to visit her and bring her Holy Communion. Her cheerfulness and courage, her steadfast faith in her Savior, are a wonderful example for us all! May the Light perpetual ever shine upon her and may the risen Lord comfort all who mourn.

The fall Voters Meeting will be held after Divine Service on October 15. Every member of Our Saviour eighteen years old and older is eligible to participate.

God willing, on Sunday, October 22nd, we will dedicate the new organ console to the glory of God and in loving memory of Joe Silver who served this congregation so faithfully for so many years. His faithfulness and cheerful spirit are an example to us all. Be sure to read Paul Techau’s article about the new organ console at the end of this newsletter, also Judy Volkman’s report on our free flea markets and Bernie Knox’s article about the Aldi gift certificates we give to needy families at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

On the last Sunday in October we will as always celebrate the Festival of the Reformation. In the first of the 95 theses – propositions intended for debate among theologians – posted on October 31, 1517 Dr. Luther said: “Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, in saying ‘Repent,’ meant the whole life of believers be one of repentance.” That call to repentance continues to resound down through all the ages as do the words of the 62nd thesis: “The true treasure of the church is the most holy Gospel of the glory and grace of God.” And these words are but the echo of the words of our Savior. Saint Mark tells us that  “Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel ” (Mark 1:14,15). As Christians, we are called daily to repent of our sins, examining our lives in the light of the Word of God. As one looks at the state of the churches today, who can fail to see the very widespread indifference to the Gospel and the holy Sacraments, to the public worship of the church? When we absent ourselves without a valid reason from worship on the Lord’s Day, we are creating an impression of indifference to the means of grace and to fellow Christians who are robbed of the encouragement our presence at Divine Service provides for them.

We continue to remember in our prayers James Bauman, Bridget Bauman, Louis Bell, Dana Carmichael, Quilla Downs, Bunny Duckett, Steve and Joyce Eaves, Albert Ford, Frank Ford, Iris Ford, Yolanda Ford, Sean Fortune, Helen Gray, Queenie Hardaway, Gloria Jones, Althea Masterson, Chris Mokris, Julia Silver, Jonah Rogness, Marian Rollins, Lawrence Smallwood, George Volkman, Dennis Watson, Gary Watson; Marvalisa, Sierra, Jonathan and Steven Gibson. Yolanda Ford remains at Future Care, 1046 North Point Road, Baltimore, MD 21224; Louis Bell at Autumn Lake Healthcare, 7 Sudbrook Road, Pikesville, MD 21208; Queenie Hardaway at Augsburg Village, 6825 Campfield Road, Baltimore, MD 21207.

If you are unable to come to church and would like me to visit you and bring you Holy Communion at home, please email me at charlesmcclean42@gmail.com or call me at (410)554-9994. If you need a ride to church, please let me know and I will see to it that that need is met.

The Lord’s People are in the Lord’s House every Lord’s Day.

Affectionately in our Lord,

Pastor McClean

New Organ Console

This month we anticipate the installation of our new organ console. Our Moller pipe organ was installed when the church was built in 1930. It was rebuilt and slightly expanded in 1988. The console, however, has begun to show its age. After some research, we concluded that the most economical solution was to replace the console with a Viscount digital organ that will play the 1142 pipes in the organ chamber. In addition, the existing pipework will be supplemented with digital stops in a “hybrid” arrangement that will again expand the sounds that the organ can produce. The new console is expected to be delivered on October 9, and we will be without the organ one Sunday on October 15. If all goes according to plan, on October 22 the new console will be dedicated to the glory of God and in memory of Joe Silver who passed away January 5, 2022. He served this congregation faithfully for many years and in many ways, including many years as our sexton. We hope you can join us for this wonderful occasion.

  • Paul Techau

Free Flea Markets

On September 9th, 24 people attended the Last Flea Market of the year. There were 347 items distributed. This was a special Flea Market since we gave each person attending a large bag they could fill with clothing and/or shoes. Many people just took the clothes and left as “happy campers.” It seems that this year, many of the attendees also contributed to our inventory. We were happy to see that they were sharing their bounty with us. Many thanks to the volunteers who assisted this year: Eugene James, Paul & Mary Techau, Abigail Scheck, Pastor McClean, Jean & Wayne West, Bernie Knox, Gabe Purviance and Ben Orris. This wouldn’t have happened without them!

This is the 10th year that we have been sponsoring this Free Flea Market. There are times when I wondered if we were making an impact on the community. The statistics for 10 years show that 1435 people visited us and we distributed 10,350 items. WOW! It goes to show that small things really do add up. And the Lord has given us the ability to share our bounty with those who need it. Praise the Lord!!

We will continue to carry on next year. Donations of clothing, shoes, jewelry, linens and household items will be gladly accepted during the winter months. Since we hold the Markets during warm weather, winter clothes are not very popular.

  • Judy Volkman

Works of Mercy

Again this year OSLC will be providing Aldi’s Gift Certificates to needy families at Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are including this in our bulletins and newsletters now so that our gifts may be as generous as possible. Please indicate on your check memo line or on an accompanying note that the funds are designated for these Gift Certificates.

We also use the collections taken at our Lenten Soup Suppers to help support our Gift Certificates. In 2022 our four Soup Suppers yielded a total of $143. By Thanksgiving, including the Soup Supper funds and congregational donations, we were able to provide 12 families with a $65 gift certificate. At Christmas time our congregational donations were greater and we were able to provide 12 families with a $100 gift certificate. The recent 2023 Soup Suppers provided $348 as a beginning for our 2023 Thanksgiving and Christmas Gift Certificates.

Please begin now to think about making generous donations that will allow us to continue to help those less fortunate than ourselves provide a special meal for their families at a holiday which reminds us to be thankful for all the Lord has given us and at a second holiday which celebrates God’s greatest gift of all – the birth of our Savior Jesus.

– Bernie Knox