Advent: a Time to Refresh Your Daily Prayers
There are always plenty of opportunities to receive Christ at St. Paul’s, as everyone here knows. But how many of us know – or are convinced – of the importance of daily prayer and meditation?
In the Large Catechism Luther says this:
“It is most necessary . . . to exhort and incite people to prayer, as Christ and the apostles also have done. And the first matter is to know that it is our duty to pray because of God’s commandment. For thus we heard in the Second Commandment: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in vain, that we are there required to praise that holy name, and call upon it in every need, or to pray. For to call upon the name of God is nothing else than to pray. Prayer is therefore as strictly and earnestly commanded as all other commandments: to have no other God, not to kill, not to steal, etc. Let no one think that it is all the same whether he pray or not, as vulgar people do, who grope in such delusion and ask, Why should I pray? Who knows whether God heeds or will hear my prayer? If I do not pray, some one else will. And thus they fall into the habit of never praying, and frame a pretext, as though we taught that there is no duty or need of prayer, because we reject false and hypocritical prayers. . . .
But praying, as the Second Commandment teaches, is to call upon God in every need. This He requires of us, and has not left it to our choice. But it is our duty and obligation to pray if we would be Christians, as much as it is our duty and obligation to obey our parents and the government; for by calling upon it and praying the name of God is honored and profitably employed. This you must note above all things, that thereby you may silence and repel such thoughts as would keep and deter us from prayer.”
Clearly, daily prayer and meditation is an imperative for every Christian! But how?
Let us start simply, as the Small Catechism bids us by at the very least saying the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer every morning. From there we can move into something more conducive to the active and daily maintenance of our faith.
Here’s a suggestion: Take time every day to pray every day, either alone or with other members of your family, using the order of prayer you will find on the next page.
It is something every Christian ought to be doing, and if it is done routinely, it reaps the great benefits of filling your heart and mind daily with the abundant mercies of Christ.
+ Pastor Eckardt
An Order of Daily Prayer
I. OPENING
O Lord, open Thou my lips.
And my mouth shall show forth Thy praise.
Make haste, O God, to deliver me.
Make haste to help me, O Lord.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen. (omit for Lent V and VI)
II. PROPER FOR THE DAY
A Psalm (or portion thereof) and a Lesson are read aloud. If desired, a meditation and/or a Hymn may be used following the lesson. Pastor’s book Every Day Will I Bless Thee is a good resource for Lessons and Meditations, or The Lutheran Hymnal (p. 161ff) can be consulted for a list of daily readings, or even, simply, a chapter of the Bible every day. Generally, only one Psalm (or portion) and one Hymn (or portion) is used per week, to be repeated each day. This is in order to aid in familiarization, and to encourage meditation.
III. CLOSING PRAYERS
Apostle’s Creed
Lord’s Prayer
Collect for the Day
Luther's morning or evening prayer may be said.
Particular petitions may be offered.
Bless we the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Whether praying alone or as a family, it is best to have a special place set aside in the home, and if possible, a small family altar can be arranged against a wall, with two candles on it, and a crucifix hanging on the wall above. Family or personal prayer is best said at the same time every day, in order that a good habit may thus be formed and followed regularly.
The sign of the holy cross is traced with the right thumb on the lips, while singing “open Thou my lips.” The full sign of the cross is made at “make haste, O God, to deliver me.” The head is bowed whenever the Trinitarian name (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) is said, whether in the Gloria Patri or in the last verse of certain hymns. The sign of the cross is made also at the closing response, “Thanks be to God.”
Decorating During Advent
As is our custom, we decorate the church little by little during Advent, until finally all is complete for Christmas. The day on which volunteers are needed help put up the tree is Saturday, December 11th, beginning at 9 am. Please help!
St. Andrews Mass Dec. 1
St. Andrew’s Day is actually Tuesday, November 30th, and we will have mass at 8:30 a.m., but to enable more members to attend mass, we will observe it again on the following Wednesday, at our regular 7 p.m time. Join us!
December Birthdays
12/13 Michael Eckardt
12/13 Lynn Woller
12/16 Lillian Freeburg
12/20 Peter Eckardt
12/20 Rachel Rowe
12/25 Robert Melchin
12/30 Matthew Woller
December Ushers
Allan Kraklow, Steve Kraklow, Tom Wells, Bob Bock
December Anniversaries None
Shut ins
Mary Hamilton, Carole Sanders, Mark Baker, and Anna Baker at home; Mirilda Greiert at Kewanee Care; Ila Scaife at Courtyard Estates; Ruth Melchin at Hillcrest Home; Don Clapper and Ruth Snider at Royal Oaks; Elva Garrison at Avon Nursing Home.
First Monday Meetings Dec. 6 St. Nicholas Day Mass at 7 pm
On Monday, December 6th, Altar Guild meets as usual at 6 pm, and Elders at 7:30 pm. Between them we will celebrate mass at 7 pm to observe St. Nicholas’ Day. All members are invited to attend.
In Our Prayers
In addition to our shut-ins, our current list of prayer intentions at mass includes the names on the lists here following. Anyone wishing to update the lest by addition or subtraction, please inform the pastor.
Those who are sick:
In our parish:
Anna Baker
Mark Baker
Carole Sanders
And all of our shut-ins
And also:
Yvette Baker [re Baker]
David Dakin [re Harris]
Anna Rutowicz [re Harris]
Tarah Allen [cancer, friend of Jill Powers]
Kay Nimrick, [friend of Jill Powers with cancer]
Nicole Smith [niece of Jean Russell]
Mildred Russell [re Russell]
Don Loesch [father of Jude Clapper]
Sara Bidni, mother of Svetlana Meeker
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter, cancer]
Caleb Cleaver [Ricknell’s grandson who has childhood leukemia]
Pam Mansnarus [Ricknell’s niece, who has stage four lung cancer]
Muriel Smith [Kristy Eckardt’s grandmother, cancer]
Teresa Lewis [Eckardts’ niece, who is to have surgery]
Those who are in the military:
John Eckardt
Brent Matthews [re Fisher]
Michael and Melinda Fisa [re Kemerling]
Michelle Steuber [re Fisher]
Kevin Thompson
Donny Appleman [re Ricknell]
Timmy Giesenhagen [re Powers]
Thomas Kim [re Shreck]
Chaplain Michael Frese
And Jaclyn Harden [Kris’s daughter]
Those who are in trouble:
Unborn children in danger of abortion
Those suffering from persecution, genocide, and imprisonment in Burma, Nigeria, Sudan, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, China, and elsewhere
Choir Rehearsals in December
Our Wednesday choir rehearsals during December are especially important as we prepare for our annual Christmas Choral Vespers, which is to be held the Second Sunday after Christmas, January 2nd. Choir members make every effort to attend them all. On Wednesday, December 29th, there is no mass scheduled, so choir rehearsal will begin at 7 pm.
No evening mass on Saturday, Dec 4th (Pastor out of town), Dec 25th, or Jan 1st
Altar Guild Notes
Advent begins the last Sunday in November. The four Advent Sundays’ color is violet. If roses are obtained, they may be placed on the Third Sunday in Advent, December 12th.
St. Andrew’s Day will be observed Tuesday morning, November 30th, at 8:30 and Wednesday evening, December 1st, at 7. Color is red.
St. Nicholas’ Day Mass will be held on Monday evening, December 6th, at 7 pm. Color remains violet (Third Class Feast).
Midweek Advent masses will be held on Wednesdays, December 8th, 15th, and 22nd, at 7. Color is violet.
The three Christ Masses will be held as usual, 7 pm Christmas Eve, 12 midnight, and 10 am Christmas Day. Color is white.
St. Stephen’s Day will be observed Sunday morning December 26th. Color is red.
The Circumcision and Name of Jesus will be observed on New Year’s Eve, Thursday the 31st, at 7 pm. Color is White.
No mass on Tuesday morning December 28th, Wed-nesday evening December 29th. No mass on Sat-urday evening, December 4th or 25th, or January 1st.
Why?
This series, containing brief liturgical questions and Pastor Eckardt’s answers, began to appear in 1995, as a regular feature in this newsletter. It was then published, about ten years ago, as a Gottesdienst book.
Why is white the color of Christmas, Epiphany, and Easter?
White is the purest of colors, and therefore the most glorious of colors. It is fitting, therefore, that the color white be used for the feasts of our Lord. Even Pentecost, whose color is red (for the Holy Spirit), was once known as White-Sunday, from which the traditional term Whitsunday comes. Feast days of saints who were not martyred, such as St. John and St. Mary Magdalene, also employ white, signifying the purity of sainthood.
The seasons of Christmas, Epiphany, and Easter are most appropriately adorned in white, for they commemorate the incarnation and the resurrection of our Lord, which are the greatest of all commemorations. These first-class feasts are also feasts of our Lord, who is Himself the spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. In Isaiah, the declaration of God is, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (1:18). The purity of Christ, therefore, is also to be understood as the purity which becomes ours through faith in Him. For He by His merit and sacrifice has obtained for us this purity which is His own, and He gives this purity to us by the proclamation and distribution of the forgiveness of sins through His name. In this way we become pure and white as He is. Thus it is right to adorn the feasts of Him who is our Lord with white, for they indicate not only His purity, but the purity which belongs by faith to His own faithful flock, received by the means of salvation offered and given in the feast of salvation, the Mass.
Advent for the church is a time of penitential preparation for the coming of Christ. It’s helpful to remember this as we also prepare our households for Christmas. Unlike the commercial and secular world, the Church’s celebration of Christmas begins with Christmas, and runs the twelve days of Christmas, until Epiphany (note, for instance, that our Christmas Choral Vespers is after Christmas). Advent has historically been a season of fasting, though not as profound a fast as in Lent. Some have fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays during Advent, others in other ways. The finest way to prepare for the coming of Christ is by contrition and confession (see the paragraph above this one).
Catechesis moves to Wednesday afternoons
Beginning in December, catechesis will be offered on Wednesdays at 5:00 pm instead of Saturdays. Anyone is welcome to join us.
Mark your calendars!
Christmas Choral Vespers
Sunday, January 2nd, 2011 at 7 pm, followed by a wine and cheese reception,
and
An Epiphany retreat:
two Days of Theological Reflection
13th in the series:
Monday and Tuesday, January 3rd and 4th, 2011
“LET A DOUBLE PORTION OF THY SPIRIT BE UPON ME”
The Christology of Elijah and Elisha (I Kings 17 – II Kings 13). To prepare, it would be helpful if you read these chapters in advance.
MONDAY
8:30 - 9:00 registration
9:00 Mass: Tenth Day of Christmas
10:00 – 3:30 seminar
TUESDAY
9:00 Mass: Eleventh Day of Christmas
10:00 – 3:30 seminar
St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
109 S. Elm Street
Kewanee, IL 61443
Showing posts with label 2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2010. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
November 2010
Oktoberfest a Smashing Success; Thanks Be To God
Hearty thanks are in order for all our tireless volunteers who worked together to make this year’s Oktoberfest a great success. The final list of registrants stood at a record 150 (139 on Sunday night, 109 on Monday, and 23 on Tuesday).
Our featured speaker, Dr. David Scaer, commented afterwards that this kind of thing sometimes takes several years to get noticed, but then it takes off. This year we had guests from eleven states. Eighteen of them were seminarians from Fort Wayne, where Dr. Scaer teaches.
Our next major event is our Christmas retreat, which will be kicked off with our Christmas choral vespers on Sunday night, January 2nd (the ninth day of Christmas), and will continue with two days of theological reflection Monday and Tuesday. Details are below, in this newsletter.
As the pastor of St. Paul’s I am pleased and gratified that we are able to put on such events, as it is my conviction that they are of great encouragement and help to the guests who attend, all serving to advance the cause of confessional and liturgical Lutheran reform.
Speaking of Lutheran reform, we are reminded on Reformation Day (Sunday, October 31st) that the Reformation itself, begun in 1517, is nearly 500 years old.
So it is that two great anniversaries loom. In addition to the Reformation anniversary in 2017, we note that 2013 is the sesquicentennial year of the founding of this congregation, and we hope to celebrate that on several occasions throughout that year. Sue Murphy’s in charge of coordinating it, if you want to volunteer to help.
Meanwhile at St. Paul’s, this small, fragile, unassuming parish, we continue to pray the Lord’s blessing and benediction upon us. To use the words of Moses, we would say, “Establish Thou the work of our hands, yea, the work of our hands, establish Thou it” (Psalm 90). Of course, that verse has to do in the first and primary place with the works of Jesus’ hands, since His holy incarnation has made His hands and our hands to be the same hands; and His work of atonement has been established for all eternity, for our salvation, by His mercy. But secondarily, our works begun, continued, and completed in Him are never in vain, but shall, by the same mercy, redound to whatever good He shall see fit.
Soli Deo Gloria!
+ Pastor Eckardt
November Birthdays
11/10 Cassandra Krueger
11/13 Shannon Peart
11/14 Carol Robinson
11/15 Kami Boswell
11/19 Steve Kraklow
11/20 Jewneel Walker
11/30 Charlene Sovanski
November Anniversaries
11/5 Steve and Berniece Harris
11/11 Gayle and Phil Beauprez
November Ushers
Otis Anderson Scott Clapper, John Ricknell, Bill Thompson
Thanksgiving to be observed November 24th
As usual, we will celebrate Thanksgiving the night before Thanksgiving Day, Wednesday, November 24th, at our regular 7 pm hour. Come and worship, giving thanks to almighty God for His rich benevolence and grace.
Private Confession is always available to anyone between 6 and 6:30 pm on these Wednesdays, and also, as always, by appointment.
Shut ins
Carole Sanders at home; Mary Hamilton at home; Ruth Snider at home; Mark Baker at home, and Anna Baker at home. Mirilda Greiert at Kewanee Care; Ila Scaiffe at Courtyard Estates; Elva Garrison at Roseville Country Manor in Roseville, IL.
All Saints Mass Nov. 1
Between our regular first Monday Altar Guild an Elders meetings this month, we will observe All Saints Mass at 7 p.m. Join us!
In Our Prayers
In addition to our shut-ins, our current list of prayer intentions at mass includes the names on the lists here following. Anyone wishing to update the lest by addition or subtraction, please inform the pastor.
Those who are sick:
Yvette Baker [re Baker]
David Dakin [re Harris]
Anna Rutowicz [re Harris]
Tarah Allen [cancer, friend of Jill Powers]
Kay Nimrick, [friend of Jill Powers with cancer]
Nicole Smith [niece of Jean Russell]
Barry Brown [friend of the Thompsons]
Mildred Russell [re Russell]
Don Loesch [father of Jude Clapper]
Sara Bidni, mother of Svetlana Meeker
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter, cancer]
Caleb Cleaver [Ricknell’s grandson who has childhood leukemia]
Pam Mansnarus [Ricknell’s niece, stage four lung cancer]
Those who are in the military:
John Eckardt
Brent Matthews [re Fisher]
Melinda Newmann [re Kemerling]
Michelle Steuber [re Fisher]
Kevin Thompson
Donny Appleman [re Ricknell]
Timmy Giesenhagen [Gee zen hagen][re Powers]
Thomas Kim [re Shreck]
And Chaplain Michael Frese
Those who are in trouble:
Unborn children in danger of abortion
Those suffering from persecution, genocide, and imprisonment in
Burma
Nigeria
Sudan
Iran
Iraq
North Korea
China
elsewhere
Altar Guild Notes
All Saints Day will be observed Monday, November 1, at 7 pm. Color is red.
All Souls Day (The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed) is a First Class Feast, Mass is scheduled for 8:30 am Tuesday, November 2, and again the next day at Wednesday 7 pm mass. Color is white. Thanksgiving is observed Wednesday night, November 24th. Color is White.
First Sunday in Advent is November 28th. Color is Purple beginning on Saturday, November 28th.
First Monday Nov. 1
On Monday, November 1st, Altar Guild meets as usual at 6 p.m., and Elders at 7:45 p.m. Between them is All Saints Mass at 7 p.m., conveniently placed so both groups can attend. All members are invited to attend All Saints Mass.
Daily Prayer
For daily prayer in the homes of members, the following helps are offered:
Use your hymnal. The order of matins (morning) or vespers (evening) is easily adoptable for personal use.
A more brief form of prayer, as given in the catechism, is to say the Invocation, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and as a closing option Luther’s morning or evening prayer.
The hymnal is also a good resource for a schedule of daily readings. See page 161. These readings correspond with the material in Every Day Will I Bless Thee: Meditations for the Daily Office, my book of meditations for daily use.
+ Pastor Eckardt
Looking ahead: 2-4 January 2011
A CHRISTMASTIDE retreat:
two Days of Theological Reflection
opening with the
Annual Christmas Choral Vespers
The January Days of Theological Reflection will begin with our annual Christmas Choral Vespers on Sunday night the 2nd of January, and then Monday and Tuesday, the 3rd and 4th, from 8:30 – 3:30. This twelfth retreat in the series is entitled,
“LET A DOUBLE PORTION OF THY SPIRIT BE UPON ME.”
It will focus on the Christology of Elijah and Elisha (I Kings 17 – II Kings 13), and, as ever, with an eye to finding Christ there, as He himself said of the Scriptures, “They testify of me.”
Sunday evening’s Choral Vespers, at 7 p.m., is always followed by our wine and cheese reception in the school cafeteria, another annual tradition. If there is inclement weather, a snow date is scheduled for Monday, January 3rd, at 7 p.m.
Tuesdays
Feel free to join us every Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. for low mass. The service runs a little over a half hour.
Wednesdays
Feel free to join us most Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. for our recording of the weekly radio program, a study of Sunday’s Gospel.
Saturdays
Catechesis for new members is on Saturdays at 9 am, but anyone can come (and some others do). Annual Voters’ Assembly
Our annual voters’ assembly will be held on a Sunday late in January, following Mass, as we did last January.
This year your council will be proposing some changes to our bylaws.
First, we’re considering the possibility of having only one regular congregational voters’ assembly per year, rather than four. Over the past several years members have seemed content to let the Council handle regular business, and if special items come up, a special voters’ meeting is usually called in any case. The “annual” voters’ assembly would become truly annual, as was not uncommon early in American Lutheran history.
Secondly, according to the bylaws we are to have three trustees; but we’d like to make that number flexible, since the trustees’ duties involve willing participants, and we now have more than three.
At the January meeting we will also be electing officers, as we do every January.
Why?
This series, containing brief liturgical questions and Pastor Eckardt’s answers, began to appear in 1995, as a regular feature in this newsletter. It was then published, about ten years ago, as a Gottesdienst book.
Why is violet the color of Advent and Lent?
Violet is the color of royalty, having once been a rare and costly color to which only the rich and royal had access. The rich man who failed to notice poor Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) was “clothed in purple and fine linen.” Jesus was clothed in a purple robe when His royalty was mocked by Pilate’s soldiers (John 19:2).
Therefore it is fitting that the Church employ violet in her seasons of penitence, for our recollection of the scorn heaped upon our Lord must produce contrite hearts. The color of violet therefore serves to symbolize both the true royalty of Christ (the Anointed, cf. Ps. 2) and the His humiliation, which ought to humble us all in due preparation to receive Him. Violet is a penitential color, not a festive color. Its rich hue designates somber penitence and prayer.
Why is blue sometimes seen in churches?
The color blue has in recent years been used as an alternate color for Advent, inasmuch as blue universally symbolizes hope. During Advent the Church emphasizes her perpetually hopeful wait for the coming of Christ.
This innovation, while providing a helpful distinction between Advent and Lent, also de-emphasizes the need for understanding Advent as a penitential season. Preparation for the coming of Christ must always be penitential. Moreover, the use of blue for Advent is a departure from its traditional use as the color for the Blessed Virgin Mary. In iconography she has traditionally been seen in red or royal blue, or both, perhaps because she herself is emblematic of the Church’s hopeful expectation of the coming of her Son.
The church which has blue paraments might well employ them for the Marian feasts and retain violet for Advent.
(continued on back page)
(continued from page 4)
Why is the color rose sometimes used liturgically?
The color rose, when it is used, is only seen during two days of the year, Sundays set in the midst of the year’s two penitential seasons. Rose is accordingly appropriate for the Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete) and for the Fourth Sunday in Lent (Laetare). The reason for this usage is that rose is a lightening of the purple hue, and as such a reminder that even in the depths of sorrows or penitence, Christian faith is appropriately joyful, ever mindful of the victory which Christ has obtained for us. These two Sundays are therefore set at the midpoint of the penitential seasons, and the color rose is employed only on the Sundays themselves, and not for the weeks following them.
Similarly flowers, which are traditionally absent during Lent, are used on Laetare Sunday, as a further reminder of the joy set in the midst of penitential sorrows.
A Message from
CONCORDIA
THEOLOGICAL
SEMINARY
FORT WAYNE, INDIANA
ME, A PASTOR? ME A DEACONESS? If you have found yourself asking this question, now is
the time to do something about it! Rev. Steve Wagner of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort
Wayne, Indiana, is going to be at Lutheran Church 1705 E. Locust St,.in Davenport, IA, on Friday
November 19, 2010, from 4:30 to 7:30pm.
Come and explore the possibilities! Men of all ages are invited, as are their wives, fiancees, and parents. Women interested in the deaconess program are also invited, along with their families. Conferences are individual and informal.
Reservations are not required; however, if you are able, please phone Holy Cross Lutheran Church
at (563) 322-2654 - or email Rev. Wagner at wagnerse@ctsfw.edu to alert him that you are coming, and feel free to call him on his cell at 260-449-0135 if you are having trouble locating him.
Hearty thanks are in order for all our tireless volunteers who worked together to make this year’s Oktoberfest a great success. The final list of registrants stood at a record 150 (139 on Sunday night, 109 on Monday, and 23 on Tuesday).
Our featured speaker, Dr. David Scaer, commented afterwards that this kind of thing sometimes takes several years to get noticed, but then it takes off. This year we had guests from eleven states. Eighteen of them were seminarians from Fort Wayne, where Dr. Scaer teaches.
Our next major event is our Christmas retreat, which will be kicked off with our Christmas choral vespers on Sunday night, January 2nd (the ninth day of Christmas), and will continue with two days of theological reflection Monday and Tuesday. Details are below, in this newsletter.
As the pastor of St. Paul’s I am pleased and gratified that we are able to put on such events, as it is my conviction that they are of great encouragement and help to the guests who attend, all serving to advance the cause of confessional and liturgical Lutheran reform.
Speaking of Lutheran reform, we are reminded on Reformation Day (Sunday, October 31st) that the Reformation itself, begun in 1517, is nearly 500 years old.
So it is that two great anniversaries loom. In addition to the Reformation anniversary in 2017, we note that 2013 is the sesquicentennial year of the founding of this congregation, and we hope to celebrate that on several occasions throughout that year. Sue Murphy’s in charge of coordinating it, if you want to volunteer to help.
Meanwhile at St. Paul’s, this small, fragile, unassuming parish, we continue to pray the Lord’s blessing and benediction upon us. To use the words of Moses, we would say, “Establish Thou the work of our hands, yea, the work of our hands, establish Thou it” (Psalm 90). Of course, that verse has to do in the first and primary place with the works of Jesus’ hands, since His holy incarnation has made His hands and our hands to be the same hands; and His work of atonement has been established for all eternity, for our salvation, by His mercy. But secondarily, our works begun, continued, and completed in Him are never in vain, but shall, by the same mercy, redound to whatever good He shall see fit.
Soli Deo Gloria!
+ Pastor Eckardt
November Birthdays
11/10 Cassandra Krueger
11/13 Shannon Peart
11/14 Carol Robinson
11/15 Kami Boswell
11/19 Steve Kraklow
11/20 Jewneel Walker
11/30 Charlene Sovanski
November Anniversaries
11/5 Steve and Berniece Harris
11/11 Gayle and Phil Beauprez
November Ushers
Otis Anderson Scott Clapper, John Ricknell, Bill Thompson
Thanksgiving to be observed November 24th
As usual, we will celebrate Thanksgiving the night before Thanksgiving Day, Wednesday, November 24th, at our regular 7 pm hour. Come and worship, giving thanks to almighty God for His rich benevolence and grace.
Private Confession is always available to anyone between 6 and 6:30 pm on these Wednesdays, and also, as always, by appointment.
Shut ins
Carole Sanders at home; Mary Hamilton at home; Ruth Snider at home; Mark Baker at home, and Anna Baker at home. Mirilda Greiert at Kewanee Care; Ila Scaiffe at Courtyard Estates; Elva Garrison at Roseville Country Manor in Roseville, IL.
All Saints Mass Nov. 1
Between our regular first Monday Altar Guild an Elders meetings this month, we will observe All Saints Mass at 7 p.m. Join us!
In Our Prayers
In addition to our shut-ins, our current list of prayer intentions at mass includes the names on the lists here following. Anyone wishing to update the lest by addition or subtraction, please inform the pastor.
Those who are sick:
Yvette Baker [re Baker]
David Dakin [re Harris]
Anna Rutowicz [re Harris]
Tarah Allen [cancer, friend of Jill Powers]
Kay Nimrick, [friend of Jill Powers with cancer]
Nicole Smith [niece of Jean Russell]
Barry Brown [friend of the Thompsons]
Mildred Russell [re Russell]
Don Loesch [father of Jude Clapper]
Sara Bidni, mother of Svetlana Meeker
Julie Ross [Svetlana Meaker’s daughter, cancer]
Caleb Cleaver [Ricknell’s grandson who has childhood leukemia]
Pam Mansnarus [Ricknell’s niece, stage four lung cancer]
Those who are in the military:
John Eckardt
Brent Matthews [re Fisher]
Melinda Newmann [re Kemerling]
Michelle Steuber [re Fisher]
Kevin Thompson
Donny Appleman [re Ricknell]
Timmy Giesenhagen [Gee zen hagen][re Powers]
Thomas Kim [re Shreck]
And Chaplain Michael Frese
Those who are in trouble:
Unborn children in danger of abortion
Those suffering from persecution, genocide, and imprisonment in
Burma
Nigeria
Sudan
Iran
Iraq
North Korea
China
elsewhere
Altar Guild Notes
All Saints Day will be observed Monday, November 1, at 7 pm. Color is red.
All Souls Day (The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed) is a First Class Feast, Mass is scheduled for 8:30 am Tuesday, November 2, and again the next day at Wednesday 7 pm mass. Color is white. Thanksgiving is observed Wednesday night, November 24th. Color is White.
First Sunday in Advent is November 28th. Color is Purple beginning on Saturday, November 28th.
First Monday Nov. 1
On Monday, November 1st, Altar Guild meets as usual at 6 p.m., and Elders at 7:45 p.m. Between them is All Saints Mass at 7 p.m., conveniently placed so both groups can attend. All members are invited to attend All Saints Mass.
Daily Prayer
For daily prayer in the homes of members, the following helps are offered:
Use your hymnal. The order of matins (morning) or vespers (evening) is easily adoptable for personal use.
A more brief form of prayer, as given in the catechism, is to say the Invocation, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and as a closing option Luther’s morning or evening prayer.
The hymnal is also a good resource for a schedule of daily readings. See page 161. These readings correspond with the material in Every Day Will I Bless Thee: Meditations for the Daily Office, my book of meditations for daily use.
+ Pastor Eckardt
Looking ahead: 2-4 January 2011
A CHRISTMASTIDE retreat:
two Days of Theological Reflection
opening with the
Annual Christmas Choral Vespers
The January Days of Theological Reflection will begin with our annual Christmas Choral Vespers on Sunday night the 2nd of January, and then Monday and Tuesday, the 3rd and 4th, from 8:30 – 3:30. This twelfth retreat in the series is entitled,
“LET A DOUBLE PORTION OF THY SPIRIT BE UPON ME.”
It will focus on the Christology of Elijah and Elisha (I Kings 17 – II Kings 13), and, as ever, with an eye to finding Christ there, as He himself said of the Scriptures, “They testify of me.”
Sunday evening’s Choral Vespers, at 7 p.m., is always followed by our wine and cheese reception in the school cafeteria, another annual tradition. If there is inclement weather, a snow date is scheduled for Monday, January 3rd, at 7 p.m.
Tuesdays
Feel free to join us every Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. for low mass. The service runs a little over a half hour.
Wednesdays
Feel free to join us most Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. for our recording of the weekly radio program, a study of Sunday’s Gospel.
Saturdays
Catechesis for new members is on Saturdays at 9 am, but anyone can come (and some others do). Annual Voters’ Assembly
Our annual voters’ assembly will be held on a Sunday late in January, following Mass, as we did last January.
This year your council will be proposing some changes to our bylaws.
First, we’re considering the possibility of having only one regular congregational voters’ assembly per year, rather than four. Over the past several years members have seemed content to let the Council handle regular business, and if special items come up, a special voters’ meeting is usually called in any case. The “annual” voters’ assembly would become truly annual, as was not uncommon early in American Lutheran history.
Secondly, according to the bylaws we are to have three trustees; but we’d like to make that number flexible, since the trustees’ duties involve willing participants, and we now have more than three.
At the January meeting we will also be electing officers, as we do every January.
Why?
This series, containing brief liturgical questions and Pastor Eckardt’s answers, began to appear in 1995, as a regular feature in this newsletter. It was then published, about ten years ago, as a Gottesdienst book.
Why is violet the color of Advent and Lent?
Violet is the color of royalty, having once been a rare and costly color to which only the rich and royal had access. The rich man who failed to notice poor Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) was “clothed in purple and fine linen.” Jesus was clothed in a purple robe when His royalty was mocked by Pilate’s soldiers (John 19:2).
Therefore it is fitting that the Church employ violet in her seasons of penitence, for our recollection of the scorn heaped upon our Lord must produce contrite hearts. The color of violet therefore serves to symbolize both the true royalty of Christ (the Anointed, cf. Ps. 2) and the His humiliation, which ought to humble us all in due preparation to receive Him. Violet is a penitential color, not a festive color. Its rich hue designates somber penitence and prayer.
Why is blue sometimes seen in churches?
The color blue has in recent years been used as an alternate color for Advent, inasmuch as blue universally symbolizes hope. During Advent the Church emphasizes her perpetually hopeful wait for the coming of Christ.
This innovation, while providing a helpful distinction between Advent and Lent, also de-emphasizes the need for understanding Advent as a penitential season. Preparation for the coming of Christ must always be penitential. Moreover, the use of blue for Advent is a departure from its traditional use as the color for the Blessed Virgin Mary. In iconography she has traditionally been seen in red or royal blue, or both, perhaps because she herself is emblematic of the Church’s hopeful expectation of the coming of her Son.
The church which has blue paraments might well employ them for the Marian feasts and retain violet for Advent.
(continued on back page)
(continued from page 4)
Why is the color rose sometimes used liturgically?
The color rose, when it is used, is only seen during two days of the year, Sundays set in the midst of the year’s two penitential seasons. Rose is accordingly appropriate for the Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete) and for the Fourth Sunday in Lent (Laetare). The reason for this usage is that rose is a lightening of the purple hue, and as such a reminder that even in the depths of sorrows or penitence, Christian faith is appropriately joyful, ever mindful of the victory which Christ has obtained for us. These two Sundays are therefore set at the midpoint of the penitential seasons, and the color rose is employed only on the Sundays themselves, and not for the weeks following them.
Similarly flowers, which are traditionally absent during Lent, are used on Laetare Sunday, as a further reminder of the joy set in the midst of penitential sorrows.
A Message from
CONCORDIA
THEOLOGICAL
SEMINARY
FORT WAYNE, INDIANA
ME, A PASTOR? ME A DEACONESS? If you have found yourself asking this question, now is
the time to do something about it! Rev. Steve Wagner of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort
Wayne, Indiana, is going to be at Lutheran Church 1705 E. Locust St,.in Davenport, IA, on Friday
November 19, 2010, from 4:30 to 7:30pm.
Come and explore the possibilities! Men of all ages are invited, as are their wives, fiancees, and parents. Women interested in the deaconess program are also invited, along with their families. Conferences are individual and informal.
Reservations are not required; however, if you are able, please phone Holy Cross Lutheran Church
at (563) 322-2654 - or email Rev. Wagner at wagnerse@ctsfw.edu to alert him that you are coming, and feel free to call him on his cell at 260-449-0135 if you are having trouble locating him.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
October 2010
Oktoberfest Registrations at Record Levels
Oktoberfest is right around the corner, scheduled to begin Sunday night, October 10th, with choral vespers at 5, followed by our bratwurst banquet and party.
As of September 23rd, the registrations for Oktoberfest stood at 122 guests expected. This is a record. Our total attendance at Oktoberfest, which is now in its 15th year, has never exceeded 100.
Reasons for this heavy turnout expectation are likely twofold. First is the fact that we will be having Dr. David P. Scaer as our featured speaker. Dr. Scaer is among the foremost confessional Lutheran scholars in the world today. Your pastor’s mentor (and now also instructing my son Peter), he has been at Concordia Theological Seminary since the 1970s, and has made his mark in Biblical and Confessional Scholarship not only through teaching and lecturing, but through prolific writing. His greatest legacy is the large number of confessional Lutheran pastors now serving in the church who owe their own pastoral skills and scholarship to him.
Secondly, this event has been advertised on the Internet, specifically through Facebook. This new information network has proved an invaluable resource.
Whatever the reason, members of St. Paul’s will not want to miss this year’s gala event. Already 48 members of St. Paul’s are among the registrations, , which is also a record.
Among the guests we expect almost all of the editors of Gottesdienst, Miss Adriane Dorr, managing editor of the Lutheran Witness, and Bp. Brian Saunders, District President of the Iowa East District.
Dr. Scaer is expected to speak briefly at the banquet, and then to hold forth at our Monday seminar, which opens with Holy Mass at 9:30 am., and runs until 3:15 in the afternoon. He is also slated to preach at Mass.
The choir has been working toward augmenting the celebrations with specially prepared music. Seminarian Peter Eckardt will be our special guest organist.
I will lead our Tuesday events, which will involve a workshop and seminar discussing my newly published book The New Testament in His Blood which has been available over the past month and will also be available for sale at the conference ($18.00).
Members’ registrations are at the reduced cost of $15.00 or $25 per couple (children free), which includes meals. If you wish to treat a guest, the additional cost would also be only $10.00.
Members are also reminded that Saturday, October 9th will be a big day of preparation, beginning at 8:30 in the morning. We’ll be preparing food, decorating the cafeteria, and getting all things ready. Mighty are the preparations!
+ Pastor Eckardt
October Ushers
Steve Peart, Grant Andresen, Larry Campbell
October Birthdays
10/1 Richard Melchin
10/1 Clara Murphy
10/2 Diana Shreck
10/3 Matthew Fisher
10/5 Michael McReynolds
10/9 Mary Ann Hamilton
10/9 Kevin Thompson
10/10 Stanley Janik
10/10 Paul Rowe
10/15 Dennis Schoen
10/20 Ed Woller
10/24 Robert Jones
10/24 Corey Peart
10/28 Carmen Sovanski
10/28 Collin Van Stechelman
10/30 Sharon Hartz
10/31 Marjorie Lamb
October Anniversaries
10/4 Linda and Larry Rowe
10/23 Otis and Deanne Anderson
Pastor to present at St. Michael Conference in Detroit
Following mass on Sunday, September 26th, pastor travels to Detroit for the St. Michael Conference at which he is leading a workshop, held on Monday, September 27th. For details see http://www.ziondetroit.org/index.php?page=conference. He returns on Tuesday afternoon.
Working with Incense
Some of you will have noticed the odors of incense on a Wednesday night or two at mass. We’ve been working to get the scent and amount right. If it has seemed overpowering, we apologize. Please be patient; we’re working on it!
Altar Guild Notes
October notes:
(Wednesday, September 29th is Michaelmas, for which the color is white.)
There are five Sundays in October. Paraments for the first four are green. The fifth, October 31st, is Reformation Day. Paraments are red.
For Octoberfest, Sunday evening October 10th (commemoration of Holy Women) and Monday morning October 11th (Motherhood B.V.M.) are white. Paraments remain white until after noonday prayers. Monday vespers, at 3 pm, should have green paraments.
Wednesdays are green except for October 27th, when we will be observing St. Simon and St. Jude the Apostles’ Day, for which the color is red.
Why?
This series, containing brief liturgical questions and Pastor Eckardt’s answers, began to appear in 1995, as a regular feature in this newsletter. It was then published, about ten years ago, as a Gottesdienst book.
(#1998.2; 2010:10) Why does the church have stained-glass windows?
Much of what passes for “stained glass” these days is actually painted glass, but it generally provides a similar effect, which is threefold. First, it provides an image to look at in a window, something on which to feast the eyes while in church. This is a good thing, because there ought to be plenty of things to look at while at worship. A church which has little or nothing to look at is not taking advantage of one of the two most prominent senses God has given us. St. Paul encourages attention to things of beauty: “Whatsoever things are lovely . . . think on these things” (Phil. 4:8). To fill the eyes with beautiful things at worship is to remind the faithful of the temple whose gate was called “Beautiful” (Acts 3:2),
and that in turn reminds them that God Himself is the author of beauty. Moreover, this sense of beauty serves to remind the faithful of the beauty of the incarnation of God. Christ has become flesh, and so has adorned the earth with His own eternal beauty. Should we not therefore attend to what is beautiful?
Secondly, the images portrayed in stained-glass windows are generally images from the Gospel, and thus the maxim comes to mind: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” To see an image of Jesus the Good Shepherd, or of Jesus healing someone, or of the resurrected Christ hailing Mary is to bring immediately to mind the most precious truths which give rise to these images; and so the Word of God, as pondered in the heart, has good effect.
Third, the use of light filtered through colored glass provides an effect which is very uncommon anywhere else in the world. Churches still have pretty much of a corner on the market for stained-glass windows, and so the message stands out—a message unspoken yet unmistakable—that this place is unlike any other place in the world. This is where heaven and earth meet (through Christ who is preached and administered here), where He who is the light of the world is shed abroad in our hearts. How fitting, then, that as sunlight is filtered through those windows, so the almighty God is “filtered” to us through His gracious word of life.
(#1999.9, 2010:10)Why do churches have arches and pointed ceilings?
Churches with arches which ascend to a point at the top are generally called Gothic or neo-gothic. In some Gothic churches, if you stand at the entrance and look down the aisle toward the altar, you can see the ribs in the wall that accentuate these arches, architectural lines that move vertically from the bottom of the ceiling vault to the very top. These ribs seem to fit inside one another as one looks down the aisle, as each successive rib is a little farther away from the one before it, and hence, smaller in appearance. The view is, as it were, of a picture frame within a picture frame within a picture frame, from the first to the last rib. What this suggests to the viewer is a sense of looking into another realm altogether.
At the heart of these successive ribs stands the altar, from which Christ’s Body and Blood are distributed to His people. Therefore the altar is truly a meeting place between one realm and another, that is, between heaven and earth. When Christ’s people receive Christ’s Body and Blood, they receive the holy mystery of Christ, divinity contained within humanity, under the holy elements. At the altar we meet heaven; we meet Christ Himself. Truly then, the meeting place of heaven and earth is here; it is fitting, then, that the Gothic structure be employed to help accentuate this mystery and reality.
St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
109 S. Elm Street
Kewanee, IL 61443
Oktoberfest is right around the corner, scheduled to begin Sunday night, October 10th, with choral vespers at 5, followed by our bratwurst banquet and party.
As of September 23rd, the registrations for Oktoberfest stood at 122 guests expected. This is a record. Our total attendance at Oktoberfest, which is now in its 15th year, has never exceeded 100.
Reasons for this heavy turnout expectation are likely twofold. First is the fact that we will be having Dr. David P. Scaer as our featured speaker. Dr. Scaer is among the foremost confessional Lutheran scholars in the world today. Your pastor’s mentor (and now also instructing my son Peter), he has been at Concordia Theological Seminary since the 1970s, and has made his mark in Biblical and Confessional Scholarship not only through teaching and lecturing, but through prolific writing. His greatest legacy is the large number of confessional Lutheran pastors now serving in the church who owe their own pastoral skills and scholarship to him.
Secondly, this event has been advertised on the Internet, specifically through Facebook. This new information network has proved an invaluable resource.
Whatever the reason, members of St. Paul’s will not want to miss this year’s gala event. Already 48 members of St. Paul’s are among the registrations, , which is also a record.
Among the guests we expect almost all of the editors of Gottesdienst, Miss Adriane Dorr, managing editor of the Lutheran Witness, and Bp. Brian Saunders, District President of the Iowa East District.
Dr. Scaer is expected to speak briefly at the banquet, and then to hold forth at our Monday seminar, which opens with Holy Mass at 9:30 am., and runs until 3:15 in the afternoon. He is also slated to preach at Mass.
The choir has been working toward augmenting the celebrations with specially prepared music. Seminarian Peter Eckardt will be our special guest organist.
I will lead our Tuesday events, which will involve a workshop and seminar discussing my newly published book The New Testament in His Blood which has been available over the past month and will also be available for sale at the conference ($18.00).
Members’ registrations are at the reduced cost of $15.00 or $25 per couple (children free), which includes meals. If you wish to treat a guest, the additional cost would also be only $10.00.
Members are also reminded that Saturday, October 9th will be a big day of preparation, beginning at 8:30 in the morning. We’ll be preparing food, decorating the cafeteria, and getting all things ready. Mighty are the preparations!
+ Pastor Eckardt
October Ushers
Steve Peart, Grant Andresen, Larry Campbell
October Birthdays
10/1 Richard Melchin
10/1 Clara Murphy
10/2 Diana Shreck
10/3 Matthew Fisher
10/5 Michael McReynolds
10/9 Mary Ann Hamilton
10/9 Kevin Thompson
10/10 Stanley Janik
10/10 Paul Rowe
10/15 Dennis Schoen
10/20 Ed Woller
10/24 Robert Jones
10/24 Corey Peart
10/28 Carmen Sovanski
10/28 Collin Van Stechelman
10/30 Sharon Hartz
10/31 Marjorie Lamb
October Anniversaries
10/4 Linda and Larry Rowe
10/23 Otis and Deanne Anderson
Pastor to present at St. Michael Conference in Detroit
Following mass on Sunday, September 26th, pastor travels to Detroit for the St. Michael Conference at which he is leading a workshop, held on Monday, September 27th. For details see http://www.ziondetroit.org/index.php?page=conference. He returns on Tuesday afternoon.
Working with Incense
Some of you will have noticed the odors of incense on a Wednesday night or two at mass. We’ve been working to get the scent and amount right. If it has seemed overpowering, we apologize. Please be patient; we’re working on it!
Altar Guild Notes
October notes:
(Wednesday, September 29th is Michaelmas, for which the color is white.)
There are five Sundays in October. Paraments for the first four are green. The fifth, October 31st, is Reformation Day. Paraments are red.
For Octoberfest, Sunday evening October 10th (commemoration of Holy Women) and Monday morning October 11th (Motherhood B.V.M.) are white. Paraments remain white until after noonday prayers. Monday vespers, at 3 pm, should have green paraments.
Wednesdays are green except for October 27th, when we will be observing St. Simon and St. Jude the Apostles’ Day, for which the color is red.
Why?
This series, containing brief liturgical questions and Pastor Eckardt’s answers, began to appear in 1995, as a regular feature in this newsletter. It was then published, about ten years ago, as a Gottesdienst book.
(#1998.2; 2010:10) Why does the church have stained-glass windows?
Much of what passes for “stained glass” these days is actually painted glass, but it generally provides a similar effect, which is threefold. First, it provides an image to look at in a window, something on which to feast the eyes while in church. This is a good thing, because there ought to be plenty of things to look at while at worship. A church which has little or nothing to look at is not taking advantage of one of the two most prominent senses God has given us. St. Paul encourages attention to things of beauty: “Whatsoever things are lovely . . . think on these things” (Phil. 4:8). To fill the eyes with beautiful things at worship is to remind the faithful of the temple whose gate was called “Beautiful” (Acts 3:2),
and that in turn reminds them that God Himself is the author of beauty. Moreover, this sense of beauty serves to remind the faithful of the beauty of the incarnation of God. Christ has become flesh, and so has adorned the earth with His own eternal beauty. Should we not therefore attend to what is beautiful?
Secondly, the images portrayed in stained-glass windows are generally images from the Gospel, and thus the maxim comes to mind: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” To see an image of Jesus the Good Shepherd, or of Jesus healing someone, or of the resurrected Christ hailing Mary is to bring immediately to mind the most precious truths which give rise to these images; and so the Word of God, as pondered in the heart, has good effect.
Third, the use of light filtered through colored glass provides an effect which is very uncommon anywhere else in the world. Churches still have pretty much of a corner on the market for stained-glass windows, and so the message stands out—a message unspoken yet unmistakable—that this place is unlike any other place in the world. This is where heaven and earth meet (through Christ who is preached and administered here), where He who is the light of the world is shed abroad in our hearts. How fitting, then, that as sunlight is filtered through those windows, so the almighty God is “filtered” to us through His gracious word of life.
(#1999.9, 2010:10)Why do churches have arches and pointed ceilings?
Churches with arches which ascend to a point at the top are generally called Gothic or neo-gothic. In some Gothic churches, if you stand at the entrance and look down the aisle toward the altar, you can see the ribs in the wall that accentuate these arches, architectural lines that move vertically from the bottom of the ceiling vault to the very top. These ribs seem to fit inside one another as one looks down the aisle, as each successive rib is a little farther away from the one before it, and hence, smaller in appearance. The view is, as it were, of a picture frame within a picture frame within a picture frame, from the first to the last rib. What this suggests to the viewer is a sense of looking into another realm altogether.
At the heart of these successive ribs stands the altar, from which Christ’s Body and Blood are distributed to His people. Therefore the altar is truly a meeting place between one realm and another, that is, between heaven and earth. When Christ’s people receive Christ’s Body and Blood, they receive the holy mystery of Christ, divinity contained within humanity, under the holy elements. At the altar we meet heaven; we meet Christ Himself. Truly then, the meeting place of heaven and earth is here; it is fitting, then, that the Gothic structure be employed to help accentuate this mystery and reality.
St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
109 S. Elm Street
Kewanee, IL 61443
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
June 2010
The Holy Trinity
It might be easy for Christians to think of the Holy Trinity as something only hardly related to their faith and salvation, in spite of the fact that in our Athanasian Creed we confess that “this is the Christian faith, which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.” But why must I know that God is three Persons in one undivided Unity? What makes that teaching integral to my faith? The uninformed might well say, It all sounds rather philosophical and unrelated to me.
Nothing could be further from the truth. First, when we confess that God is three Persons in one undivided Godhead, we are at the same time saying a number of things.
First, in agreement with the faith of Israel, we are confessing that God is one. Not three Gods, or many Gods, but one God.
Second, we are saying that Jesus the Son is one with the Father, not merely His ambassador or messenger, and certainly not a creature: one with the Creator. Jesus is God, just as the Father is God. But He prays to God and is not the Father. He does not pray to Himself, but to Another. Yet this does not mean that He, who is God Incarnate, prays to another God, but to another Person in the Godhead. God is one, although there is more than one Person.
Third, when we speak of the coming of the Holy Spirit, who is the author of our faith, we are also speaking of God, the third Person who is one with the Father and the Son.
Fourth, to understand God as a trinity of Persons is to understand that He is active and dymanic, rather than monolithic and static. He relates to Himself actively within the Godhead; and this movement may even be said to be the reason He creates, and has created the world. Since He is active, He moves also outward from Himself, and that is the reason there is a creation.
Fifth, since God is active, He also loves: the Father loves the Son, and the Son loves the Father; and this love is also God, the Holy Spirit. God is love. This is the ultimate truth to which understanding the trinity of Persons in the unity of God brings us: God is not unmoving or uncaring; God is love. So the Father in love sends the Son into the world to redeem it; and the Father and the Son send the Spirit into the world in order that this Gospel might be proclaimed to the ends of the world.
The Holy Triune God has thus revealed Himself to us, that we may joy in His salvation.
+ Pastor Eckardt
Church Picnic June 27th
Mark your calendars! Our annual church picnic is scheduled for Sunday, June 27th, at the open Kiwanis pagoda at Windmont Park. We’ll head out there right after church for brats etc. as usual, and a day of frolick in the sun and some good times together.
As is also our custom, we have no Saturday evening mass that weekend, to encourage everyone to come on Sunday morning and then head out to the park.
Bring your Frisbees, your tennis rackets, your bats and balls, or whatever else you’d like to bring, to have some fun.
June Ushers: Alan Kraklow (chairman), Steve Kraklow, Tom Wells, Bob Bock
June Birthdays:
6/5 Mirilda Greiert
6/5 Linda Rowe
6/15 Jill Powers
6/16 Berniece Harris
6/29 Sara Timberlake
June Anniversaries:
6/17/1967 Robert and Mary Beth Jones
6/18/1960 Sandra and John Verplaetse
6/18/1977 Fr. Burnell and Carol Eckardt
6/18/1966 Don and Sue Murphy
6/19/1977 Dana and Carol McReynolds
6/19/1966 William and Judy Thompson
6/24/1989 Tony and Mindie Fisher
6/27/1954 Monroe and Lucille Kemerling
6/27/1981 Steve and Gail Peart
6/28/1958 Dale and Anna Baker
Altar Guild Notes
Only six individual cups are needed for Sunday mornings.
Please see that the sacristy door is closed for mass, unless fans are being used in hot weather.
Oil candles are to be used again in the candelabra, beginning after Mass on Saturday, June 6th), as we enter Ordinary Time (The Sundays after the Trinity Octave).
Parament colors:
White for May 30 through June 6th (Trinity and its Octave)
Change to Green after Mass on the 6th.
Green throughout June excepting Wednesday, June 23rd, which is White (for the Nativity of St. John the Baptist) and Wednesday, June 30th, which is Red (for the Feast of SS Peter and Paul, Apostles).
Saturday, July 3rd, which is White (for the Feast of the Visitation)
No mass on Wednesday, June 16th (Pastor in Wisconsin).
No mass on Saturday, June 26th (Next day unity service and picnic)
Next meeting: Monday, June 7st, 6 p.m.
Shut ins
Carole Sanders and Mary Hamilton at home; Mirilda Greiert at Kewanee Care; Ila Scaife at Courtyard Estates; Elva Garrison at Avon Nursing Home; Mark Baker and Anna Baker at home; Ruth Snider at home.
A Wedding Invitation to all the members of St. Paul’s:
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Imig
request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter
Amanda Lynn
to
Burnell Richard
the son of
Rev. and Mrs. Burnell F Eckardt
on
Saturday, the 31st of July
Two Thousand ten
at
two o’clock in the afternoon
St John Lutheran Church
1450 30th Ave
East Moline, Illinois
Reception at 5:30
Heritage Hall
Bldg 60
Rock Island Arsenal
Rock Island, Illinois
Please respond on or before July 7th
Call Burnie
309 883-3110
Concordia Catechetical Academy
The Concordia Catechetical Academy is holding its annual conference at Waukesha, Wisconsin, on June 17 and 18. Pastor will be in attendance, and Mass will not be held the Wednesday evening prior. Anyone interested in details for this fine conference (which many lay people attend) log on at www.peacesussex.org or consult pastor.
CID Scholarship Endowment Fund
A worthy cause for donations is the Central Illinois District Scholarship Endowment Fund. This fund routinely gives scholarships to students in churches in Central Illinois who are attending our colleges or seminaries. Anyone desiring to make a donation may do so by making out a check to “CID Scholarship Endowment Fund” and put it in the offering plate. You may designate your donation for a specific individual, or make a general donation.
Oktoberfest on the Horizon
This year’s Oktoberfest will be held on October 10-12 (Sunday through Tuesday), and will be featuring (on Monday) Dr. David Scaer of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne. Dr. Scaer was Pastor Eckardt’s mentor, and is now one of Peter Eckardt’s professors at the seminary. Mark your calendars. That Monday is also Columbus Day, which may make attendance at Oktoberfest easier for some.
Gottesdienst
Copies of the journal are still available in the narthex. Feel free to take one.
Better yet, why not subscribe to the journal sponsored by your own parish. Four times a year, Gottesdienst aims to a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the Divine Service and the Holy Gospel in which our Holy and Triune God enlightens us with His gifts, sanctifies, and keeps us in the true faith.
A one year’s subscription is only $15 (four issues); $25 gets you two years. To get yours, see pastor or log on at www.gottesdienst.org.
First Monday Vespers
The schedule for June 7th:
6 pm Altar Guild meets in Conference Room
6:45 Vespers (open to all)
Following Vespers: Elders meet
Important Events
The Nativity of St John the Baptist (June 24th) will be observed on Wednesday evening, June 23rd.
The Feast of SS. Peter and Paul, Apostles (June 29th) will be observed on Wednesday evening, June 30th.
The Feast of the Visitation (July 2nd) will be observed on Saturday evening, July 3rd
The Lighter Side
Groaners for the Educated Mind
1. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi. 2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian. 3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still. 4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption. 5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery. 6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering. 7. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart. 8. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie. 9. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it. 10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. 11. Atheism is a non-prophet organization. 12. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.' 13. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me. 14. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.' 15. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large. 16. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran. 17. A backward poet writes inverse. 18. In a democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes. 19. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion. 20. If you jumped off the bridge in Paris, you'd be in-Seine.
Why?
This series, containing brief liturgical questions and Pastor Eckardt’s answers, began to appear in 1995, as a regular feature in this newsletter. It was then published, about ten years ago, as a
Gottesdienst book.
Why do we dress well for church?
Sometimes it is said that people dress up for church only to show off. This is both improper to think (for we are required by the Eighth Commandment to think well and not evil of our neighbors) and likely to be wrong. The Christian’s desire to dress appropriately for worship comes from a knowledge of the fact that we come to stand in the presence of God when in church. That is, Christ is present in the Gospel and in the Sacrament. The preaching of the Gospel and the Holy Liturgy contain Christ Himself, and this can be even more profoundly seen in the Holy Sacrament, which is the Body and Blood of Christ. One way to express our faith in this truth is to dress ourselves well, as people who know and live according to this truth. We dress up our building, we dress up our pastor, we dress up our altar and other church furniture. Is it not fitting, then, that we also dress up ourselves, according to our ability?
There is a custom in many churches to dress up a bit more for Sunday than when one attends on another day of the week. This custom has the effect of dressing up the Sunday itself a little more in recognition of our Lord’s resurrection on a Sunday.
It is fitting to talk in general terms about the appropriateness of certain clothing at the altar, since we regard it as sacred space.
But is this a law? Certainly not! It is, rather, by a recognition of the Gospel that we learn to dress ourselves well for church. Christians are freed from the demands of the law in Christ. We live by faith in Him, and our faith has opportunity to express itself according to the freedom of the Gospel.
The law of love does have bearing on this matter, however, in two ways.
First, in that we ought not to become our neighbors’ judges, ready to condemn someone for dressing a certain way; we Christians ought to bear with one another’s weaknesses, and so fulfill the law of Christ, as the Apostle says. Further, what a poor man might call dressing well ought never be looked upon with scorn by someone who has more than he. For to dishonor the poor is to dishonor Christ.
Second, we ought seek not to give offense by the clothing we wear to the altar, for love of the family of faith ought to be evident especially as we commune together. The liberty of a Christian must always be weighed against the Christian’s mindfulness of his neighbor.
St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
109 S. Elm Street
Kewanee, IL 61443
It might be easy for Christians to think of the Holy Trinity as something only hardly related to their faith and salvation, in spite of the fact that in our Athanasian Creed we confess that “this is the Christian faith, which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.” But why must I know that God is three Persons in one undivided Unity? What makes that teaching integral to my faith? The uninformed might well say, It all sounds rather philosophical and unrelated to me.
Nothing could be further from the truth. First, when we confess that God is three Persons in one undivided Godhead, we are at the same time saying a number of things.
First, in agreement with the faith of Israel, we are confessing that God is one. Not three Gods, or many Gods, but one God.
Second, we are saying that Jesus the Son is one with the Father, not merely His ambassador or messenger, and certainly not a creature: one with the Creator. Jesus is God, just as the Father is God. But He prays to God and is not the Father. He does not pray to Himself, but to Another. Yet this does not mean that He, who is God Incarnate, prays to another God, but to another Person in the Godhead. God is one, although there is more than one Person.
Third, when we speak of the coming of the Holy Spirit, who is the author of our faith, we are also speaking of God, the third Person who is one with the Father and the Son.
Fourth, to understand God as a trinity of Persons is to understand that He is active and dymanic, rather than monolithic and static. He relates to Himself actively within the Godhead; and this movement may even be said to be the reason He creates, and has created the world. Since He is active, He moves also outward from Himself, and that is the reason there is a creation.
Fifth, since God is active, He also loves: the Father loves the Son, and the Son loves the Father; and this love is also God, the Holy Spirit. God is love. This is the ultimate truth to which understanding the trinity of Persons in the unity of God brings us: God is not unmoving or uncaring; God is love. So the Father in love sends the Son into the world to redeem it; and the Father and the Son send the Spirit into the world in order that this Gospel might be proclaimed to the ends of the world.
The Holy Triune God has thus revealed Himself to us, that we may joy in His salvation.
+ Pastor Eckardt
Church Picnic June 27th
Mark your calendars! Our annual church picnic is scheduled for Sunday, June 27th, at the open Kiwanis pagoda at Windmont Park. We’ll head out there right after church for brats etc. as usual, and a day of frolick in the sun and some good times together.
As is also our custom, we have no Saturday evening mass that weekend, to encourage everyone to come on Sunday morning and then head out to the park.
Bring your Frisbees, your tennis rackets, your bats and balls, or whatever else you’d like to bring, to have some fun.
June Ushers: Alan Kraklow (chairman), Steve Kraklow, Tom Wells, Bob Bock
June Birthdays:
6/5 Mirilda Greiert
6/5 Linda Rowe
6/15 Jill Powers
6/16 Berniece Harris
6/29 Sara Timberlake
June Anniversaries:
6/17/1967 Robert and Mary Beth Jones
6/18/1960 Sandra and John Verplaetse
6/18/1977 Fr. Burnell and Carol Eckardt
6/18/1966 Don and Sue Murphy
6/19/1977 Dana and Carol McReynolds
6/19/1966 William and Judy Thompson
6/24/1989 Tony and Mindie Fisher
6/27/1954 Monroe and Lucille Kemerling
6/27/1981 Steve and Gail Peart
6/28/1958 Dale and Anna Baker
Altar Guild Notes
Only six individual cups are needed for Sunday mornings.
Please see that the sacristy door is closed for mass, unless fans are being used in hot weather.
Oil candles are to be used again in the candelabra, beginning after Mass on Saturday, June 6th), as we enter Ordinary Time (The Sundays after the Trinity Octave).
Parament colors:
White for May 30 through June 6th (Trinity and its Octave)
Change to Green after Mass on the 6th.
Green throughout June excepting Wednesday, June 23rd, which is White (for the Nativity of St. John the Baptist) and Wednesday, June 30th, which is Red (for the Feast of SS Peter and Paul, Apostles).
Saturday, July 3rd, which is White (for the Feast of the Visitation)
No mass on Wednesday, June 16th (Pastor in Wisconsin).
No mass on Saturday, June 26th (Next day unity service and picnic)
Next meeting: Monday, June 7st, 6 p.m.
Shut ins
Carole Sanders and Mary Hamilton at home; Mirilda Greiert at Kewanee Care; Ila Scaife at Courtyard Estates; Elva Garrison at Avon Nursing Home; Mark Baker and Anna Baker at home; Ruth Snider at home.
A Wedding Invitation to all the members of St. Paul’s:
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Imig
request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter
Amanda Lynn
to
Burnell Richard
the son of
Rev. and Mrs. Burnell F Eckardt
on
Saturday, the 31st of July
Two Thousand ten
at
two o’clock in the afternoon
St John Lutheran Church
1450 30th Ave
East Moline, Illinois
Reception at 5:30
Heritage Hall
Bldg 60
Rock Island Arsenal
Rock Island, Illinois
Please respond on or before July 7th
Call Burnie
309 883-3110
Concordia Catechetical Academy
The Concordia Catechetical Academy is holding its annual conference at Waukesha, Wisconsin, on June 17 and 18. Pastor will be in attendance, and Mass will not be held the Wednesday evening prior. Anyone interested in details for this fine conference (which many lay people attend) log on at www.peacesussex.org or consult pastor.
CID Scholarship Endowment Fund
A worthy cause for donations is the Central Illinois District Scholarship Endowment Fund. This fund routinely gives scholarships to students in churches in Central Illinois who are attending our colleges or seminaries. Anyone desiring to make a donation may do so by making out a check to “CID Scholarship Endowment Fund” and put it in the offering plate. You may designate your donation for a specific individual, or make a general donation.
Oktoberfest on the Horizon
This year’s Oktoberfest will be held on October 10-12 (Sunday through Tuesday), and will be featuring (on Monday) Dr. David Scaer of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne. Dr. Scaer was Pastor Eckardt’s mentor, and is now one of Peter Eckardt’s professors at the seminary. Mark your calendars. That Monday is also Columbus Day, which may make attendance at Oktoberfest easier for some.
Gottesdienst
Copies of the journal are still available in the narthex. Feel free to take one.
Better yet, why not subscribe to the journal sponsored by your own parish. Four times a year, Gottesdienst aims to a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the Divine Service and the Holy Gospel in which our Holy and Triune God enlightens us with His gifts, sanctifies, and keeps us in the true faith.
A one year’s subscription is only $15 (four issues); $25 gets you two years. To get yours, see pastor or log on at www.gottesdienst.org.
First Monday Vespers
The schedule for June 7th:
6 pm Altar Guild meets in Conference Room
6:45 Vespers (open to all)
Following Vespers: Elders meet
Important Events
The Nativity of St John the Baptist (June 24th) will be observed on Wednesday evening, June 23rd.
The Feast of SS. Peter and Paul, Apostles (June 29th) will be observed on Wednesday evening, June 30th.
The Feast of the Visitation (July 2nd) will be observed on Saturday evening, July 3rd
The Lighter Side
Groaners for the Educated Mind
1. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi. 2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian. 3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still. 4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption. 5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery. 6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering. 7. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart. 8. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie. 9. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it. 10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. 11. Atheism is a non-prophet organization. 12. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.' 13. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me. 14. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.' 15. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large. 16. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran. 17. A backward poet writes inverse. 18. In a democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes. 19. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion. 20. If you jumped off the bridge in Paris, you'd be in-Seine.
Why?
This series, containing brief liturgical questions and Pastor Eckardt’s answers, began to appear in 1995, as a regular feature in this newsletter. It was then published, about ten years ago, as a
Gottesdienst book.
Why do we dress well for church?
Sometimes it is said that people dress up for church only to show off. This is both improper to think (for we are required by the Eighth Commandment to think well and not evil of our neighbors) and likely to be wrong. The Christian’s desire to dress appropriately for worship comes from a knowledge of the fact that we come to stand in the presence of God when in church. That is, Christ is present in the Gospel and in the Sacrament. The preaching of the Gospel and the Holy Liturgy contain Christ Himself, and this can be even more profoundly seen in the Holy Sacrament, which is the Body and Blood of Christ. One way to express our faith in this truth is to dress ourselves well, as people who know and live according to this truth. We dress up our building, we dress up our pastor, we dress up our altar and other church furniture. Is it not fitting, then, that we also dress up ourselves, according to our ability?
There is a custom in many churches to dress up a bit more for Sunday than when one attends on another day of the week. This custom has the effect of dressing up the Sunday itself a little more in recognition of our Lord’s resurrection on a Sunday.
It is fitting to talk in general terms about the appropriateness of certain clothing at the altar, since we regard it as sacred space.
But is this a law? Certainly not! It is, rather, by a recognition of the Gospel that we learn to dress ourselves well for church. Christians are freed from the demands of the law in Christ. We live by faith in Him, and our faith has opportunity to express itself according to the freedom of the Gospel.
The law of love does have bearing on this matter, however, in two ways.
First, in that we ought not to become our neighbors’ judges, ready to condemn someone for dressing a certain way; we Christians ought to bear with one another’s weaknesses, and so fulfill the law of Christ, as the Apostle says. Further, what a poor man might call dressing well ought never be looked upon with scorn by someone who has more than he. For to dishonor the poor is to dishonor Christ.
Second, we ought seek not to give offense by the clothing we wear to the altar, for love of the family of faith ought to be evident especially as we commune together. The liberty of a Christian must always be weighed against the Christian’s mindfulness of his neighbor.
St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
109 S. Elm Street
Kewanee, IL 61443
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
May 2010
The Day of Pentecost
Every year at Pentecost we hear of the tongues of fire resting on the heads of the apostles as they sat in the upper room. They began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. The Apostle St. James also refers to the tongue in his epistle, saying, that the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. “See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell” (James 3:5-6).
So there are two kinds of tongues, and two kinds of fire here. There is, first, the tongue of the Word of God, whose fire is the Spirit of God: see, in the visions which rested on the heads of the apostles, tongue and fire are one, even as the Word of God and the Spirit of God are one. Second, there is the tongue set within our members, which is is a world of iniquity, set on fire by hell. Tongue and fire are one here too, even as iniquity and hell are one. But as the Spirit of God is opposed to iniquity, so these two tongues are opposed to one another, in spite of their similarity in appearance.
What does this mean? We ought not be deceived by the sweet sounds of so many lies. It is written that the devil disguises himself as an angel of light. Jesus’ greatest enemies were the Pharisees, who by appearance were the holiest of men, filled with words seeming to be godly. The Psalmist said it long before: they bless with their mouths, but they curse inwardly. So we ought not be deceived by the outward appearance of things, for both the tongue of God and the tongue of the devil are tongues of fire.
What is ever needful is an ear for the truth. First, this means that those who think they can get along without regular worship in word and truth are sadly deluded. The devil is too crafty for our feeble minds. Every time you will to stay away from church, you are saying you are strong enough to get by without it; and you have forgotten the deceiving nature of the devil’s tongue.
Second, it means that simply to be in church is not enough. One must pay attention well to the words of Sacred Scripture, as they are read, preached, sung, and prayed. For the place of worship is not that which will defend us against the wiles of the devil, but only the Word of God which is preached there.
Third, it means even daily vigilance in prayer and supplication. When we daily pray the Our Father, we repeat the words, “lead us not into temptation.” Here we are praying that God, who tempts no one, would guard and keep us, so that the world, the devil, and our flesh would not seduce nor deceive us into misbelieve, despair, or other great shame and vice, and though we be assailed by them, we may finally overcome and win the victory.
For by the Word of the Lord we shall overcome them well. The tongue of God is an eternal flame, which none can extinguish. The tongue of the devil is deadly, but the tongue of God is immeasurably deadlier against it. Pay heed, Christian! For the Word of the Living God is your defense against all evil. + Pastor Eckardt
May Anniversaries
5/17/1959 Allan and Barbra Kraklow
5/19/1979 Chuck and Jean Russell
5/22/1976 Ed and Lynn Woller
5/27/1961 Duane and Carole Sanders
5/28/1982 Christine and Garry Erickson
5/28/1977 John and Charlene Sovanski
May Birthdays:
5/2 Sheri Kraklow
5/6 Emilie Ricknell
5/10 Bill Thompson
5/16 John Eckardt
5/17 Jeffery Boswell
5/26 Preston Powers
May Ushers Otis Anderson, Scott Clapper, John Ricknell, Bill Thompson
First Oktoberfest planning meeting
Wednesday, May 5, 2010, at 3:30 pm. Anyone interested in helping is welcome to come. Pastor’s studay.
LCMS World Relief and Human Care
sent us a note onf March 12, 2010, thanking us for our gift of $100.00 to earthquake relief.
First Monday Vespers
The schedule for May 3rd:
6 pm Altar Guild meets in Conference Room
6:45 Vespers (open to all)
Following Vespers: Elders meet
Important Events
Ascension Day
Thursday, May 13th, 7:00 pm
NOTE: there is no Mass on Wednesday evening this week.
Pentecost and Its Vigil
Pentecost is on Sunday, May 23rd.
The Vigil of Pentecost will be observed on Saturday, May 22nd, at 5:30 p.m.
Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday falls on Sunday, May 30th. This arrangement of Feasts highlights the fact that the three Great Feasts of the year have now been celebrated, namely Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. At Christmas, the Father revealed His only Son to the world; at Easter the Son rose again from the grave; at Pentecost the Spirit came to the Apostles and the Church. Thus, as soon as all three events are complete, the Church celebrates Holy Trinity. Thus Trinity Sunday follows immediately after Pentecost.
St. Phillip and St. James, Apostles
Saturday, May 1st at the regular 5:30 time for mass.
The Humanity of Sympathy
The death of a dear loved one often leads people to ask why, especially when it is one so young and sweet, as was our dear Megan. Her picture-perfect marriage to our son was such a glad occasion only three months before she was diagnosed with cancer. Little did I know, when warning them in the wedding sermon that they would undoubtedly be facing challenges together in Christ, just how great and how near these challenges would loom. And so it is natural to ask why.
And yet, strange as it may seem, in the aftermath of funeral and burial, the question does not haunt us as it does those who have no hope.
The question in fact has many answers, first of which perhaps is this: all is vanity, saith the Lord. Weddings, as beautiful and happy as they are, can easily make us forgetful of this fact, and mislead us into thinking that it is in this life that we have hope in Christ. Certainly Megan did not think so. We look for the life of the world to come.
Further, when tragedy and death visit, I have no second thoughts about why I entered this holy calling; I have no doubt that this will also be embedded in the mind of my son when he receives his Holy Orders. For in the end, what can be more valuable for the world than the preaching of the Gospel? All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: but the word of the Lord endureth for ever.
And there's another thing. So many have expressed their heartfelt sympathy to us in recent days, leading me to think on the matter of sympathy. From the Greek syn + pathos, it means to suffer together, to share in the sorrow. And somehow, mysteriously, the sharing of sorrows makes them a bit easier to bear than for one who must sorrow alone.
Sympathy is also a very human thing. All kinds of people can sympathize. People who didn't even know you can sympathize. Sometimes even enemies have been known to set their enmity aside, if only for a time. Yet beasts do not sympathize. It is, I think, a residual part of man's creation in the image of God, who is Himself compassionate and kind to His people. Sympathy in itself, even if it isn't specifically Christian sympathy, is a good thing. It helps define us as the princes of God's creation.
Our thanks to all who have sympathized, and with that the reassurance that, as I intimated above, we do not sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
Christus resurrexit! Vere resurrexit!
+ Pastor Eckardt, from www.gottesblog.blogspot.com
High School Juniors or Seniors
should remember contact Pastor when deciding on a college. He can give recommendations for church or college chapel at or near the campus of your choice.
Sometimes special scholarships become available. For example, scholarships from the Beta Sigma Psi Fraternity at the University of Illinois in Champaign are being offered to Lutheran men (see http://alpha.betasigmapsi.org/housingscholarship.htm). Others may be available on other campuses.
Shut ins
Mary Hamilton at home; Ruth Snider at home; Mark Baker at home, and Anna Baker at home. Mirilda Greiert at Courtyard Estates; Ila Scaife at Courtyard Estates; Lorraine Mohr at Courtyard Estates; Elva Garrison at Roseview Nursing Home.
Every year at Pentecost we hear of the tongues of fire resting on the heads of the apostles as they sat in the upper room. They began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. The Apostle St. James also refers to the tongue in his epistle, saying, that the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. “See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell” (James 3:5-6).
So there are two kinds of tongues, and two kinds of fire here. There is, first, the tongue of the Word of God, whose fire is the Spirit of God: see, in the visions which rested on the heads of the apostles, tongue and fire are one, even as the Word of God and the Spirit of God are one. Second, there is the tongue set within our members, which is is a world of iniquity, set on fire by hell. Tongue and fire are one here too, even as iniquity and hell are one. But as the Spirit of God is opposed to iniquity, so these two tongues are opposed to one another, in spite of their similarity in appearance.
What does this mean? We ought not be deceived by the sweet sounds of so many lies. It is written that the devil disguises himself as an angel of light. Jesus’ greatest enemies were the Pharisees, who by appearance were the holiest of men, filled with words seeming to be godly. The Psalmist said it long before: they bless with their mouths, but they curse inwardly. So we ought not be deceived by the outward appearance of things, for both the tongue of God and the tongue of the devil are tongues of fire.
What is ever needful is an ear for the truth. First, this means that those who think they can get along without regular worship in word and truth are sadly deluded. The devil is too crafty for our feeble minds. Every time you will to stay away from church, you are saying you are strong enough to get by without it; and you have forgotten the deceiving nature of the devil’s tongue.
Second, it means that simply to be in church is not enough. One must pay attention well to the words of Sacred Scripture, as they are read, preached, sung, and prayed. For the place of worship is not that which will defend us against the wiles of the devil, but only the Word of God which is preached there.
Third, it means even daily vigilance in prayer and supplication. When we daily pray the Our Father, we repeat the words, “lead us not into temptation.” Here we are praying that God, who tempts no one, would guard and keep us, so that the world, the devil, and our flesh would not seduce nor deceive us into misbelieve, despair, or other great shame and vice, and though we be assailed by them, we may finally overcome and win the victory.
For by the Word of the Lord we shall overcome them well. The tongue of God is an eternal flame, which none can extinguish. The tongue of the devil is deadly, but the tongue of God is immeasurably deadlier against it. Pay heed, Christian! For the Word of the Living God is your defense against all evil. + Pastor Eckardt
May Anniversaries
5/17/1959 Allan and Barbra Kraklow
5/19/1979 Chuck and Jean Russell
5/22/1976 Ed and Lynn Woller
5/27/1961 Duane and Carole Sanders
5/28/1982 Christine and Garry Erickson
5/28/1977 John and Charlene Sovanski
May Birthdays:
5/2 Sheri Kraklow
5/6 Emilie Ricknell
5/10 Bill Thompson
5/16 John Eckardt
5/17 Jeffery Boswell
5/26 Preston Powers
May Ushers Otis Anderson, Scott Clapper, John Ricknell, Bill Thompson
First Oktoberfest planning meeting
Wednesday, May 5, 2010, at 3:30 pm. Anyone interested in helping is welcome to come. Pastor’s studay.
LCMS World Relief and Human Care
sent us a note onf March 12, 2010, thanking us for our gift of $100.00 to earthquake relief.
First Monday Vespers
The schedule for May 3rd:
6 pm Altar Guild meets in Conference Room
6:45 Vespers (open to all)
Following Vespers: Elders meet
Important Events
Ascension Day
Thursday, May 13th, 7:00 pm
NOTE: there is no Mass on Wednesday evening this week.
Pentecost and Its Vigil
Pentecost is on Sunday, May 23rd.
The Vigil of Pentecost will be observed on Saturday, May 22nd, at 5:30 p.m.
Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday falls on Sunday, May 30th. This arrangement of Feasts highlights the fact that the three Great Feasts of the year have now been celebrated, namely Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. At Christmas, the Father revealed His only Son to the world; at Easter the Son rose again from the grave; at Pentecost the Spirit came to the Apostles and the Church. Thus, as soon as all three events are complete, the Church celebrates Holy Trinity. Thus Trinity Sunday follows immediately after Pentecost.
St. Phillip and St. James, Apostles
Saturday, May 1st at the regular 5:30 time for mass.
The Humanity of Sympathy
The death of a dear loved one often leads people to ask why, especially when it is one so young and sweet, as was our dear Megan. Her picture-perfect marriage to our son was such a glad occasion only three months before she was diagnosed with cancer. Little did I know, when warning them in the wedding sermon that they would undoubtedly be facing challenges together in Christ, just how great and how near these challenges would loom. And so it is natural to ask why.
And yet, strange as it may seem, in the aftermath of funeral and burial, the question does not haunt us as it does those who have no hope.
The question in fact has many answers, first of which perhaps is this: all is vanity, saith the Lord. Weddings, as beautiful and happy as they are, can easily make us forgetful of this fact, and mislead us into thinking that it is in this life that we have hope in Christ. Certainly Megan did not think so. We look for the life of the world to come.
Further, when tragedy and death visit, I have no second thoughts about why I entered this holy calling; I have no doubt that this will also be embedded in the mind of my son when he receives his Holy Orders. For in the end, what can be more valuable for the world than the preaching of the Gospel? All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: but the word of the Lord endureth for ever.
And there's another thing. So many have expressed their heartfelt sympathy to us in recent days, leading me to think on the matter of sympathy. From the Greek syn + pathos, it means to suffer together, to share in the sorrow. And somehow, mysteriously, the sharing of sorrows makes them a bit easier to bear than for one who must sorrow alone.
Sympathy is also a very human thing. All kinds of people can sympathize. People who didn't even know you can sympathize. Sometimes even enemies have been known to set their enmity aside, if only for a time. Yet beasts do not sympathize. It is, I think, a residual part of man's creation in the image of God, who is Himself compassionate and kind to His people. Sympathy in itself, even if it isn't specifically Christian sympathy, is a good thing. It helps define us as the princes of God's creation.
Our thanks to all who have sympathized, and with that the reassurance that, as I intimated above, we do not sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
Christus resurrexit! Vere resurrexit!
+ Pastor Eckardt, from www.gottesblog.blogspot.com
High School Juniors or Seniors
should remember contact Pastor when deciding on a college. He can give recommendations for church or college chapel at or near the campus of your choice.
Sometimes special scholarships become available. For example, scholarships from the Beta Sigma Psi Fraternity at the University of Illinois in Champaign are being offered to Lutheran men (see http://alpha.betasigmapsi.org/housingscholarship.htm). Others may be available on other campuses.
Shut ins
Mary Hamilton at home; Ruth Snider at home; Mark Baker at home, and Anna Baker at home. Mirilda Greiert at Courtyard Estates; Ila Scaife at Courtyard Estates; Lorraine Mohr at Courtyard Estates; Elva Garrison at Roseview Nursing Home.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
February 2010
February 14: Lent Begins
The season of Lent, forty days not counting Sundays, is a season of penitence and preparation for the celebration of Easter. Jesus also fasted, for forty days, in the wilderness, as the Gospel for the First Sunday in Lent recounts.
The term Lent is derived from the Old English lencten, which means, simply, ‘spring’. In German, however, the season is called Fasten, that is, the time of fasting. This follows upon the venerable custom of abstaining from certain foods. The custom of fasting itself is quite biblical. If Moses, Elijah, and Jesus himself fasted, certainly it must be a good practice. Indeed, on Ash Wednesday we hear Jesus saying, When ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, etc. So Luther’s Small Catechism declares that fasting and other bodily preparation is indeed a fine outward training.
Liturgically too, the Church fasts during Lent (even as Israel fasted forty years in the wilderness). This is why the color for Lent is the penitential purple. Alleluias are not heard during Pre-lent or Lent, and there is less music (fasting of the ears); flowers are absent, and, during the last two weeks of Lent, all statutes, images, and crosses in the churches are veiled (fasting of the eyes). As the season moves on toward Easter, the fast becomes deeper in stages. The traditional season of pre-Lent merely hints at the fast to come; then Lent itself begins; then come the last two weeks of Lent, called Passiontide, during which no Glorias are sung at all; and within that span comes Holy Week, and finally within Holy Week the Triduum Sacram, that is, the Sacred Three Days: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.
Yet right in the midst of this penitential mood there is joy, for the fourth Sunday in Lent is called Laetare, which means ‘rejoice’, and there is some lessening of the liturgical fast during that day. For the entire penitential season is not to be sad, but joyful. For true joy of heart, born of the suffering and resurrection of Christ, transcends all parts of Christian life, even the deepest of sorrows, as we confess with David that weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Thus the forty days of Lent is followed by a contrastingly festive forty-day season from Easter until Ascension Day, the time period during which Jesus appeared to his disciples.
+ Pastor Eckardt
Ash Wednesday, February 17:
On the first day of Lent, we will celebrate Mass twice, both at 7 a.m. and at 7 p.m. On both occasions we will observe the venerable custom of the imposition of ashes, to mark the first day of this holy season of fasting and prayer. Just prior to mass, members may come forward to the altar to receive the imposition of ashes on the forehead with the words “Remember, o man, that dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” There is no liturgical response to this, it is received in silence while kneeling at the altar, and the recipient then returns to his seat in silence.
David Andrew Eckardt
was born to Andy and Kristy Eckardt on Monday, January 25th at the hospital in Dixon, Illinois. Mother and baby are doing well. The Baptism is set to take place here (by Grandpa Eckardt) on February 14th.
A Special Voters’ Assembly is set for Sunday, February 7th, after mass. This will be a second meeting to deal only with the matter of the chancel panels will convene next Sunday just prior to Bible class. This is in accord with the vote taken by the special assembly in January to look into this matter further and return with further information within a few weeks. Further data on options and ideas will be available.
February Birthdays
2/2 Mindie Fisher
2/4 Joshua Kraklow
2/5 Tom Wells
2/17 Monroe Kemerling
2/18 Ashton Powers
2/23 Carol McReynolds
2/24 Ruth Snider
Daily Mass for Lent
The daily mass schedule for Lent is as follows.
Mondays, 8:30 am.
Tuesdays, 8:30 am
Wednesdays, 7 pm (as usual).
Thursdays, 8:30 am
Fridays, 8:30 am
Saturdays, 9 am.
This schedule does not apply to Ash Wednesday, which will be observed twice, at 7 am and at 7 pm. During Lent, Saturday catechesis follows morning mass.
February Ushers
Otis Anderson, Scott Clapper, John Ricknell, Bill Thompson
February Anniversaries
none
Septuagesima Season
(Pre-lent)
This season includes the three Sundays prior to Lent. January 31st is Septuagesima Sunday, February 7th is Sexagesima Sunday, and February 14nd is Quinquagesima Sunday. These names mean seventieth, sixtieth, and fiftieth, respectively, and indicate the anticipation of Easter by as many days, approximated on the Sunday that falls nearest to the seventieth, sixtieth, or fiftieth day before Easter.
Shut ins
Mary Hamilton at home; Ruth Snider at home; Mark Baker and Anna Baker at home. Don Clapper at Royal Oaks. Mirilda Greiert at Kewanee Care. Ila Scaife at Courtyard Estates. Elva Garrison at Avon Nursing Home.
Every Day Will I Bless Thee
Some copies of my devotional book Every Day Will I Bless Thee: Meditations for the Daily Office are available for purchase at the reduced rate of $16.00. -Pastor
Annual Voters’ Assembly is set for Sunday, January 31st, at 7:30 pm. Council meets at 7.
Candlemas
is February 2nd (Ground hog’s day). We will observe it on Wednesday the 3rd at 7 pm. Every member of St. Paul’s is encouraged to come to this beautiful and dignified ceremony and Mass. February 2nd is the fortieth day from Christmas, which makes it the day the rite of purification for the Blessed Virgin Mary, when she also came she presented her first born Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, as she was also required to do by the law.
When Jesus was presented in the temple, the priest Simeon also came in and declared, in the words of the Nunc Dimittis, "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel."
This declaration of the Christ Child as a Light is the reason for the ceremonial use of candles at this Mass. The use of these lights in connection with the Blessed Sacrament emphasizes the analogy of Simeon’s exultation on receiving the Child with our own reception of Christ at the altar. This connection is made at every Mass, of course, in our own recitation of the Nunc Dimittis. At Candlemas, the connection is highlighted because the Gospel appointed for the day is this very Gospel.
The name Candlemas, also provides a link to the Feast from which it springs, that great feast of forty days earlier, namely Christmas.
Private Confession is always available to anyone between 6 and 6:30 pm on these Wednesdays (and also, as always, by appointment).
Pastor is usually available as well on Saturdays, from about 4 pm until Mass.
Keeping the Feast: A Study of the Holy Liturgy (concluded)
This study, much of which has taken space in a few years’ worth of newsletter articles, now comes to a conclusion, and is about to be published as a book. Its purpose has been most especially to present the divine liturgy in such a way as not only to highlight its beauty and dignity, but to provide the reader with conviction of its necessity from the standpoint of Christian faith. The progression to this point of conviction follows a logical pattern: first, by arguing the necessity of the New Testament itself, as fulfillment of the Old. The New Testament proclaims the coming of Christ in the fullness of time, and so fleshes out the types and images embedded in the Law and the Prophets, in the Person of Jesus, come to redeem the world. Secondly, by making the connection between this fulfillment and its proclamation by the liturgy, not merely as one presentation of Christ among many, but as the divinely appointed alteration of true worship, formerly seen in the temple and the synagogue, but now rotating around the temporal axis of the coming of Christ, so that true worship and faith now look back to it rather than anticipating it.
It is not accidental that the term new testament refers both to the canon of apostolic books arising after Christ’s ministry and to the Holy Sacrament of the altar. This fact alone should alert us to the integral connection between word and worship, or between faith and the reception of the incarnate Christ. And just as the written New Testament is the word of God, and therefore the sole norm and rule for all of Christian life, so the sacramental new testament (in Christ’s blood) must be the heart of truly Christian worship, from which all other forms of devotion and piety flow.
Altar Guild Notes
Our altar guild members have always taken great pains to see that the preparation of the credence is done properly, when setting up for mass. Here is a list of things we have discussed in meetings, toward that end.
Be sure:
• That the proper number of hosts is put out, and that the extra pyx is put out, containing extras.
• That the extra purificator put on the credence does not have a cross embroidered on it (the ones with crosses are only for use with consecrated elements, and thus are placed on the chalice: two for Saturday night or Tuesday morning, three for Sunday or Wednesday night)
• That the chalice veil hangs in the form of a trapezoid reaching the credence tabletop, rather than ‘draped’ over the chalice. The chalice should be placed forward enough to allow room for this.
• That there are no spots of any kind on the corporal.
• That for Sunday morning there are only six individual cups prepared. No individual cups for any other masses.
•
Any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
Know Anyone Who Might Need a Visit?
If ever you become aware of a member who might have a special need or desire for a pastoral visit, please contact Pastor to let him know. 852-2460.
On the Lookout for Visitors
Don’t be shy about inviting visitors to join you when you come to church. Brochures are available in the hallway to give friends, associates, relatives, etc. If you think someone might be interested but is hesitating, offer to pick him up and bring him with you. Offer your assistance if the liturgy is unfamiliar.
Looking Ahead: Easter Schedule
Since last year, our Easter Sunrise Mass is at 7 am Easter Sunday morning, rather than 6 am. This moves the Easter breakfast to about 8:30. There will be no late Easter Mass, however.
Therefore, plan ahead: only one Mass on Easter morning, at 7 a.m., followed by the Easter breakfast.
As in the past, the Easter Vigil will be held at 7 pm on Saturday, the day before Easter.
Wednesday afternoons
are now reserved for a meeting of volunteers to work on such things as the preparation of new Ordos, Gottesdienst, and, at 2:30, to record St. Paul’s on the Air (which is really a Bible Class). We usually begin at 2 pm with mid day prayers in the church.
Anyone may join us, as always.
First Monday
February 1st, Altar Guild is at 6 pm, Vespers is at 6:45, and Elders is at 7:15, as usual.
The Lighter Side
In the spirit of Super Bowl festivities this month, we provide herewith a glossary of terms.
Church Football
Benchwarmer – one who does not sing, pray, work, or apparently do anything but sit.
Quarterback Sneak - Church members quietly leaving before mass is over.
Draw Play - What many children do with the bulletin during worship.
Halftime - The period between mass and Sunday School when many choose to leave
Backfield-in-Motion - Making a trip to the back (restroom or water fountain) repeatedly during the service.
Staying in the Pocket - What happens to a lot of money that should be given to the Lord’s work.
Instant Replay - The preacher loses his notes and falls back on last week’s illustrations.
Trap - You’re called on to pray and are asleep.
End Run - Getting out of church quick, without speaking to any guest or fellow member.
Flex Defense - The ability to allow absolutely nothing said during the sermon to affect your life.
Blitz - The rush for the restaurants following the closing prayer.
Two-minute Warning - The point at which you realize the sermon is almost over and begin to gather up your children and belongings.
Halfback Option - The decision of 75% of the congregation not to return for the midweek service.
Sudden Death - What happens to the attention span of the congregation if the preacher goes "overtime."
St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
109 S. Elm Street
Kewanee, IL 61443
The season of Lent, forty days not counting Sundays, is a season of penitence and preparation for the celebration of Easter. Jesus also fasted, for forty days, in the wilderness, as the Gospel for the First Sunday in Lent recounts.
The term Lent is derived from the Old English lencten, which means, simply, ‘spring’. In German, however, the season is called Fasten, that is, the time of fasting. This follows upon the venerable custom of abstaining from certain foods. The custom of fasting itself is quite biblical. If Moses, Elijah, and Jesus himself fasted, certainly it must be a good practice. Indeed, on Ash Wednesday we hear Jesus saying, When ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, etc. So Luther’s Small Catechism declares that fasting and other bodily preparation is indeed a fine outward training.
Liturgically too, the Church fasts during Lent (even as Israel fasted forty years in the wilderness). This is why the color for Lent is the penitential purple. Alleluias are not heard during Pre-lent or Lent, and there is less music (fasting of the ears); flowers are absent, and, during the last two weeks of Lent, all statutes, images, and crosses in the churches are veiled (fasting of the eyes). As the season moves on toward Easter, the fast becomes deeper in stages. The traditional season of pre-Lent merely hints at the fast to come; then Lent itself begins; then come the last two weeks of Lent, called Passiontide, during which no Glorias are sung at all; and within that span comes Holy Week, and finally within Holy Week the Triduum Sacram, that is, the Sacred Three Days: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.
Yet right in the midst of this penitential mood there is joy, for the fourth Sunday in Lent is called Laetare, which means ‘rejoice’, and there is some lessening of the liturgical fast during that day. For the entire penitential season is not to be sad, but joyful. For true joy of heart, born of the suffering and resurrection of Christ, transcends all parts of Christian life, even the deepest of sorrows, as we confess with David that weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Thus the forty days of Lent is followed by a contrastingly festive forty-day season from Easter until Ascension Day, the time period during which Jesus appeared to his disciples.
+ Pastor Eckardt
Ash Wednesday, February 17:
On the first day of Lent, we will celebrate Mass twice, both at 7 a.m. and at 7 p.m. On both occasions we will observe the venerable custom of the imposition of ashes, to mark the first day of this holy season of fasting and prayer. Just prior to mass, members may come forward to the altar to receive the imposition of ashes on the forehead with the words “Remember, o man, that dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” There is no liturgical response to this, it is received in silence while kneeling at the altar, and the recipient then returns to his seat in silence.
David Andrew Eckardt
was born to Andy and Kristy Eckardt on Monday, January 25th at the hospital in Dixon, Illinois. Mother and baby are doing well. The Baptism is set to take place here (by Grandpa Eckardt) on February 14th.
A Special Voters’ Assembly is set for Sunday, February 7th, after mass. This will be a second meeting to deal only with the matter of the chancel panels will convene next Sunday just prior to Bible class. This is in accord with the vote taken by the special assembly in January to look into this matter further and return with further information within a few weeks. Further data on options and ideas will be available.
February Birthdays
2/2 Mindie Fisher
2/4 Joshua Kraklow
2/5 Tom Wells
2/17 Monroe Kemerling
2/18 Ashton Powers
2/23 Carol McReynolds
2/24 Ruth Snider
Daily Mass for Lent
The daily mass schedule for Lent is as follows.
Mondays, 8:30 am.
Tuesdays, 8:30 am
Wednesdays, 7 pm (as usual).
Thursdays, 8:30 am
Fridays, 8:30 am
Saturdays, 9 am.
This schedule does not apply to Ash Wednesday, which will be observed twice, at 7 am and at 7 pm. During Lent, Saturday catechesis follows morning mass.
February Ushers
Otis Anderson, Scott Clapper, John Ricknell, Bill Thompson
February Anniversaries
none
Septuagesima Season
(Pre-lent)
This season includes the three Sundays prior to Lent. January 31st is Septuagesima Sunday, February 7th is Sexagesima Sunday, and February 14nd is Quinquagesima Sunday. These names mean seventieth, sixtieth, and fiftieth, respectively, and indicate the anticipation of Easter by as many days, approximated on the Sunday that falls nearest to the seventieth, sixtieth, or fiftieth day before Easter.
Shut ins
Mary Hamilton at home; Ruth Snider at home; Mark Baker and Anna Baker at home. Don Clapper at Royal Oaks. Mirilda Greiert at Kewanee Care. Ila Scaife at Courtyard Estates. Elva Garrison at Avon Nursing Home.
Every Day Will I Bless Thee
Some copies of my devotional book Every Day Will I Bless Thee: Meditations for the Daily Office are available for purchase at the reduced rate of $16.00. -Pastor
Annual Voters’ Assembly is set for Sunday, January 31st, at 7:30 pm. Council meets at 7.
Candlemas
is February 2nd (Ground hog’s day). We will observe it on Wednesday the 3rd at 7 pm. Every member of St. Paul’s is encouraged to come to this beautiful and dignified ceremony and Mass. February 2nd is the fortieth day from Christmas, which makes it the day the rite of purification for the Blessed Virgin Mary, when she also came she presented her first born Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, as she was also required to do by the law.
When Jesus was presented in the temple, the priest Simeon also came in and declared, in the words of the Nunc Dimittis, "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel."
This declaration of the Christ Child as a Light is the reason for the ceremonial use of candles at this Mass. The use of these lights in connection with the Blessed Sacrament emphasizes the analogy of Simeon’s exultation on receiving the Child with our own reception of Christ at the altar. This connection is made at every Mass, of course, in our own recitation of the Nunc Dimittis. At Candlemas, the connection is highlighted because the Gospel appointed for the day is this very Gospel.
The name Candlemas, also provides a link to the Feast from which it springs, that great feast of forty days earlier, namely Christmas.
Private Confession is always available to anyone between 6 and 6:30 pm on these Wednesdays (and also, as always, by appointment).
Pastor is usually available as well on Saturdays, from about 4 pm until Mass.
Keeping the Feast: A Study of the Holy Liturgy (concluded)
This study, much of which has taken space in a few years’ worth of newsletter articles, now comes to a conclusion, and is about to be published as a book. Its purpose has been most especially to present the divine liturgy in such a way as not only to highlight its beauty and dignity, but to provide the reader with conviction of its necessity from the standpoint of Christian faith. The progression to this point of conviction follows a logical pattern: first, by arguing the necessity of the New Testament itself, as fulfillment of the Old. The New Testament proclaims the coming of Christ in the fullness of time, and so fleshes out the types and images embedded in the Law and the Prophets, in the Person of Jesus, come to redeem the world. Secondly, by making the connection between this fulfillment and its proclamation by the liturgy, not merely as one presentation of Christ among many, but as the divinely appointed alteration of true worship, formerly seen in the temple and the synagogue, but now rotating around the temporal axis of the coming of Christ, so that true worship and faith now look back to it rather than anticipating it.
It is not accidental that the term new testament refers both to the canon of apostolic books arising after Christ’s ministry and to the Holy Sacrament of the altar. This fact alone should alert us to the integral connection between word and worship, or between faith and the reception of the incarnate Christ. And just as the written New Testament is the word of God, and therefore the sole norm and rule for all of Christian life, so the sacramental new testament (in Christ’s blood) must be the heart of truly Christian worship, from which all other forms of devotion and piety flow.
Altar Guild Notes
Our altar guild members have always taken great pains to see that the preparation of the credence is done properly, when setting up for mass. Here is a list of things we have discussed in meetings, toward that end.
Be sure:
• That the proper number of hosts is put out, and that the extra pyx is put out, containing extras.
• That the extra purificator put on the credence does not have a cross embroidered on it (the ones with crosses are only for use with consecrated elements, and thus are placed on the chalice: two for Saturday night or Tuesday morning, three for Sunday or Wednesday night)
• That the chalice veil hangs in the form of a trapezoid reaching the credence tabletop, rather than ‘draped’ over the chalice. The chalice should be placed forward enough to allow room for this.
• That there are no spots of any kind on the corporal.
• That for Sunday morning there are only six individual cups prepared. No individual cups for any other masses.
•
Any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
Know Anyone Who Might Need a Visit?
If ever you become aware of a member who might have a special need or desire for a pastoral visit, please contact Pastor to let him know. 852-2460.
On the Lookout for Visitors
Don’t be shy about inviting visitors to join you when you come to church. Brochures are available in the hallway to give friends, associates, relatives, etc. If you think someone might be interested but is hesitating, offer to pick him up and bring him with you. Offer your assistance if the liturgy is unfamiliar.
Looking Ahead: Easter Schedule
Since last year, our Easter Sunrise Mass is at 7 am Easter Sunday morning, rather than 6 am. This moves the Easter breakfast to about 8:30. There will be no late Easter Mass, however.
Therefore, plan ahead: only one Mass on Easter morning, at 7 a.m., followed by the Easter breakfast.
As in the past, the Easter Vigil will be held at 7 pm on Saturday, the day before Easter.
Wednesday afternoons
are now reserved for a meeting of volunteers to work on such things as the preparation of new Ordos, Gottesdienst, and, at 2:30, to record St. Paul’s on the Air (which is really a Bible Class). We usually begin at 2 pm with mid day prayers in the church.
Anyone may join us, as always.
First Monday
February 1st, Altar Guild is at 6 pm, Vespers is at 6:45, and Elders is at 7:15, as usual.
The Lighter Side
In the spirit of Super Bowl festivities this month, we provide herewith a glossary of terms.
Church Football
Benchwarmer – one who does not sing, pray, work, or apparently do anything but sit.
Quarterback Sneak - Church members quietly leaving before mass is over.
Draw Play - What many children do with the bulletin during worship.
Halftime - The period between mass and Sunday School when many choose to leave
Backfield-in-Motion - Making a trip to the back (restroom or water fountain) repeatedly during the service.
Staying in the Pocket - What happens to a lot of money that should be given to the Lord’s work.
Instant Replay - The preacher loses his notes and falls back on last week’s illustrations.
Trap - You’re called on to pray and are asleep.
End Run - Getting out of church quick, without speaking to any guest or fellow member.
Flex Defense - The ability to allow absolutely nothing said during the sermon to affect your life.
Blitz - The rush for the restaurants following the closing prayer.
Two-minute Warning - The point at which you realize the sermon is almost over and begin to gather up your children and belongings.
Halfback Option - The decision of 75% of the congregation not to return for the midweek service.
Sudden Death - What happens to the attention span of the congregation if the preacher goes "overtime."
St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
109 S. Elm Street
Kewanee, IL 61443
January 2010
Eckardt family Christmas greetings
The passing years bequeath a toll,
As well we know, on every soul,
But in the midst of earthly cares,
We dwell with angels unawares.
And we recall the heav’nly grace,
Of Jesus sent to bless our race,
And pray He’d crown our future days
With love and happiness always:
For Burnie, in July to wed,
To his Amanda betroth-ed,
May all their days as man and wife
Be marked with cheer of joyful life.
Let their new life together be
Filled with hope, and charity
And let them each to other be
A blest companion constantly.
For Andy, Kristy and their child,
Sweet Sarah, hoping in a little while
To have a brother, may he be
As tenderhearted as is she.
As next month she’s turning two
About the same time he is due
May love and cheer be theirs always
And trust in Jesus all their days.
For Peter, may his lovely wife,
His Megan, have a healthy life,*
May God provide them extra grace
For strength of faith, whate’er they face.
And may his seminary years
Prove strengthening in all their fears.
May joy, contentment, and resolve
Around them constantly revolve.
For Johnny, may the angels keep
Him safe from harm, awake, asleep
Now in the Air Force he must learn
To be alert at every turn.
And to Alissa, hear her pray,
As she with him awaits their day
Day 1, month 1, 2-0-1-1,
Their wedding waiting will be done.
For Joey, let his studies pay
In college as he makes his way.
And may he learn whate’er he needs
To mix integrity with deeds,
Let him above all he may learn
Remember that he’ll never earn
All that the Christ Child has bestowed,
And paid the Father, that we owed.
And so may Michael also find
That faith must e’er be intertwined,
In all high school’s activities
And even trivialities.
For there will never be a day
When vigilance will cease to pay
Rich dividends in days of youth
To those who ponder heaven’s truth.
Like frankincense our prayer ascends
Not just for fam’ly, but for friends
And also for our dearest kin
A glad new year soon to begin.
And may the shepherds, wisemen, beasts,
Joseph, and Mary join your feasts,
And may the Babe whom they adore
Bless you and yours forevermore.
God rest you merry, this Christmas 2009
and always. -The Eckardt family.
*to keep up with Megan and Peter, visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/meganeckardt
Announcing:
An Epiphany retreat:
two Days of Theological Reflection: Monday and Tuesday, January 4th and 5th.
We are pleased to announce our January Days of Theological Reflection, a retreat on Monday and Tuesday, the 4th and 5th, from 8:30 – 3:30 (mass each morning is at 9:00), our twelfth retreat in the series will focus on King Solomon. This retreat’s theme is
“He Shall Sit upon My Throne in My Stead.”
We’ll examine the first eleven chapters of the book of 1 Kings, with an eye to finding Christ there, as He himself said of the Scriptures, “They testify of me.”
Sunday evening’s annual Choral Vespers, at 7 p.m. (see below, next page), is always followed by our wine and cheese reception in the school cafeteria, another annual tradition. If there is inclement weather, a snow date is scheduled for Monday, January 4th, at 7 p.m.
from 9:00 – 3:30 (starting each day with Mass at 9). Admission is free.
Announcing:
Christmas
Choral
Vespers
at St. Paul’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church
Sunday, January 3, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Every year, St. Paul’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Kewanee puts on an event you might not expect to hear in a town our size, especially when you consider the small size of their choirs. Our Choral Vespers, besides being a prayer service as vespers always is, is an event of high cultural significance. This is the twelfth year the parish has held this event for the Kewanee community. Their Mixed Choir is small, but with the splendid acoustical setting under the Gothic arches at St. Paul’s, people have often commented that the choir sounds two or three times larger. These are quality singers as well, having sung together for many years, and hence they are able to provide those in attendance with a real musical treat. The choir is under the direction of the church’s pastor, the Reverend Dr. Burnell Eckardt, who has over twenty-five years of experience as a choirmaster and composer. St. Paul’s looks forward to this event every year, as a last opportunity in the year to present some lovely traditional Christmas carols in a setting for which those carols were written.
The evening’s music is always augmented by the parish’s wine and cheese reception in the school cafeteria, another annual tradition. There is no admission fee; a freewill offering will be taken. If there is inclement weather, a snow date is scheduled for Monday, January 4th, at 7 p.m.
www.caringbridge.org/visit/meganeckardt
1/1 Christine Erickson
1/4 Lucille Kemerling
1/9 Deloris (Mae) Noll
1/13 James Hornback
1/18 Scott Clapper
1/20 Brandon Erickson
1/24 Sarah Eckardt
www.caringbridge.org/visit/meganeckardt
Steve Peart, Grant Andresen, Larry Campbell
www.caringbridge.org/visit/meganeckardt
none
Shut ins
Mary Hamilton at home; ; Mark Baker at home, and Anna Baker at home. Don Clapper and Ruth Snider at Royal Oaks. Mirilda Greiert at Kewanee Care; Ila Scaife at Courtyard Estates; Elva Garrison at Avon Nursing Home.
Ruth Melchin, age 94, passed away on the 27th of November, and was given Christian burial on December 1st.
A special choir rehearsal will be held on Wednesday, December 30th, at 7 pm (there is no mass scheduled for that date).
Since Choral Vespers will be held January 3rd, there will be no choir rehearsal the following Wednesday. Rehearsal resumes on Wednesday evening, January 13th. Pastor will be gone the following week, however, so the only January rehearsals will be the 13th and the 27th.
Altar Guild Notes
Altar color for January is white, until the last weekend of the month. This includes Epiphany, Wednesday January 6th, and the Baptism of our Lord, Wednesday, January 13th. There is no mass on Tuesday January 19th or Wednesday January 20th.
On Saturday, January 30th for evening mass the color changes to violet for Septuagesima (observed then and on the next day, Sunday, January 31st. The 2010 calendar is posted in the sacristy.
Looking into our options for the chancel, and un-decorating the Church
The removal of the Christmas decorations is scheduled for Saturday, January 9, at 9 a.m. Volunteers are sought!
Also on that day, we (anyone interested) hope to look into the possibility of removing or somehow covering the wall panels behind the altar.
2010 Envelopes
The offering envelopes have been delivered to the mailboxes.
Annual Voters’ Meeting
Our Voters’ Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 31st, at 7:30 p.m. Council is scheduled for 7:00, just prior to the meeting.
Keeping the Feast: A Study of the Holy Liturgy (continued)
The canon of the mass.
In the historic Lutheran Liturgy, as opposed to the Latin Mass, there is no so called “Canon of the Mass,” an extended prayer following the words of Institution.
The Canon of the Mass, which has historically included the Anamnesis, a remembrance or commemoration of the Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ, has been an integral part of most liturgies throughout the history of Christendom, and may appropriately be seen as an embellishment or frame for the words of Christ, much in the manner that the entire liturgy serves this purpose. The Western omission of the Epiclesis from the Canon seems to have arisen out of a concern, originating in Gregory, that care needs to be taken that what is meant to embellish does not rather obscure, and as such the Epiclesis was best removed. The subsequent Lutheran removal of the entire canon, while not necessarily an additional alteration in the manner of reform, can certainly be understood from this perspective. There are more modern Lutheran liturgies which have to some degree restored omitted ingredients, most especially the Anamnesis, and while the rationale for this restoration appears sound enough, it bears remembering that the tension which first led to its removal has by no means been resolved, particularly if an understanding of the consecratory nature of the Our Father is lost. Certainly the Epiclesis would still be a major impediment to restoring such an understanding, for if the Epiclesis is to be seen as consecratory, there is all the less reason for applying that understanding to the Our Father.
There is also an additional effect we may come to see, something Luther helped to make clear in his removal of the Canon, whether or not that was his intention. The simple effect provided by taking the Lord’s Prayer and the Verba into consideration exclusively of any other prayers is that here we are asking for eternal salvation, and here eternal salvation is given.
If Luther was bold in preferring the bare words of Christ to the words of the canon, what can prevent us from recovering an understanding, consistent with the thought of Gregory, of the Our Father as consecratory? Thus we retain also a nuclear canon, consisting only of the Our Father and the Verba, and claim the very gist of Luther’s reasoning, which sets the dominical words apart from all others at this point. For although the entire liturgy is filled with the words of God, and is therefore salutary, it is also fitting and helpful to set Jesus’ own words apart from the all rest.
St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
109 S. Elm Street
Kewanee, IL 61443
The passing years bequeath a toll,
As well we know, on every soul,
But in the midst of earthly cares,
We dwell with angels unawares.
And we recall the heav’nly grace,
Of Jesus sent to bless our race,
And pray He’d crown our future days
With love and happiness always:
For Burnie, in July to wed,
To his Amanda betroth-ed,
May all their days as man and wife
Be marked with cheer of joyful life.
Let their new life together be
Filled with hope, and charity
And let them each to other be
A blest companion constantly.
For Andy, Kristy and their child,
Sweet Sarah, hoping in a little while
To have a brother, may he be
As tenderhearted as is she.
As next month she’s turning two
About the same time he is due
May love and cheer be theirs always
And trust in Jesus all their days.
For Peter, may his lovely wife,
His Megan, have a healthy life,*
May God provide them extra grace
For strength of faith, whate’er they face.
And may his seminary years
Prove strengthening in all their fears.
May joy, contentment, and resolve
Around them constantly revolve.
For Johnny, may the angels keep
Him safe from harm, awake, asleep
Now in the Air Force he must learn
To be alert at every turn.
And to Alissa, hear her pray,
As she with him awaits their day
Day 1, month 1, 2-0-1-1,
Their wedding waiting will be done.
For Joey, let his studies pay
In college as he makes his way.
And may he learn whate’er he needs
To mix integrity with deeds,
Let him above all he may learn
Remember that he’ll never earn
All that the Christ Child has bestowed,
And paid the Father, that we owed.
And so may Michael also find
That faith must e’er be intertwined,
In all high school’s activities
And even trivialities.
For there will never be a day
When vigilance will cease to pay
Rich dividends in days of youth
To those who ponder heaven’s truth.
Like frankincense our prayer ascends
Not just for fam’ly, but for friends
And also for our dearest kin
A glad new year soon to begin.
And may the shepherds, wisemen, beasts,
Joseph, and Mary join your feasts,
And may the Babe whom they adore
Bless you and yours forevermore.
God rest you merry, this Christmas 2009
and always. -The Eckardt family.
*to keep up with Megan and Peter, visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/meganeckardt
Announcing:
An Epiphany retreat:
two Days of Theological Reflection: Monday and Tuesday, January 4th and 5th.
We are pleased to announce our January Days of Theological Reflection, a retreat on Monday and Tuesday, the 4th and 5th, from 8:30 – 3:30 (mass each morning is at 9:00), our twelfth retreat in the series will focus on King Solomon. This retreat’s theme is
“He Shall Sit upon My Throne in My Stead.”
We’ll examine the first eleven chapters of the book of 1 Kings, with an eye to finding Christ there, as He himself said of the Scriptures, “They testify of me.”
Sunday evening’s annual Choral Vespers, at 7 p.m. (see below, next page), is always followed by our wine and cheese reception in the school cafeteria, another annual tradition. If there is inclement weather, a snow date is scheduled for Monday, January 4th, at 7 p.m.
from 9:00 – 3:30 (starting each day with Mass at 9). Admission is free.
Announcing:
Christmas
Choral
Vespers
at St. Paul’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church
Sunday, January 3, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.
Every year, St. Paul’s Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Kewanee puts on an event you might not expect to hear in a town our size, especially when you consider the small size of their choirs. Our Choral Vespers, besides being a prayer service as vespers always is, is an event of high cultural significance. This is the twelfth year the parish has held this event for the Kewanee community. Their Mixed Choir is small, but with the splendid acoustical setting under the Gothic arches at St. Paul’s, people have often commented that the choir sounds two or three times larger. These are quality singers as well, having sung together for many years, and hence they are able to provide those in attendance with a real musical treat. The choir is under the direction of the church’s pastor, the Reverend Dr. Burnell Eckardt, who has over twenty-five years of experience as a choirmaster and composer. St. Paul’s looks forward to this event every year, as a last opportunity in the year to present some lovely traditional Christmas carols in a setting for which those carols were written.
The evening’s music is always augmented by the parish’s wine and cheese reception in the school cafeteria, another annual tradition. There is no admission fee; a freewill offering will be taken. If there is inclement weather, a snow date is scheduled for Monday, January 4th, at 7 p.m.
www.caringbridge.org/visit/meganeckardt
1/1 Christine Erickson
1/4 Lucille Kemerling
1/9 Deloris (Mae) Noll
1/13 James Hornback
1/18 Scott Clapper
1/20 Brandon Erickson
1/24 Sarah Eckardt
www.caringbridge.org/visit/meganeckardt
Steve Peart, Grant Andresen, Larry Campbell
www.caringbridge.org/visit/meganeckardt
none
Shut ins
Mary Hamilton at home; ; Mark Baker at home, and Anna Baker at home. Don Clapper and Ruth Snider at Royal Oaks. Mirilda Greiert at Kewanee Care; Ila Scaife at Courtyard Estates; Elva Garrison at Avon Nursing Home.
Ruth Melchin, age 94, passed away on the 27th of November, and was given Christian burial on December 1st.
A special choir rehearsal will be held on Wednesday, December 30th, at 7 pm (there is no mass scheduled for that date).
Since Choral Vespers will be held January 3rd, there will be no choir rehearsal the following Wednesday. Rehearsal resumes on Wednesday evening, January 13th. Pastor will be gone the following week, however, so the only January rehearsals will be the 13th and the 27th.
Altar Guild Notes
Altar color for January is white, until the last weekend of the month. This includes Epiphany, Wednesday January 6th, and the Baptism of our Lord, Wednesday, January 13th. There is no mass on Tuesday January 19th or Wednesday January 20th.
On Saturday, January 30th for evening mass the color changes to violet for Septuagesima (observed then and on the next day, Sunday, January 31st. The 2010 calendar is posted in the sacristy.
Looking into our options for the chancel, and un-decorating the Church
The removal of the Christmas decorations is scheduled for Saturday, January 9, at 9 a.m. Volunteers are sought!
Also on that day, we (anyone interested) hope to look into the possibility of removing or somehow covering the wall panels behind the altar.
2010 Envelopes
The offering envelopes have been delivered to the mailboxes.
Annual Voters’ Meeting
Our Voters’ Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 31st, at 7:30 p.m. Council is scheduled for 7:00, just prior to the meeting.
Keeping the Feast: A Study of the Holy Liturgy (continued)
The canon of the mass.
In the historic Lutheran Liturgy, as opposed to the Latin Mass, there is no so called “Canon of the Mass,” an extended prayer following the words of Institution.
The Canon of the Mass, which has historically included the Anamnesis, a remembrance or commemoration of the Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ, has been an integral part of most liturgies throughout the history of Christendom, and may appropriately be seen as an embellishment or frame for the words of Christ, much in the manner that the entire liturgy serves this purpose. The Western omission of the Epiclesis from the Canon seems to have arisen out of a concern, originating in Gregory, that care needs to be taken that what is meant to embellish does not rather obscure, and as such the Epiclesis was best removed. The subsequent Lutheran removal of the entire canon, while not necessarily an additional alteration in the manner of reform, can certainly be understood from this perspective. There are more modern Lutheran liturgies which have to some degree restored omitted ingredients, most especially the Anamnesis, and while the rationale for this restoration appears sound enough, it bears remembering that the tension which first led to its removal has by no means been resolved, particularly if an understanding of the consecratory nature of the Our Father is lost. Certainly the Epiclesis would still be a major impediment to restoring such an understanding, for if the Epiclesis is to be seen as consecratory, there is all the less reason for applying that understanding to the Our Father.
There is also an additional effect we may come to see, something Luther helped to make clear in his removal of the Canon, whether or not that was his intention. The simple effect provided by taking the Lord’s Prayer and the Verba into consideration exclusively of any other prayers is that here we are asking for eternal salvation, and here eternal salvation is given.
If Luther was bold in preferring the bare words of Christ to the words of the canon, what can prevent us from recovering an understanding, consistent with the thought of Gregory, of the Our Father as consecratory? Thus we retain also a nuclear canon, consisting only of the Our Father and the Verba, and claim the very gist of Luther’s reasoning, which sets the dominical words apart from all others at this point. For although the entire liturgy is filled with the words of God, and is therefore salutary, it is also fitting and helpful to set Jesus’ own words apart from the all rest.
St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church
109 S. Elm Street
Kewanee, IL 61443
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