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Parish Newsletters

Our Saviour Parish News, September, 2018

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Our Saviour Lutheran Church
3301 The Alameda
Baltimore, MD 21218
410-235-9553
September, 2018

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

What a happy time we had on Sunday, August 26th! We were blessed with the visit of Pastor Paul Winterstein and his wife Boots. Paul Winterstein was Pastor here at Our Saviour from 1974 through 1988. As it happens Paul and I are seminary classmates who graduated from the Saint Louis Seminary way back in 1967! How the years have flown by! Their visit was a real treat for me and for many members of Our Saviour.

Before I forget to mention it, I must talk about a “problem” of sorts for which there seems to be no solution — at least I can think of none. I should perhaps say that, since I have heard no complaints, it seems to be mainly a problem for me. Let me come right to the point! I wish that I could personally speak with every person who comes to Divine Service every Sunday. The problem as I see it is this: there are three ways to enter our Church and people quite naturally use all three entrances. But being only one person, I can’t manage to be at all three entrances as people leave the Church! Well I try to do the best I can given the circumstances. I just want each one of you to know that I am not intentionally ignoring you if I’m not able to speak with you every Sunday.

On August 13 our dear sister in Christ, Edna Price, departed this life at the age of 104 years in Salisbury, North Carolina. May the Light perpetual ever shine upon her and may the risen Lord Himself comfort all who mourn her departure.

On August 21st the Reverend Richard Hinz, President Emeritus of the Southeastern District of Synod, fell asleep in the Lord after a decades long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He had served as dean of Christian instruction at the Baltimore Lutheran High School from 1965 through 1970. From 1978 through 1994 he served as President of Synod’s Southeastern District. His funeral was held at Prince of Peace Church in Springfield, Virginia, on Friday, August 31st. May the Light perpetual ever shine upon him and may the risen Lord Himself comfort all who mourn his departure.

Be sure to remember in your prayers those whose names appear in every Sunday’s bulletin. I should mention that Donald Weber now lives at 2813 Woodland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21215. He is always happy to hear from members of Our Saviour. We owe him so much! He faithfully served as organist here for well over fifty years. That is a remarkable achievement!

Do remember that this coming Saturday, September 8th, is our next free flea market from 9 0’clock until 12 noon. Judging by the number of people who come and by the number of items that are given away, these free flea markets are clearly meeting a real need. Judy Volkman continues to lead this effort and for that I am very grateful.

Sunday, October will be Family Day. As always there will be a guest preacher, this year Pastor Noah Rogness. He serves as Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the United States Army Pastoral Care Advisory Team. Before going to seminary, Pastor Rogness had served in the United States Army. I first became acquainted with him when he was serving as assistant to Chaplain Jonathan Shaw who preached at our Easter Vigil back in 2017. Pastor Rogness will also be leading the Sunday morning Bible class.

We have a regular group of attendees at Sunday morning Bible class. We are at present studying the Letter to the Hebrews. We meet at 9:45 A.M. Do come and join us. The format is quite informal; questions and comments are very welcome!

To pray for one another is to love one another. Remember me in your prayers as you are in mine.

Affectionately in our Lord,

Pastor McClean

Gate of Heaven

Fifth Sunday after Trinity

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Fifth Sunday after Trinity

July 1, 2018 AD

Old Testament: I Kings 19: 11-21

Epistle: I Peter 3:8-15

Gospel: Luke 5:1-11

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

This past week we have found ourselves to be shocked, appalled, at a loss for words as once again fellow Americans going quietly about their lives have been brutally murdered. I think that many of us have a sense of helplessness in the face of such evil. We are again reminded — as if we needed a reminder! – that this is a fallen world, that human sin together with the malice of Satan are terrible realities.

And so we turn to our heavenly Father, whose love and mercy we know through His crucified Son, the innocent Lamb of God whose blood and death have atoned for all sin. We commend those whose lives have so tragically been cut short to His mercy, we pray that He would comfort those devastated by loss, and that He would in His mercy move us as a people, especially those charged with the authority of governing, to honest soul-searching in the hope of somehow addressing these recurring horrors — this past week in Annapolis and here in our own City.

It is sad to reflect on the fact that so much of the human story has been and sadly continues to be a story of unimaginable conflict. Yes, if you read the Old Testament Scriptures, you see there that the long story of God’s ancient people Israel is the story of their unending disobedience to His word and will, and of the judgment of God on that sin. I submit that the history of the world in general and of God’s ancient people Israel in particular show beyond a shadow of a doubt that the human race needs a Savior.

As we once again approach our national Independence Day we are painfully aware of the troubles of our own country and of other nations as well. We do not and we cannot know what lies ahead. But this much is certain. Through all these miseries the living God, a just Judge, is calling us all to repentance and to earnest prayer that God would deliver us from just judgments.

And so the words of our closing hymn this morning are surely not just words but surely the prayer of our hearts:

God bless our native land!
Firm may she ever stand
Through storm and night!
When the wild tempests rave,
Ruler of wind and wave,
Do Thou our country save
By Thy great might.

For her our prayer shall rise
To God above the skies;
On Him we wait.
Thou who art ever nigh,
Guarding with watchful eye,
To Thee aloud we cry,
God save the State!

Keep in mind these words of Saint Paul to the Church at Corinth: “We do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Parish Newsletters

Our Savior Parish News, July/August 2018

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Our Saviour Lutheran Church
3301 The Alameda
Baltimore, MD 21218
410-235-9553
July/August, 2018

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I must begin by thanking you for the wonderful gift you gave me on the fiftieth anniversary of my ordination! This gift will make possible a trip to Europe which I have been wanting to make for a long time. And how wonderful that you have arranged for our good friend Pastor Roy Coats to accompany me! I will go to Germany to see the towns where my German forbears lived before emigrating to America. With the help of Pastor Coats, I’m sure this will be a wonderful experience. Thank you very much! I especially thank everyone who had a hand in making this happen.

 I was very happy with the anniversary celebration, both the Divine Service and the luncheon which followed. I was so happy that my old friend Pastor James Bauman, whom I’ve known since I was 19 years old was able to preach the sermon. I was deeply moved. And how delightful that Trent Demarest was able to be with us and read the lessons! Our organist Marie Herrington did such a marvelous job with the music. Her choice of Communion music delighted me – Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus (“Hail true Body” – an anthem adoring Christ present in the Holy Sacrament) which is perhaps one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written. Many thanks also to our cantor Paul Techau; the acolytes, Dominick Carmichael-Myrie and Ted Jones; and the ushers: Eugene James, Ron Lang, James Smallwood. And thanks also to everyone who had a hand in preparing and serving the delicious lunch which followed.

 I also want to take this opportunity to thank Gabe Purviance and Judy Volkman who are taking a well-earned rest from serving on the Church Council. Both of them have been a blessing to me and our whole congregation.

 As of this writing we have yet to find someone to serve as sexton. During the weeks since Mr. Hawkins died we have become increasingly aware of just how much he did here at Our Saviour. He truly loved this Church and we must all be truly grateful for his faithfulness in so many ways.

 We have now been using the Lutheran Service Book since the beginning of May. During these weeks we have used Divine Service III which is the familiar Order of Holy Communion as found in The Lutheran Hymnal, the” red book.” From July through October we will be using Divine Service I which is the liturgy we know from Lutheran Worship, the “blue book.” Although the music remains exactly the same, the text of the liturgy is enriched with some prayers surrounding the Consecration of the bread and wine to be the body and blood of our Lord.

 In early Lutheranism the elevation of the host and the chalice at the Consecration was widely retained not least as an expression of faith in the Real Presence of the Lord’s body and blood in the Sacrament. This is a custom of which Dr. Luther approved as can be seen in his reform of the historic liturgy, his German Mass and Order of Service of 1526. There he has this to say: “We do not want to abolish the elevation but retain it because it goes well with the German Sanctus and signifies that Christ has commanded us to remember him. For just as the sacrament is bodily elevated, and yet Christ’s body and blood are not seen in it, so he is also remembered and elevated by the word of the sermon and is confessed and adored in the reception of the sacrament. In each case he is apprehended only by faith; for we cannot see how Christ gives his body and blood for us and even now daily shows and offers it before God to obtain grace for us.” The elevation is accompanied by the ringing of a bell. This was done to let those unable to come to church know that the Consecration has taken place.

 The Real Presence of the Savior in the Sacrament is surely a miracle of the love of God. Although Reformed Protestantism has since the sixteenth century denied this, we Lutherans have continued to confess as has the Church since the days of the apostles that the Sacrament of the Altar is – as we learned to say in the Catechism – “the true body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, for us Christians to eat and to drink, instituted by Christ Himself.” This Real Presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper makes of every Lord’s Day a day of great joy. Just as the risen Lord appeared to the faithful women and to His apostles on the first Easter Day, so on every Lord’s Day He continues to bless us with His saving presence in the Holy Sacrament. And so not only Easter Day but every Lord’s Day is kept in joyful celebration of the Lord’s resurrection. If we truly know and believe this, we will be eager to be present at the Divine Service and receive the life-giving body and blood of Jesus every Lord’s Day and whenever else the Sacrament is celebrated.

 Sunday, July 22, is Saint Mary Magdalene’s Day. Our Lord freed her from the power of the devil and from then on she was among the faithful women who accompanied Him  and who, when His disciples forsook Him and fled, continued to follow Him all the way to the cross and saw where He was buried. Arriving at the tomb very early on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene found the open tomb and was the first to see the risen Lord (John 20:11-18). And so on July 22 the Church gives thanks for this witness to the Lord’s resurrection.

 Our outreach to the community continues with our free flea markets which take place on the second Saturday of the month, this month July 14th, and next month on August 11th.  Volunteers are as always needed to greet our visitors and welcome them to Our Saviour.

 Vacation Bible School this year takes place July 16-20. As usual Pastor Coats will be here to help and also Vicar Matthew Schettler from Immanuel Church at Loch Raven and Belvedere except on Wednesday when he has other commitments. I am very grateful to Mary Techau who has taken the lead in making this happen. If you know of children who might come to VBS call the church (410.235.9553) and I will see to it that they are contacted.

 In recent weeks I have found myself reading over and over again the Second Inaugural Address of Abraham Lincoln given on March 4, 1865. (It can easily be found online.) Given just a few weeks before the end of the Civil War and his assassination, it is in my judgment something that can be read with great profit by every American. Among other things it breathes a spirit of humility before God whose judgments are unsearchable, whose ways are past finding out. Lincoln’s words will not provide answers to our present conflicts and perplexities but his words may well provide a perspective formed by a man who has clearly wrestled with God. Needless to say, every Christian will remember our country and its leaders in prayer not only at the Divine Service on Sundays but every day of the week.

 Let me just say again how grateful I am for your love and support. Please keep me in your prayers as you are in mine.

Affectionately in our Lord,

Pastor McClean