This month of May brings two festivals of the Christian Year. Thursday, May 9th, is Ascension Day; Sunday, May 19th, is Pentecost which with Christmas and Easter Day is one of the three great festivals of the Church Year. Our Lord ascended into heaven on the fortieth day after His resurrection, and so Ascension Day always occurs on a Thursday. The word Pentecost means “fiftieth”; it is the fiftieth day after Christ’s resurrection. There was a time when both Ascension Day and Pentecost were joyfully celebrated throughout the Christian world. But we have come to a time when here in America Ascension Day passes all but unnoticed – even in most churches – and Pentecost is just another Sunday. In some parts of Europe Ascension Day is still a holiday as is the Monday after Pentecost. But be all that as it may, both of these festivals remain a joyful celebration of the mighty acts of God for our salvation. On Ascension Day we sing:

On Christ’s ascension I now build
The hope of my ascension;
This hope alone has always stilled
All doubt and apprehension;
For where the Head is, there as well
I know His members are to dwell
When Christ will come and call them. (LSB 492)

And on Pentecost we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit by the risen and ascended Lord: “For all this the whole earth rejoices with exceeding joy,” as we pray in the liturgy of the Sacrament on this festival. With the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and their proclamation of God’s saving acts in many languages, the Church begins its mission to the whole world, a mission that continues until the end of time. Through that on-going work of the Holy Spirit through the proclamation of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments, you and I have been brought to Christ and Christ to us. There can be little doubt that we are living in an age of indifference and even growing hostility to Christ and His Church, but there is also no doubt that it is not only our Christian duty but also our privilege as Christians to join together in giving thanks to God for all His mercies and receiving the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ as He comes to us in His Sacrament every Lord’s Day and festival. And so we need to pray fervently in the words of the ancient Pentecost prayer: “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful people and kindle in us the fire of Your love!”

The First Free Flea Market of this year takes place on Saturday, May 11th, from 9:00 A.M.-12:00 Noon. As always we need donations and also volunteers to greet and assist our visitors.

Do remember to bring items for the GEDCO Food Pantry and for the Helping Up Mission. Boxes for both are found inside the door from the parking lot north of the church. Needless to say, the need remains great.

And do remember that you can provide help for suffering people around the world – as  in the Holy Land and Ukraine – through our Synod’s LCMS World Relief and Human Care. You can call our Synod’s Contributor Care Line: (888)930-4438 or you can give online through this secure website: lcms.org/givenow/mercy or you can send a check to LCMS World Relief and Human Care, PO Box 66861, Saint Louis, Missouri 63166-6861. Make your check payable to “The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod” and write “LCMS World Relief and Human Care” on the memo line.

We continue to remember in prayer Bridget Bauman, James Bauman, Christopher Bell, Louis Bell, Dana Carmichael, Timothy Doswell, Quilla Downs, Bunny Duckett, Steve and Joyce Eaves, Albert Ford, Frank Ford, Iris Ford, Yolanda Ford, Sean Fortune, Sherry James, Gloria Jones, Althea Masterson, Chris Mokris, Marion Rollins, Julia Silver, Robert Siperek Jr., Lawrence Smallwood, George Volkman, Dennis Watson, Gary Watson, Julie Watson. Julie has been hospitalized for some weeks at Sinai Hospital. Yolanda Ford remains at Future Care, 1046 North Point Road, Baltimore, MD 21224. Louis Bell remains at Autumn Lake Healthcare, 700 Sudbrook Road, Pikesville, MD 21208,

Miriam Brown-Kelly, who had attended Our Saviour Church, fell asleep in the Lord on Tuesday, April 16th. Her funeral takes place at Journey of Faith Church, 7902 Liberty Road, on Thursday, May 2nd, at 11:00 A.M. May the Light perpetual ever shine upon her and may the risen Lord comfort all who mourn her departure.

The handbell ensembles of Concordia University Irvine, California, will give a concert on Saturday evening, May 11th, at seven o’clock at Calvary Church, 2625 E. Northern Parkway, using 127 handbells and handchimes, as well as other instruments.Concert Handbells and Spirit Bells are the touring ensembles of Concordia and represent a program that has become highly respected internationally. The performance is free, non-ticketed and open to the public.

I want to thank everyone who participated in the Work Day on April 13th: Bernie Knox, Andy Layman, Merton Masterson, Paul and Mary Techau. Dennis and Don Watson, Wayne and Jeanne West. I also want to thank those who helped to make the annual Saint Mark’s Conference a success again this year: Pastor Roy Coats, Pastor Thomas Foelber, Bernie Knox, Doug and Beth Skinner, Paul and Mary Techau, Richard Brown, and the indefatigable videographer Gene Wilken. God bless you all for your kindness!

Our Sunday morning Bible Class is continuing to study the Letter to the Hebrews. This is an informal gathering; questions and comments are very welcome.

My hope is that each one of us has been refreshed and heartened by the yearly celebration of our Lord’s resurrection from the dead. I also cherish the hope that all of us will continue to join together in the weekly celebration of His resurrection, because that is what every Sunday is, what every Sunday is for! The early Christians understood that and lived in that happy awareness as they gathered to meet the risen Lord in the holy mysteries of His body and blood. A Lord’s Day without the Lord’s Supper was unthinkable.

The Lord’s people are in the Lord’s house at the Lord’s own service every Lord’s Day.

Let us continue to remember one another in prayer and continue to remember in prayer the need of the whole church and the whole world.

Affectionately in our Lord,

Pastor McClean

Our Saviour on the Web There are a number of places you can see Our Saviour on the internet. In addition to our web page and Facebook page, we have: a Youtube channel with a collection of videos featuring great hymns of the church and a tour of the bell tower; a Youtube video that presents a history and description of each of our 32 stained glass windows; and, most recently and thanks to the efforts of our organist, John Igoe, a Wikipedia page that has a details about our building’s history and the property including its architectural features such as the stained glass, the chancel, the bells, the bell tower, and the organ. You can find them all at oursaviourbaltimore.org/oslc-on-the-web .