Parish Rebuilder. All Saints, All Souls, Alright Already. Table of Contents. November 2017 Monthly Newsletter Volume 17 Issue 11

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1 Parish Rebuilder ST. LUKE S LUTHERAN CHURCH WILSON ST. LA MESA, CA November 2017 Monthly Newsletter Volume 17 Issue 11 We invite you to join St. Luke's Lutheran Church Please contact Amy in the office to discuss membership or to arrange an appointment with Pastor Mark: or office-sllc@att.net Office hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. All Saints, All Souls, Alright Already For whom the bell tolls is not just the title of one Ernest Hemingway s books, which he borrowed from a line in one of John Donne s meditations, but it is a practice at St. Luke s on All Saints Sunday as the nearest Sunday to 01 November. On that Sunday, the names of persons deceased in the previous year related to the congregation are read, and at each name a bell is sounded. This type of ceremony has crept into Protestant churches because All Saints Day is observed in many liturgical calendars, even though Protestants no longer observe All Saints Day in the Roman way. Table of Contents Pastor Mark page 1 WSL page 5 Parish Potpourri page 6 Worship Text/Birthdays page 7 Prayer Calendar page 8 Worship Teams page 9 Calendar page 10 Holiday Giving November 5th, 12th & 19th Advent Dinner December 3rd In the early church, it became common place to pray for the dead, to give alms to the church on behalf of the poor to assist the dead, and to say masses for the dead for their salvation. In other words, the church quickly became interested in helping God look favorably on Christians after death, despite him having raised Jesus from the dead once for all for all humanity. Sadly, this practice meant that early on the church had already deviated from the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This practice, like so many others, like a cancer eventually took its toll on the life and vitality of the church to the point of near spiritual death. So, what is the history of this apparent problem. All Saints Day was formally started by Pope Boniface IV, who consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Virgin Mary and all the Martyrs on May 13 in 609 AD. Boniface IV also established All Souls' Day, which follows All Saints. The choice of the day may have been intended to co-opt the pagan holiday Feast of the Lamures, a day which pagans used to placate the restless spirits of the dead. The holy day was eventually established on November 1 by Pope Gregory III in the mideighth century as a day dedicated to the saints and

2 their relics. The May 13 celebration was subsequently abandoned. In Ireland, the Church celebrated All Saints' Day on April 20, to avoid associating the day with the traditional harvest festivals and pagan feasts associated with Samhain, celebrated at the same time. Following the establishment of the Frankish Empire, and following the reign of Charlemagne, the holy day, which was already celebrated on November 1, became a holy day of obligation by decree of Pope Gregory IV and Louis the Pious, who was king over a portion of Charlemagne's former empire. [Roman Catholics must attend mass on a day of obligation.] Following the Protestant Reformation, many Protestants retained the holy day, although they dismissed the need to pray for the dead. * In the Roman church, if the First of November commemorates the dead saints, then the Second of November concentrates on the non-saintly dead. According to tradition, a pilgrim returning from the Holy Land took refuse on a rocky island during a storm. There he met a hermit, who told him that among the cliffs was an opening to the infernal regions through which flames ascended, and where the groans of the tormented were distinctly audible. The pilgrim told Odilo, Abbot of Cluny, who appointed the following day (2 November 998) to be set apart for all the dead who have existed from the beginning of the world to the end of time. The day purposely follows All Saints Day in order to shift the focus from those in heaven to those in purgatory. ** Both of these days, however, have no biblical foundation. First, as the New Testament makes clear, all those who believe, i.e. those Christians who are baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, are considered to be not only priests but are also declared by God to be holy or saints. The gospel of justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, apart from works of the law done either by ourselves or by others on our behalf, makes sainthood happen when this faith-creating gospel is purely proclaimed in word and sacrament. The word creates the faith by which we sinners are made saints. Second, because neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:28-29), those who believe in Jesus Christ are already and remain forever part of Christ s body by virtue of their baptism. This makes the notion of individual souls being shunted off to purgatory after death to face untold torments not only contrary to scripture but diabolically contrary to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In light thereof, what is the biblical and theological rationale of naming those for whom the bell tolls on All Saints Sunday? Even if it is not a complete resumption of old, unscriptural practices, is it alright or not? Or is it more of a slippery slope? On All Saints Day, 2010, the results of the eleventh round of U.S. Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue, entitled The Hope of Eternal Life,*** were published, and sixteen months later, [d]uring their meetings at the Vatican [held February 2012],... ELCA leaders presented The Hope of Eternal Life... to Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. **** On purgatory, among other matters, this dialogue document states, The complex network of beliefs and practices surrounding the relation of the living to the dead - purgatory, masses offered for the dead, indulgences applies to the dead, prayers for the dead - were seen by the Reformers as deeply antagonistic to that evangelical proclamation. 2

3 Just a few pages later, however, in the document s concluding commentary lurks one seemingly innocuous sentence which reads, Ecumenical rapprochement requires, however, that Lutherans not condemn Catholic teaching about the practice of indulgences as inherently contrary to the Gospel. Is this alright or not, or is it a slippery slope? John Donne s meditation coining the phrase for whom the bell tolls means, according to some, that humanity is interconnected, like the body of Christ. In that sense, by no longer rejecting purgatory and thus the need for indulgences, the ELCA has apparently not only ecumenically removed itself from papal condemnation but has biblically and theologically removed itself from the Reformation s understanding of salvation. In other words, such ecclesial capitulation on the part of so-called Lutherans is taking its toll on all the souls of all the saints of vast swathes of world Christianity, at least in this life. So, should we ring the bell on All Saints Sunday to commemorate the dead within the church or to warn the living that the spiritual death of the church comes from within? * ** november.htm#souls *** 20Resource%20Repository/ The_Hope_of_Eternal_Life.pdf? _ga= **** _ga= Welcome New Members On Sunday, 01 October 2017, St. Luke s welcomed Jillian Barnard and Tom and Sheila Stubbs into membership by affirmation of faith. The church is delighted to have these fellow members of the body of Christ contribute their talents and gifts to the mission and ministries of the priesthood of all believers serving as St. Luke s Lutheran Church. As the apostolic greeting phrases it, The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you as you join us in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pastor Mark Don t forget to set your clocks back on Sunday November 5th at 2:00 am for Daylight Saving. 3

4 4 Sign up to pray or donate for Holiday Basket Gift Cards for those in need this Holiday Season. See Robin Wheeler November 5, 12 & 19 during coffee hour Make a difference this holiday season. Looking for personal and home security services? Contact Life Watch USA for more information of being independent at home. dinner Join WSL for an Advent Dinner celebration on December 3rd at 4:00pm in the lower level. Enjoy dinner, entertainment and a raffle for a beautiful quilt. RSVP to Mary Ann Boullain or any WSL board member Each month our newsletter is published free through the support of businesses who advertise with us. Check out the last page for our advertisers.

5 WOMEN OF ST. LUKE S Our Reformation Celebration was great. As Lutherans we are descendants of the person who was not afraid to challenge the Catholic Church and we are very proud of that. The holiday season is looming ahead. Merchants make every attempt to entice us to consider Thanksgiving the doorway to Christmas shopping and those people not lured through the shopping door are tempted to consider it a football day. Book Club For the November 29th meeting of book club we will be reading "The Woman in Cabin 10" by Ruth Ware. Everyone is welcome to join in on our lively discussions and potluck lunches. We meet the last Wednesday of each month at noon. Read the book and join in on the discussion 5 Thanksgiving is a very special holiday; it is when we take time from our busy schedules to recognize our blessings and give thanks for them. It is very special when we can celebrate with our families or good friends and share our meal. I am going to try to spend a little more time in fellowship around the Thanksgiving table this year; I hope you do too. WSL s Advent Festival is taking place on December 3rd to kick off the Advent Season. Last year it was fun for both kids and adults and I am sure it will be even better this year. Come, join us. You will have a terrific time. Stay tuned for more information. Thanks to all of you who contributed to the WSL Thank Offering. We will continue to collect. Many of the groups we support know they can count on WSL s help to provide for those needing assistance. Nancy Kearns WSL president Children s Choir Practice is after worship each Sunday with performances on the 2nd Sunday of the month. The Project Day Ladies were able to supply 15 quilts, 18 school kits and 1 box of bars of soap to Lutheran World Relief Please see our Music Director, Renee Calvo for more information

6 6 Parish Potpourri For those members and friends who attended the Faculty Voice Recital of our choir director, Renee Calvo, the experience was wonderful. She sang in several languages and looked beautiful in her formal gown and red high heels!! Renee recently finished singing in San Diego Opera s performances of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE. The choir is beginning rehearsals of Christmas music. We need more singer! Can you carry a tune? Most important of all, do you like to sing? Thursday rehearsals begin at 7 p.m., are where you should be? Please give participation in our St. Luke s choir your prayerful consideration. Perhaps you cannot make a weekly forever commitment, that s OK, but please come and sing for the next several months! You will be glad you did! Have you heard our young children sing? They are adorable and so enthusiastic!! They perform the 2nd Sunday of the month, help support these young voices and cheer them on! We extend our sympathy to our church secretary, Amy Hoffman and her husband Kevin, his mother passed away rather suddenly on Monday, October 9. Jeremy and Katie Martinson and their children spent some time recently in Hawaii and had a great time! Martha Applegate SOME HUMOR Show me the president of Forest Lawn and I ll show you a fellow with a grave concern. Show me a famous composer s liquor bottle and I ll show you Beethoven s Fifth. Show me a cat that loves to eat pickles and Ill show you a sour puss! Show me a wife who s on a diet and I ll show you a hungry husband! Show me the latest price list for pillows and I ll show you that down is up! Show me a man who keeps both feet on the ground and I ll show you someone who has trouble getting his pants on. Show me the place where Stalin is buried and I ll show you a Communist plot! HEIFER INTERNATIONAL It is early, of course, but not too early to think about alternative gifts you always give to favorite relatives, friends and neighbors who already have everything! HEIFER INTERNATIONAL invites you to give an animal or a "share" of an animal in the recipient's name. Heifer's goal is to help hungry families become self-reliant for food and income. YOU can help by giving alternative gifts. For more information, please contact Martha Applegate at

7 7 NOVEMBER WORSHIP TEXT All Saints Sunday November 5 First Lesson Revelation 7: 9-17 Second Lesson 1 John 3: 1-3 Gospel Matthew 5: rd Sunday after Pentecost November 12 First Lesson Amos 5: Second Lesson 1 Thessalonians 4: Gospel Matthew 25: th Sunday after Pentecost November 19 First Lesson Zephaniah 1: 7, Second Lesson 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11 Gospel Matthew 25: Kathleen Yerger 11/02 George Hauk 11/03 Chuck Hersom 11/17 Jonathan Janos 11/22 JoAnn Hendrickson 11/27 Christ the King Sunday November 26 First Lesson Ezekiel 34: 11-16, Second Lesson Ephesians 1: Gospel Lesson Matthew 25: Jack & JoAnn Hendrickson 11/08 Did we miss your special event? Please let Amy in the office know your birthday or anniversary so we may honor you and yours next year!

8 8 November Prayer Calendar Pray Always 1 1 Samuel 12: Psalm 86: Hebrews 4: Matthew 5: 43-8 Christians, while on this earth abiding, 5 Matthew 6: 5-13 Let us never cease to pray, 6 Matthew 9: Firmly in the Lord confiding 7 Colossians 4: 2-4 As our parents in their day. 8 Matthew 26: Be the children s voices raised 9 Luke 11: 5-13 To the God their parents praised. 10 Ephesians 1: May his blessing, failing never, 11 Colossians 1: 9-14 Rest upon His people ever Thessalonians 5: James 5: Bless us Father and protect us 14 Ephesians 6: From harm in all our way; 15 Acts 1: Patiently, O Lord, direct us 16 Romans 12: 9-13 Safely through these fleeting days. 17 James 5: Let your face upon us shine, Corinthians 1: 8-11 Fill us with your peace divine. 19 Jude 1: Praise the Father, Son and Spirit! 20 Philippians 4: 4-7 Praise him, all who life inherit! 21 1 Timothy 4: Philippians 1: 8-11 Lutheran Book of Worship 23 1 Timothy 2: 1-8 Hymn # Ephesians 3: Thessalonians 1: Philemon 1: John 17: Romans 8: Psalm 141: Hebrews 10: 19-23

9 9 NOVEMBER WORSHIP TEAMS Reader Whitney Utley Altar Guild Sound Technician Colleen Olsen Matt Kirk 5th Communion Assistant Bread Ted Olsen Prayers of the People Pastor Mark Menacher Projectionist Gail Knippelmeyer Communion Assistant Wine Liz Dunnigan and Thelma Pace Greeters Ellis Petersen and Loraine Wininger Usher Team Randy Engel Acolytes Stuart Olsen and Paige Yerger 12th Communion Assistant Bread Terry East Prayers of the People Projectionist Communion Assistants Wine Randy Engel Tania Salas Darcy Barghols and Karen Skullerud Greeters JoAnn Hendrickson Usher Team George Hauk Acolytes Brooke Klomp and Madison Klomp 19th Communion Assistant Bread Judi Dunnigan Prayers of the People Mary Ann Boullain Projectionist Gail Knippelmeyer Communion Assistants Wine Liz Dunnigan and Thelma Pace Greeters Marie Handley and Marilyn Burns Usher Team Chuck Hersom Acolytes Stuart Olsen and Paige Yerger 26th Communion Assistant Bread Judi Dunnigan Prayers of the People Randy Engel Projectionist Communion Assistants Wine Usher Team Acolytes Terry East Darcy Barghols and Karen Skullerud Randy Engel Brooke Klomp and Madison Klomp

10 5 Sun 9:00 am Worship 10:30 am Sunday School 4:00 pm SLTA DAYLIGHT SAVINGS ENDS 12 9:00 am Worship Children s Choir performance 10:30 am Sunday School 4:00 pm SLTA 19 9:00 am Worship 10:30 am Sunday School 26 9:00 am Worship 10:30 am Sunday School 6 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 9:00 am Counters 13 9:00 am Counters 20 9:00 am Counters 6:00 pm Council mtg 27 9:00 am Counters 7 10:00 am WSL mtg 12:30 pm Rebekah C. 7:00 pm SLTA 14 9:30 am Project Day 4:00 pm SLTA 7:00 pm SLTA :30 am Project Day NOVEMBER :00 am Staff 8 11:00 am Staff 15 11:00 am Staff 22 11:00 am Staff 29 Noon Book Club 2 7:00 pm Choir 7:00 pm SLTA 9 7:00 pm Choir 7:00 pm SLTA 16 10:00 am Deborah C. 7:00 pm Choir 7:00 pm SLTA OFFICE AND CAMPUS CLOSED 9-10 am Altar Guild 9-10 am Altar Guild 9-10 am Altar Guild 4:00 pm Renee Calvo Studio of Music recital 9-10 am Altar Guild

11 S T. L U K E S L U T H E R A N C H U R C H W I L S O N S T. L A M E S A, C A Phone: Webpage: office-sllc@att.net NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID EL CAJON,CA PERMIT NO 262 Dated Material NOVEMBER 2017 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED A WARM WELCOME TO ALL Worship Service: Sundays, 9:00 am in the Sanctuary. Children s Choir November 12th. Holiday Giving November 5, 12 & 19 during coffee hour. Sunday School for all ages after worship service in the lower level. The office will be closed November 23rd & 24th for the Thanksgiving Holiday. St. Luke s Mission Statement: We are called as a community of Christians saved by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ to spread the Holy Gospel in word, sacrament, and action soli deo gloria.