As I mentioned in the November newsletter the joint midweek Advent services of our circuit of LCMS congregations will be held here at Our Saviour on December 3rd, 10th and 17th at 7:30 P.M. There will be food to nibble beginning at 6:30 P.M. Pastor Bednash of Saint James Church, Pastor Barron of Calvary Church, and Pastor Esser of New Thing will preach. We are all familiar with the story of Christ’s birth as found in chapter 2 of Saint Luke’s Gospel but we are perhaps less familiar with the events leading up to His birth as Saint Luke tells of them in chapter 1 of his Gospel. That entire chapter will be read at these Advent Vespers. December is unquestionably a hectic month, but these Advent services provide a quiet time for meditation and prayer as we approach the Christmas festival.

In the English-speaking world the festival of Christ’s birth is known as Christmas which means “Christ’s Mass.” “Mass” is simply a word which from ancient times has been one of the names for the celebration of the Sacrament in which the Savior feeds us with His “body, born of Mary” – as we sing in the hymn, “O Lord We Praise Thee, Bless Thee and Adore Thee,” (Hymn 617 in the Lutheran Service Book), a hymn which had already been long in use in the church when Dr. Luther urged that churches continue to sing it at celebrations of the Holy Supper. Jesus was born in Bethlehem which means “House of Bread” – we continue to find Jesus in the “House of Bread,” the hallowed bread of the Sacrament. Unless hindered by illness or the need to care for the infirm, every Christian will be eager to come to God’s house and there receive our Lord and Savior as He comes to us in our Christmas Communion. Divine Service is celebrated at 7:30 P.M. on Christmas Eve and at 10:00 A.M.- not 11:00 A.M.! – on Christmas Day. “O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!”

Now is the time to place your order for poinsettias to decorate the church for the Christmas festival. The price is $11 each. Envelopes for ordering them are available in the back of the church and on the piano at the front of the church. All orders and monies are due by Sunday, December 14th.

We will decorate the church for Christmas following the last Divine Service of the Advent season on Sunday, December 21st, the Fourth (and last) Sunday in Advent. Many hands make light work!

In one of the Church’s oldest prayers for Christmas we speak of how God “wonderfully created and yet more wonderfully restored the dignity of human nature.” By taking on Himself the very humanity that is yours and mine, God has bestowed even greater dignity on humanity made in His image. Indifference to the needs of human beings or – even worse – cruelty toward them is a denial of this incomparable dignity first given in creation and made even greater through the coming of God the Son as truly human. Our support of the GEDCO Food Pantry and of the Helping Up Mission is an effort to address the apparently growing problem of hunger and homelessness. We all know that it is very easy to be overwhelmed by the truly desperate need of so many of our fellow human beings throughout the world – including that land where our Savior was born – but each of us can help according to whatever resources God has given us. Remember that you can provide help through our Synod’s Contributor Care Line (888-630-4439) or the secure website: lcms.org/givenow/mercy. You can also send a check to LCMS World Relief and Human Care, PO Box 66861, Saint Louis, MO 63166-6801. Make your check payable to LCMS and mark it for LCMS World Relief and Human Care. And be sure to read what Bernie Knox has to say at the end of this newsletter about the Aldi Gift Cards we provide at Thanksgiving and Christmas for needy families connected with the Waverly School. The deadline for contributions is Sunday, December 7th.

We continue to remember in prayer: Bridget Bauman, James Bauman, Christopher Bell, Bertha Buchanan, Dana Carmichael, Tim Doswell, Quilla Downs, Bunny Duckett, Joyce Eaves, Frank Ford, Iris Ford, Yolanda Ford, Sean Fortune, Lynne Funck, Katherine Gray, Sherry James, Gloria Jones, Byron Masterson, Crista Mohr, Mary Mokris, Elliott Robertson, Julia Silver, Robert Siperek Jr., Lawrence Smallwood, Paul Swank, George Volkman, Gary Watson; Marvalisa, Sierra, Jonathan and Steven Gibson. Yolanda Ford remains at Autumn Lake Healthcare at Perring Parkway, 1801 Wentworth Road, Parkville, MD 212134. Paul Swank has returned home after a lengthy hospitalization and aftercare.

From ancient times the Church Year has begun with the Advent season of preparation for Christmas. As one year ends and another begins we are conscious of the passing of time. I remember when the year 2000 seemed to be far away, yet here we are completing the first quarter of the 21st century! None of us knows what the future holds, but we know the One who holds the future in His nail scarred hands – as we sing in Charles Wesley’s great Advent hymn about the coming again in glory of the One who came in great humility, “Lo! He Comes With Clouds Descending”:

Those dear tokens of His passion
   Still His dazzling body bears,
Cause of endless exaltation
   To His ransomed worshipers.

With what rapture gaze we on those glorious scars!

Gazing on those scars, let us also remember the words of the poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321): “In His will is our peace.” In the peace of Him who was born to be our Savior we shall celebrate a truly merry Christmas and happily welcome the Year of our Lord 2026.

Affectionately in our risen Lord,

Pastor McClean

Aldi Gift Certificates

Again this year OSLC are providing Aldi’s Gift Certificates to needy families at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Please indicate on your check memo line or in an accompanying note that the funds are designated for those Gift Certificates. We also use the collections taken at our Lenten Soup Suppers to help support our Food Gift Certificates. In 2024, combining the Soup Supper donations and congregational donations, we were able to provide 12 families with a $90 certificate for Thanksgiving and a $75 gift certificate at Christmas, Our four Soup Suppers this year yielded a total of $275 to begin our Gift Certificate Fund.

The deadline for giving for the Christmas Gift Cards is Sunday, December 7. Our Offering Counters count every two weeks and we need time to mail the cards and let the recipients know the amount of the Gift Cards so they can plan for their holiday meals.

These gifts allow us to assist those less fortunate than ourselves in providing for their families at holidays which reminds us to be thankful for all the Lord has given us and especially to celebrate God’s greatest gift of all – the birth of our Savior Jesus.

– Bernie Knox

Thrivent ‘Feed the Northeast – 2025’ Food Drive

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans sponsored a food drive again this year to help stock local food pantries. The project was to gather 500 food/toiletry items and the first 100 teams that qualified would then be eligible to receive a $500 donation for their food bank. The challenge took place from Oct. 1-31st. Even though we got a late start and came very close to the 500 total, Thrivent still sent a check for $500 to the Gedco food bank.

Many members of Our Saviour came together with hundreds of food items. Many thanks to all who participated! Our Saviour continues to support the Gedco food pantry throughout the year.

– Mary Techau