WAS Christmas
ruined?
Consider the question, if you will, from a
liturgical perspective. Almost immediately after Christmas comes the Feast of
the Holy Innocents, containing the Gospel that recounts the horrid events that
befell the citizens of Bethlehem so soon after Jesus was born. Herod the madman
wanted to destroy the Christ-Child he deemed a threat to his own throne, so he
plotted to find out from the wise men where Christ was, and when the plot was
foiled because an angel warned them not to return to him but go home another
way, he sent forth in his rage his men of war to kill every male infant in
Bethlehem and its region. The result was the murder of the holy innocents. And
the sanctoral calendar puts this Feast on the 28th of December,
which is also the 4th day of Christmas.
Such a bad intrusion! While we are in the
midst of rejoicing over the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, and his holy
nativity, we find this grisly, ghastly event to observe.
Not only, it turns out, on our liturgical
calendar, but also in reality, for it couldn’t have been too long after
Christ’s birth that the wise men came or the order to murder went forth. Our
evidence for this comes from St. Matthew’s Gospel. We learn there that Herod
ordered the murder of every male child “from two years old and under,” which,
in a Hebrew manner of counting, means “every child in his second year and under,” that is, to cover the population up
to every one-year-old male. Second, the fact that Mary and Joseph were still
living in Bethlehem rather than returning to Nazareth at least suggests that
the Child was quite young. In short, the very first Christmas, that is, the
actual birth of Jesus himself, was soon interrupted by the pall of horror and bloodshed.
Joseph had to take his young family and flee by night into Egypt to escape the
unimaginably bitter grief of the mothers whose infantst were martyred.
Was Christmas ruined?
Of course not. The point of this
recollection of the brutality and bloodshed is to show that the birth of the
Savior is a cure for every trouble, even for death itself. Into the midst of a
world of sorrow, grief, pain, and all trouble, the Savior has come, to promise
his eternal relief to all his faithful people.
Be of good cheer. Christmas was not ruined
then, and is not ruined today, no matter the circumstances that may intrude
and, with the devil’s help, seek to destroy. As one great carol puts it: Let
hell and Satan rage and chafe: Christ is your Brother. Ye are safe!
+ Pastor Eckardt
For the Eckardt family greeting,
click here.
Epiphany Retreat, Mass, and Reception January
5th
For the second time, our annual winter Epiphany retreat is
to be scheduled all on one day, the eve of Epiphany. This should accommodate people who come from a distance. The day
of reflection is planned for Thursday, January 5th. At the close of the seminar we will be
observing Epiphany. Here is the schedule:
1:00 p.m. Opening mid-day prayer service
1:30 p.m. Seminar (day of reflection):
The sixteenth
retreat in the Theological Reflection series is entitled,
“THE FRIEND AT MIDNIGHT”
At this retreat, we will examine St. Luke 11, particularly Jesus’
liturgical instruction to pray and the parable of the friend at midnight.
Jesus’ command, “When you pray, say Our Father,” etc., is followed immediately
by the parable, which has rich sacramental overtones. Curiously, “This do” is
omitted in the Lucan account of the Verba (22:19-20), quite possibly because,
following the parable of the friend, Jesus had already instructed his disciples
to ask, seek, and knock (11:9).
4:00 p.m. break for dinner
7:00 p.m. Epiphany Mass
7:45 p.m. Wine and Cheese reception
Mark your calendar!
January
Birthdays
1/1 Chris Erickson
1/4 Lucille Kemerling
1/13 James Hornback
January
Ushers
Steve Peart, Grant Andresen, Larry Campbell (unless Larry is
scheduled to sub-deacon, in which case Steve Harris is on the schedule)
Shut-ins
Mary Hamilton at
home; Emilie Ricknell at home; Emmy Wear at Williamsfield Retirement Center
January
Anniversaries None
Annual
Voters’ Meeting
Our Annual Voters’ Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 8rd, at 10:00
a.m. (in the time slot normally reserved for Bible Class).
2017
Envelopes
The offering envelopes have been
in your mailboxes for several days.
Altar
Guild Notes
Altar color is white throughout the month. No mass on
Wednesday, January 18th.
First
Tuesday meetings
Our First Tuesday meetings will be held January 3rd,
beginning with Altar Guild at 6 pm, Vespers at 6:45, and Elders at 7:15. Anyone is welcome to join us for vespers.
Pastor Presenting Sectional Paper at Symposium
I have been selected to present again at the Concordia
Theological Seminary symposium during the third week in January on the topic “The
Friend at Midnight,” which is the same topic that is to be discussed at the
Epiphany seminar advertised nearby -
Pastor
Alms for
the Needy
Please remember those less fortunate during this
season. The alms box is in the back of
the church, and the offerings will be distributed during the holidays.
Our current list of prayer
intentions at mass includes the names on the lists here following. Anyone wishing to update the list by addition
or subtraction, please inform the pastor.
in our parish:
Lucille Kemerling
Denny Schoen
Sandra Verplaetse
Emilie Ricknell
Linda Rowe
Kris Harden
Joyce Long
Mary Hamilton
Emmy Wear
and also:
Anna Rutowicz [granddaughter
of Harrises]
Jodi Rutowicz [daughter
of Harrises]
Julie Ross [Svetlana
Meaker’s daughter]
Jill Matchett [at
request of Diana Shreck]
Annie Eastman [at
request of Svetlana Meaker]
Nancy Popejoy [relative
of Sharon Hartz]
Dave Colgron [friend
of Tom Wells]
Shannon Watson [Jim’s
daughter]
Noah Muske [relative
of Kraklows]
Jonna Dougherty [friend
of Chris Erickson, stroke]
Steve Draminski [friend
of Jim Watson]
Kathy Nussear [Joyce
Long’s daughter, cancer]
Ray Zarvell [friend
of Steve Harris and Fr Eckardt]
Theresa Lewis [niece
of Carol Eckardt]
Bud Harfst [Sue
Murphy’s brother]
Matt Martain [Ricknells’
grandson, cancer]
Tina Thompson [relative
of the Thompsons]
And those we name in our hearts.
in the milistary
John Eckardt
Donny Appleman [at request of the Ricknells]
Thomas Kim [at request of the Shrecks]
Michael Creech [at request of the Murphys]
Katherine Creech [at request of the Murphys]
Richard Heiden [at request of the Eckardts]
Carter Wills [grandson of the Thompsons]
Luke Van Landigan [grandson of Dick Melchin]
Jaclyn Alvarez [daughter of Kris Harden]
in trouble:
especially any unborn
children in danger of abortion
those suffering from unrest,
persecution, and imprisonment in Algeria, Libya, Sudan, Germany, North Korea,
and elsewhere.
and our own church
Persecution details (from CP World, Release
International, China Aid) at www.persecution.net
(8 December):
ALGERIA: In
January 2008, an intense media campaign against the church began as newspapers
carried articles expressing concern about the growth of Christianity. Intense
persecution followed -- house churches were closed by authorities, several
believers were arrested and some were formally charged with insulting Islam.
The government has not allowed any new church buildings to be built, and all
newer churches that exist in Algeria today are house churches. Persecution
continues to intensify with ongoing pressure from Islamists who are demanding
the implementation of Sharia law, but reports of Muslims coming to faith in
Jesus Christ have also been increasing.
LIBYA: A major challenge for Libya has been migrants passing through
Libya from sub-Saharan Africa, most heading for Europe. The Christian community
is small but growing, though the majority are foreign workers. There are, at
present, no laws officially restricting religious freedom, but Islamic law
continues to dominate. The presence of ISIS militants is a significant concern.
In April 2015, a video was released of Christian migrant workers being beheaded
and shot by militants.
SUDAN: In Sudan, Christians face poverty, war and genocide.
Arab-Sudanese are trying to eradicate black Sudanese in the Nuba Mountains,
where Christian villages face daily bombings by the Sudanese military. The
government is trying to eliminate all Christian villages, churches, hospitals
and schools in an effort to Islamize the country. Although the constitution
guarantees religious freedom, Islam remains the de facto state religion, and apostasy
is punishable by death under the government's Shariah law. Muslims are given
preferential treatment, and non-Islamic proselytism is prohibited. It is
difficult for Christians to obtain permission to build churches. Converts face
social pressure and harassment from security services. They typically do not
stay in Sudan.
Council Meeting Moved
A January council meeting is moved from the third Wednesday
to the fourth Wednesday. Sometimes the council does not meet in January because
of the annual voters’ assembly, but this month is more important in view of the
fact that the December meeting was cancelled.
No Wednesday mass on January 4; moved to Thursday
Because of our Epiphany retreat on Thursday, January 5th, the midweek mass is moved this week from
Wednesday to Thursday the 5th, which is the Eve of Epiphany. We will
observe Epiphany that day.
Baptism of our Lord
The Baptism of our Lord is
January 13th. This year we will observe it the day before, on
January 12th, at the 7 pm time set for our regular Wednesday mass.
St. Paul’s Feast of Title January 25th
On Wednesday, January 25th, we will celebrate the
Conversion of St. Paul. Since this congregation is named for this saint, the
day is for us a “Feast of Title,” a First Class Feast. At 7 p.m., our usual
Wednesday time.
Pastor Speaking in Alabama
I have been asked to speak at a “free conference” for pastors
at a church near Birmingham, Alabama, late in January. My itinerary has me
flying out on Sunday afternoon, January 22nd, and returning
Wednesday afternoon, the 25th. -
Pastor
No comments:
Post a Comment