The Dove |
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M A R C H 2 0 0 3 ================================================================================= FROM
THE PASTOR:
Spring comes in March. We
can’t wait for spring and the freedom from cold,
snow and the winter darkness.
The old English word for spring is “lente.”
Lent
also comes in March this year.
Many people in our modern church and world
don’t know what Lent is or if they do can’t wait for it
to be over. For some
it’s
just one more thing in a busy life. Lent means freedom. If we were convinced of that would we perhaps think about Lent more positively? Lent does mean freedom. It’s about repentance. Repentance really means freedom to do the Lord’s will and to be part of his Kingdom coming. We human beings have been hijacked in mind, body, and soul on a mission of doing our own thing and looking for our own pleasure in everything from worship to family life to TV and entertainment. The hi-jackers are the devil, the world and our flesh as named in the catechism. We become convinced that trusting ourselves is the way to freedom. Actually it’s the way to death and slavery. Hi-jackers by nature take captives and lead to death of joy, relationships, marriages, family life, worship, and freedom. We can’t escape the hi-jackers alone. We need someone to turn us around into life and service and faith. Jesus
begins his ministry with the words,
“Repent and believe” or “Turn and Trust.”
He calls us to turn and trust him to lead us through grief
and death into life and joy. He
calls us and disciplines us for freedom to live and love and sing.
This takes time and growth.
Moses took Israel into the wilderness for forty years to
learn about turning and trusting.
Elijah spent forty days going on a journey through the
wilderness to hear God at Mt. Horeb.
Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness fasting and praying
and fighting with Satan before he began to preach, teach, and heal
in public. We spend
forty days in Lent focusing on our life as baptized Christians who
daily pray for the freedom to be more Christlike.
You see, the most free human being ever to walk our earth was
and is Jesus Christ, so to become more Christlike is to become more
free. This
freedom looks different and has a different pathway than what passes
for freedom in much of our world.
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on March 5th with
the imposition of ashes and Communion at 10:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Freedom begins with ashes and the words, “Remember you are
dust and to dust you shall return.”
We are reminded that we are mortal humans and then invited to
eat the bread of life. Lent
ends with Easter when we hear the message, “He is risen.”
Free people know both death and life.
Free people know and believe there is no Easter life or
freedom without Good Friday. (continued
on next page) =============================================================================== Salem Lutheran
Church 10 McClellan Circle - Buffalo, New York 14220Rev. David F. C. Wurster, Ph. D. - PastorRev.
Richard E. Blemaster, Pastor Emeritus
e-mail:
salemoncircle@yahoo.com website:
www.salembuffalo.com (FROM
THE PASTOR
continued) -- During Lent we will again have midweek worship on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. I will lead the morning worship. We will use the hymnal and have meditations on the passion narrative from St. Mark. The evening services will be led by lay people of Salem guided by the Worship Committee. The Sunday morning Adult Bible Class will be looking at the prayers of Jesus on the way to the cross. Jesus and the people prayed the “Great Hallel” – Psalms 112-118 – at the passover time. We will look at these psalms and consider what it is like to say these prayers. One
important result of repentance – turn and trust – is that we are
free to walk the talk of our faith.
We can practice what we preach.
That means hearing and doing the Word of God.
This means discipline too.
If an athlete wants to be free to run and compete, his body
must be disciplined so that it will do what he wants it too in the
race. An athlete cannot
just talk about running a race. He
or she must discipline the mind, emotions, and body so that they can
perform the running. The
same is true of a musician and actually of any life discipline.
A famous violinist was at a reception after a performance and
one woman walked up and gushed, - “I’d give my life to be able to
play like that!” The
violinist said, “I
have!” Christian
freedom to turn and trust and being more Christlike costs us our life.
Christian freedom is a long life of discipline.
During Lent traditional disciplines have included some fasting,
prayer, alms – giving or doing good for others, Scripture reading,
quiet time and meditation, midweek services and simple self
discipline. Perhaps
we could look at Lent like an athlete looks at workouts or a musician
looks at practice. Instead
of complaining we can give thanks that our Lord in his freedom has
called us to turn and trust him leading us to freedom in a world that
seems often bent on darkness and slavery.
Lent means springtime in the light of God’s grace.
Peace, Pastor Wurster +
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+ L U T H E R A N T H R E E - O Salem
has been invited and has accepted the invitation to be part of the
radio ministry, Lutheran Three-O.
This radio ministry was begun 32 years ago by Pastor Paul
Czamanske of Immanuel Lutheran Church, in Tonawanda.
The name “Lutheran Three – O” refers to the thirty minute
length of the program.
The broadcast is over WXRL (1300 AM) at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday
mornings. The station has
5000 watt capacity with a coverage area including Rochester, Toronto,
and Jamestown. During the week before the broadcast Salem will be mentioned
on promos. Salem will be
in a rotation to be on the air once every other month.
The rotation includes Calvary in Buffalo, Immanuel in
Tonawanda, St. John in North Tonawanda, St. Luke in Cheektowage, St.
Mark in North Tonawanda, Salem in Springville, Trinity in West Seneca,
and also Salem in Buffalo.
Each broadcast costs $105.00 – and we are asking people who
are interested to contribute to the support
of this ministry
by designating contributions to “Salem Lutheran Church –
atten:Lutheran Three O.” Salem’s Church Council has set up a process to manage the
funds for this purpose. The
other churches in the rotation have found that people make
contributions for birthdays, anniversaries or other such special
occasions to this radio ministry, and the contributions have easily
covered the cost of the programming.
A full year’s cost, with the present rotation, comes to
$630.00. In one
congregation they post a sheet of the year’s broadcasts and invite
members to sponsor a program, usually in memory of a loved one.
We will begin our spot in the rotation during the summer.
The format can vary. The
Worship Committee will discuss ways in which we can use our time well
in this ministry to let people know of God’s love in Christ for the
world and to know that Salem in on the circle in South Buffalo.
W O R S H I P The
Worship Committee has developed a page for the DOVE that will
communicate to the congregation the themes, liturgies, sermon texts
and titles and other points of worship.
WORSHIP TIME
- 10:30 a.m. (
LW = Lutheran Worship
TLH = The Lutheran Hymnal ) Hymns
and liturgy are being chosen by Pastor, the Music Director, and the
Worship Committee. Comments
are invited for future growth.
S
U N D A Y B I B L E
C L A S S On
Sunday, March 2, 2003 we will view a video from Dr. Jerry Kieshnick,
President of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod.
The title of the video is “One Mission/One Message/One
People. It will be used
as a report to district conventions this year. The
first Sunday in Lent is on Wednesday, March 9th.
During Lent we will study and pray the prayers Jesus probably
used during parts of the journey to the cross.
The Great Hallel (Psalms 113-118) was used by the people for
their prayers. We will
study and pray these psalms during Lent in the Sunday morning Bible
Class. +
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O R L D W I D E
C O N N E C T I O N Some of the communion ware that came from St.
Paul Congregation, and then was here at Salem, has found its’ way to
Kazakstan – (part of old Russia).
This word came from Rev. John Brunner, President of the Eastern
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N O T E F R
O M M A R I A N
M O R R I S
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. “Dear
Friends at Salem, Last week I
received a wonderful gift. It’s
called a Memory Book. I’m
told that in this book there is a section from Salem.
Although at this time in my life I cannot read it, I want to
thank each and everyone of you for taking the time to write how Pastor
Morris touched your life. And
I pray that someday, God-willing,, that I will be able to take this
wonderful gift out and share it with my grandchildren on what a
wonderful father their parents had, and what wonderful memories were
left with so many people.
God bless you all –
Marian Morris” ^
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^ ^ ^ E A S T E R F L O W E R S It’s that time of year again!
Time to begin thinking about ordering the lovely Easter plants.
Watch Sunday bulletins for
the order
form. The
deadline for placing orders
will be Sunday,
April 6, 2003 -
NO EXCEPTIONS!! Our new chairperson this year is Maureen Wilke; and her committee: Kim Alessi, Delores Landwehr, and Rose Ann Merkt. Our thanks to Shirley Banas who served as chairperson last year. + + +
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+ + + Our Sympathy to - - -Howard
Brown and family – his mother, Marie Brown died Tuesday, February 4,
2003 in Grafton, West Virginia. Our
prayers are with the family of Marie.
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