President's Corner
From the Grapevine, our monthly newsletter
March, 2010
We were pleased to accept the following persons into our membership during the service on February 14th:
Margaret Spencer
Isadore Spencer
MyTruc Haisler
Michael Haisler
James DeSario
After the service a reception with coffee and light refreshments was held in the lounge to welcome the new members.
Bethany usually has one or more visitors every Sunday. In addition there are several non-members who attend very regularly and support the work of our church. We thank God for all the support from our members, non-members and visitors.
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Minor festivals of the church Year (cont.)
Because March falls within the season of Lent the minor festivals are very likely overlooked entirely. Continuing with my series on minor festivals and commemorations we have the following during March:
Saint Patrick's Day, March 17th
Saint Patrick's Day is not on the list of Lutheran liturgical feasts but it is on the list of commemorations. In our hymnbook, Lutheran Worship, St. Patrick is termed as Missionary to Ireland.
Saint Patrick was born to a well-to-do Roman-Briton family in the waning days of the Roman Empire some time between 360 to 380 A.D. His father was a deacon and his grandfather a priest. Because of barbarian invasions elsewhere in continental Europe, Rome was unable to protect Britain and they were on their own. The Britons, like much else of the Empire, had been extensively Christianized by this time.
By Patrick's own account he was abducted by raiders from Ireland and made a slave tending sheep. After six years, during which he writes that his Christian faith was strengthened, he was able to escape and get on a ship back to Britain. He resolved to return and convert the Irish to Christianity. This he did. He was part of a large effort at that time to reach and Christianize the pagan peoples of Europe.
Saint Joseph, Guardian of Our Lord, March 19th.
Joseph, in recognition that Christ was "conceived by the Holy Spirit" is termed "Guardian of Our Lord". There is very little known of him although his genealogy is given in the Gospels. Most accounts are associated with the birth of Jesus and events leading up to it. He was very concerned about the safety of the baby Jesus, fleeing to Egypt and later, upon return, deciding to go back to Nazareth rather than Bethlehem where Herod's son was now ruling. We last hear of him when the Holy Family visited Jerusalem when Jesus was thirteen years old and remained behind talking to the elders in the Temple. During the accounts of Christ's ministry in the Gospels no mention is made of him and he is presumed to have died before that time.
The collect for Saint Joseph's Day reads:
Almighty God, from the house of Your servant David You raised up Joseph to be the guardian of your incarnate Son and the husband of his mother, Mary. Grant us the grace to follow the example of this faithful workman in heeding Your counsel and obeying Your commands; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
The Annunciation of Our Lord, March 25th
The Annunciation of Our Lord is observed exactly nine months before Christmas, the Nativity of Our Lord. Because of its date, it is rarely observed, falling as it does within Lent and frequently during Holy Week.
It commemorates the visit of the angel Gabriel to the virgin Mary to tell her that she would be the mother of the Messiah, the Christ. She questions how this can be since she is a virgin. The angel explains that it is by the power of the Holy Spirit and this child will be called the Son of God. Mary accepts this as a servant of the Lord.
The collect for the Feast of the Annunciation reads as follows:
O Lord, as we have known of the incarnation of Your Son, Jesus Christ, by the message of the angel to the virgin Mary, so by the message of his cross and passion bring us to the glory of his resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
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Previous Months in the Series on Minor Festivals
February
As Pastor Dobberstein pointed out in the December Grapevine Christ kept all of the Mosaic ceremonial law of the Old Testament so that we would no longer have to observe it. This also applied to his mother who, according the law, had to undergo ritual purification forty days after the birth of a male child. Also every male child had to be consecrated to the Lord with the sacrifice of two doves. In the temple the Holy Family encountered Simeon and the prophetess Anna.. At this time Simeon recited the verses that we use at the close of our communion service, "Lord now latest Thou They servant depart in peace for I have seen Thy salvation which Thou hast prepared for all people ..."
Simeon had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until the Messiah had arrived. It was at this time that he prophesied to Mary that a sword would pierce her own soul too.
In the past, this day was the day upon which the church candles for the coming year were blessed. Hence it's other name Candlemas. In many European countries the weather on this day foretold whether spring would be early or late. It was brought to this country by the Germans in Pennsylvania, the so-called Pennsylvania Dutch. We have all heard of Punxutawney Phil and Ground Hog Day.
The second minor festival in February is that of St. Matthias on the 24th. Matthias was chosen by the remaining disciples immediately after the Ascension of Christ to replace Judas in order to bring the number back to twelve. According to Peter's criteria in Acts, chapter one, the person chosen must be one who has been with them since the beginning, since the time of John the Baptist. This probably means that the candidates were to be from the larger circle of disciples referred to as The Seventy. Lots were drawn and Matthias was chosen. Otherwise little is definitely known about him. He is not mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament.
The 24th commemorates the death of Martin Luther. This is not considered a liturgical festival. Luther died in Eisleben Germany, the town of his birth in the year 1546. The fact that he both was born and died in this town is sort of a coincidence. A year after his birth the family moved to Mansfeld. At the time of his death Luther was only in Eisleben to settle a dispute between the Counts of Mansfeld and Luther's siblings. Luther's father had been a business partner with the counts in copper mining and the operation of smelters. The counts wanted to deprive the heirs of their interest. The dispute was settled amicably but Luther succumbed to a previous heart condition while in Eisleben. His body was transported back to Wittenberg and was buried beneath the pulpit of the Castle Church, the door of which had nailed his Ninety-five Theses twenty nine years earlier. This was the event that led to the Lutheran Reformation
January
As Pastor Dobberstein mentioned in the December Grapevine the church recognizes this day as the Feast of the Circumcision and Name of Jesus. The name itself, "Jesus" is the Greek version of Joshua and the meaning is "savior". As Joshua followed after Moses, Jesus followed all the laws that God had given Moses and was circumcised on the seventh day. As Pastor pointed out last month Jesus fulfilled the law so that we would no longer have to. Before Jesus was born the angel had said to Joseph, "she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." Mark 1:21
The next is the Feast of The Confession of St. Peter on the 18th of January. This commemorates the incident in which Christ asked his disciples, "who do the people say I am". They report various answers such as John the Baptist, Elijah or one of the prophets. Christ asks, "but who do you say I am". Peter answered, "you the Christ, the Son of the living God". The name Christ is Greek for Messiah - the Anointed One. Christ replies ".... I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church". Peter is Greek and Latin for rock and a translation of Peter's Aramaic/Hebrew name Cephas. This play on words by Christ has been used by the Roman Catholic Church to claim that Peter's successors in the church at Rome, the Popes are the corner stone of the church. Actually the rock referred to by Jesus is Peter's statement of faith.
On the 24th is The Feast of Saint Timothy. Timothy was the son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother. We gather from St. Paul's writings that his mother, Eunice and Grandmother, Lois had become Christians. Timothy had been well instructed as a child in the Old Testament. Paul trained him for the ministry and he accompanied Paul on several of his missionary journeys. Paul left him in charge of the church at Ephesus. Paul wrote two epistles to Timothy. In the first he instructs Timothy how to lead the church at Ephesus and to combat false teachings. In the second he wants to strengthen the church during this time of persecution by the emperor Nero. He was writing to the Ephesian church through Timothy. He also asked Timothy to visit him during his imprisonment at Rome. Paul was alone except for the company of Luke. Timothy is believed to have been killed by a mob as he tried to interfere with a pagan celebration.
On the 25th is The Conversion of Saint Paul. The event that this day commemorates is so familiar that it hardly needs much comment. He was given a commission by the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem to go to Damascus to persecute the Christians in that city. On his way he was struck down blind by a vision of Christ who asked him why he was being persecuted. Although not one of the twelve disciples, after this direct revelation from Christ he went on to be a tireless mission worker and wrote more of the New Testament than any other writer.
On the 26th is The Feast of St. Titus. Like Timothy, Titus was converted by Paul. He was a gentile. Although not mentioned in the Book of Acts, we know from other references that he was an active participant in some of Paul's missionary activities. Paul left him in charge of the church on the Island of Crete. Later he worked along the Dalmatian coast (today's Croatia). Paul wrote one epistle to Titus while Titus was at Crete, basically recapping the message of Christ. It is believed he died a natural death at the age of 95. In some church calendars Timothy and Titus, Paul's two helpers, are commemorated on the same day, January 26th.
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December
Continuing with my coverage of the minor festivals of the church is difficult in December. Most of the month we observe Advent, the preparation for the coming of Christ into the flesh and, of course, Christmas Day itself closely followed by New Years. However, there are several of note in the month.
The first is that of St Thomas. We know that he was a twin by his nickname Didymas. We do not know who his twin brother or sister was. He is best known for doubting the reports of Christ's resurrection and, in general, comes across as pessimistic and skeptical. However, when Christ appears to him he states unequivocally, "my Lord and my God". Thomas was the only one of the twelve apostles to be active outside the Roman Empire. He established the church in Babylon, meaning the area that today is Iraq, parts of Syria and Iran. Although these areas are Muslim today they were solidly Christian for many centuries before the invasion by Arab Muslims. A few Christians remain to this day. Thomas is also credited with establishing the Mar Thomas church in southern India that existed there for centuries before the coming of Western missionaries.
The next three observances are three consecutive days after Christmas - St. Stephen, Martyr on the 26th, St. John Apostle and Evangelist on the 27th and the Holy Innocents on the 28th. Years ago, Pastor Smith gave a sermon on the Sunday after Christmas regarding these three remembrances. In his sermon he distinguished between martyrs in will and in fact.
Stephen was both a martyr in will and in fact. He had been put on trial by the Sanhedrin for preaching in the temple. During his trial he said, referring to Christ, Behold, I see the heaven opened and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. For that he was condemned to death for blasphemy and stoned by a mob. Saul (who later became the apostle Paul) held the coats of those who stoned him. He was the first martyr of the church and a martyr in both will and in fact. As he died he followed Christ's example at Calvary and prayed for his murders, "Lord do not hold this sin against them".
St. John, the disciple, apostle, and evangelist is too well know to need any introduction. As writer of the Gospel that bears his name he is noted more for explaining who Christ is than for giving a detailed account of all of Christ's activities. A greater portion of his Gospel relates Christ's last days and hours and what he told his disciples during that period. He emphasizes Christ's divinity - "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us". The favorite passage of the New Testament, John 3:16 is found in his Gospel - "for God so loved the world that whoever believes in him shall not die but have everlasting life". He is also the writer of three short Epistles and the Book of Revelation. During the persecutions under the Emperor Domitian when many Christians died John was "lucky" in only being exiled to the island of Patmos. The only disciple not to suffer a martyrs death, he can be called a martyr in spirit, willing to give his all but not a martyr in fact.
Holy Innocents refers to those boy babies who were slaughtered by Herod's soldiers after he perceived that the Wise Men were not coming back with news of the newborn king whom he thought to be his potential rival. It is estimated that there were probably no more that about five male children under the age of two years in a town of Bethlehem's size. These children were martyrs in fact, having died in place of our Savior but obviously not martyrs by will.
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November
In the past several newsletters I have written about some of the minor feasts and festivals of our church year. The most significant day in November is a major festival, All Saints' Day, which falls on the 1st of November but is frequently observed the Sunday after. At the end of the month is a minor festival, the Feast of St. Andrew on November 30th.
Andrew was at first a disciple of John the Baptist along with John, who later would be called an apostle. When John the Baptist proclaimed of Jesus, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" Andrew recognized Jesus as the Messiah. He and John became disciples of Christ. Andrew also brought his brother, Simon (Peter) and Philip to be disciples of Jesus.
Although he is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles not much is known of his missionary activities. He was probably active in Greece for some time since the most reliable accounts say that he was crucified in Patras. Legend has it that he was crucified on an X shaped cross. This cross has found its way several flags or coats of arms, most notable that of Scotland. With the union of Scotland and England it was combined with the English cross of St. George to form the familiar Union Jack.
The collect for the observance of St. Andrew reads: Almighty God, by your Grace the apostle Andrew obeyed the call of Your Son to be a disciple, Grant us also to follow the same Lord Jesus Christ in heart and life, who lives with You and the Holy spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
Martin Luther was born on November 10th, 1483. His birthday does not find its way into our liturgical calendar. He was baptized the following day, November 11. Because of a high rate of infant mortality people had their children baptized as soon as possible. November 11 is the commemoration of St. Martin of Tours and Luther was given the name Martin. Martin of Tours is listed in the commemorations in the Lutheran Service Book.
Martin was a young cavalryman and the son of high-ranking Roman officer. Although Christianity had recently become legal in the Roman Empire most people were still pagan. His parents were against his interest in Christianity. One day Martin saw a naked beggar shivering in the cold. He cut his army cloak in half and gave half to the beggar. This caused him to have a religious experience and he left the killing associated with the profession of soldier and he was baptized. He later became bishop of Tour in the province of Gaul (now France) and was a firm opponent of the several heresies of that day, especially Arianism. He was instrumental in putting an end to heathen practices in the area around Tours and in converting the inhabitants to Christianity.