Saint Matthew's

When I was not working yesterday on my day off  (wink, wink), I prepared my quarterly pastoral report – a private report where I list everything that I, as pastor, have to do during the course of the next three months. Part one of the report deals with our worship services – in my report, I list every scheduled worship service that will be celebrated here at Saint Matthew’s for a quarter.  This list, of course, includes Morning Prayer and our Divine Services.

Starting this morning until the final day of February 2010, we have 99 worship opportunities here at Saint Matthew’s. A quick breakdown is simple — 59 Morning Prayer services; 40 Divine Services with Holy Communion.

This is a lot of worship opportunities that members and friends of our congregation can avail themselves of during the next three months.

Imagine – 99 worship opportunities where you can receive the Lord in Word and/or Sacrament.

We here at Saint Matthew’s open our doors for the lost, for those seeking the forgiveness promised by our God and Father through His Son, Jesus Christ. As we begin this new Church Year, my prayer for our church is that our hearts would continued to be opened to seeking these needful, God-seeking children.

I have to find time this afternoon to prepare for tonight’s Wednesday Divine Service and Bible class. After taking last Wednesday night off (went to the Rangers game at the Garden with my brother), I realized this morning that I’m really behind in my preparations for bible class. And the Divine Service – we’re reading this weekend’s coming Epistle reading from Romans 3 (before clicking the link, take a guess as to what section of chapter 3?)

In our bible class, we’re studying Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans and we’re currently in Chapter 9.

I’ve decided to make coffee and pick up cookies for tonight’s bible class.

No, it’s not a bribe. I will need the coffee by then.

(reposted from reviovine.com)

Here at Saint Matthew’s, we’re holding our annual congregational picnic on Sunday, June 28th after church that will be held outdoors in my backyard (weather permitting). It is an annual event where we as a church celebrate our fellowship around Word and Sacrament by gathering around hot dogs and hamburgers.

In years past, this day would inaugurate our “summer schedule” where our Sunday worship service moves from 10:00am to 9:30am for July and August. However, this year we changed this up a bit when we decided to extend our summer schedule to fit in between Memorial Day and Labor Day, giving us the two holidays as the decided starting and ending points on our calendar.

In shifting our summer schedule up to fit between Memorial Day and Labor Day, we decided to make the start of this new schedule also the end of our Sunday School, cutting off about three weeks from our normal cycle. Overall, I like it. The natural calendar boundaries work, in my eyes. Yes, it will take some getting used to for many here at Saint Matthew’s, but it is only four additional weeks of 9:30am services, nothing to dramatic.

Regarding our picnic, a sign up sheet in the narthex of our church.

(reviovine.com)

I received a quick note today from a member asking what is an eternal question: On what Sundays do we pray the Apostles’ Creed?

Our Creed schedule is simple:

1. On non-communion Sundays, the Apostles’ Creed.
2. On Communion Sunday, the Nicene Creed.
3. On Holy Trinity Sunday, the Athanasian Creed.

Now, does this mean we can’t say the Nicene Creed on a non-communion Sunday? No. 

What about the Apostles’ Creed on a Communion Sunday? Yes.

But we stick to the schedule pretty well.

This week, I found myself up in Closter at the A&P Supermarket to pick a few things. Standing outside the store was a Korean War veteran who was selling poppies for a dollar. Of course, I bought a couple, to which I received a hearty “thank you.”

The gentlemen made an interesting comment regarding this weekend — he said it is a time to remember our fallen vets, not Aunt Millie’s skirt steak marinade. I laughed and came home.

This morning as I read the Wall Street Journal, a recipe for skirt steak and Greek salad was printed in the Weekend Edition. And I thought about the nice veteran I met this past week.

This is Memorial Day weekend. Tonight and tomorrow in church, we will remember our fallen veterans who sacrificed their lives so we can live in freedom. Our nation is free because of them. We can worship our God because they shed their blood to protect the liberties we many times take for granted.

Oh, don’t forget tonight’s Divine Service with Holy Communion followed by Bible Study where we will begin a study of written by a former professor of mine, Rev. John Pless, on God’s Word. See you at 7:30pm.

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Tonight is our final Advent Midweek service as we take a look at Saint Lucia of Syracuse. As with all of our Midweek services, our worship tonight will include Holy Communion. Following our service tonight, we will continue our review of the book of Romans. This week, we will actually read and talk about Chapter 1 (considering that is what we were supposed to do last week, but I never got to it). So, if you are in the Northern New Jersey area tonight, drive on by to Center Street in New Milford and receive the gifts of God in Word and Sacrament.

I am sitting here right before church and I noticed something in our worship service: I made a goof.

Each Sunday, I use a large sized (tabloid, 11×17) bulletin for the service. It makes it easier for me to find my place and read the portions that I must. But what I also do is photocopy the hymns and use that instead of carrying around the hymnal. Now, I know a lot of pastors are shaking their heads as they read this; but come on, if I don’t have to carry it around and make my life a bit easier during the worship service, I’m doing it. It doesn’t make me a bad Lutheran for not carrying my hymnal.

As I got to that photocopying this morning, I noticed that we printed the wrong hymn in our worship folder this morning: Hymn 297 instead of 298. OK, it is not THAT big of mistake since both are “A Mighty Fortress.” But I like the tune to 297 better than the tune to 298, but I like the words out of 298 better than 297.

Get that?

Well, we are going to use the tune to 297 and the words for 298. This really isn’t a major mistake, but thankfully I caught it earlier … and all because I photocopy the hymns instead of carrying the hymnal.