The Trinitarian Trinity welcomes all to a community in Christ; serving others, growing in faith, living in hope, and reaching out in love.

Transcription

1 The Trinitarian Trinity welcomes all to a community in Christ; serving others, growing in faith, living in hope, and reaching out in love. March 2018 Satan, Get Out of Here! Mark 1:9-15 Many years ago, I received a call from a distraught mother telling me that her son had just killed his best friend. I went the house immediately. She told me that her son had come home from school with his friend and they found a gun in the house. They were playing with it and it discharged killing the friend. Horror! What do you do in a situation like that? Well, you go to the house, listen, and pray. You go to the juvenile detention center to listen, care, and pray. You go to the court to listen, care and pray. In he baptism of Jesus, God proclaimed Jesus Son of God and Beloved. Immediately, the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness. He was alone for forty days and tempted by Satan (the Accuser). All temptations of Jesus by the Accuser were designed to trick Jesus into abandoning the announcement and promise of God that Jesus is Son of God and Beloved. He wanted Jesus to do something other than living by God s claim on him and God s promise. Jesus didn t fall for it. He would not be diverted from his course and he had no need for Satan s (the Accuser s) approval. In he baptism of Jesus, God proclaimed Jesus Son of God and Beloved. Immediately, the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness. He was alone for forty days and tempted by Satan (the Accuser). All temptations of Jesus by the Accuser were designed to trick Jesus into abandoning the announcement and promise of God that Jesus is Son of God and Beloved. He wanted Jesus to do something other than living by God s claim on him and God s promise. Jesus didn t fall for it. He would not be diverted from his course and he had no need for Satan s (the Accuser s) approval. We are tempted to believe what we first hear. The one who shouts or whispers the most, the more we are tempted to believe it and to become their mouth-pieces. At first we don t know that it is Satan (the Accuser) whispering or yelling. Maybe the Accuser is someone we know or some stranger. Maybe we hear it in person, or we hear it over the phone, on Facebook, or in an . The news is surprising at first, but when we hear it again and again, we may just dismiss it or we may start to believe it and share it. continued on p. 6 HOLY WEEK Palm / Passion Sunday with Blessing of Palms & Procession 25. March 8:15 am HOLY COMMUNION 9:30 am Sunday School with Adult Classes/Adult Inquiry 10:45 am HOLY COMMUNION MAUNDY THURSDAY 29. March 12:10 pm HOLY COMMUNION 40 minutes and spoken 7:30 pm HOLY COMMUNION with Stripping of the Altar 30. March 7:30 pm TENEBRAE SERVICE a service of psalms and shadows HOLY SATURDAY 31. March 7:30 pm The Great Vigil of Easter with reception of new members EASTER SUNDAY 1. April :15 am Festival HOLY COMMUNION with choirs, organ, trumpet, & tympani 9:30 am Easter Brunch & Egg Hunt 10:45 am Festival HOLY COMMUNION with choirs, organ, trumpet, & tympani Trinity Lutheran Church Old Georgetown Road North Bethesda, MD A Reconciling in Christ and a Stephen Ministry congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America office@trinityelca.org web: TrinityELCA.org facebook: facebook.com/trinityelca

2 General Funds as of 31. December Income $500, $459, Expenses $448, $452, Over (Under) $ 52, $ 6, Pledging Update as of 18. February 2018 Joyful Generosity 58 families have pledged $225,020 to our annual stewardship campaign. BIGGER than a Building! 65 families have pledged $479,040 to our 3 year mission appeal. Total amount received to date for BTAB! is $392, Thank you for your generous support. Trinity Men s Group Meeting The March meeting will be on Wednesday 14. March 2018 at 1:00 pm at the home of Jim V. 13. February 2018 Pastor B reviewed the Great Flood of 2018 and the ongoing repairs. Final cost still not determined but our share of overall cost will only be a $1,000 deductible. All agreed we got off easy. Annie A and Keith C reviewed the year-end excellent Financial and Treasurer Reports indicating we are in good financial health. All appears to be going very well with the Refugee Family. More detailed report will be attached to Minutes. (Apparently a neighbor family to our family, also sponsored by LSS, is not doing as well. President T is to talk to LSS to see if we can help. The Consensus of the Council was to proceed if warranted.) Please RSVP to Jim. Rides to Church Have you missed Trinity events because you lacked transportation? Trinity has missed you too and the following members of the congregation would like to provide you with a ride to Trinity events: Carol B Marilyn C Margaret F Peggy & Dick J Miriam M Nancy N Len S Zip codes are provided to aid in finding a driver close to you. Do not hesitate to call. If you would like volunteer to drive, call Dick J, rbjmmj@ comcast. net Frederic S, Secretary Cheers from Anita! A few weeks ago, we were d i s c u s s i n g P s a l m s i n Confirmation. As an exercise, we rewrote Psalms into emoji. Here are some of the results: 2

3 From the Congregation s President Here are three fun facts about the season of Lent: 1. Historians believe that the Christian practice of setting aside a period of time for self-examination and penitence dates back to the first century. 2. The Council of Nicæa discussed a 40-day Lenten season of fasting in the year 325, although it is unclear who was expected to participate, possibly only those preparing for baptism. 3. According to tradition, Pope Gregory the Great (c ) instituted Ash Wednesday and marked this as the beginning of a 40-day Lenten period. Learning all of this gives me a feeling of connection to Christians of the past and also the body of Christ today. As a result, I am trying to focus on how much we all need the grace, love, and forgiveness of Jesus in our lives. I pray that this Lenten season serves as a reminder to all of us of our need for Christ, and deepens our daily Christian practices in ways that will continue after Easter. Lent is often referred to as a journey, but I see it as the beginning of a journey that will last our whole lives. Who wants to go on a trip with me? James T, President Sunday Christian Educati o n Opportunities for Every Adult! Adult Forum Sundays at 9:30 am Room 10 We will continue our study of Romans in March. All are welcome to attend. The Trinitarian deadline is always the 15 th of the month. The deadline for every Sunday bulletin is 9:00 a.m. on the preceding Tuesday. Attention Bread Bakers! Trinity has a long-standing tradition of providing Communion Bread in place of wafers during the Easter Season. We need volunteers to sign up to bake bread for a specific Sunday (seven in all). We provide the recipes; you provide the labor of love. The two loaves may be dropped off before the early service, or left in the church refrigerator the day before. Look for the poster in the Social Hall or contact Carol B to sign up for Sundays 1. April May. Copies of the approved recipes are located in the Altar Guild Mailbox in the copier/mail room. Please contact Carol B with any questions: csbruno@usa.net In the Mail Dear Trinity, Thank you for your gifts given to your synod, received by Lutheran Disaster Response, mid-august through December Thank you for joining with the whole church in this season of unprecedented generosity, as together we support communities hard hit by disasters, including hurricanes, earthquakes, and wildfires. The generosity and witness that you have joined with the body of the church to give continues to defy expectation. Thank you Trinity. Robin Brown, Associate Director The Platter Party is Back! Save the Date! Trinity will be hosting its second annual Platter Party on Saturday, 21. April at 6 pm. DJs will be spinning your favorite oldie 45 rpm records at the Social Hall Malt Shoppe. Be there or be square! Commemorations in March Tuesday 7. March Perpetua and Felicity, martyrs at Carthage In the year 202 the emperor Severus forbade conversions to Christianity. Perpetua, a noblewoman, Felicity, a slave, and other companions were all preparing for baptism in Carthage, North Africa. They were imprisoned and sentenced to death. Friday 10. March Harriet Tubman, renewer of society Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in Maryland and remained a slave until about age thirty when, fearing she would be sold and moved farther south, she escaped with the help of the Underground Railroad. After that, she helped about three hundred others to escape until slavery was abolished. Friday, March 17 Patrick, bishop, missionary to Ireland At sixteen, Patrick was kidnapped by Irish pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. Up to this point he cared little for God. He escaped after six years, returned to SW Britain, and prepared for ordained ministry. He later returned to Ireland, to serve as a bishop and missionary. He denounced the slave trade. 3

4 Lent 2018 Thursdays in Lent 1. March March Thy Will Be Done 6:30 pm Soup & Bread Supper 7:15 pm Hymn Sing 7:30 pm Evening Prayer Easter Flowers Order deadline Sun 25. March It is time to order your flowers to decorate the sanctuary for the Easter services. You have the choice of ordering: Easter lilies, azaleas, or hydrangeas. I wish to order: Easter $19.00 each (10+ blooms, double stem) $17.00 each (6" pot) White Red Pink Hydrangeas (3 $18 each (8" pot) Pink Blue White Please check if you would like to: donate pick-up Easter flowers are given to the glory of God By In memory of In honor of Please make your check payable to Trinity Lutheran Church and indicate Easter Flowers in the memo line. Placeut your check and order form together in the Sunday offering plate or mail them to Trinity. Mark Your Calendars Now! The 29th annual HANDBELL CONCERT, featuring the combined choirs of Trinity Lutheran and Holy Trinity Lutheran, will be held at Holy Trinity Church in Laurel, Maryland this year. It will be a musical extravaganza with handbells, handchimes, flute, and other instruments expressing our joy of music. As usual, there will be many surprises along the way too. DATE: Saturday 19. May 2018 TIME: 6:30 pm WHERE: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church 7607 Sandy Spring Rd, Laurel COST: A free will offering. Parking free! RECEPTION: following the concert - Free! RATING: G = Appropriate for all ages! BRING: your family, friends, neighbors. Impacting poverty one family at a time; Trinity Supports A Wider Circle Since the inception of Trinity s Bigger than a Building program, volunteers from Trinity have been visiting A Wider Circle (AWC) quarterly to lend a hand and drop off donations. Needy families visit AWC 365 days a year for basic household items and furnishings. Even though our donations of time and goods seem small, Trinity is impacting the lives of those less fortunate, supporting AWC s unique, holistic approach to ending poverty in our area. Our next trip to a Wider Circle has been scheduled for Saturday, 24. March from 1-3 pm. If you cannot volunteer but are interested in donating gently used household goods or unopened personal hygiene or cleaning supplies, please bring them to Trinity by the morning of Saturday, 24. March, marked AWC and we will deliver the donations to A Wider Circle. If you have questions, please contact Margaret F at gmfitzwm85@gmail.com God s Work, Our Hands, Margaret F An update on our refugee family Our family is continuing to settle into their new home and has been busy with many appointments and registering their daughter for school in Prince Georges County. In the near future, we would like to offer them practice in English conversation. If you have experience in tutoring or ESL and are interested in helping, please contact Kathy T. Lutheran Social Services (LSS) requires us to report donations that were made to support the family. If you made an in-kind donation, please Kathy at kthrower24@gmail.com with the item(s) donated and an approximate value. Also let her know if you would like to have a receipt for tax purposes. Kathy T 4

5 THE SMALL CATECHISM The Sacrament of Holy Baptism What does Baptism mean for daily living? It means that our sinful self, with all its evil deeds and desires, should be drowned through daily repentance; and that day after day a new self should arise to live with God in righteousness and purity forever. St. Paul writes in Romans 6: We were buried therefore with him by Baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Prayer Hoy God, who calls us to daily repentance, we claim our inheritance with all those who have been drowned to the past and resurrected for the future. Make our daily living reflect your grace, attracting others to the font from which flows life eternal. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Rise! Shine! Easter Brunch Sunday 1. April 9:30 am Join us once again to celebrate the Risen Christ together over a bounteous brunch buffet prepared by Kingdom Catering Service. All are welcome. The delicious menu will include assorted fresh juices, sliced seasonal fresh fruit with yogurt dips, freshly scrambled eggs, French toast with warmed maple syrup, sliced smoked bacon, country style sausage, assortment of bagels, croissants, Danish, scones and muffins with cream cheese, preserves and butter, coffee and tea. The cost is $15 per person for adults and $7 per child, ages You may pay at the door. A free-will offering may be made for children 4 and under. Place your completed form in the offering plate or in the Parish Life mailbox. Easter Brunch Number of adults Number of children ages 5-12 Number of children 4 & under Name Phone No. MAUNDY THURSDAY 29. March 2018 Loving Hands Wash Our Feet On the night of his betrayal, Jesus took hold of his disciples' feet and washed them. Let your imagination take you into that room. Feel the hands of Jesus gently holding your own feet, and remember the hands of people who have cared for you throughout your life. As the body of Christ, our feet become powerful symbols of the journey Jesus calls us to make. Our feet know the weight of life's burdens and the weariness that comes as we make our way through difficult circumstances. And yet, when our feet are washed by the hands of a sister or brother in Christ, our spirits are refreshed and renewed-and we remember God's call to walk by faith. GOOD FRIDAY 30. March 2018 It Is Finished When Jesus cries out, "It is finished" (John 19:30), we are at the climax of the sacred. Jesus' great work has indeed been completed, but in a powerful and mysterious way something else begins to unfold. The mission that Jesus finished as he died on the cross gives us freedom to live together as children of God. Jesus' death makes this possible, and his cross becomes a sign of God's healing, forgiveness, and salvation. Now we can face the troubles and challenges of this world with faith and courage. We know that our God will not forsake us, in life or in death, because Jesus went to the very end to show us how much he loves us. On the cross his mission is finished, filling our own lives, not with regret, but with the hope of new beginnings. RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD, THE VIGIL OF EASTER 31. March 2018 Where Is Jesus? Easter begins with many questions. As we gather in the night to keep watch for the wonders of the Easter dawn, scripture will remind us of the ancient roots of our faith in Christ. Where is Jesus? As Mary Magdalene discovers that Jesus is no longer buried in the tomb, she tells Peter: "We do not know where they have laid him" (John 20:2). Mary sheds tears for a fleeting moment, but then suddenly she is able to see with her own eyes that Jesus is alive. Mary becomes the first witness to the resurrection. She now can go and tell others: "I have seen the Lord" (John 20:18). Excerpts reprinted from Words for Worship, 2015 Augsburg Fortress. Used by permission of Augsburg Fortress. 5

6 From the Pastor s Desk continued from p. 1 But when the Accuser speaks we have lots of choices: This is just talk it won t come to anything. They will get over it. We might think, I don t want to get involved I am too busy. or, Someone else will straighten out all of this. We might say to ourselves, Who am I to judge? I am no expert Or, We might think, This sounds good because it resonates with my desires, feelings, and fears and encourage it from some distance or We may actively promote what we suspect or know to be lies. Or, We might say, This is wrong stop it! A gunman entered into the school and slaughtered school children with 150 bullets from a weapon designed for soldiers on the battlefield. We hear politicians say that we shouldn t jump to any conclusions because we don t know all the facts do and say nothing! It is true that I don t know all the facts (but we will never know all the facts). The goal of this Accuser s advice is so we never do anything. But, in the last two days I have learn that: The gunman was 19 years old, who could not illegally buy a beer, but could legally buy a killing machine from a gun shop or over the internet, that would spew all those bullets in a matter of seconds, and I also learned that 1.3 million assault rifles are legally sold each year in the USA. The AR-15 was modeled after a Nazi WW2 automatic rifle, which evolved into the M-16 used in the jungles of Vietnam. The AR-15 is easily modified to become a fully automatic killing machine as the mass murder in Las Vegas recently did. The sale of these war weapons were banned in But Congress, with the whispering and yelling of the NRA let this ban expire in Since then these battlefield killing machines have become wildly popular. The NRA called has called the legally purchased assault rifle used by the Florida gunman America s rifle, and sadly that may be true the man who killed more than 59 people in Las Vegas in October, who gunned down 49 people at Orlando's Pulse nightclub in 2016, and who gunned down 26 worshipers at a church in Texas in November all bought their battlefield weapons of war legally. And, I also learned that, Some of our national political leaders have received amazing amounts of money from the gun manufacturer s association $3.3M to one, or $7M million to another, $7.7M to another and $31M to elect a third only to name a few so that the mass killing at our schools, concerts, clubs, and churches can continue. None of us believe that the gun manufacturers throw millions of dollars around DC because they are just generous folks? These national political leaders sold their souls to Satan in exchange for the lives of our children! Do we continue to comfort ourselves with the old obvious lies whispered or yelled by the Accuser or do we face up to the truth? And, when you hear this Florida mass murder of 14 year old school kids say that Mexicans should be killed, Blacks should be kept in chains and have their throats cut, Gays should be shot in the back of the head, Jews should be killed because they are destroying the world, and Muslims should be killed because they are all terrorists don t you wonder where he gets ideas like that? Does that sound like this mass murder believed he had been given permission to act out on the hate and anger because of the hate and anger that some of our political leaders broadcast. Do nothing? This it is not time to address the issue? Deflect to another subject? none of those tricks of the Accuser are going to work on me again. The surviving students of the Parkland, Florida High School have said enough to all these evil tactics. They are old enough to speak for themselves. They lived through the terror of a mass murder killing their friends in front of them fearing they would be next. They are rejecting Satan s do nothing not the time or change the subject and doing so powerfully and eloquently. We should be listening to them carefully. When we were first brought to the Lord in baptism, someone answered the question for us, Do you renounce the devil and all the forces that defy God? Do you renounce the powers of this world the rebel against God? Do you renounce the ways of sin that draw you away from God? And, if baptized as a child, we answered those questions for ourselves a few years later, I RENOUNCE THEM! Jesus renounced the temptations of the Accuser throughly, immediately and always. That is our standard and our goal as well. But our batting average is not so good. We fall for the tricks and lies of the Accuser again and again, but not always. However, because of the perfect obedience of Jesus in following the ways and promises of God and not falling for the lies of the Accuser, God gives us another chance to stand up and start over. With God s help we, sooner or later, with the students of Parkland High School, we will look at Satan (the Accuser) in the face and say with Get out of here! I will not fall for your lies and tricks any longer. Roger B Pastor Sermon for Lent 1 Trinity Lutheran Church 18. February 2018 North Bethesda, MD 6

7 Thanks to all who entered the annual Cook Off on 21. January. This year's foods of choice were soup and "bread" (any interpretation of bread). We had 16 entries. The winners are Margaret F for her Smoked Chicken Tortilla Soup, and Leslie C for her Monkey Bread. Funds collected (by voting for one s favorite) will be applied to this summer s mission trip and National Gathering trip. Tilden Project We will be opening our doors for our friends at Tilden on 2. March after school. The youth will be preparing bags of food for Bethesda Help to distribute to the community. We will begin at 12:30 and end around 2:45. Junior Youth Group! It's coming back! We will be meeting on 3. March from 2-4 pm. We will be talking about what we want to do for the rest of the year. If you are in 1st-5th grade...this is for YOU! Youth Group We will be meeting on 11. March from 6-7:30 pm for dinner, fun and fellowship...see you then! Egg Hunt Preparation So the Easter Bunny needs some help. We will be meeting at 10 am on 31. March to help her out. Easter Egg Hunt! Our annual Egg Hunt will be taking place during the Easter Brunch on 1. April. The Egg Hunt will be Peanut/Tree Nut Free! Please invite your friends and neighbors! Looking Ahead 7. April.... Junior Youth Group (2-4 pm) 8. April Youth Sunday 8. April Youth Group (6 pm) 5. May.... Junior Youth Group (2-4 pm) 20. May Youth Group (TBD) 10. June Sunday School Picnic 1 Lineth S 4 Logan D 5 Mary H 9 Wendy C, Karen W 10 Bill K, Liam S 12 Colin G, Vera N 14 Annie A 18 Kathy H 1 Louise G, Joe M 2 Bruce S 5 Marjorie W 6 David C, Nancy N 9 Nancy J 12 Benjamin N Birthdays 20 Ann K 24 Fred K 25 Connor D, Andrei S 26 Brooke P C 27 Teofani N, Amanda S 29 Theodore R 31 Evie H Baptismal Days 13 Elaine W 14 Torsten D 23 Timothy F, Topher S 29 Leander R 30 Bill K, Nathan L, Mary M Wedding Anniversaries 1 Brian & Ione L 8 Bruce S & Zidi B 15 Linnea A & Victor N 31 David & Leslie C Tom & Nancy M 7

8 Trinity Lutheran Church Date Mailed Old Georgetown Road 26. February 2018 N. Bethesda, MD Address Service Requested web TrinityELCA.org facebook facebook.com/trinityelca Thursdays in Lent 2018 Thy Will Be Done 1., 8., 15., 22. March 6:30 pm Soup & Bread Supper 7:15 pm Hymn Sing 7:30 pm Evening Prayer Help prepare for The Great Vigil of Easter Saturday 31. March 10:00 am All are welcome to come decorate the sanctuary with flowers and candles. Holy Week Schedule Palm/Passion Sunday 25. March 8:15 & 10:45 am Holy Communion with Blessing of Palms & Procession Maundy Thursday 29. March 12:10 pm Holy Communion 40 minutes & spoken 7:30 pm Holy Communion and Stripping of the Altar Good Friday 30. Marc h Noon Service of Seven Last Words to 3 pm at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Bethesda 7:30 pm Tenebrae Service at Trinity Prayer Vigil Friday 3 pm Sunday 8 am The Resurrection of our Lord Easter Vigil Saturday 31. March 7:30 pm The Great Vigil of Easter with reception of new members Easter Sunday 8:15 am Festival Holy Communion 9:30 am Easter Brunch & Egg Hunt 10:45 am 1. April