Advent Lutheran Church - Mentor, OH - Pastor's Corner

Advent Season (4 weeks) Christmas Season (12 Days), Epiphany Season (January 6th, lasting for 6-7 Sundays)

Since this newsletter covers two months and three seasons in the Liturgical year, my article will highlight and share some of the themes and plans for our worship/spiritual life together.   There are three distinct seasons of the CHURCH year, (which is a regular cycle follows the life of Christ, our Salvation History and what it means to be a disciple of Christ).   Advent 1 begins the new church year... the year of St. Luke (in the 3 year Lectionary series)!

The season of Advent has changed liturgically over the past three hymnals (SBH, LBW and ELW).   The Season of Advent is four weeks (in direct contrast to what "secular" society dictates that Christmas begins in Sept and ends on December 25th).   The SBH (Service Book and Hymnal) had the old liturgical year with named Sundays, usually in Latin.   The season of Advent was understood as a penitential season, with purple being the color of the four week liturgical season.   The advent wreath’s four candles were three purple and one pink.   The LBW (Lutheran Book of Worship) rediscovered, to differentiate Advent from Lent (Lent being a penitential seasons) the color of blue for Advent.   This coming from the Scandinavian Tradition.   Blue is the color of Hope.   The LBW had two options for Advent: Purple or Blue; the ELW (Evangelical Lutheran Worship) only has blue.   The advent wreath therefore corresponds to the liturgical color of the season.   There are a variety of names of each of the four candles.   It is dependent upon what the appointed lessons, prayer of the day and the sermons themes chosen by the pastor to bring to the people of God during the Advent season.   Key aspects of Advent include... preparation, hope, waiting, anticipation, expectation... vs. instant gratification... four days ago, which is the constant tension between the two.   The challenge of Advent is to take a fresh approach each year focusing on the basics.    This, in light of the pressures of secular society we experience during this season.   Advent and Christmas are spiritual matters!

The use of a so called "Christ Candle" is not part of the historical origins or purpose of the Advent Wreath.   The "Christ Candle" is not to be confused with the Paschal Candle (The Candle of the Resurrected Christ).   This is also why another candle, other than the Paschal Candle, is used at Evening Prayer.

Actually, the so called "Christ Candle" is mainly driven by the candle-making companies, whose primary interest is in making money vs. the theological, homiletical and liturgical practices of the Christian church, which are the basic foundations of why we do the things we do in the church!   I was astounded recently to discover a NEW variation with NO historical / theological /or liturgical foundations... three blue candles and one pink?   Just when you think you have seen everything!

This year the Prayers of the Day, The Lessons, Hymns, and the Liturgical Arts, etc., will focus on the introduction of the first phrase of each of the Prayer of the Day...

Stir Up your power, Lord Christ, and come.
Stir Up our hearts, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son.
Stir Up the wills of your faithful people Lord God, and open our ears.
Stir Up your power, Lord Jesus, and come.

Advent is a season that challenges us.   We want to fastforward (we have a tendency to do that during Lent, by passing the fact that our Lord's body hung on the cross for three longs hours) and not wait, and anticipate with an expectant hope.    Advent is a season of tension between already and not yet!

Advent is a time of preparation.   We are preparing for the "coming" of Christ.   We observe three "comings" of Christ: His first coming in a humble birth (nativity), his second coming to reign (parousia), and his weekly (daily) real presence in the word and supper (sacrament).   Already, and not yet, are two significant dynamics of the Advent season.

You could say that Advent is a "wait and slow down" reflective season, in order to prepare our hearts, lives, time and mission, in what the Birth of Christ really means for us and all of humanity!

What is coming?   Who is coming?   What does God have to say to us BEFORE we celebrate the Incarnational Event... THE most precious ultimate life-giving gift... here on earth and eternally... having daily implications 365 days a year for disciples of our Lord?   Epiphany (the 12th Day of Christmas), is Wednesday, January 6th!   We will celebrate the Epiphany (the manifestation of God), with worship at 7:30 PM, preceded by a congregational potluck at 5:30PM!   Let us continue to gather to celebrate the Incarnational Event!

There are two other important and exciting events with our brothers and sisters in Christ at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.   They will be joining us at Saturday, Evening Prayer at 6:00 PM on January 9, preceded by a JOINT potluck at 5:00 PM Pastor Kelley will be preaching, St. Andrew’s Deacon will be assisting and I will be presiding.

On Sunday, January 31st at 7:30 PM Advent Lutheran is invited to join St. Andrews for Candlemass Evensong with a reception following.   Our Choir and St. Andrew’s choir will be participating.   Further information is contained in this newsletter.    I encourage you to read the article that explains Candlemass.

Our Worship life during the Season of Advent, Christmastide (12 days), and Epiphany has been carefully and intentionally planned is full of visuals in order to build up and STIR UP our anticipation levels.   It is hoped that you will remain open in being receptive to what God is saying to us during this time in the church year.

It is hope that we all have open hearts and minds as we come together as brothers and sisters in Christ, during these important seasons of life in the church year.

In Christ,
Pastor Phil Kunder
(December 2009/January 2010)

Please note there is no Pastor's Corner for November

September was a great month at Advent

Rally Day was an AWESOME Worship and Fellowship experience for those in attendance.   My heartfelt MEGA thanks to EVERYONE who together worked hard in making a meaningful Worship experience.

As of the writing of this article, I have been working the phones in getting a group of Leaders from Advent Lutheran to attend an Adult Lay Leadership Event on October 3rd!   Members from Advent attending include three council members, three staff members and five other leaders of in the congregation.   This is a start in promoting healthy leadership within the life and mission of the congregation, which is a goal of our Synod.

The Adult Education classes (on Sundays @ 10:15 - Opening the Book Of Faith; Lutheran Insights into Bible Study and Tuesdays at 7:00PM Adult Study of Martin Luther’s Small Catechism) that I am teaching, are very well attended and are going great.  It's not too late to join in!

Worship on the weekend of October 17th will observe St. Luke, Evangelist.   It is the "tradition" of the church (vs. local "custom"... which are not always the same) that the church offers the Pastoral ministry of the Service of the Word for Healing and Anointing with Eucharist.

"St. Luke is identified by tradition as the author of both Luke and Acts.   Luke is careful to place the events of Jesus’ life in both their social and religious contexts.   Some of the most beloved parables, including the good Samaritan and the prodigal son, are found only in this Gospel.   Luke’s gospel has also given the church some of its most beautiful songs; the Benedictus sung at morning prayer, the Magnificat sung at evening prayer, and the Nunc dimittis sung at the close of the day.   These songs are powerful witnesses to the message of Jesus Christ." (ELW Lesser Festivals).

I, along with the members of Healing Touch, will be offering this primarily pastoral act of the church.   Although in relatively recent times this act has been also extended to lay people to be involved in.

All that we are doing here at Advent Lutheran is in keeping with our Mission... TO KNOW CHRIST AND TO MAKE CHRIST KNOWN ... in addition to our ongoing theme: CHRIST, THE CENTER OF OUR TIME, LIVES AND MISSION!

It is a time of transition, but Discipleship and the mission of the church continues (as previously mentioned in my first article about what occurs during the interim period).

November 1st, ALL SAINTS Sunday, will be OUR Consecration Sunday Celebration!   We will have one service at 11 AM followed by a Thank You Brunch Celebration.   A time for the people of God to continue the process of re-focusing and re-energizing itself during this interim period in preparations for the prayerful calling of your next regularly called Pastor.   Pastor Sandberg, our facilitator during this process along with the NCS Team and elected/appointed leaders of Advent will be preaching on All Saints/NCS!!

God makes all things new!   See what God has done, is doing and will continue to do through his faithful disciples in this community of brothers and sisters in Christ!

May our hearts and minds, our time, lives and mission reflect this!   THANKS BE TO GOD!

In Christ,
Pastor Phil
(October 2009)

CHRIST, THE CENTER OF OUR TIME, LIVES AND MISSION!

"If any want to become my followers, let them
deny themselves and take up their cross daily
and follow me” Luke 9:23

This is OUR theme for September 2009 to September 2010! We begin with gathering all the disciple/members of Advent Lutheran Church to Rally on September 13 at our 11:00 AM worship service (only service that day) to gather with and in the Joy of Christ… our Lord and Savior!

As disciples of our Lord, we come into the presence of God, in worshipping him with ALL our HEART, SOUL and MIND. We celebrate all that God has done for us, is doing for us, and will continue to do for us!

Christ should always be the Center (the very core of our being… of our THOUGHTS, WORDS & DEEDS) of our Time, Lives and Mission!

Time is precious…it is a gift from God.
Life is precious…it is a gift from God.

Mission is our duty and privilege and expectation of our God of those who are the faithful baptized people of God. Our mission was given to each and every baptized person to…Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!

GO and MAKE DISCIPLES!

What does it mean to truly be a disciple of our Lord? It means that we are life-long students of Jesus. We are fed, nourished and sustained in the STUDY of the written Word of God… and nourished and sustained by the tangible Word of God….water, bread and wine.

Our relationship with God is daily lived out through the seven faith practices:

PRAY . . . STUDY . . . WORSHIP . . . INVITE . . . ENCOURAGE . . . GIVE . . . SERVE

Our mission is like the purpose of a cruise ship.   A cruise ship is not a cruise ship… unless it leaves port!   So it is with the church... in order for the church to be the church (the people of God…..disciples of our Lord) WE MUST leave port!

Mission is always living, active and vibrant.   It is an opportunity for the people of God to be the church on earth.

Let us resolve... individually, and as a community of faith to re-focus and to re-energize ourselves and each other on Christ... the CENTER of our Time, Lives and Mission!   Thanks Be to God!

In Christ,
Pastor Phil Kunder

(September 2009)