107 Concord Road, Wayland Massachusetts 01778

December 6 is the commemoration of Saint Nicholas in our Lutheran church. We will name Nicholas in our prayers on Sunday, but since we have John the Baptist scheduled to appear in the lectionary readings, we may not have time to say much about the Bishop of Myra.

Hardly anything is known for certain about this most popular saint. Legends about him abound, growing like weeds from ancient times in a small Greek village to a cult of commemoration in Europe and around the world through stories of kindness to children and of charity to the poor. In 1837 Clemente Clarke Moore, a seminary professor in New York City, wrote a poem for his children, which began with the words,

‘Twas the night before Christmas

and all through the house

not a creature was stirring

not even a mouse.

With that story St. Nicholas was reincarnated as an American holiday and consumer icon. Known as Sinterklaas in the Netherlands, his name was Americanized as Santa Claus, and became solidly associated with Christmas and the shopping season that precedes it.

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 As a man of great authority, Ambrose was elected bishop when he was not yet baptized. His legends tell of an eloquent preacher who instructed people with his sermons. The great theologian Augustine of Hippo was baptized by Ambrose.

Ambrose was the first to introduce the singing of hymns as a way of reinforcing and proclaiming the faith. Consider how important the singing of hymns is to Christians of our tribe! We can thank Ambrose for getting the music started.

Another legend of Ambrose says that when he was a baby, a swarm of bees landed on his face! When they flew off, one of them left a drop of honey on his mouth. A nurse decided that this was an sign of the infant’s future eloquence. Today he is the patron saint of beekeepers. In the spring when we begin our beekeeping project, we might think of Ambrose.

The Lutheran Church commemorates Ambrose on December 7, the day of his death in 397.

This is our congregation’s main service project. There are still a number of snowflake cards in the window. Please pick one up on Sunday and buy the gift for a child at Florence House.

Sign up or send an email to me. Pay by check or through our website.

Ask your friends and neighbors to come. Bring cookies or snacks to share during the fair. Selling begins at 11 am.

The children will begin by singing with Kathryn. We’ll read through the program and make assignments of readers and parts.

If you have not returned a pledge card, do so this Sunday. As you make annual donations to nonprofits in your life, make a special gift to Peace, in addition to your pledge. A little extra will help us end the year in a strong position. Thank you!

Bring your favorite cookies and a container to take home. Bakers will be invited to contribute cookies to be put in the freezer for the Christmas Eve coffee.

Mightier than the sound of many waters,

mightier than the breakers of the sea,

     mightier is the Lord who dwells on high.  Psalm 93

The last Sunday of the Church year is the Sunday of Christ the King. In the loud struggle for power and influence over events and for control of territory and resources, the people of the world are at war, somewhere, all the time. Christ the king calls his people through the waters of baptism into lives of spiritual warfare against the darkness of the human heart and the destructive tendencies of human desires.

The passage above is from the Psalm for Sunday. The idea that the Lord was the King, and later that Christ was the King, was and still is a revolutionary idea in the world.

Florence House gift wishes are hanging on snowflakes in the fellowship hall. Take one and return the gift unwrapped. Thank you to Corinne for organizing this service project. Florence House in Worcester, a home for moms and children, is a program of Ascentria. Marisa Lutz is the Faith Relations Coordinator for Ascentria. She will make a presentation and lead a forum discussion next Sunday, November 29, at Peace, on the work of Ascentria in New England.

Pick up a pledge card for 2016; they are in the bright and colorful envelopes in front of the font. Complete the pledge slip and place the return envelope in the offering plate or put it in the financial secretary’s mailbox.

The choir rehearses at 8:45 am.

Faith formation for the children at 11 am.

Prayer group ministry Sunday 11 am. All are welcome to take part in a special time of prayer and reflection. Carol Green convenes the group.

Thank you for your donations to the Wayland Food Pantry. Early next week our collection will be delivered to Parmenter.

Wayland Community Thanksgiving Service Sunday, November 22 at 7 pm at First Parish. All are invited. An offering will be received for the work of the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable. Cash or checks made out to “Sudbury-Wayland-LIncoln Domestic Violence Roundtable” Canned goods for the Wayland Food Pantry will also be received.

Appliance Recycling at Peace Saturday, November 28. Check Dennis Woods’ sign near the road for fees.

Reading Buddies book packing at Peace, Sunday, December 5. Help pack books to be shipped to children in the Philippines. Speak to Rowena for more information.

Advent Fair and first Christmas program rehearsal, Sunday, December 6. Handmade items by Milly, cool bracelets by Erik, Mazie’s famous hot fudge sauce, Lutheran World Relief fair trade coffee and chocolate, and more.

11 am Autumn berry foraging with Katy Allen. Also during this hour Stephanie Smoot will supervise garden cleanup and wildflower seed collection from the Alstad butterfly garden on the west side of the church.

Last Sunday Stephanie planted two varieties of raspberries on the east side of the church.

It is tradition for us to remember those who have died since the last Sunday of All Saints. During the service you are invited to place a flower on the water of the font in memory of a loved one who has died.

This year on All Saints Day three of our young people will affirm their baptismal faith and become adult members of the church. When they were baptized, their parents and sponsors affirmed the Christian faith on their behalf and promised to steer their lives near the teachings, precepts, promises, habits of thought and patterns of activity that the faith enjoins. Now, at an early age of understanding, Leah, Carter and Gabrielle will affirm their faith and claim their place in the kingdom of God and in the community of the church.

Their affirmation of faith does not mean that they will never again doubt the existence of God or wonder about a church teaching.  Their affirmation is an acknowledgement that through baptism they were born into a home-faith, so no matter where they roam, they have the church as one place to which they might return, and in which they always belong.

No choir Sunday. Kathryn is away. Bob Holmgren will play for us.

Wayland Food Pantry collection in November: canned goods, especially canned pumpkin and cranberries.

Sign up for autumn berry foraging and smoothie making next Sunday, during the faith-formation hour. This is another opportunity for us to get outdoors, to explore the world around us, and to learn something new with people from the community.

Sign up for game night, Saturday, November 14.

The memorial service for Ruth Forinash is Sunday at 2 pm at Trinitarian Congregational Church in Concord.

Family Promise weeks continue. Pray for and support the coordinators and volunteers as well as the families.

Portrait of Martin Luther by Heinrich Aldegrever, 1540, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.  Romans 3:28

Sunday we mark the anniversary of the day in 1517 when Martin Luther tacked his ninety-five theses concerning the sale of indulgences on the front door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany, a formal protest against certain practices of the medieval church of Rome.

Legend says that Luther posted his objections on the eve of All Saints–a festival of wide remembrance–as a way of setting the terms of an academic debate on important matters, but his statements opened floodgates of passion and conviction that filled the world.

The Protestant church is the church of the people. That why, for example, it seemed to fit the American experiment in democratic government. But the people must live up to being the church. That’s a work in progress. Protestantism has not lived up to its potential as dynamic, fluid attention to God’s living word, changing with the times, adapting to stay focused on the gospel. In fact, Protestant churches after Luther became “denominations”, serving narrow constituencies, weighed down by other bureaucracies, bound by other rules.

Nevertheless, nevertheless (one of Luther’s favorite words) Reformation Sunday is a day for us–among the heirs of the Lutheran Reformation–to look for, and trust in, the energy that lies within some of the Reformation principles: letting God be God, trusting in God’s word alone, relying on faith alone, listening for God’s word alone within and apart from human ceremonies, institutions and regulations.

The choir rehearses at 8:45 am.

Our Family Promise host weeks begin Sunday. We’ll take time to recognize our leaders, those who support the program and volunteer their time. We’ll pray for peace and comfort for the families who arrive Sunday evening.

Next Sunday, the Sunday of All Saints, is the day of confirmation here at Peace. Gabrielle, Carter and Leah will affirm the faith that their parents confessed on their behalf when they were baptized. The parents of these students, along with other adults of the congregation, have been helping the students understand adult church membership (committed, present, faithful, attentive, generous, etc.). Try to find some way to welcome each of these students into the life of our congregation.

Bring something for the Wayland Food Pantry and warm clothes, boots, and school supplies for Heather’s collection for the United Native American Center.

The service in memory of Ruth Forinash is next Sunday afternoon at 2 pm at Trinitarian Congregational Church in Concord. A reception follows at the family home.

 

This is a line from the Psalm for Sunday. The Gospel from Mark 10:35-45 continues the topsy-turvy teachings of Jesus. The sons of Zebedee are real go-getters and they want to be vice presidents, so they ask Jesus to allow them to be promoted to these high places, second and third in command. He tells them that there are no hierarchies in his kingdom. If there is a hierarchy, it’s upside down. The greatest one is on the bottom.

We’ll try again, along with James and John, to understand what Jesus is saying, by looking into the word “Lord”. We can learn a lot about the scripture’s testimony about things by studying the word “Lord”. It’s a title and a form of address that shows respect and authority. It’s a word that means God. It’s a word that shows earned or bestowed status, and more. The English word translates Hebrew words for God. Jesus is Lord, we say. Count how many times we use the word “Lord” in our Sunday morning service. We begin by singing Kyrie eleison: Lord, have mercy. We end the petitions of our prayers with the same phrase. Jesus, to whom we make petitions and in whose name we pray, is a strange leader and lord.

As we enter into the fall stewardship season, with respect to your money and possessions, what does it mean to say that Jesus is Lord of all, and Lord of your life?

After coffee, Kim and Kim will lead Family Promise trainings for adults and youth. If you have neighbors and friends who have heard about Family Promise and would like to be involved, invite them to the training at 11 am, and of course, invite them to church.

The choir meets at 8:45 am.

Confirmation students meet briefly with Pastor Johnson during the education hour.

Bring in clothing, coats, school supplies for the United Native American Cultural Center.

Wayland Food Pantry:  paper goods.