Advent and Christmas at Saint Luke

Transcription

1 Sharing December 2009 Volume 22, Issue 10 A publication of Saint Luke Lutheran Church E en So, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come T hrough his music, he made spirits soar and heads turn. He knew the royal blue of Advent hope and blessed us with that wonder. Dr. Paul Manz, known among Lutherans and so many others as the dean of church music, passed into our Lord s eternal arms a few weeks ago. Congregations, pastors and musicians have called to mind the phenomenal contribution he made to the music we hear each Sunday. Although heralded for his organ works, he was also a master at choral composition. During this Advent, when we remember Christ has come, Christ is coming, and Christ will come again, I invite you to hear a brief story Silver Spring, Maryland of his amazing choral work. He and his partner, colleague, and dear wife, Ruth, were sitting vigil at the hospital bedside of their 3-yearold son. The doctors said there was nothing more they could do. They sat 24/7, mom at night, dad at day, and their hearts were filled with the deepest sadness a parent could know. They kept their devotional life central, Holy Scripture before them. As Ruth was reading, she was touched by Revelation, particularly Rev. 22b. Longing for the Advent of hope in Christ and thinking the earthly life of their son had run out, she gave it up to the Lord, scribbling words on the paper, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come, along with further words she crafted. She shared them with her husband. The hope of heaven and Christ s return are certainly never more real than at the potential loss of a loved one. Better yet, this season, we remember Saint Paul s reminder that this hope does not disappoint us. With these words from scripture and a time of bedside grief, Dr. Manz then composed the magnificent choral work, E en So, Lord Jesus Come. ARTICLE CONTINUES ON INSERT Wednesday, December 2 Advent Celebration 7:30 p.m. Sunday, December 6 Advent-Christmas Candlelight Concert 5:00 p.m. Sunday, December 13 Poinsettia Express Deliver a plant and card to designated recipient after worship Sunday Afternoon Hospitality begins 1:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Santa Lucia/Christmas Around the World Service and Celebration 5:00 p.m. Bring a gift of a toy or clothing for a child, wrapped and labeled. Gifts collected will be given to Pastor Beth Platz s CARing Project. Advent and Christmas at Saint Luke Gospel and Jazz Service The Detroit Folk Mass an alternative worship opportunity Sunday, December 20 Advent Lessons and Carols 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. The Feast 5:00 p.m. ANNIVERSARY SUNDAY January 17 11:00 a.m. Commemoration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Christmas Eve Thursday, December 24 4:00 p.m. The Children s Creche Service Cherub Choir and Novice Bells 5:00 p.m. The Children s Creche Service Choristers and Genesis Bells 6:30 p.m. Lessons and Carols Confirmation Choir and Reformation Bells 8:00 p.m. Lessons and Carols Martin Luther Choir and Ensemble Bells 9:30 p.m. Lessons and Carols Collegium Choir and Augsburg Bells 11:00 p.m. Lessons, Carols, and Communion Schola Cantorum and Augsburg Bells Christmas Day Friday, December 25 Holy Communion 11:00 a.m. Thursday, December 31 New Year s Eve Service with Holy Communion 8:00 p.m.

2 Lessons and Carols for Advent The Schola Cantorum will lead us in a Service of Lessons and Carols for Advent on Sunday, December 20, at 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. This service is based on A Procession with Carols on Advent Sunday, drawn from ancient sources and instituted at King s College, Cambridge, in the 1920s. On this Advent Sunday, all are encouraged to come and participate in this meaningful worship experience. Many thanks to our musicians for their leadership! Wickre family makes special gift The Paul D. and Carrie H. Wickre Memorial Concert Series presented Michael Unger in an organ recital on November 6. This was the first concert to include Mrs. Wickre s name since her death in December The Wickre fund was established in To commemorate Kay s life, witness, and support of the Church and the arts, the Wickre family will provide matching funds for the freewill concert offering for the next five years. We are grateful for this gift, and thank the Wickre family their daughter Karen and their son Paul and his wife, Karen for their generosity which will provide strong support for the future of the series. Augsburg Bell Choir attended the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers Area III Youth Festival in Richmond, VA, on November 13 and 14. Over 300 ringers from four states participated in this annual event. Michael Unger was our guest for the annual Wickre organ recital on Nov. 6. Michael is the winner of the 2008 American Guild of Organists competition in organ playing. Together in Mission Mark your calendar for Saturday, January 9, 2010 for Together in Mission, the Metro DC Synod s annual day to learn about life in the church. It will be held at King of Kings in Fairfax, VA. The day also brings together lay as well as church leaders it s a chance to get acquainted. The featured speaker is Rev. Carol Howard Merritt, who will speak about differing approaches in ministering to young adults and forming intergenerational connections. For more information on the speaker, consult her web site at Watch for registration blanks in the Happenings kiosk. Welcome and thank you, Liz! She has been so helpful making sure the outreach of Youth and Family Ministries continues at each important step, serving as the Chair. She is Liz Garifo, and the Council at the November meeting voted to ask Liz to serve officially as the part time Interim Coordinator of Youth and Family Ministries. This action was retroactive to September 2009 and the best part is that Liz said yes! In this staffing interim, Liz will manage the overall coordination and other volunteers. So many people are helping and Saint Luke is so blessed. Thank you! Council Notes The congregation council met on November 3 and met Pastor dutoit. He spoke about his ministry and the history of the Lutheran Church in Namibia. We heard reports from various committees about activities that have happened and that are being planned. For the 2010 Anniversary Offering, the council decided to split the offering between Grace of God Lutheran Church in Millsboro, Delaware, and Belmont Ridge Church of the Resurrection in Ashburn, Virginia. The stewardship campaign will begin in the next week or two. The treasurer reported that giving is below anticipated and some expenses are higher as fall programs start up and costs have risen from earlier in the year. The nominating committee will be working on nominees for council, audit committee, and Mission Endowment Fund members. Mary Nuss, Secretary Thanks to our Confirmation leaders What a fine Confirmation program we have! We thank Pastor Shelley for getting things off to a great start and now we rest confident we are in the hands of veterans. During the interim, with pastor Miller s support, we thank Willard Unkenholz, Ed Fenstermacher, Gary Johnson, and of course, Liz Garifo for their help in coordinating the program. Several of these leaders have done this in the past, before we called a pastor and now have faithfully volunteered to continue their leadership. Yes, our fine program continues and how we thank these people as well as all parents. Christian Education is so foundational and we give thanks for the opportunities we have to learn about our faith.

3 Parish Milestones 45th Anniversary Jack and Ann Alleman Dec th Anniversary Dorothy and Richard Bomberger Jan th Anniversary Steven and Sandra Henne Jan. 1 Baptisms November 1: Monica Michelle McKnight New Members Received on Nov. 8 Blair Blankinship Nikki H. Dees Ron Eisenbarth (Associate Member) Paul and Jennifer Hrynko Christopher Locklear Jonathan and Monica McKnight Eric and Roseline Metuge Connie Peters Kirsten Schwiesow Mark and Rachael Plett Kristin Schmitt Stephen and Wendy Spey 70th Anniversary offering designation A s mentioned in last month s Sharing, it is the tradition of Saint Luke to celebrate our congregation s anniversary by giving a special gift to another ministry. Many times that ministry is a mission start, or a worshipping community in need of extra funds for the development of ministry. At their October meeting, the Council did designate the offering for our 70th anniversary, which will be celebrated on Sunday, January 17, The offering will be divided equally between Grace of God Lutheran Church, Millsboro, Delaware and Belmont Ridge Church of the Resurrection in Ashburn, Virginia. Grace of God is a congregation presently meeting in a community center in Millsboro. Some will remember former Saint Luke member Linda Lewis, who has been active in the start-up of this Delaware congregation. Belmont Ridge is one of the new mission starts recently begun by our synod. This mission site meets at a school and is in the initial phases of reaching out with the Gospel to the growing surrounding area in Virginia. A member of Saint Luke suggested Grace of God as our offering recipient, and the council sought the input of Bishop Graham for information about this congregation as well as his further recommendations in our synod. The Council then voted on both. All will have a chance to give a special offering January 17 when we celebrate and welcome the ELCA s first presiding bishop, The Rev. Dr. Herbert Chilstrom. Mark your calendar. January dates to note Sunday, January 3 Welcome Pastor Gary Nuss, son of Saint Luke Sunday, January 10 Welcome to our missionary Stephen Deal Sunday, January 17 Anniversary Sunday: Welcome first ELCA Presiding Bishop Herbert W. Chilstrom From our Seminarian Stephen Zeller Thank you! For the past four years I have been on the organizing and packing side of the college care packages, but this year I got one of my own. What a blessing to receive such a thoughtful package in the mail, knowing that there is a community on the other end thinking about and praying for me. Thank you for all the kind notes that were included also. The time has certainly flown by. We re well into the second half of the semester, which means the reading, papers and tests are getting more plentiful. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to learn everything from the origins of the early Christian church, to the faith of our neighbors, to how I can personally be an effective person in ministry, all on a daily basis. This is so much fun! The seminary places high importance on three contextual learning opportunities; a summer Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), a year-long internship at a parish, and a year and a half participating in the life of a congregation as a Ministry in Context (MIC). I recently was given my MIC assignment, and will begin worshipping with and participating in a local congregation sometime in December. Once I get more involved I will share more about this experience with you. Lastly, during January we have the opportunity to take a 2-3 week intensive course on a large variety of subjects before the spring semester starts, many of which include some chances for travel. I will have the good fortune of being able to travel with a group of students to Iceland to learn about the Lutheran Church there. I am really looking forward to this trip, and will send you a report when I return. Here s to a blessed Advent season to you all! TENT TROUPE needs you! Applications for the 2010 season are in the mail for all high school students. Please read the information carefully and seriously consider being a part of this unique, life altering experience. Tour itinerary is planned for visits in MD, PA, NJ, NY and DE. Tour dates: June 27-July 16. Applications are due January 31. Any questions? Call Roney Shawe at or rtshawe@saintluke.us.

4 Help the Homeless mini-walk Saint Luke participated in two mini-walks sponsored by Fannie Mae s Help the Homeless. The photos show members of the La Sagrada and Lutheran Social Service communities plus Pastor Dean dutoit (our visiting pastor from Namibia) at the LSS walk October 31. On Sunday, November 8, the Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition held their mini-walk in Sligo Park. Members from Saint Luke participated. Thanks to all who sponsored walkers on both days. P A R I S H NURSING N O T E S Food donations needed Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets are again on the top of our giving list. Thank you so much for your generosity Did you receive your mailing? B y now all regular voting and associate members of Saint Luke should have received a mailing about Faith Commitments for If you did not receive yours please contact the church office as soon as possible. Thank you so much for your love of our Lord and heart-felt efforts to return to the Lord a portion of what we have been given. Without the help of everyone, no matter the gift amount, we cannot sustain the mission and ministry we share. Thank you for prayerfully considering taking a step up for Christ and Saint Luke in your giving for Please turn your Faith Commitment Card in by Sunday, January 10. All cards will be recorded by our Financial Secretary and we will consecrate these gifts to the Lord on Anniversary Sunday, January 17, Yes, as we celebrate 70 years of ministry, we will lift at Thanksgiving. Approximately 50 families were helped. Food requests are up per the Washington Post headline from November 12 At region s food programs, no recovery in sight. Saint Luke is blessed with generous members. In addition, we receive help from our Christian Day School, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Saint Bernadette s Church and scout troop, and this year, we will receive help from Interfaith Works (formerly Community Ministries) in receiving food as we will be a distribution point for some of their clients in the zip code. So bring what you can especially fresh fruits, veggies, butter and eggs on Sunday, December 20 or Monday, December 21. Cash donations are also helpful as each client receives a gift card to purchase meat. Other popular items are rolls, cereal, and canned fruit. (We do not need pumpkin or cranberries.) If you would like to volunteer at the distribution, please contact Ruth Manchester, Parish Nurse, at rmanchester@saintluke.us. before God our gifts. How blessed we are! Commitment Cards can be brought to church on any Sunday between now and January 10 and placed in the container next to the baptismal font. Simply bring your gift forward when you come to the Lord s Supper. Commitments may also be mailed to the church office. Thank you, again, for your faithfulness.

5 Alternative giving opportunities at Saint Luke Is holiday shopping a challenge for you? Are there people on your gift list who have just about all they need? Worried about people having to return or exchange your gift? At Saint Luke, we have a great solution for you: Alternative Giving. In addition to helping someone with a specific need, this is a great way to teach children the importance of sharing from our abundance to help others less fortunate. The Metro DC Synod of the ELCA has a catalog of Gifts of Hope that will help others and can be given in honor of a friend or family member. Everything from children s books to medical supplies to Metro fare cards is included. Select a gift that has a In the spirit of Advent, it is fitting to reflect on Manz s lyrics: Peace be to you and grace from him Who freed us from our sins. Who loved us all and shed his blood That we might saved be. Sing holy, holy, to our Lord, The Lord, almighty God, Who was and is, and is to come; Sing holy, holy Lord. Rejoice in heaven, all ye that dwell therein, Rejoice on earth, ye saints below, For Christ is coming, is coming soon, For Christ is coming soon. E en so, Lord Jesus quickly come. And night shall be no more; They need no light, nor lamp nor sun, For Christ will be their All. A blessed Advent season! May Christ be our All! + Pastor Miller Come to the service of Lessons and Carols on December 20 to hear this beautiful work. Also, know that the Manz s son did survive and serves today as an ELCA pastor. special meaning for your honoree, and pick up a gift card explaining your choice. Purchases can be made through December 20. Our annual Santa Lucia/Christmas Around the World Gift Service will be on Sunday, December 13, at 5:00 p.m. We ask you to bring a child s gift clothing or a toy to the service, wrapped and labeled with the item enclosed. These will be distributed through Pastor Beth Platz s CARing Project. The Saint Luke Women of the ELCA will again be collecting new hats, scarves and mittens to be distributed to children in need. They can be brought in through December 20. Sunday Afternoon Hospitality CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE Countdown to 70 E en So... As we prepare for Saint Luke s anniversary in January, did you know: + August 15, people gathered with mission developer Dr. Milton Bieber to discuss the possibility of a first meeting for what would be Saint Luke. + September 10, people attended the first meeting at the Masonic Hall in Silver Spring. + January 14, 1940 Saint Luke formally organized, again meeting in the Masonic Hall. + May 15, 1940 the building site at Colesville Road and Highland Drive was purchased for $ runs from mid-december through March, and we sponsor a Sock Drop so we can offer our guests a fresh pair of socks. Sample size toiletries, such as shampoo, soap, hand lotion, and toothpaste, are always welcome and are given out regularly. Pick up a copy of the brochure entitled Opportunities for Sharing this Holiday Season at Saint Luke to get details on the different projects we have this year, and thank you for caring! + July 1941 the congregation moved the place of meeting from the Masonic Hall to the Silver Theater. + November 26, 1944 ground was broken for the present building. + April 7, 1946 the present first unit (Nave area) of the Saint Luke building was dedicated. + May 9, 1954 the Christian Education building was dedicated. Then came another addition with Fireside Room and Music Room, then Hallowood, then How the Lord has blessed us!

6 Sharing Saint Luke Lutheran Church 9100 Colesville Road Silver Spring, MD Pe r i o d i c a l s postage paid at Silver Spring, M a r y l a n d December 6 Advent 2 Malachi 3:1-4 Luke 1:68-79 Philippians1:3-11 Luke 3:1-6 December 13 Advent 3 Zephaniah 3:14-20 Isaiah 12:2-6 Philippians 4:4-7 Luke 3:7-18 December 20 Advent 24 Micah 5:2-5a Luke 1:46b-55 Hebrews 10:5-10 Luke 1:39-55 The Word December 27 1 Christmas 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26 Psalm 148 Colossians 3:12-17 Luke 2:41-52 January 3 2 Christmas Jeremiah 31:7-14 Psalm 147:12-20 Ephesians 1:3-14 John 1:1-18 January 10 Baptism of Our Lord Isaiah 43:1-7 Psalm 29 Acts 8:14-17 Luke 3:15-17, January 17 2 Epiphany Isaiah 62:1-5 Psalm 36: Corinthians 12:1-11 John 2:1-11 January 24 3 Epiphany Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 Psalm 19 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a Luke 4:14-21 January 31 4 Epiphany Jeremiah 1:4-10 Psalm 71:1-6 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 Luke 4:21-30 Advent-Christmas Candlelight Concert Saint Luke s Oratorio Choir and Choristers, together with soloists and orchestra, will present their annual Advent-Christmas Candlelight Concert on Sunday, December 6, at 5:00 p.m. The program will feature Felix Mendelssohn s Magnificat, a recently published work. The Saint Luke choirs have also commissioned Donald Busarow, Director of the Wittenberg University Choir, to compose a new work, Comfort, Comfort Now My People, in honor of the 50th wedding anniversary of Charles and Judy Sturtz, which will receive its world premiere at this concert. Music by Andrew Carter and John Horman will round out the program. Be sure to make this event part of your Advent preparations this year. There is no admission charge for the concert; however, a free-will offering will be received to benefit Community Family Life Services of Washington, D.C. Child care will be provided. SHARING (UPS ) is published monthly except January, and bi-monthly in July and August by Saint Luke Lutheran Church, 9100 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD Send address changes to: SHARING, 9100 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, Maryland, Periodicals Postage paid at Silver Spring, MD