107 Concord Road, Wayland Massachusetts 01778

The Third Sunday after Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. On it we hear Psalm 23 and read from the Gospel of John in which Jesus refers to himself in terms of shepherd roles. We’ll consider what that might have meant to the first audience and of course what a shepherd/leader might mean to us in our lives. This is the 400th anniversary of the publication of the Authorized Version of the Bible, known to us as the King James Version. We’ll ponder that as well and give thanks for the broad and powerful influence of this translation over time, to this very day. This little illustrated history of the King James Bible is from a web site dedicated to the same.

The message of the cross…is the power of God…   1 Corinthians 1:18 

Sunday we come to another of Paul’s shining missives. In his letter to urban Christians in Corinth we hear a loud clashing of ideas and ideologies, of commerce and politics. Paul was not a quiet pastoralist. He challenged all the sophisticates and the philosophers, the leaders of the synagogue and the secularists, on their own terms, with the gospel of Jesus Christ that was burning in his heart. On Sunday we’ll take up the second lesson from 1 Corinthians with special reference to the cross as a symbol and conceptual center of the Christian faith. With the energy locked in Paul’s words about the cross, Martin Luther poured out the reforms–the ideas and the protests–that would establish a new branch of the Christian church.

What is now known as Martin Luther’s “theology of the cross” is to me the north star of Christian thought. I am thoroughgoing ecumenist, a true believer in interfaith dialogue, a big-tent Christian through and through. I remain a Lutheran because the Lutheran Church, with its often ridiculous boasts and shallow slogans at the administrative and corporate levels (same as all the other denominations), is one of the historic sponsors of this biblical truth: the message of the cross is the power of God.On Sunday we’ll think together about the theology of the cross and I’ll try to point out what it meant to Martin Luther and to Christians of all persuasions through the centuries, and why it is such a world-turning thought.

  Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched [the leper] and said to him, “…be made clean.”  Mark 1:42

Sunday we hear another passage about healing from Mark 1.  This time the healing happens in what Mark calls cleansing. Lepers, being infectious, were outcasts from the village, quarantined or left to wander and beg. This episode opens a new window on healing for us. Following Jesus we choose to reach out to the outcasts of the world around us. As a congregation we need to keep pressing this point. Our proper work together, as disciples of Jesus, is with those who have fallen along the way, as our hard-charging society of wealth, power and privilege rumbles on.

My sermon on Sunday will look at healing as a Christian “basic”. We’ll look at the commentary on the services of healing in our worship book and explore some of the many meanings of healing alive in the church.

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Mark 10:25 

A high evaluation of music is the greatest gift of our Reformation heritage. Peace Lutheran Church is loaded with talent, including musical talent. We’ll hear some of our Peace musicians in the coming weeks. Thank you to Kathryn Welter for her leadership as our “chief musician” throughout the year. She will be working with our Sunday school children in the coming Sundays, helping them sing together. 

Classical guitarist Jonathan Moretz will play throughout the service on Sunday, October 21. 

Sunday, October 28 is the Sunday of the Reformation. The Peace Brass will play. The members of the group are Ron Riggert, Dan Olsen, Nate Johnson and Ron Riggert. Bob Holmgren will play the piano for our worship. As a part of our celebration, later in the day, we will welcome the moms and children from the Florence House in Worcester to our church. This coming Sunday take a minute to sign up  to help in some way. Bring food for the potluck, help with the activities, set-up and clean-up or something else. Corinne Fryhle has made a terrific poster display for signing up. Donations are needed for hamburgers and hot dogs. There’s a fish bowl for donations on the table. Maybe if you are not planning to come you could donate a little money for buying food. 

Remember that we are the hosts in our comfortable building on beautiful grounds. We will welcome guests into our home. Bring out your instincts of hospitality. Last year I was a little bit embarrassed to see a number of our members walking out just as our guests were walking in with the food they had prepared for the potluck. If this program pushes you beyond your comfort zone, that’s fine, but try to be sensitive to the messages that you send with your actions.

Here are some of the things that went on at church yesterday, September 23, 2012Music director Kathryn Welter served breakfast to the choir before the morning rehearsal. Thank you to Kathryn for her faith-filled ministry of supporting the congregation’s worship through music.Kathryn continued to help us learn the music of a new setting of our Sunday morning service.Kim Canning introduced the Sunday school teachers and teachers. She recognized Nancy Becker as a former teacher and assistant in Frank Maxant’s classroom.

At the end of the service we dedicated the Alstad Butterfly Garden. Landscape Designer Stephanie Smoot handed out a plant identification sheet and spoke about the garden. That page is attached to this email. Thank you to Evi Treffs for making the arrangements for the memorial stone, and to Mary Ann Borkowski and Carol Green who join Stephanie in caring for the grounds. Visitors regularly comment on the beauty of the Peace gardens. The entryway is particularly attractive.

Remember to sign up to bring flowers for our Sunday morning service. Give them in memory of someone or in honor of an occasion or event.

Deb Vogt’s children, Andrea and Carter, surprised their mom by playing happy birthday to her on their violins. Teddy sang along with enthusiasm.

Rally Day was a great success.  The children spent time with their teachers in the classrooms then planted daffodil and tulip bulbs, supervised by Stephanie and the teachers. They worked together in small groups and seemed to have a great time.

Marisa Lutz met with the high school youth. Remember the dinner and a movie basket they are putting together for the Family Promise auction. Bring in items related to that theme and place them in the basket in the narthex: restaurant gift certificates, popcorn, candy and so forth.

Deb Vogt, Chris Munford and Ron Riggert met to move the solar panel contracts forward. The sanctuary roof will be replaced and solar panels installed in the coming months.

Corinne called together a task force to begin planning for the annual Florence House picnic. Planning continues next Sunday, September 30. Everyone is welcome. Here’s a note from Kim Ho about the event:  We plan on having a craft for the young mothers from Ruth and Florence House of decorating a “rock pumpkin.”  Please bring in a few round or ovalish rocks about the size of your fist to church. I will spray paint them orange. Then the mothers can paint faces on them as rock jack-o-lanterns.  Please make sure they are not smaller than your fist so that they are not choking hazards for the little ones.Thank you!  Kim
Throughout the morning we enjoyed the warm fall weather. The children played on the swings, ran around the church yard and hung out together. The adults relaxed alone or talked together in small groups.

I see this as a great opportunity for our congregation to live out its Christian vocation of stewardship of the earth, and stewardship of its own financial resources. I am grateful to Ron Riggert for his commitment to this effort. For several years Ron has not wavered in his focus on accomplishing this improvement for his church and for the community. He has been the contact for our church with Transition Wayland, the roofing contractors and with Astrum Solar.