Our Saviour Parish News, December, 2021



OUR SAVIOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH

3301 The Alameda
Baltimore, MD 21218
410.235.9553
DECEMBER, 2021

CHRISTMAS AT OUR SAVIOUR

CHRISTMAS EVE—FESTIVAL DIVINE SERVICE, 7:30 PM
CHRISTMAS DAY—FESTIVAL DIVINE SERVICE, 10:00 AM

SAINT STEPHEN’S DAY (SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26)
DIVINE SERVICE, 11:00 AM
NEW YEAR’S EVE—DIVINE SERVICE, 7:30 PM

EPIPHANY (THURSDAY, JANUARY 6)
FESTIVAL DIVINE SERVICE, 7:30 PM

Sunday School and Bible Class will not meet on December 26 or January 2.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This will now be the second Christmas celebrated during the COVID pandemic which still—alas—has not come to an end. I recently heard from an apparently reliable source that there now is evidence that one third of all who have stopped coming to church will probably never return. Although this is far from certain, it is disturbing; and I doubt that there is any easy remedy for the situation. I am, however, certain that this pandemic has only uncovered and made worse some already long-standing problems. Among them is the fact that we now live in a world where, not only is church attendance no longer a cultural expectation, but the neglect of worship on the Lord’s Day has also become common even among practicing Christians. There are all kinds of reasons for this, but we utterly deceive ourselves if we fail to realize that this sad neglect of worship on the Lord’s Day and on the festivals of the Christian Year is caused—among other things—by three enemies of Christ: By a world which does not know Him, by our own sinful human nature, and by the devil. These three malign forces have always fought against Christ and His Church and they will continue to do so until on the Last Day the risen Lord comes in glory to judge the living and the dead.

On every Lord’s Day and on every festival the Savior Himself graciously invites us to a rich banquet in which He mysteriously yet truly feeds us with His precious body and blood: The price of our redemption, the pledge of the resurrection, holy communion with Him and with all who together share in this heavenly feast of love and joy. But like the invited guests who made excuses in the parable the Savior told of the great wedding feast (Matthew 22:1-14), there are so many who ignore His gracious invitation and make light of it! Beloved, these things ought not so to be!

Christmas is the great festival of the Incarnation: Of God come in the flesh for our salvation. In his splendid book, The Conservative Reformation and its Theology, Charles Porterfield Krauth (1823–1883), the greatest English-speaking Lutheran theologian of the 19th century, had this to say about the Sacrament of the Altar:

The glory and the mystery of the incarnation combine there as they combine nowhere else. Communion with Christ is that by which we live, and the Supper is “the Communion.”

In the English-speaking world we call the festival of the Nativity of our Lord “Christmas” which means “Christ’s Mass.” The “Mass” is quite simply the service of the Holy Communion: The very heart and center of our celebration of Christmas is our Christmas Communion in which we find in the hallowed bread and cup the Savior whom the shepherds found “wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” If you are in fact unable to come to church, I will be happy to bring Christmas Communion to you at home. You need only e-mail me charlesmcclean42@gmail.com or call me at (410) 554–9994. And do contact me if you are in need of a ride to church. I will see to it that you have one; you need only ask. Remember that all our services are livestreamed at Our Saviour Baltimore Facebook for those who are unable to come to church.

The decoration of the church for Christmas will take place following Divine Service on December 19, the Fourth (and Last) Sunday in Advent. Many hands make light work!

Judy Volkman reminds us that it is again time to order poinsettias to either remember or honor loved ones. The price is still $10 each, and the payments need to be made to Judy by Sunday, December 19. Order envelopes may be found in the back of the church. Judy also reminds us that offering envelopes for 2022 are available in the back of the church. Please be sure you pick up yours, but don’t use them until January!

Be sure to read Works of Mercy at the end of this newsletter. Quilla Downs fills us in on our efforts to reach out at Thanksgiving and Christmas to needy families in our community by providing them with Aldi’s Gift Cards. If you wish to contribute to this effort, be sure to mark your check Aldi’s Gift Cards. Quilla also tells us about the work of the Helping Up Mission which we have supported for many years. As we support these works of mercy, we are mindful of the Savior’s words: “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40).

This Christmas we will again hear the bells in our tower! From December 13th through December 16th the McShane Bell Company will be replacing the mechanism that rings them. In the new year there will be an occasion on which we will rededicate the bells to the glory of God. We plan to do this on Sunday, February 27, the last Sunday before Lent begins.

The wise men offered to the Christ Child their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In the familiar Christmas carol, “We Three Kings of Orient Are”, we find the words: “Frankincense to offer have I, incense owns a deity nigh.” In the liturgy for Vespers the Church has from ancient times prayed, “Let my prayers be set forth before Thee as incense…” (Lutheran Service Book, page 231; The Lutheran Hymnal, page 42). Incense has been used in Christian worship since ancient times and in fact continued in use in the early Lutheran Church. In his Order of Mass and Communion for the Church in Wittenberg, published in 1523, Dr. Luther mentions its use. As late as the year 1619 it was still in use at the Lutheran Cathedral Church of Saint Catherine and Saint Maurice in Magdeburg and was in use at Christmas Matins in the Duchy of Weimar. The revival of its use in some churches of our Synod can be dated back to the 1930s. We will be using it here in church on five days in the Church Year: On Christmas morning, on Epiphany (January 6), on Easter Eve, and on Ascension Day and Pentecost. Incense is of course a symbol of our prayers ascending to God.

Our Sunday morning Bible class is continuing its study of the book of the prophet Micah. Dr. Luther spoke of the Scriptures as “the cradle in which Christ is laid”: Christ is the Real Content of the entire Bible, both the Old and the New Testament. Come join us! We meet at 9:45 AM.

Be sure to remember in your prayers all those for whom our prayers are desired: James Bauman, Louis Bell, Dana Carmichael, Lucille Carmichael, Maggie Doswell, Albert Ford, Frank Ford, Iris Ford, Yolanda Ford, Sean Fortune, Helen Gray, Queenie Hardaway, Gloria Jones, Althea Masterson, Chris Mokris, Eric Phillips, Joseph and Julia Silver, Lawrence Smallwood, George Volkman, Dennis Watson, Gary Watson. Maggie Doswell is still at the Cedia Health Center, 4922 LaSalle Road, Hyattsville, MD 20782. Yolanda Ford is still at Future Care, 1046 North Point Road, Baltimore, Maryland 21224. Louis Bell is at Autumn Lake Health Care, 7 Sudbrook Lane, Pikesville, MD 21208. Sending cards is a way of showing that we have not forgotten them.

As we approach Christmas let us continue in prayer for one another and for our city and state and nation; for the whole church and for the whole world. These Advent days are a time when we not only prepare to remember our Savior’s birth but also prepare for His coming again at the Last Day to be our judge. Keeping in mind that each one of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, we are especially conscious of the fact that our whole life as Christians must be one of repentance: Of turning from sin, embracing God’s mercy and walking in newness of life. I look forward to seeing you at the altar rail for your Christmas Communion.

Affectionately in our Lord,

Pastor McClean

WORKS OF MERCY

Many thanks to our church membership and friends of our congregation for donations towards our annual Thanksgiving and Christmas Gift Card program. This year the referral list of families increased to 15 from last year’s 11. This year, we were unable to match last year’s $70 gift cards. But despite the increase in the number of families and the lack of funds from our Soup Suppers, we were still able to purchase 15 gift cards of $30 each from Aldi’s. Thanksgiving wishes and Aldi’s Gift Cards were sent to the families by mail on November 16, 2021. We continue to collect monetary donations for our Christmas gift cards. If you plan to make a donation for Christmas, please make your monetary gift by Sunday, December 12, 2021. Any donations made by check should be made out to the church with the notation “gift cards” in the memo.

Our recent delivery to Helping Up Mission included the usual staples: Socks, underwear, deodorant, soap, foot powder, towels, toothpaste and brushes, etc. In addition to these grooming items, Judy Volkman donated men’s pants, coats and various other men’s apparel left over from the summer giveaway. All items were of good quality, clean and gently used.

The Helping up Mission has opened its doors of opportunity to women and children. The Center for Women & Children will offer a yearlong recovery program provided free of cost to women and their children. As women enter the center, they all receive a package with toiletries, towels, books to support spiritual growth, and nice, clean donated clothes. The facility offers an on-site primary healthcare and wellness clinic, workforce development and job training, professional clinical mental health and substance abuse counseling, pastoral care, art and music therapy, and much more. To the extent that you are able, please include in your giving gifts of clothing and grooming for the female residents and their children.

Again, many thanks for your generous donations to the Thanksgiving and Christmas outreach programs and for the loose change which you drop in the Poor Boxes. The collected change goes towards purchase of grooming items for the residents of the Mission.

—Quilla Downs

Our Saviour Pariish News, November, 2021



OUR SAVIOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH

3301 The Alameda
Baltimore, MD 21218
410.235.9553
NOVEMBER, 2021

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

November 1st is All Saints Day. We will keep this great festival of the Christian Year on the following Sunday. This festival brings to mind some words of Pastor Wilhelm Loehe (1808–1872) who for many years served as pastor in Neuendettelsau but whose labors proved to be a blessing far beyond that little Bavarian village. The Father Founder of our own Synod, Pastor Ferdinand Walther (1811–1887), once said that our own Synod owes more to Pastor Loehe than to any other human being. In his Three Books Concerning the Church Pastor Loehe has this to say: “We are born for fellowship. The Lord did not make the earth for one man nor heaven for one man. The divine fellowship is the Church of God, the communion of saints. In my pilgrimage through this dark vale I am not alone. The Church is an eternal fellowship here and hereafter.” On the feast of All Saints we celebrate and give thanks to God for this blessed reality, remembering especially all those who have loved and served Him in this world and now rest in His nearer presence. Here at Our Saviour it has long been the custom to remember especially fellow members of this congregation who have fallen asleep in the Lord since last All Saints Day. This year we remember our dear sister in Christ, Dorothy Bell, who entered eternal rest this past January. May the Light perpetual ever shine upon her.

On All Saints Sunday we will for the first time use the new white frontal—altar cloth—which now replaces the one that had been in use here since at least the 1940s. The old frontal had begun to fall apart and could not be repaired. The new frontal is like the old one decorated with blue and gold orphreys—decorative vertical panels of fabric—and with two pieces of embroidery from the old frontal: a decorative cross and what appear to be the letters I H S. These letters are actually the first three letters of the name of Jesus in the Greek language: iota, long e, sigma. The frontal has been made by Davis d’Ambly of Philadelphia. He is unquestionably one the finest ecclesiastical artists of the present day; examples of his work can be seen at his website: liturgicalartist.com.

This month of November will see the replacement of the mechanism which rings the eighteen bells in the church tower. Many people have contributed to this effort. We are now able to complete this project because of a very generous gift from Doug and Beth Skinner of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, who are friends of Our Saviour Church. And we all owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Mary Techau who has done so much work to make this happen!

In the October newsletter I neglected to mention that the Church Council has decided to begin an organ fund. We are of course blessed with a fine Moeller organ which was built when this church was dedicated in 1930 and rebuilt in 1988. But like all organs it requires ongoing attention and care. There are some things that need to be done now and others that can be done when funds are available. If you wish to contribute to the organ fund, simply write a check to the church and mark it “organ fund.”

Family Day was certainly a happy occasion. We had the best attendance we’ve had since Family Day last year. On the same day we were able to welcome a mobile vaccination clinic of the Baltimore City Health Department which was also here on Sunday, October 24th. In making space available for this effort we have been able to help our neighbors in this difficult time.

Our Sunday morning Bible Class has finally finished its study of the Gospel according to Saint Mark and has begun to study the book of the prophet Micah. We meet at 9:45 AM. Questions are welcome. Come and join us!

It seems as if I have much the same thing to say every year as Thanksgiving Day comes around: When I was a boy, the churches were filled, but that was a very long time ago. Nowadays it seems as if most people feel no need to be present in God’s House at Thanksgiving. But is it really too much to expect that Christian people worship in God’s House on our national day of Thanksgiving? I suspect that question answers itself. “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come!” (Lutheran Service Book, hymn 892) Like all our evening services, Thanksgiving Eve Vespers is at 7:30 PM.

The last Sunday in November is Advent Sunday, which is the beginning of the Advent season and the beginning of the new Church Year. The word “Advent” means “Coming,” and during this season the Church has always considered the three-fold Coming of our Lord: His coming in lowliness at Bethlehem, His daily coming in His holy Word and Sacraments, His coming in glory at the Last Day to judge the living and the dead. It is of course no secret that for many years now the holy season of Advent has been eclipsed by the frenzied “holiday season” which knows nothing of the necessary spiritual preparation for the Christmas festival. As human beings, we are (among other things) creatures of habit. Church attendance is (among other things) also a habit. Everyone knows that bad habits have a life of their own whereas good habits require effort! If during this Church Year now drawing to its close you have been negligent in joining your fellow Christians for Divine Service on the Lord’s Day, I strongly recommend that you use the arrival of the new Church Year as an opportunity to recover the good habit of worship every Lord’s Day. Worship on the Lord’s Day is a happy privilege because every Lord’s Day is a celebration of Christ’s Resurrection in which is all our hope.

Remember in your prayers James Bauman, Louis Bell, Dana Carmichael, Lucille Carmichael, Maggie Doswell, Albert Ford, Frank Ford, Iris Ford, Yolanda Ford, Sean Fortune, Helen Gray, Queenie Hardaway, Gloria Jones, Althea Masterson, Chris Mokris, Eric Phillips, Joseph and Julia Silver, Lawrence Smallwood, George Volkman, Dennis Watson, Gary Watson. Maggie Doswell continues to recover at Cedia Health Care Center, 4922 LaSalle Road, Hyattsville, MD 20782. During a recent visit she told me how much she appreciates the cards Our Saviour’s people have sent to her. Frank Ford’s daughter, Yolanda, continues to recover at Future Care, 1046 North Point Road, Baltimore, MD 21224. Louis Bell is now living at Autumn Lake Healthcare, 7 Sudbrook Lane, Pikesville, MD 21208.

We continue to livestream our services; we must thank Richard Brown for making this happen. Never hesitate to contact me via telephone (410) 554–9994 or email charlesmcclean42@gmail.com if you wish to receive the Sacrament at home or if you would like me to visit or just have a friendly chat. Please remember me in your prayers: you are in mine.


Pastor McClean

WORKS OF MERCY

Although we are not having Free Flea markets over the colder months, we are still collecting items for next spring. We need both men’s and women’s summer clothes, jewelry, and household items. We did receive books and some other assorted items from Holy Cross Lutheran on Loch Raven Blvd. These were not sold at their Yard Sale on October 9 and they kindly donated them to us. Donations can be dropped off at the church.

—Judy Volkman

91st Anniversary of the Dedication of the Our Saviour Church Building

OSLC front Holga-ish91st Anniversary of the Dedication of the Our Saviour Church Building

October 3, 2021AD
Rev. Lucas Witt
Immanuel Lutheran, Baltimore, MD

Old Testament: I Kings 8:22-30
Epistle: Revelation 21:1-5
Gospel: Luke 19:1-10

Click here to listen and subscribe to Pastor McClean’s sermons on iTunes.

Our Saviour Parish News, October, 2021



OUR SAVIOUR LUTHERAN CHURCH

3301 The Alameda
Baltimore, MD 21218
410.235.9553
OCTOBER, 2021

FAMILY DAY
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3
91ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEDICATION OF THE CHURCH
FESTIVAL DIVINE SERVICE
(followed by luncheon)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, You may remember the familiar story of Jacob’s dream in which he saw a ladder reaching from earth to heaven with the angels of God ascending and descending on it. When Jacob awoke from sleep he exclaimed, “Surely the Lord is in this place I did not know it. How awesome is this place! This is none other than the House of God and this is the Gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:16,17). Jacob’s words, “The House of God and Gate of Heaven,” appear on the sign in front of our church building and also in the Sunday bulletin to bear witness to the truth that a church building is in fact a holy place where God comes to us through His Word and Sacraments, especially in the Sacrament of the Altar where our crucified and risen Lord is present in His holy body and precious blood. Here we truly meet and receive Him, and here we worship “with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven”—as has been said in every celebration of the Holy Eucharist from time immemorial.

On Sunday, October 3rd, we will celebrate the 91st anniversary of the dedication of our church building. Our guest preacher will be the Rev. Lucas Witt, who is the associate and missionary pastor at Immanuel Church on Loch Raven Boulevard. Since it was a group of laymen from Immanuel Church, then on south Caroline Street, who in 1892 founded this congregation, it is fitting that one of Immanuel’s pastors will be the preacher for this anniversary. October 3rd is also Family Day, and as usual lunch will be served after the Divine Service. So that we can know how many expect to join us for lunch, please call Bernie Knox at (410) 355–3744 if you plan on being with us. Last year we had the best attendance we’d had since the beginning of the pandemic, and we hope that we will have a good attendance again this year. And do remember that it is not only our duty as Christians to be present for Divine Service every Lord’s Day, it is also our privilege—and our joy!

We recently learned that the McShane Bell Company hopes to have our tower bells back in working order by Thanksgiving. It would certainly be wonderful to have them ringing again as we celebrate Christmas!

This year the last Sunday in October is Reformation Day. In the Ninety-five Theses—those propositions for debate among Christian theologians which Dr. Luther posted on October 31, 1517, the Eve of All Saints’ Day—there are two which wonderfully point to the heart of Dr. Luther’s faithful witness to the truth. The first thesis reads: “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent,’ he meant that the whole life of Christians should be one of repentance.” And the sixty-second thesis reads: “The true treasure of the Church is the most holy Gospel of the glory and grace of God.” Like Saint John the Baptist, Dr. Luther points to Christ saying: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)” The Church called Lutheran invites all Christians to see all Christian doctrine and life in the light of that blessed, saving truth as found in the Word of God and confessed by Christ’s one holy Church. Dr. Luther invented no new religion, but recalled the Church to unity in the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3). Reformation Day always comes as a call to repentance for our own sins of indifference and neglect, and also as an occasion for thanksgiving and for prayer that God would preserve us in the truth of the Gospel. How we need to join our Lutheran forbears in praying:

Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide,
For round us falls the eventide.
O let your Word, that saving light
Shine forth undimmed into the night.

In these last days of great distress
Grant us, dear Lord, true steadfastness
That we keep pure till life is spent
Your holy Word and Sacrament.

Remember in your prayers all those for whom our prayers are desired: James Bauman, Louis Bell, Dana Carmichael, Lucille Carmichael, Maggie Doswell, Albert Ford, Frank Ford, Iris Ford, Yolanda Ford, Sean Fortune, Helen Gray, Queenie Hardaway, Gloria Jones, Althea Masterson, Chris Mokris, Joseph and Julia Silver, Lawrence Smallwood, George Volkman, Dennis Watson, Gary Watson. Maggie Doswell continues to recover at Cedia Healthcare, 4922 LaSalle Road, Hyattsville, MD 20782. Frank Ford’s daughter Yolanda remains at Future Care, 1046 North Point Road, Baltimore, MD 21224. Louis Bell, the husband of the late Dorothy Bell, is living at Autumn Lake Healthcare, 7 Sudbrook Lane, Pikesville, MD 21208. Sending a card is a good way to let them know that they remain in our thoughts and prayers.

Remember that our services are livestreamed at Our Saviour Facebook on Sundays at 11 AM. Remember that I am always glad to bring the Sacrament to anyone who is unable to come to church. Never hesitate to call me at (410) 554–9994 or to email me at charlesmcclean42@gmail.com. As Christians have from earliest times we pray for the needs of the whole Church and the whole world at the Divine Service on the Lord’s Day. It goes without saying that we should also do so in our own prayers at home, especially in this time when the need is everywhere so great. Do remember me in your prayers as you are in mine. The Lord’s people are in the Lord’s house every Lord’s Day.

Affectionately in our Lord,


Pastor McClean

WORKS OF MERCY

Free Flea Market: Attendance in 2021 has picked up from the previous year. We hosted 106 individuals who received 1025 items. Since we began this outreach in 2014, we have touched the lives of 1144 people and distributed 8208 items to them. At the outset, there were 24 volunteers assisting; in 2021 there were 9 faithful members who came to assist on the second Saturday of the month, May through September. Outstanding for a small Congregation!

There were a number of “new” visitors who came in September and so we will continue this outreach to the community next year, starting in May. The inventory from this year has been donated to Orphan Grain Train. So we need to restock with new items for next year. Adult clothing, shoes, and household items are needed. Donations can be dropped off at the church. or let Judy Volkman know if you need something to be picked up. She can be reached at (410) 377–8833 or judy.volkman@verizon.net.

Helping Up Mission: Our Saviour has been supporting them also since 2014. Our donations have been small, but it all adds up. A recent flyer received from them told of the impact that donations have made: 998 men and women served, 139,561 bed nights of shelter, and 415,000 full meals served. They are certainly filling a great need in Baltimore. We continue to collect personal care items for them, and well as donating many dress slacks and shirts for men from our inventory from the Free Flea Market.

—Judy Volkman

Again this year, Our Saviour Church will be providing Aldi’s Gift Certificates to needy families. We give the certificates at both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Please mark on your check memo line or on an accompanying note any funds donated toward these gift certificates. Generally we use the offering taken at our Lenten Soup Suppers to help support our food gift certificates; this year we had to forego Soup Suppers due to COVID.

Last Thanksgiving we distributed 10 Aldi’s Gift Certificates for $30 each and, because of a generous donation at Christmas, we were able to give 11 Certificates for $70 each. We thank you in advance for your gifts for the 2021 Aldi’s gift certificates.

—Bernie Knox