Long, long before I ever thought about becoming a pastor, my faith has been grounded in the Lutheran understanding of the Sacraments. What I mean is my faith is IN God/Jesus/Holy Spirit, but is grounded in the Sacraments. By grounded I guess I mean “tied to daily life.” Holy Baptism and Holy Communion—each with their own command from God, earthly element, and connected promise—help me relate to the mysterious aspects of faith.
Legend has it that Martin Luther placed a large plaque in his room that read: “When you wash your face, remember your baptism.” For Lutherans, remembering our baptism each day is a way to remind us of daily dying and rising, confessing and hearing again God’s words of forgiveness. This is a way of life, where we regularly remember who we are as baptized children of God, washed of our sins, welcomed into the family of God, and sent forth to serve and to follow Jesus in this world as we share with others the grace God has given us.
As a pastor one of my favorite things to do is baptize others. My time in seminary and as a parish pastor has helped me understand that in the church today there is a heightened focus on the relationship of baptism to mission. The emphasis on baptism as individual salvation is increasingly balanced with an emphasis on baptism as initiation into the community of faith, a community that together renounces evil, proclaims the good news of Jesus Christ in word and deed and strives for peace and justice in all the earth. That’s why, even though I can count on one hand the number of baptisms I’ve officiated in seven years here at Nativity, I make sure the baptismal font has a prominent, visible place in our worship space. The font and the water in the bowl should remind us that our baptismal calling extends far beyond our walls.
The font at Nativity has served the congregation well at least since the early 1980s. But as often happens with functional things—even things given in loving memory of cherished loved ones—they begin to wear out. After forty or more years in service, the stainless-steel bowl inside the plywood base became stained with rust. When we couldn’t find a bowl of the same size, we replaced it for a short time with a clear glass bowl simply placed on top of the hole the original bowl sat in. Then we were blessed to find a beautiful, handcrafted pottery bowl to take its place, but again perched on top of where the old bowl sat. The plywood base itself has begun to crack and turn black. It is time for something new.
So, last fall we “commissioned” a seasonally local craftsman to design and build a base that would hold the potter bowl. Actually we (Sue Ann and I) just asked really, really nicely and Jerry LiaBraaten agreed. When he arrived back in the Midcoast this spring he showed me a drawing and began work.
Jerry’s hard work and craftsmanship will be unveiled on Sunday October 13 when we will dedicate the new font in worship. Our worship that day will be a Festival of Baptism. In addition to the dedication of the font, worship will include the choir with Charlie and a guest tympanist performing the first movement of John Rutter’s Gloria, Bible readings assigned to Baptism of Our Lord Sunday, and an Assembly Affirmation of Baptism for the congregation. I hope worship that morning will be a beautiful reminder for us of who we are and whose we are: children of God, marked with the cross of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit. And of course, I hope you will be there.
Blessings,
Pastor
OCTOBER 19TH IS THE BIG DAY!!!!!
The Harvest Festival Event runs 9AM - 1PM on Sat., October 19th
At 8:30am there will be an event blessing
in the Sanctuary for all participants.
PLEASE BE ON TIME OR EARLY FOR THE EVENT BLESSING.
This will also include:
- Last minute directions for participants.
- Cash Boxes distributed.
- Cafe program announced.
No later than 8:55am proceed to your assigned station.
The Sale will open its doors at 9am sharp - Narthex, Fellowship Hall and Basement.
YES, for the last half hour of the event (12:30 to 1:00pm):
All items in the BASEMENT ONLY will be half off.
Items in the Narthex and Fellowship Hall WILL NOT BE HALF OFF.
People donating Crafts or Food PLEASE be sure to PRE-PRICE the items.
Contact Karin or Phil to arrange drop off of food Friday morning between 10am and noon,
and the plan to set up Saturday morning before Event opens.
Work sessions for set-up will be announced starting in September.
Work sessions for pack-up will be announced with the first session on 10/21.
Any questions: please contact Karin or Phil
207-832-4335
Our “Why do we do that?” series, in which we are exploring the elements of our worship liturgy, continues this month with the second part of the Great Thanksgiving, the Eucharistic Prayer. The prayer follows our singing of the Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy). Some history will help us understand its elements.
In the earliest church the presider improvised a prayer of thanksgiving on the spot. By the fourth century the standard pattern for the prayer had evolved beginning with remembering with thanksgiving all of God’s saving deeds throughout history. It continued with the words of institution, specifically remembering Jesus’ words at the last supper taken from 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. That was followed, historically, by offering the bread and wine as a sacrifice to God, a calling down of the Holy Spirit into the elements, intercession on behalf of those who will receive the sacrament, and finally a doxology praising the triune God.
That medieval Eucharistic prayer was full of sacrifice language. At the Reformation, Luther removed most of the Eucharistic prayer, leaving only the words of institution. These were no longer said as a prayer, but as a proclamation to the assembly. Luther did this because he rejected the idea that Holy Communion is a sacrifice we offer to God. Luther insisted instead that Holy Communion is something that God does for us. And that teaching continues today.
In modern times, beginning in the 1950s, Lutherans have restored the Eucharistic prayer to the liturgy, but without reference to sacrifice. Instead, after we have recalled God’s saving grace throughout history, and the words of Jesus, we offer our thanks and praise to God. When we use a longer version of the Eucharistic Prayer (there are many) the words of institution have been returned to their earlier place within the prayer, addressed to God as the ongoing culmination of God’s saving deeds that we then give thanks for.
But we don’t always use a longer version. There continues to be an option in the ELW (as in the LBW) for only using the words of institution instead of the Eucharistic Prayer. Even though the longer prayer began to be reintroduced in the 1950s, many of us who grew up Lutheran may have only heard the words of institution used well into the 1980s or 90s. Some congregations and pastors still choose to use that option. Currently at Nativity, the time of year, church season, and liturgy setting we are using generally combine to determine which version of the longer prayer we use or if we use just the words of institution.
On Wednesday, September 25th, the "Turning on the Taps" series concluded with the Maine Water Company personnel providing an informational session on our water sources: Mirror Lake, Thorndike Brook, and Grassy Pond. Presenters covered past history, present day operations/regulations, and future challenges. Did you realize that at one time in history Mirror Lake was nicknamed Crystal Lake? That’s a happy thought!
The team sends warm thanks to all who joined us through our four part series of "Turning on the Taps." We were excited to complete the summer/fall series with a full audience. We could not have been successful without your support, both in attendance and with your prayers. Our awareness has been heightened through the topics of water privatization, organic farming and agriculture, water and mining, and water quality processes. During and after each session, we had moments of reflection and conversation. Just get us going on the topics, we won’t be able to stop the sharing!
We welcome all enthusiastic and passionate parties to join us on the Creation Care Team. We relish the quote by Mahatma Gandhi, “YOU must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Come learn with us!
Warmly,
Gretchen Hanna
For more pictures from the Turning on the Taps events, click here and then double click on the folder dated 9-25-2024.
Thank you, Denise, for this Panzanella recipe. You've provided lots of tips that add variety and cater to personal taste.
Here is a recipe for Spanakopita Stuffed Peppers – a takeoff on the classic Greek pie, and another Taylor family favorite.
This week the New York Times published an article about the cost of various protein foods. They’ve added the environmental costs to the grocery price. It’s interesting to see how much more we pay for a food when the environmental impact is included. I’m adding a copy of this article to the binder of recipes.
Our year of vegetarian recipes has come to a close. If you have replaced a meat dish with a vegetarian one, hooray for you! You have dramatically lowered your carbon footprint for that meal by using fewer of Earth’s resources to feed yourself.
If you haven’t tried any of the recipes, I hope you have at least become more comfortable hearing about vegetarian options and considering them for your recipe box.
Once again, the chart pictured below shows us the impact of various foods on the environment. Beef and lamb require the most resources to produce and have the greatest impact on the increase in greenhouse gases that lead to global warming. Replacing some of those meals with vegetarian meals greatly reduces your environmental impact. But, as you can see from the chart, even switching from beef or lamb to pork, poultry or seafood can make a sizable difference.
The total climate impact (in kg CO2e per kg of food cooked) ranges widely between foods (Source: Angelina Frankowska et al., Nature Food, 2020) https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220429-the-climate-benefits-of-veganism-and-vegetarianism
All of the recipes have been printed and are collected in a binder that is available in the church office for your reference. Also, for those of you who like to work online, Kim has kindly collected all of our recipes into a folder that you can access here
-- Lynne Taylor for the Creation Care Team
Many thanks to all who contributed recipes to this project:
Sue Dawson, Elaine Isakson, Betty Long, Laurie Power and Denise Stadler.
You have enriched our recipe boxes and tickled our palates!
You are welcome to join Pastor Anderson on Tuesdays,
9:30 - 11:00 AM, for casual and spontaneous conversation.
Come and go at whatever time works for you.
Oct 1 - Schoolhouse Bakery, Rt 131, Tenants Harbor
Oct 8 - Dot’s, Rt 1, Lincolnville
Oct 15 - FlipSide Coffee, Main St, Thomaston
Oct 22 - Schoolhouse Bakery, Rt 131, Tenants Harbor
Oct 29 - Atlantic Baking Company, Main St, Rockland
3 - Ollie Jones
4 - Donna Perry & Staci Coomer
7 - Don Gjertsen
8 - Maryann Hawkins
9 - James Kimmel
11 - Hans Akselsen II & Marvin Jacobs
12 - Bill Schoppe
13 - Kathy Ash-Flashner
14 - Byron Huntley
28 - Phil Pratt
30 - Judy Good
Editor's note: Did we miss your birthday? Please email your birthday date to kmusicorama@gmail.com so that we can add you to our monthly salutation.
Tuesday, October 1
9:30 - 11:00 AM - Out of the Office Hours
Schoolhouse Bakery, Rt 131, Tenants Harbor
Wednesday, October 2
4:00 PM - Theotalk at Ted and Betty Long's home
Thursday, October 3
8:00 AM - Morning Prayer, via Zoom
3:00 PM - Coastal Family Hospice Volunteers Grief Group for Parents, Meeting Room
Saturday, October 5
10:00 AM - Blessing of the Animals, hosted by St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Rockland
Sunday, October 6
9:00 AM - Choir practice in Sanctuary/Adult education in Meeting Room
10:30 AM - Worship in-person and online
After Worship - Rehearsal of the Rutter Gloria
Monday, October 7
7:00 PM - Men’s Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting
Tuesday, October 8
9:30 - 11:00 AM - Out of the Office Hours
Dot’s, Rt 1, Lincolnville
Thursday, October 10
8:00 AM - Morning Prayer, via Zoom
Sunday, October 13
9:00 AM - Choir practice in Sanctuary/Adult education in Meeting Room
10:30 AM - Worship in-person and online
Monday, October 14
7:00 PM - Men’s Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting
Tuesday, October 15
9:30 - 11:00 AM - Out of the Office Hours
FlipSide Coffee, Main St, Thomaston
Thursday, October 17
8:00 AM - Morning Prayer, via Zoom
3:00 PM - Coastal Family Hospice Volunteers Grief Group for Parents, Meeting Room
Saturday, October 19
9AM - 1PM - Harvest Festival/Tag Sale
Sunday, October 20
9:00 AM - Choir practice in Sanctuary/Adult education in Meeting Room
10:30 AM - Worship in-person and online
Monday, October 21
7:00 PM - Men’s Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting
Tuesday, October 22
9:30 - 11:00 AM - Out of the Office Hours
Schoolhouse Bakery, Rt 131, Tenants Harbor
Thursday, October 24
8:00 AM - Morning Prayer, via Zoom
Sunday, October 27 - Reformation Sunday
9:00 AM - Choir practice in Sanctuary/Adult education in Meeting Room
10:30 AM - Worship in-person and online
Reformation Potluck Luncheon following Worship
Monday, October 28
7:00 PM - Men’s Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting
Tuesday, October 29
9:30 - 11:00 AM - Out of the Office Hours
Atlantic Baking Company, Main St, Rockland
Thursday, October 31
8:00 AM - Morning Prayer, via Zoom
Note For midweek prayer via zoom - there is a separate Zoom link.
Email Pastor at office@nativityrockport.org if you would like the zoom link. Please also email Pastor if you do not have the Sunday link.
by Elaine Isakson
After a beautiful adventure traveling around Norway with my brother Paul, including some very meaningful time spent with our relatives there, I bid all of them and the comfort of our cozy camper van farewell and began to walk northward. I followed the thousand year old pilgrim route known as the Saint Olav Way to its destination, the Nidarosdomen (cathedral) in the city of Trondheim. From my start near Lillehammer, my journey spanned 22 days and 250 miles, a similar distance and time to my pilgrimage along the Camino in Spain 2 years ago.
I’ve been asking myself what was important about walking this pilgrimage and just what made me do it. The answers are multidimensional. For sure, I saw the value of time spent in Norway, getting to know this country of my paternal grandparents by moving slowly through it. Another motivation was the opportunity for a “reboot”. Life can become repetitive, and sometimes I can feel stuck in patterns that don’t seem all that good. A pilgrim walk lifts me out of all of it and plunks me (albeit temporarily) into a brand new life.
Looking a bit deeper, I was also drawn to the invitation and challenge of the journey, physically, mentally and spiritually. As I get older, I no longer assume I am physically up to such an endeavor, but I welcome a chance to find out what I can do. I donned my pack and walked as much as I could before I left. I also needed to study the route and prepare myself mentally, as this pilgrimage would have logistical challenges, and I would be alone much of the time. The spiritual dimension drew me the most. It is said a pilgrimage brings together the spatial and spiritual to become a journey of sacred encounter. Our scriptures are full of many such journeys, sacred encounters and changed lives. For a sacred journey, I would need to bring my true self. I would look for the holy, with an openness to God, to myself, to others and to Creation. I would do my best to focus on what’s essential, to be in the present, taking however many steps it took to get from point A to point B. I would tap into my spiritual well and try to live by pilgrim wisdom: moving at a contemplative pace, setting worry aside, adopting simplicity, gratitude, sharing, courage, industry and something known as koinonia or Christian fellowship. As a pilgrim, I would be given a way to practice these, and a chance to be changed.
All of these motivations were important to me, but I felt there was still more to my desire to be a pilgrim. I remembered an article I read some years ago, entitled, “The Pilgrim Limp” by a minister named Gavin Taylor. I found in it a message for me and for anyone facing hard things in life, which seems to be all of us. Taylor writes that, in contrast to what we sometimes hear about religious life, following God doesn’t mean we are guaranteed success, or that we won’t struggle. Through his own life struggles, Taylor has come to believe that God is present in and part of them. He offers a reflection on Jacob’s journey, when he wrestled with God and would not quit until he received a blessing. Jacob left the encounter with the blessing he was after, and a new name, but also with an enduring limp. Taylor says, “Like Jacob, I hold on and I am demanding a blessing, a blessing that I know I cannot get anywhere else.” Maybe that is true for me as well. I am stubbornly after the blessing only God can give me, and I think the wrestling is part of receiving it. As pilgrims along life’s way, Taylor advises us not to shrug off our struggles too quickly without asking for a blessing. He adds, “We should not be persuaded to run when we have been made to limp. These things that feel like the absence of God could become our salvation.” On a deep level, this resonated with me, and I think it helps explain why I was drawn to be a pilgrim, why I sought out the struggle.
Pilgrims on the St. Olav’s Way were reminded of the importance of ‘believing with our feet’. I walked with the awareness of the thousands of pilgrims who had gone before me, who had sought after something holy and were willing to wrestle and struggle for it. I arrived in Trondheim healthy and safe, and marvel that I never got very lost and didn’t slip or injure myself on the rough path. I met modern pilgrims and Norwegians along the way, kind people who reminded me of our common humanity and gave me hope in these times of conflict and suffering across the globe. As pilgrims, we were all equal, all walking the same direction and bound for the same destination. Most of the way I walked alone, but I reached Trondheim having made friends along the way. I’d been part of a pilgrim community, a reminder that as we travel our individual journeys, we are part of the whole web of life.
I see people of faith “believing with their feet” in a myriad of ways all the time, whether or not they make a pilgrimage. Maybe it’s not only pilgrims who need pilgrim wisdom and an awareness of God’s presence. I needed both for my long walk, and I really hoped I might have more of them in the rest of my life, too. Since returning, I’ve been integrating my pilgrim lessons, and I sometimes manage to apply them here at home. Outwardly it may look like I’m living my same old life, but it is with more gratefulness, confidence and hope, and above all a sense of being deeply provided for and nourished.
One day on my pilgrim walk, I stopped to sit and have lunch on a rocky hillside, in the company of a few sheep as usual. Before moving on I noticed a rough wooden cross propped up by some rocks. Below it was a stone with an inscription that read, “La oss vandre i Herrens lys”. As I translated the Norwegian words to English, I felt a special blessing from them, a sacred encounter I may not have experienced had I not been walking the pilgrim way. “Let us walk in the light of the Lord.” These very old words from Isaiah 2:5 were placed by someone in that pasture. I came along that day and took them in, and now I pass them on to you. I think it’s how the Spirit works. May we pass our blessings on to others, and may we all share this deep sense of God’s presence and care along our way.
- Upcoming: The Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen will be hosted by Nativity Lutheran Church on Sunday November 24th. Can you help? See Donna Perry if you can assist with the Soup Kitchen on that day!
- The Pastor’s Discretionary Fund: Please remember that an extra $5 or $10 each month may make a huge difference to a family in need! Please indicate any additional donations as "Pastor's Discretionary" when you mail in your monthly offering.
- Don't forget: One simple way to help care for creation is to download the weekly bulletin onto your smart phone or tablet and then bring that device to worship or use it when you zoom at home saving paper and resources. Need help figuring that out? Call Pastor for Android help or Denise Stadler for Apple help.
- Your aluminum pop tabs can help keep families with sick children close to each other and the care and resources they need. Look for the paper bag on the Social Ministry bulletin board in the Narthex. Place your tabs in the bag and take your container home and fill it again! The tabs are donated to the Ronald McDonald House.
A Note from your editor, Kim Murphy
Reminder - send articles and photos by the 20th of each month.
Email kmusicorama@gmail.com
Photos this month: Pastor Wendy Anderson, Elaine Isakson, Gretchen Hanna, Lynne Taylor, Kim Murphy, Outdoor Gathering Photo by Krisztina Papp on Unsplash, Balloon Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash, Aluminum can tabs Photo by Donald Giannatti on Unsplash, Water Photo by mrjn Photography on Unsplash, Drinking water Photo by Fiona Murray-deGraaff on Unsplash; Coffee Shop Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash
Nativity Lutheran Church
Sunday Worship (Sept -May) 10:30 AM
Summer Sunday Worship (June - August) 9:30 AM
Email: office@nativityrockport.org
Website: www.nativityrockport.org
Location: 179 Old County Rd, Rockport, ME, United States
Phone: 207-594-4665