April 2017
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Don’t Touch Me, Brothers
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The First Easter Message
These famous, brief words from Jesus, “don’t
touch me,” are, according to Martin Luther, “the
first sermon which the Lord Christ preached
after His resurrection, and without a doubt
[are] the most comforting, even though preached
with few words, but with exceedingly kind and
cordial words” (Luther’s
Works
77:23).
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And why aren’t we supposed to touch him? Was it
because he was still sore from the crucifixion?
No, it’s because he is ascending to be with his
Father in heaven and so we no longer need to
touch him, serve him, wait on him and anoint
him. Instead we are to tell the good news to our
brothers in the faith that Christ has triumphed.
Being called brothers is “the kindest and most
glorious name.” The comfort in that name will
last our whole life long because it “is too
great and the joy too high, and the heart of man
too small and narrow to attain it” fully (LW
77:24).
And why are they so glorious? It is because they
make certain what Jesus once said: “because I
live, you will live also” (John 14:19). Those
few words are worth taking all the way to the
grave with you! “Because I live, you will live
also.”
Let, then, the seven weeks of Sundays, that the
Church calls the Easter Season, be fully taken
by this first Easter message. Alleluia!
—Pastor
Marshall
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President’s Report…by
Bob Baker
When people join FLCWS they receive a copy of
The Book of
Concord. Ever wonder
Why? Why a
copy of The Book
of Concord? One response can be found in chapter 2
of the Constitution of FLCWS. There it says that “this
congregation accepts,” besides the Unaltered Augsburg
Confession, “the other confessional writings in
The Book of
Concord…. Included is a document called “The
Smalcald Articles.”
The second item on the agenda of the Council Meeting is
a study led by Pastor Marshall of a section of
The Book of
Concord. Currently we are working our way through
The Smalcald Articles. At the Council meeting this month
we discussed section VI, The Sacrament of the Altar.
I appreciate these studies because they help clarify how
we are in agreement with some other Christians and also
how we differ from some denominations. We agree with the
Orthodox and the Roman Catholics that the true body and
blood of Christ Jesus are present in the elements of the
bread and the wine because God says so in His words of
institution. Denominations such as the Methodists, the
Presbyterians, and the Baptists say the body and blood
of Jesus is only really present if the receiving person
believes that is so.
On the other hand, we disagree with the Orthodox and the
Roman Catholics over
how the body
and blood are present. Here the Roman Catholic doctrine
of transubstantiation was contrasted with the Lutheran
teaching that simply says the body and blood are present
because the Word of God says so. You want to know more?
Well, Lutherans say, the body and blood are present in,
with, and under the elements of the bread and wine. It
is a matter for faith to believe, not for worldly reason
to dissect and decipher.
A good discussion took place regarding such
considerations as at what age a baptized person may
receive communion, and who should make the decision for
infants and young children about when they may commune.
At FLCWS, any baptized person may receive the bread and
the wine, and the timing initiative rests with the
parents. One guiding principle is that what happens
should not be done in a way that frightens the child.
Motion to Change the Bylaws
The
only motion acted upon at the March Council Meeting was
the passing of a motion to submit to the congregation at
the 2017 mid-year meeting a motion that would bring the
Bylaws in line with the practice for more than the past
15 years, namely that the Pastoral Review is completed
every two years rather than every
year.
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So regarding Bylaw B13.01.09, the Motion is to
replace the words “an annual” with “a”, and
insert “at least once every two years” after the
word “pastor” at the end of the first sentence.
The first sentence of B13.01.09 would then read:
“The Executive Committee is responsible to
conduct a
review of each pastor
at least
once every two years.” (Italics used to
indicate changes.) The effect of this motion
would be to give the Executive Committee the
discretion to conduct a review every year or
every other year as they deem appropriate.
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From The
Luther Bible of 1534 (complete facsimile
edition). |
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The Reformation at 500
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A Precarious Legacy
By Pastor Marshall
Our fourth installment on the significance of
the Reformation, comes again from Diarmaid
MacCulloch’s award-winning book,
The
Reformation: A History (New York: Penguin,
2003) p. 698. At the end of his book he
describes an unforeseen outcome of the
Reformation:
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So much of the story [of the
Reformation] has not been about unbelief
at all, but sincere and troubled belief.
When children of the Reformation and
Counter-Reformation, and children of the
Jewish Diaspora, turned on the religions
which had bred them, they mostly sought
not to abolish God but to see him in a
clearer light. That was the project of
the many groups in the Netherlands,
England and beyond who… made it their
goal to produce a more rational
Christianity…. Such interests coalesced
with a renewed Protestant mysticism and
personal religion which to begin with,
the ‘magisterial’ Reformation had held
at bay. All that too found its way into
the Enlightenment, and it meant that
much of the Enlightenment was not
anti-Christian at all: it was able to
alter Christianity and open it to ways
of reformulating the questions and
answers which made up Christian belief.
That is why to look at the
eighteenth-century Enlightenment in
England, Scotland or Germany is to see a
movement which was as much an ally of
Protestant Christianity as its
supplanter.
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During this anniversary year, this passage is a
good warning about the mixed legacy of the
Reformation. It’s also a warning about our
ability to size up God’s work among us. So we
must beware of the personal responsibility that
the Reformation championed, for it can easily
turn, as it did, into secular
self-determination.
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Take Heed and Give
In Luke 12:16-21, Jesus tells the parable of the rich
fool. The man is a farmer and God blesses him with a
plentiful harvest. But instead of using the excess to
help those around him, the man builds bigger barns to
store all of it. His plan is to live a life of ease off
his windfall. Yet things don’t go well for him. In verse
20 God curtails the man’s plans, “Fool! This night your
soul is required of you; and the things that you have
prepared, whose will they be? So is he who lays up
treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
In this parable and other teachings, Jesus warns
us about the proper use of our wealth. In verse 15, just
prior to this parable Jesus says, "Take heed and beware
of all covetousness, for a man's life does not consist
of the abundance of his possessions". We are not to
covet the possessions of others, but we also need to
beware of not having a covetousness attitude toward the
things that we normally assume are ours. We should not
regard our wealth strictly ours, but use it to benefit
others. Give money to the church to help it continue in
its proclamation of the Gospel. Give to charitable
organizations locally and abroad that are doing good
things to help those in need. Give to educational
organizations so they can fulfill their mission. Let us
all prayerfully work towards being good stewards of the
things we have been given with an attitude that is rich
towards God.
Peter Douglass, Church Council
Stewardship 2017
Month (February)
Year to date (Jan-February)
Budget
$20,513
$39,706
Received
$18,183
$41,703
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With the Mind:
Readings in Contemporary Theology
3-5 pm in the Church Lounge, Saturday, April 29th
The book for April is
Death Comes for
the Deconstructionist: A Novel (2014) by Daniel
Taylor, university professor, author of many books, and
stylist for the
New Living Translation of the Bible (2006). This
award-winning book for Christian literature (2016) is a
tragicomic mystery, a detective story – exploring
whether or not truth is something we create rather than
discover. In that way it is an elaboration of John 8:32
– you will know the truth and it will make you free.
A copy of this intriguing novel is in the
library. If you would like to purchase one for yourself,
contact Pastor Marshall. Feel free to attend our meeting
when we discuss the function of truth in our life
together.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
WEST SEATTLE FOOD BANK BENEFIT:
The 10th Annual
Instruments of Change
Benefit Dinner
is planned for Saturday evening, May 13th, this year.
There will be a
Happy Hour with games, Liquor Tasting and great items in
our Silent Auction, then
enjoy a 3-Course dinner by Tuxedo and Tennis Shoes with
a dessert dash.
This fundraising event is at the Seattle
Design Center,
5701 6th Ave S.
Tickets: $100 or $1,000 for a table.
WEST SEATTLE HELPLINE:
Get your tickets ASAP on the W.S. Helpline web page to
the very popular and 12th Annual
Taste of West
Seattle on Thursday, May 25th.
This is a true
taste of what West Seattle has to offer in food, wine
and brews.
FOOD BANK DONATION
suggestion for April is baby food and infant formula.
Formula is expensive for young families and much
appreciated.
Cash donations are always welcome.
Designate your check to FLCWS with West Seattle
Food Bank.
Compass Housing
Alliance
needs new or lightly used bath towels.
Donations can be left at the office.
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Ever Consider Being a
Priest
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“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, God’s own people, that you may declare the
wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness
into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
That is a lot to consider. It would be easy to pass over
what is unfamiliar. Like Priesthood. What is that “Priesthood”
notion all about?
Glad you asked, says Martin Luther, whose comments
include the following:
Thus it fares with a Christian: through faith he is so
highly exalted above all things, that he becomes
spiritually lord [king] of them all…. But further,
we are priests,
which is more than kings, for
priesthood makes
us worthy to stand before God and to pray for others.
For it behooves none but priests to stand before God.
Christ gained this privilege for us, so that we might
stand and intercede for one another in spirit… (italics
added).
Thank you, Martin. So we
can pray for
others. But why
do it? Look at the conclusion of the Statement of
Mission for FLCWS. It says, “we bear one another’s
burdens, so that we can provide help in times of
trouble”?
We pray for others so that we bear one another’s burdens
and provide help in times of trouble.
But I usually just pray for myself and my own family.
Who else should I pray for?
Another good question! Look at the Parish Prayers in the
Messenger.
Here are the names of people in need of our prayers.
These are more than just names. These are people with
burdens and troubles. These people
are our
family,
sisters and brothers in Christ.
We priests pray:
Oh Holy Father, I come before You to pray for my sisters
and brothers in need. Strengthen their faith, and mine,
so that as burdens and troubles increase, we may be
reminded that true peace and comfort comes, not from the
passing things of this world, but rather from the
redemption you have accomplished for us through Christ
Jesus our Lord in Whose Name I pray. Amen.
—Bob
Baker
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Job 1.12
Monthly Home Bible Study, April 2017, Number 290
The Reverend Ronald F.
Marshall
Along with our other regular study of Scripture,
let us join as a congregation in this home
study. We will
study
alone then talk informally about the
assigned verses together as we have opportunity.
In this way we can "gather
together
around the Word" even though physically we
will not be getting together (Acts 13.44). (This
study uses the RSV translation.)
We need to support
each other in this difficult project. In 1851
Kierkegaard wrote that the Bible is "an
extremely dangerous book.... [because] it is an
imperious book... – it takes the whole man and
may suddenly and radically change... life on a
prodigious scale" (For
Self-Examination). And in 1967 Thomas Merton
wrote that "we all instinctively know that it is
dangerous to become involved in the Bible" (Opening the Bible). Indeed this word "kills" us (Hosea 6.5) because
we are "a rebellious people" (Isaiah 30.9)! As
Lutherans, however, we are still to "abide in
the womb of the Word" (Luther's
Works 17.93) by constantly "ruminating on
the Word" (LW
30.219) so that we may "become like the Word" (LW 29.155) by thinking "in the way Scripture does" (LW
25.261). Before you study, then, pray: "Blessed
Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be
written for our learning: Grant us so to hear
them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest
them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the
blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have
given us in Our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen"
(quoted in R. F. Marshall,
Making A
New World: How Lutherans Read the Bible,
2003, p. 12). And don’t give up, for as Luther
said, we “have in Scripture enough to study for
all eternity” (LW
75:422)!
Week I.
Read Job 1.12 noting the line
in your
power. Martin Luther thought that these
words were about evil coming to us by God’s
“permission” in order to humble us so that we
might obey him (Luther’s Works 13:135). But was Luther right? On this read
Revelation 12.12 noting the words
woe,
earth
and wrath. Does God send an enraged devil down to earth to torment us?
On this read Matthew 4.1 noting the line
tempted by
the devil. Why would God allow this to
happen to his only begotten Son? Shouldn’t he
have a better life? On this read Hebrews 2.17–18
noting the words
merciful,
expiation, suffered,
tempted,
able and help. How does
this work? On this read Hebrews 4.15 noting the
word sympathize, which implies shared experiences. So if Jesus floated
above the turmoil of life he wouldn’t have cared
enough to help us with it. But because he knew
what we were going through, he cared – he
sympathized with us. But why the tribulation in
the first place? On this read Ecclesiastes 9.18
noting the line
destroys
much good. So when we fall short of God’s
glory in Romans 3.23, tribulation follows.
Week II.
Read again Job 1.12 noting the same phrase
in your
power. What’s that like? On this read 1 John
5.19 noting the line
the whole world is in the power of the evil one. Read also 2
Corinthians 4.4 noting the line
blinded
the minds of the unbelievers. What is it
that we can’t see? On this read Luke 4.5–8
noting the line
all the
kingdoms of the world… have been delivered to
me, and I give them to whom I will. Does
that make all the centers of power in the world
evil? On this read Matthew 13.22 noting the line
the cares
of the world and the delight in riches choke the
word. Read also Luke 16.15 noting the line
what is
exalted among men is an abomination in the sight
of God. Where does that leave us? On this
read Matthew 5.3–12 noting the words
mourn, meek,
hunger
and persecuted. These are all maligned designations. On this read 1
Corinthians 1.26–29 noting the words
foolish,
weak,
low and despised. Note
also the disparaging of
worldly
standards in that passage. Link this with
the phrase
the refuse of the world in 1 Corinthians
4.13. Where does that put us? On this read 1
Peter 2.11 noting the world
exiles
and aliens.
How far out on the cultural, societal edge is
that? Read also John 15.18–19 noting the line
chose you
out of the world. According to John 17.15
this doesn’t mean being
taken out
of the world. It just means not being
of the world. That means not sharing in the dominate value system of
our shared, common life. And what is it made up
of? On this read about acquiring
the image
of God in Colossians 3.5–10 by casting off
fornication,
covetousness,
idolatry, anger,
malice,
slander, foul talk and
lying.
Week III.
Reread Job 1.12 noting that same line
in your
power. If we were to live our lives striving
to avoid the devil’s powerful lines of
influences, how would we do that? How would we
put off the old nature from last week and
replace it with the image of God? On this read
Luke 9.23 noting the phrase
deny
yourself… daily. What’s that like? On this
read John 12.25 about
not loving
your life. What’s an example of that? On
this read Philippians 2.3 noting the line
count
others better than yourselves. But what if
it isn’t true? What then? On this read John 9.39
noting the phrase
become
blind. How does that work? Ignore the
differences.
Week IV.
Read Job 1.12 one last time noting that same
line in
your power. Are there any other ways that we
can steer clear of the devil’s might? On this
read Ephesians 4.32 noting the line
forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you. This is a tall
calling to say the least (Colossians 3.13). It’s
also in the parable in Matthew 18.28–35, and the
Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6.14–15. So what do you
think? Nearly impossible, wouldn’t you say?
What’s left, then? Only self-interest – so if
you don’t forgive as you’ve been forgiven,
you’ll lose it. Sound right? On this read
Hebrews 2.1–4 noting the line
neglecting
so great a salvation. Therefore follow
Romans 12.9 and
hold fast to what is good – keeping John 15.5 in mind all the way,
of course.
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PARISH PRAYERS
Remember in prayer before God those whom He has made
your
brothers and sisters through baptism.
Dorothy Ryder, Mona Ayer, Dean Walter Hard, Marlis
Ormiston, Evelyn Coy, Eileen Nestoss, Leah Baker, Bob &
Barbara Schorn, Tabitha Anderson, Celia Balderston, The
PLU Music Faculty, Jordan Corbin, Margeen & Chris Boyer,
Linda Hagen, Iris Hansen Tate, Nell & Paul Sponheim, The
Rev. Kari Reiten, The Rev. Paul Smith, John Matthiesen,
Therese Mannella, Ion & Galina Ceaicovschi, Nathan Arkle,
Myra Woody, Judy and Dick Earle, David Dahl, Gloria
Cackette, Ellen Juhl, the Alaska House in West Seattle,
those infants and families affected by the Zika virus,
the great migration from the Near East into Europe and
other parts of the world and the mass killings in
London.
Pray for the shut-ins that the light of Christ
may give them joy: Florence Jenkins, C. J. Christian,
Louis Koser, Anelma Meeks, Dorothy Ryder, Lillian
Schneider, Crystal Tudor, Nora Vanhala, Elmer & June
Wittman, Bill Wright.
Pray for our bishops Elizabeth Eaton and Brian
Kirby Unti, our pastor Ronald Marshall, our deacon Dean
Hard and our cantor Andrew King, that they may be
strengthened in faith, love and the holy office to which
they have been called.
Pray that God would give us hearts which find joy
in service and in celebration of Stewardship.
Pray that God would work within you to become a
good steward of your time, your talents and finances.
Pray to strengthen the Stewardship of our
congregation in these same ways.
Pray for the hungry, ignored, abused, and
homeless this April.
Pray for the mercy of God for these people, and
for all in Christ's church to see and help those who are
in distress.
Pray for our sister congregation: El Camino de
Emmaus in the Skagit Valley that God may bless and
strengthen their ministry. Also, pray for our parish and
it's ministry.
Pray that God will bless you through the lives of
the saints: Albrecht Dürer painter, 1528; Dietrich
Bonhoeffer, teacher, 1945; Saint Mark, Evangelist;
Catherine of Siena, teacher, 1380.
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A Treasury of Prayers
Glorious God, give me grace to amend my life,
and to have an eye to my end without begrudging
death, which to those who die in you, good Lord,
is the gate to a heavenly life. Give me a firm
faith, O Lord, and a love of you incomparably
above the love of myself. Give me a longing to
be with you, neither to avoid the calamities of
this world, nor to attain the joys of heaven,
but simply out of love for you. In Jesus’ name I
pray. Amen.
[For
All the Saints III:1144, altered]
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