Maundy Thursday – Thursday 5 April
Communion Services at 12 Noon and 7:00 p.m.
Good Friday – Friday 6 April
Services at 12 Noon and 7:00 p.m.
Easter Sunday – Sunday 8 April
Communion Services at 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
Children’s Easter Egg Hunt at 9:00 a.m.
Adult Donut Fellowship at 9:00 a.m.
Historic First Lutheran Church, 808 N. Los Robles Ave., will celebrate and re-create Palm Sunday at 10:00 a.m. with a procession of donkeys, sheep and goats led into the church by a character portraying Jesus carrying His Cross. Shouts of "Hosanna!" will raise the roof! Pastor Christopher Schaar will preach. Every person attending will receive a palm branch and a palm cross. A petting zoo will follow the service. For more information, contact 626.793.1139 or www.historicfirstlutheran.org
Fifth Sunday in Lent
25 March 2007
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
“O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee live. Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by, yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting Light. The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”
I know it much be strange to hear a Christmas carol, however much love, just two weeks before Easter. However, pay special attention to that last line – that line that speaks about the “hopes” and “fears” of all the years.
That is truly what anticipation is all about, isn’t it? Hopes and fears.
A couple is expecting a baby. There are certainly lots of hopes, lots of dreams, for that baby. Already in womb, the parents start to imagine what the child will be when he or she grows up. Lots of hopes. But at least I have never met a father, whether this is his first child or his fifth child, who hasn’t worried about how to pay for that child.
A woman has just received a big promotion. There’s lots of excitement, lots of hopes: moving on up the employment ladder, making a name for herself. There are also fears: what if she doesn’t like the new position?; what if she misses her co-workers?; will people who had formerly been friends now treat her differently?
The handbell quintet from Concordia University Irvine is a result of anticipation, a result of hopes and fears. The hopes revolved around Southern California Lutherans who desired a Lutheran college in Southern California which could center itself upon the Great Commission and be a training location for missionaries, particularly to the countries of Central and South America and the Pacific Rim. The fears revolved around the two words “What If....?”
Anticipation. There’s plenty of it in our Scripture readings today.
When the Children of Israel got to the edge of the Red Sea [Exodus 14] and saw Moses raise his staff and saw the waters part and heard the command to start marching across the sea on dry ground, there would have been much anticipation. There would have been many hopes. After all, through that passage would have been escape for them from the advancing army of Pharaoh. Through that passage was their Promised Land, that Land abundantly flowing with milk and honey. There were also certainly some fears. There must have been fears about Moses himself. After all, he was an unproven leader. He was a murderer on the run. And, by God, he stuttered. There also had to be fears about walking through a sea: when would those held-back waves come tumbling back in?; would the dry ground really be dry all the way across or would they get stuck in the sea bottom half way across?
Hopes and fears are what St. Paul was all about [Philippians 3:4b-14]. Due to his birth of status and his strict Jewish upbringing, he held many hopes. He was respected. He was a person of status and position. However, for the sake and because of the call of Jesus Christ, Paul set all that status aside, to press on to something even greater, to press on to a blissful eternity guaranteed him by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That was a bold step. As much as we hail St. Paul to this day, his name even being a part of the official name of this congregation, he must have encountered some fears through the years, some fears like the rest of us have, about the truthfulness and reliability of the claims about Jesus, whether He really lived, whether He really died, whether He really rose again and whether He can really bring us to that place where He has first gone [John 14].
Anticipation. There was plenty of it in Bethany in the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Along with the twelve disciples, they had seen Jesus do plenty of miracles, the most recently notable was the raising of Lazarus from the dead after he head already been dead and buried four days. The hopes of those in that room were high. What was ahead for them? How could they “market” Jesus, maybe setting up a roadside venue, like Barnum and Bailey, charging just a little admission, maybe even without Jesus knowing, for people to watch Jesus change water into wine or heal a crippled man. Or, maybe even better, Jesus would lead a protest and overthrow the Roman government and take His own rightful place on David’s throne. Then came the expensive perfume and Jesus words that Mary was anointing Him for burial. Then came the fears, the fears about having to go back to being simple fishermen, the fears about having to go back to manual labor, the fears about being laughed at by family and friends, the fears about having to live without Jesus.
There is much comfort and much safety in the status quo, isn’t there?. Just ask that couple having that baby or that woman with the promotion or those who bear the burden of dreaming big dreams. It’s often safer and more comfortable not to rock the boat, not to change the equation. But often the status quo keeps us from where God wants us to be. If the disciples had successfully contained Jesus within the home and Mary, Martha and Lazarus, fighting for and defending Him till their own very deaths, they would have never come face to face with His empty tomb and the power it held for them and the power it holds for us.
A question that I labor with here regularly as your pastor is “How do we honor our rich history and the heritage and the traditions of our past, many of them we are very comfortable with, while also making sure that we as individuals and we as a congregation are where God wants us to be, doing what God wants us to do, reaching the people God wants us to reach.
Stepping out like that, both corporately as a congregation and individually as the people of God, can be a scary, fearful thing. It sometimes means we must step out in faith and commit resources we don’t have. It sometimes means angering others who don’t care for change or who at least don’t agree with the changes we’re making.
Going where God wants us to be and doing what God wants us to do and reaching the people God wants us to reach can sometimes be very lonesome events, but there we find God. We find Him with all of His promises to never leave or forsake, to never let us walk alone, to provide for all our needs, to strengthen and help us, to conquer sin, death and the devil, to sit down and reign victoriously over all things in Heaven and earth and hell, to hear His words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” But we never get to experience any of that if we stay in the safe place where we might prefer to stay.
I started with a Christmas song and I will end with an Easter song: “How sweet to hold, a newborn baby, and feel the pride and joy it brings, but sweeter still, the calm assurance, this child can face uncertain days because He lives. Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know, He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives.”
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Pastor Christopher Schaar
Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena
ALTAR FLOWERS are given to the glory of God by Lisa Morita and Scott Vila in loving memory of the birth of their daughter, Laureen Sue Vila.
DID YOU KNOW? There’s probably much about Historic First Lutheran that many of us do not know. Watch weekly bulletins for “I DIDN’T KNOW,” a weekly historical or interesting tidbit of information about Historic First Lutheran.
I DIDN’T KNOW! Perhaps you didn’t know that Historic First Lutheran was one of the founding congregations of Concordia University, Irvine, then known as Christ College. Our own Dr. John Greenlee, then President of Cal State Los Angeles, was part of the original Board of Regents who called the original President, Dr. Charles Manske, and the original professors. Our own church secretary, Eve Carter, became Dr. Manske’s secretary. The founding of Concordia University is a proud moment in Historic First Lutheran’s history.
NO FOOLIN’! – THE ZOO RETURNS! Again this year on Palm Sunday, LIVE ANIMALS will be included in a festive procession. After worship, the animals will be featured in a petting zoo in the center courtyard. Be sure to mark April Fool’s Day, Sunday 1 April and invite all the kids you know!
DOUBLE YOUR CONTRIBUTION? That’s right! All contributions designated to our Music Endowment will be matched dollar for dollar by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.
SAVE THE DATE! The Benefit Gala for Elizabeth House is scheduled for Saturday 21 April at 6:30 p.m. at the Oakmont Country Club in Glendale. Frank Pastore will be the celebrity speaker. Please watch for more details.
USHERS: TAKE NOTE Next week’s service will involve Usher Team #2 – Rudy Melinat, Zora Oglesby, Chad Schmutzer and Julie Schmutzer.
March 25 – Psalm 64
March 26 – Psalm 65
March 27 – Psalm 66
March 28 – Psalm 67
March 29 – Psalm 68
March 30 – Psalm 69
March 31 – Psalm 70
Sunday 25 March – Thank God for another day of life!
Monday 26 March – Celebrate the birthdays of friends by praying for them today: Sophia Widdoss (26); Allen Headrick (27); Gloria Melinat (28).
Tuesday 27 March – Ask God to be active in the hearts of our “in-active” members, leading each one back to regular worship and Christian activity.
Wednesday 28 March – “Lamb of God, have mercy on me.”
Thursday 29 March – Thank God for our talented and committed musicians – paid and volunteer – who contribute much to our worship.
Friday 30 March – Thank God for our vital “Good Friday” Youth Outreach as it weekly teaches neighborhood children about Jesus Christ.
Saturday 31 March – Prepare yourself through prayer and reflection for our celebrative Palm Sunday service tomorrow. Be sure to invite a friend!
Mrs. Laura McCluskey, a member of Historic First Lutheran since 1930, died Friday night, 9 March 2006 after suffering a stroke last weekend.
The funeral service will be on Friday 16 March (on what would have been her 95th Birthday) at 11:00 a.m. at Historic First Lutheran, 808 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena, with burial following at Mountain View Cemetery in Altadena.
Laura is survived by her daughter, Louise Fenn, of Torrance and two grandchildren who both live in Portland.
C.S. Lewis' classic, "The Screwtape Letters" serves as the basis for the Lenten services held at Historic First Lutheran Church, 808 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena every Wednesday during Lent at both 12 Noon and 7:00 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend. For more information, contact 626.793.1139 or Firstpasa@aol.com
ALTAR FLOWERS are given to the glory of God by Pastor Christopher Schaar in loving memory of the birthday of his grandmother, Grace Schaar, yesterday.
DID YOU KNOW? There’s probably much about Historic First Lutheran that many of us do not know. Watch weekly bulletins for “I DIDN’T KNOW,” a weekly historical or interesting tidbit of information about Historic First Lutheran.
I DIDN’T KNOW! Koch Hall, our original 1948 school building, is named in honor of The Reverend Walter Koch, long-time principal of Pasadena Lutheran School and also assistant pastor and organist and choir director.
MARCH 25, 2007: PLAN NOW! Two weeks from today, a very exciting Handbell Trio from Concordia University will perform during our morning worship service. You won’t want to miss this special music!
SAVE THE DATE! The Benefit Gala for Elizabeth House is scheduled for Saturday 21 April at 6:30 p.m. at the Oakmont Country Club in Glendale. Frank Pastore will be the celebrity speaker. Please watch for more details.
NEXT SUNDAY Pastor David Hill will be installed as the new pastor of First Lutheran Church, 9123 Broadway, Temple City, at 4:00 p.m. A reception will follow the service.
DON’T ABANDON HOPE! Many of you have asked about our pictorial directory. Unfortunately, through no fault of ours, we have encountered numerous production problems which have delayed us. Please be patient – we think we have come to a resolution of our problems and plan to be submitting the directory back to Olan Mills for printing before Easter.
CARPOOL TO LWML RALLY All women interested in carpooling to Emmaus Lutheran Church for the Zone Rally are invited to meet in the South Parking Lot at 8:15 a.m. this Saturday morning.
PURPLE PARAMENTS The beautiful purple paraments adorning our altar, lectern and pulpit were lovingly donated in memory of Marsenlane Parker.
MIDWEEK LENTEN SERVICES This year’s midweek Lenten services will feature the classic book by C.S. Lewis called The Screwtape Letters, a series of letters from devil Screwtape to his nephew, Wormwood. This comical, yet serious, thought-provoking look at the reality of evil in our world will serve as the focus of our weekly services, every Wednesday at 12 noon and 7:00 p.m. Please plan to attend!
A MUSICAL CHALLENGE Again this year, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has graciously consented to match dollar-for-dollar, up to $1,300.00, any special gifts to our Music Endowment to offset additional salary and benefit costs for Karen Murphy, Mark McCormick and Patsy Acheson. You are encouraged to make special gifts to this appeal, clearly marking your gifts “Music Endowment.”
THANK YOU! Thanks to your generous contributions to the recycling containers in the gym, almost $100.00 has been “cashed in” recently to benefit our Spanish ministry. Please continue to remember this recycling project when you come to church.
DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE? Thanks to a whole bunch of new lights installed throughout the Parish Hall, lighting is greatly improved, both inside the building and around the exterior perimeter. This is just a portion of our $240,000.00 electrical upgrade project.
USHERS: TAKE NOTE Next week’s service will involve Usher Team #8 – Dennis Carmain, Gerald Freeny, Rudy Melinat and Matthew Potter.
Sunday 11 March – Make a list of at least 10 things for which you are thankful and then praise God through prayer for them.
Monday 12 March – Celebrate the birthdays of friends by praying for them today: Diane Harris (12); Jeannine Dutra (13); Ruby Baker (15); Laura McCluskey (16).
Tuesday 13 March – Pray for unchurched family and friends.
Wednesday 14 March – “Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world. Have mercy on me.”
Thursday 15 March – Most long-term missionaries are recent university graduates or recent retirees. Pray for individuals you know who might consider missionary service.
Friday 16 March – As of November 16, 2006, LCMS members and partners reported through the LCMS Ablaze! Web site that `3,130,546 unreached or uncommitted people heard the Good News of Jesus Christ through their Lutheran witness around the world. Praise God for this sharing of His Good News to the ends of the earth!
Saturday 17 March – “Praise the Name of Jesus!”
March 11 – Psalm 50
March 12 – Psalm 51
March 13 – Psalm 52
March 14 – Psalm 53
March 15 – Psalm 54
March 16 – Psalm 55
March 17 – Psalm 56
John 14:6
Second Sunday in Lent
4 March 2007
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
It is at Disneyland’s Fantasyland that one finds “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride,” the attraction that begins with the car you’re riding in smashing through a road block posted with a danger sign. After breaking through that road block, you soon realize why the road was blocked, why that danger sign was posted, as you experience a truly wild ride with twists and turns and bumps and near mishaps. “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride” is truly a road of danger.
So also was the road of danger the road that both Jeremiah [Jeremiah 26:8-15] and Jesus [Luke 13:31-35] chose to walk in life.
Jeremiah got himself onto the road of danger after simply repeating what the Lord had commanded him to say. That is, after all, the job of a prophet. That’s actually even what the word “prophet” means: to speak on the behalf of someone else; not to carry your own message, but to carry the message spoken by someone else; simply being their mouthpiece; not adding to what they had to say and not subtracting from what they had to say. That’s what Jeremiah did and his action of serving as a prophet of the Most High God got him onto the road of danger. “This man must be sentenced to death because he has prophesied against this city.” That was the verdict pronounced against Jeremiah. Most people would have taken off running, but not Jeremiah. Instead Jeremiah walked that road of danger, telling the people, “Do with me whatever you think is good and right, but just know that even if you kill me, that won’t change what I’ve had to say. In fact, that action against me might even make matters worse.”
Jesus also got Himself onto the road of danger, also for simply doing what He had been sent to do. The Pharisees sent word to Jesus, “Herod wants to kill You.” Now that’s a line that Jesus had gotten used to. This was Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great, the ruling king at the time of the birth of Jesus who had been visited by the Magi, the Wise Men, the king so threatened by the announcement about the birth of the King of the Jews that he gave orders for all the baby boys two years old and under to be killed [Matthew 2:16]. That action drove Mary and Joseph to flee to Egypt with the baby Jesus [Matthew 2:13-15]. This Herod Antipas had not fallen far from the tree of his father. He lived with the same fear, the same threat, the same worries. This Herod Antipas had already killed John the Baptist because John acted as a prophet and told him that he had done something wrong [Mark 6:14-29]. After “offing his head,” Herod turned his sights onto Jesus, believing that Jesus was John the Baptist come back to life.
That dangerous Herodian threat didn’t deter Jesus. In fact, much in the style of the prophet Jeremiah, Jesus stood firmly on the road of danger, setting His sights resolutely on Jerusalem, knowing that’s where He was being sent, that’s where His mission would be completed, that’s where He would suffer, that’s where He would die. Jesus was a prophet. The message He was carrying was Himself, “the Word become flesh” [John 1:14].
Before setting off for Jerusalem, though, Jesus cried a prayer over Jerusalem: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem [this repeating of the name “Jerusalem” is a common literary tool used to show compassion, to show endearment, to show love] ... how I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing...”
Talk about a road of danger to walk! Someone is willing to provide protection. Someone is willing to provide unity. Someone is willing to provide love. However, the intended object of that protection, that unity, that love decides they don’t need it and they don’t want it. They would rather fall from their own two feet than stand safely and securely under the wings of someone else.
That’s the same fierce independence we see today, isn’t it?
We as the people of God stand in this world with danger signs. At least we should be. It is our beholden duty to warn people like the prophet Jeremiah. It is our beholden duty to weep over people like Jesus. But so often we shy away from that beholden duty we have as the people of God because we don’t want to offend anyone and certainly because we don’t want to get ourselves onto a road of danger.
As fun as is Disneyland’s “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride,” it truly does us a great disservice because after breaking through that roadblock and after a relatively short few minutes of a harrowing ride, we come right back to the calm place where we started. Many people think the same thing about life in this world. They believe there is no need to believe in God. They believe there is no need to know or to believe in Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, who suffered and died to forgive sin. They believe there is no need to gather together with others in a place called “church,” this place established by God Himself as the place where He shelters and protects, the place where He pours out His love. So many people believe that while life may have bumps and unexpected twists and turns, in the end everything will turn out OK, everything will end calmly.
But that’s not the road of truth we looked at last week, is it? The road of truth taught us to say, “Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved” [Romans 8:13]. If that’s the message of the Truth proclaimed by God Himself, then the opposite must be just as true, that everyone who does not call on the Name of the Lord will not be saved, that everyone who independently decides to stand on their own are standing outside the heartfelt cry of Jesus.
Maybe you’re OK with that, but as your pastor, I am not OK with that. I am not OK with people walking their own road, with people risking eternity because they want to be independent in life, because church is too inconvenient, and because the people of God have condoned and coddled their walking their own road.
Jesus Himself said, “I have desired to gather you ... but you were not willing.” If we stand as the people of God as His modern day prophets, speaking His message instead of speaking our own message, it is not OK to let people walk their own road outside the people of God because is a very dangerous road, a road that doesn’t end calmly, a road that ends with eternal death and separation from God. To Jesus – don’t blame the simple messenger standing before you – there is no belief in Him outside His wings. Either we are willing to be gathered or we are not willing. There is no such thing as being gathered but outside the wings of Jesus on our own terms.
That message about the singularity of Jesus as “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” [John 14:6], I realize, is not a popular message. It never was. It gets us as the people of God onto a road of danger where people get angry at us, they argue with us, they accuse us of not caring about people and their free will to believe what they want to believe. But, actually, it’s just the contrary. It’s because I do care – and I hope you also do care – about people that I am willing to walk that unpopular road of danger, speaking God’s Word clearly and accurately so that I might save some [1 Corinthians 9:22], entrusting myself under the same promise God made to Abraham, “Be not afraid ... I am your shield, your very great reward” [Genesis 15:1].
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Pastor Christopher Schaar
Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena
ALTAR FLOWERS are given to the glory of God by Dorothy Martin in loving memory of the birthday of her husband, Dallas, on 2 March.
DID YOU KNOW? There’s probably much about Historic First Lutheran that many of us do not know. Watch weekly bulletins for “I DIDN’T KNOW,” a weekly historical or interesting tidbit of information about Historic First Lutheran.
I DIDN’T KNOW! As a representative of California’s “Arts and Crafts” movement, none of the furnishings in our current church building were simply ordered off the pages of a catalog! Instead, our furnishings were hand-made (many of them on site) to specific guidelines for this specific building. As an example, the intricate iron work you see on the candleabras and on the hand rails, communion rail and chandeliers were made by Edward Trinkeller, a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Los Angeles and the chief iron master for Hearst Castle.
A SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY! Forty years ago, in time to celebrate Historic First Lutheran’s 75th Anniversary and the 30th Anniversary of the present church building, our Reuter pipe organ was constructed and installed. Word came that the 40-year-old electronic tracking system is starting to fail and needs to be upgraded. Cost for this project is estimated to be $20,000.00! A special gift from the Hilgendorf family has already provided us a $1,500.00 start to this project. Is there a special donor willing to complete funding this project? Speak to Pastor.
MARCH 25, 2007: PLAN NOW! Three weeks from today, a very exciting Handbell Trio from Concordia University will perform during our morning worship service. You won’t want to miss this special music!
PRAISE GOD! After only one month of vacancy, we have rented 829 N. Oakland Avenue, Dr. Halliday’s former apartment. We saved a lot of money in the interim by doing a great majority of the rehab work ourselves, thanks to Paul Nagle and Dennis Schaar who literally spent every day for two weeks painting that huge apartment. In addition, carpets were cleaned. Blinds were cleaned and replaced where necessary. A toilet was replaced by a plumber. The unit will be occupied by a Caltech grad student and his wife, a teacher in the San Marino School District. The apartment rented for $1,650. per month.
115th ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE All people interested in helping plan our 115th Anniversary Celebration in June are encouraged to express their willingness to serve to Pastor Schaar.
PURPLE PARAMENTS The beautiful purple paraments adorning our altar, lectern and pulpit were lovingly donated in memory of Marsenlane Parker.
HOLEY BUILDINGS, BATMAN! If you wander through the gym, you will see that our electrical upgrade work is well underway. Access holes have been punched in the stage ceiling as well as in the kitchen ceiling. A large hole, where a new electrical subpanel will soon be located, can also be seen in the kitchen wall. Re-wiring work on Koch Hall is nearly complete.
SUNDAY 18 MARCH Mark that day! Pastor David Hill will be installed as the new pastor of First Lutheran Church, 9124 Broadway, Temple City, at 4:00 p.m. A reception will follow the service.
MIDWEEK LENTEN SERVICES This year’s midweek Lenten services will feature the classic book by C.S. Lewis called The Screwtape Letters, a series of letters from devil Screwtape to his nephew, Wormwood. This comical, yet serious, thought-provoking look at the reality of evil in our world will serve as the focus of our weekly services, every Wednesday at 12 noon and 7:00 p.m. Please plan to attend!
A MUSICAL CHALLENGE Again this year, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has graciously consented to match dollar-for-dollar, up to $1,300.00, any special gifts to our Music Endowment to offset additional salary and benefit costs for Karen Murphy, Mark McCormick and Patsy Acheson. You are encouraged to make special gifts to this appeal, clearly marking your gifts “Music Endowment.”
USHERS: TAKE NOTE Next week’s service will involve Usher Team #7 – Nicko Avila, Daniel Hendry, Steven Hendry and James Price.
March 4 – Psalm 43
March 5 – Psalm 44
March 6 – Psalm 45
March 7 – Psalm 46
March 8 – Psalm 47
March 9 – Psalm 48
March 10 – Psalm 49
Sunday 4 March – Thank God for His everlasting love!
Monday 5 March – Celebrate the birthdays of friends by praying for them today: Erin Matsuno (4); James Norden (5); Jill Fenske (7); Brent Popham (7); Leobardo Lorenzana (8); Marcos Martinez (10).
Tuesday 6 March – Deaf Missions was adopted as an official mission program of the LCMS at its 1896 convention in Ft. Wayne, IN. Give thanks to God for more than 100 years of mission work among deaf people by LCMS pastors and lay members.
Wednesday 7 March – “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
Thursday 8 March – Continue to ask God to provide safety to the electrical contractors working daily on our property and in our buildings.
Friday 9 March – “May we be a shining light to the nations” through our “Good Friday” Youth Outreach.
Saturday 10 March – Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord in preparation for worship tomorrow.