Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
I was very pleased to hear that St. Paul is renewing publication of its quarterly parish newsletter after a time of hiatus! That’s great as it’s a wonderful way to communicate with not only the members of St. Paul, but also to serve as a “voice” to reach others who are not members of the church! I was also honored to be asked to contribute a note to the congregation in this first-in-quite-a-while newsletter. Thank you for asking me!
In this upcoming fourth quarter of the calendar year, we will be observing many events within the life of Christ’s Church here on earth.
· The Pentecost Season continues in early October as we continue in the “XX Sundays after Pentecost” in the Church Year calendar. The Pentecost season is sometimes informally known as “the long green season.” That is, of course, because the chancel furnishings (and the pastor’s stole) use green for their color. The appointed readings for each week’s service are intended to teach us, God’s beloved ones, more and more about the faith into which we are Baptized. The green on the chancel furnishings symbolizes “growth” just as a green garden brings forth fruit and vegetables. Through exposure to these portions of Scripture, we Christians “grow” in the faith delivered to us by the Holy Spirit using Word and Sacrament!
· At the very end of October and the first Sunday of November, the Church takes a bit of a break from the green season of Pentecost to observe two festivals. The first will be Reformation Sunday. We who are heirs of the Reformation, will again observe this festival with vigor, awe, and thanksgiving! Yes, we gather to remember that the eternal Gospel of Christ can be “lost” within a group of people through false teaching and attendant unbelief. More than one theologian has rightly said that “the Church is ever reforming.” By that, it is meant that we must always be on the lookout for false teaching and incorrect understanding of God’s Word and “reform” it out of our lives so that we ever and always walk in the “newness of life” in Christ. Red is the color of Reformation. It’s the color of blood, because just as our salvation cost our Savior His lifeblood poured out on Calvary’s Cross, so too must the Church on earth be known as “the Church militant” – ever ready to shed blood for the sake of the pure, unadulterated Gospel of Jesus. That Gospel? We are saved from sin, death, and hell by grace through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection from the dead for our us. Our salvation is a gift of God to us, not through anything that we have done or merited on our own.
· All Saints’ Day will be observed on the first Sunday of November. It’s a very special day for us as we consider all those who have preceded us into the arms of our Lord Jesus and “who from their labors rest” as the great hymn (LSB #677) has us sing. And, of course, within that, we thank God for His promise that through faith in Christ we, too, will join them when our own journey to the heavenly Jerusalem is completed! The Color of the Day for All Saints’ Day is white, which symbolizes the purity of those who “gather around the Lamb in His kingdom” of heaven. Both Reformation Day and All Saints’ Day are loaded with wonderful hymns that beautifully and powerfully augment our worship each of those days!
· Thanksgiving is a day that our nation originally set aside to pause and consider the incredible earthly bounty with which God has blessed our great nation. We within the church certainly consider that aspect of it all; however, we add to it! We also consider what we always do in every aspect of our lives – that our God not only provides for our earthly, material needs but also – and far more importantly – He provides for our utter need for holiness and righteousness through the Cross of our Savior.
· The Season of Advent begins in early December. Within that season of the Church Year, we Christians don’t “take a page out of the book” of the world! The world looks at early December and pronounces it to be “the Christmas season.” Yet, we know it as a time to prepare for the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus! We use those few weeks before December 24th to remember that we are sinners in need of a Savior to come rescue us from our “body of death” as St. Paul says. We also take time to see that the Lord’s promises do come true – although they are fulfilled in His time frame, not ours! The world is impatient, looking only for emotion and things on the surface. Not so for us Christians! We look for – and God shows us – the bigger, deeper, and eternal things to see and believe of what it truly means for God in Christ to enter our world as a mere Baby! The Season of Advent uses Blue for the color of the season. Blue is the color of royalty; for the birth of our Lord is, indeed, the birth of our Savior-King!
· The Christmas Season actually begins at sundown on December 24th, Christmas Eve. Beginning that evening and throughout Christmastide, we kneel at the manger of our Lord Jesus in awe and thanksgiving that He was born for the express purpose to die for us and in our place for our sins of thought, word, and action! White is the color of the Christmas Season. White shows the purity of our sinless Savior and the sinlessness that we now have through our Baptism into His life, death, and eternal life!
The preaching schedule that has been developed has me getting to be with you for a number of these upcoming worship opportunities. For that, I’m very grateful! Yet, I’m confident that all of the pastors who God has raised up to serve St. Paul are equally grateful for the opportunity to proclaim the eternal Gospel to you!
May the Holy Spirit draw us all to faithfully attend these great opportunities that are before us! May He also equip each of you to kindly invite others to join us for these Divine Services. Prayerfully ask God to plant names in your mind to invite and then to also give you the words and courage to extend an invitation to those souls to come with you in order to encounter our Lord Jesus Who loves us (and them!) so very much!
God’s grace and every blessing to you all in Christ Jesus, our Savior!
Pastor Ron Rock
As we enter the last three months of the year, it is a busy time for all – including Social Ministry. Everyone has so many things already filling their calendars and our Social Ministry is no exception.
What is Social Ministry?
· Simply – Serving those in need as our Lord directs us.
What does Social Ministry do?
· Many think, first of all, about the food (gift cards) we provide for those in need throughout the year.
o In the past, we collected food items and money to purchase additional items. Now we collect money and provide gift cards for food to those in need.
· We offer prayers for the families who receive our gifts.
· We listen to those we help about their struggles and worries. We pray with them and assure them God loves them and hasn’t forgotten them.
· In sharing this time with those in need, we are also blessed.
Who is Social Ministry?
· When I was asked to take over Social Ministry, I remembered those who came before me – Hazel, Judy, Sandy, Jean, and Janet – just to name a few.
· While I’m the current Social Ministry chair, we are all part of this ministry. It is our Social Ministry, and I thank you for your continued support.
What can you do to help?
· Thanksgiving is less than 8 weeks away. Please consider giving in the coming weeks to Social Ministry on your envelopes. We would love to have your donations in by November 9th so we can purchase the gift cards and get them to those in need to shop for their Thanksgiving dinners.
· We also help at Christmas time to provide additional gift cards for food. Please plan for your donations to be in by December 14th.
In His Service,
Norma Allen