I Will Not Leave Your Comfortless

The Gospel lesson this weekend is John 14:23-29. In this lesson, Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit:

"I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you . . . ."

Reflecting this lessson, the anthem that our Music Director, Ginger Minneman, has chosen for the Chancel Choir to sing at the offering at the 10:30 a.m. Sunday service is I Will Not Leave You Comfortless. This is one of Six Short Motets for the Greater Festivals of the Church by Everett Titcomb (1884-1968).

Everett Titcomb was director of music at the Boston Church of the Society of St. John the Evanglist for 50 years. His compositions were the outgrowth of a scholarly interest in plainchant and liturgy. First published in 1936, I Will Not Leave You Comfortless pays homage to the masters of Renaissance music with imitative, overlapping voices. At one point, the bass theme is the plainchant from the ninth century Veni Creator Spiritus. The motet is in a minor key that resolves on the last chord, and has been described as being achingly beautiful. It is sung a cappella.

Other music this Sunday:

• ELW Communion Setting Four (10:30 a.m. service)
• Prelude: Awake, My Heart with Gladness (Auf, Auf, Mein Herz), Paul Manz
  
• Entrance Hymn: Come, We That Love the Lord, ELW 625
• Hymn of the Day: Day by Day, ELW 790
• Offertory (8:15 a.m. service): The Savior's Blood and Righteousness, Margaret Vardell Sandresky
  
• Hymns during Communion: When Peace Like a River, ELW 785; O Day of Peace, ELW 711
• Final Hymn: We are Called, ELW 720
• Postlude: Christ Has Risen, Alleluia (Mfurahini, Haleluya), Keith Lolander (based on a traditional Tanzanian Tune) - piano and tamborine
  

A Message From Our Pastor

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

The photos from Greensburg, Kansas, or what used to be Greensburg, are eerie reminders of the 1974 system that spawned over 100 tornadoes in the Midwest and South, wiping out Xenia and doing 100 million dollars of damage to Hanover College (southern Indiana) where I was completing my junior year. Lutheran Disaster Relief (LDR), a collaborative ministry of the ELCA and the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, was on site yesterday to assess the situation and begin planning for assistance. You may make monetary relief donations through the church, and designate them for Greensburg; we will inform you when donations of food, clothing, etc. will be accepted. For more information, check out news on the ELCA website: http://www.elca.org/news/blog.

The lessons for this weekend all revolve around visions: in our first lesson, Paul receives a vision from God telling him to visit another continent to share abroad the Good New of God in Jesus; in our second lesson, John the Seer receives God's vision of a new Jerusalem – an image of what it means to live with God. And in our Gospel lesson, Jesus provides for his disciples a vision of what life will be like when he is no longer bodily with them, as the guidance and comfort of the Holy Spirit are promised, and faith in Christ will be deepened.

And . . . don’t forget . . . this Sunday, May 13, is MOTHERS’ DAY!

Thought for the week:

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. – Pablo Picasso

Let’s gather together in worship this weekend to celebrate God’s creative Spirit within each of us!

In Christ,

Gary

Worship Committee Meeting

The Worship Committee will meet this coming Saturday, May 11. The meeting will be at 10:00 a.m. at the church.

The Beginning and the End

See below for more information on the banner we used as a frontal on the altar this weekend.

We Filled the Cart!

Thanks to those who brought cereal to worship this weekend for the New Hope Food Pantry.

The Beginning and the End

This weekend's second lesson is Revelation 21:1-6, which includes the passage: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end."

Earlier this year, eight of our Sunday School classes made banner panels representing different names of Jesus appearing in the Bible. The picture above is the panel that our Sr. High Sunday School class made. It represents "the beginning and the end," and will be displayed this weekend.

The class spent time over several weeks discussing the design for this panel, which evolved considerably from their first ideas. They used fabric paints, blending colors to produce a vivid effect. Members of the class are currently planning banners for a future occasion, and we look forward to seeing and displaying what they create.

Ubi cáritas et ámor, Déus ibi est.

This weekend's Gospel lesson is John 13:31-35. At the end of this passage, Jesus says:

"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

The title of this posting translates into English as: "Where charity and love are, God is there." It is the first line of the anthem that the Chancel Choir will sing this Sunday at the offering during the 10:30 a.m. service. Ubi caritas is from Four Motets on Gregorian themes by Maurice Dureflé (1902-1986) and is based on an ancient plainchant melody.

Other music this Sunday:

• ELW Communion Setting Four (10:30 a.m. service)
• Prelude: This Joyful Eastertide, David Cherwien
• Entrance Hymn: Son of God, Eternal Savior, ELW 655
• Hymn of the Day: All are Welcome, ELW 641
• Offertory (8:15 a.m. service): Christ is erstanden, Johann Kaspar Ferdindand Fischer
• Hymns during Communion: Will You Let Me be Your Servant, ELW 659; Blest Be the Tie that Binds, ELW 656
• Final Hymn: Where Charity and Love Prevail, ELW 359
• Postlude: Grand Choer, William Faulkes

Bring Cereal to Church This Weekend

The Social Ministry Committee is asking that everyone bring breakfast cereal when you come to worship on May 5 and 6 to stock the shelves of the New Hope Food Pantry. Add a box (or more) to the grocery cart in the narthex. Any kind you'd like to share will be welcome. Hot cereals like oatmeal or grits; cold cereals – flakes, puffs or whatever shapes you like. Any and all kinds will help feed those who are hungry.

We had a great response on "Super Bowl Sunday." Let's fill the cart again! Remember: "Where charity and love are, God is there." (See the posting above entitled "Ubi caritas . . . .")

For more information about the work of our Social Ministry Committee click here.

A Message From Our Pastor

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Special thanks to Pastor Robert Neeb for leading worship in my absence last weekend. I was out of the office for most of the week, working on/around the house, and (more important) getting in some great fishing (there is no other kind!). Saturday, I took some time to work with Lutheran sisters and brothers in the Rebuilding Together house that was sponsored by the Dayton Conference, and "captained" by our own Doug Hammer, with organizing help from Lee Scamp and Donna Gorrell. 76 Lutherans (yes, that's seventy-six) showed up to help, with 20 of them being LCOS member-disciples! A power-point slide show will be running in the narthex this weekend before and after worship, so you can see the work that was accomplished by congregations working together, which happens to be the theme of our lessons in worship this weekend.

This weekend, our Social Ministry Committee is sponsoring Cereal Days – bring one or more boxes of cereal (hot or cold) to worship and place in the grocery cart in the narthex. This is one more way we can help feed the hungry population in Dayton.

And . . . this Sunday, the Youth are hosting their annual Mothers' Day Brunch (yes, one week early) from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., in the Fellowship Hall. Proceeds will go to help fund their annual mission work. This summer, the youth will be attending the ELCA Global Mission Event, at The Ohio State University.

Thought for the week:
The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless. (Jean-Jacques Rousseau)

Come together in worship this weekend, when we can celebrate God's boundless grace-filled imagination for each of us!

In Christ,
Gary

Why Was That Candle in the Window . . .

you might ask, and why has it been moving around?

It's easy to stop noticing something that you see frequently. When I spend time in the mountains, I enjoy their beauty, but wonder if they would fade into the background if I lived nearby.

Each of the panels of the stained glass windows in our sanctuary depicts an event in the life of Christ, one of his stories, or an event in the life of the Church. Recently, we started placing a candle in front of a panel when it depicts an event or story relevant to worship for the day. So, you've seen the candle in front of panels depicting Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and the appearance of Christ to the disciples after the resurrection. Yesterday was Good Shepherd Sunday, so we placed the candle in front of the panel that depicts Christ as a shepherd with a sheep.

By periocially drawing attention to a panel in this way, we hope to help those attending worship to contemplate the message conveyed visually by the highlighted window.

Question Regarding Evangelical Lutheran Worship

One of our members said to me yesterday: "I thought we were going to use the new hymnals for everything, but we're using a communion setting from the LBW."

The setting that we are currently using at the 10:30 a.m. Sunday service is Setting Four from Evangelical Lutheran Worship. This setting previously appeared in the Lutheran Book of Worship as setting II. So yes, it's from the LBW, but it's also in ELW. Since our weekly printed bulletins contain the liturgy, it would be easy to not realize that the setting is in ELW.

Our plan is to continue to seasonally rotate the settings that we use, and to introduce one of the new settings from ELW sometime in the next year. The goal is to use a variety of settings, but to use a select number of them in such a way that the congregation can be familiar with the music for each of the settings that we use.

We'll be looking at the ELW setting by Joel Martinson, which started out as the provisional setting we used several years ago but has been modified. During Lent this year, we used ELW setting Five, which is a plain chant setting derived from Setting III in LWB and from one of the settings in the "old" red hymnal. Setting I from LBW also appears in ELW as Setting Three; and Setting V from With One Voice appears in large part in the Service of the Word in ELW.

Easter Pictures 2007

Thanks to everybody who helped make our Easter service special this year. All four choirs participated, and four brass players added to the festivity. Many people helped decorate by putting up banners, pew candles, and the lillies on their stands. A number of families volunteered to create floral arrangements along the windows.

Comments on Tonight's Service?

One of our members is going to give out information about this blog to people who attend this evening's service. Welcome to those who haven't visited the blog before. If you have any thoughts about the service - the sermon, readings, music, etc. - you can attach them to this post.

A Message From Our Pastor

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

This Sunday at the 8:15 a.m. worship, the Sonshine Choir will present special music. Since the Sonshine Choir usually sings at the 10:30 a.m. service, this will be a real treat for this worship service, and we thank Elizabeth Beal (director), Sonia Davila (accompanist), and the members of the children's choir for making this special musical presentation.

Rebuilding Together will be held this Saturday, April 28. The "Lutheran House" is located just west of the V. A. Hospital complex, off Rt. 35. (Call for directions.) Work begins at 8:00 a.m., and lunch is served between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., with working continuing into the afternoon. If you can share any time at all, your help will be greatly appreciated, as we join with other Lutheran congregations in the Dayton Conference to help a Dayton resident rehab her home.

The Youth are holding their annual MOTHERS' DAY BRUNCH on Sunday, May 6 (the week before Mothers' Day). Proceeds will go to the Youth mission work. Mark your calendars, and plan to attend!

CEREAL SATURDAY/SUNDAY
The Social Ministry Committee is asking that everyone bring breakfast cereal when you come to worship May 5/6 to stock the shelves of the New Hope Food Pantry. Add a box to the grocery cart in the narthex. Any kind you'd like to share will be welcome. Hot cereals like oatmeal or grits; cold cereals – flakes, puffs or whatever shapes you like. Any and all kinds will help feed those who are hungry.

May God bless you this week, and may we worship together this weekend.

In Christ,
Gary

A Message From Our Pastor

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

The shock of horrific violence on the Virginia Tech campus is difficult for most of us to comprehend. I ask that you keep in your prayers those families who lost loved ones, and the faculty and students who must figure out a way to move on with life as the school year nears its conclusion. Hold on to God's assurance that God is present, in Virginia, and here, to bring hope to a world that often seems so void of hope. Perhaps it is so shocking to us because we are not accustomed to this type of violent carnage in our country. But I encourage you to remember that for millions of people around the world, Monday's event in Virginia is a daily occurrence in their homelands. Pray for those whose lives were ended prematurely on Monday, but please remember to also pray for those families around the world who live with this sinful violence every day.


This weekend's WORSHIP THEME centers around the Gospel account of Jesus forgiving Peter for denying him three times the day of the crucifixion, and Jesus' entrusting Peter with the mission of the Church. Sin breaks relationships and builds walls between us and God, and between us and others. In forgiving Peter, Jesus dismantled the wall between himself and Peter, thus restoring the relationship and sharing God's peace with the disciple, and it is what God does for us each time we seek God's forgiveness.

I look forward to being with you in worship this weekend!

In Christ,
Gary

Join Us for Easter

If you are looking for a church to attend in the Dayton Ohio area on Easter and would like take part in a service with a traditional liturgy and fine music, please join us at the Lutheran Church of Our Savior at 10:30 a.m. Details of the service:

Setting Four of the Service of Holy Communion from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (this setting is taken largely from Setting II in the Lutheran Book of Worship), festival version with brass and timpani.

Prelude - Prelude on Victimae Pascali, R. Spry
Entrance Hymn - Jesus Christ is Risen Today, ELW 365
Joyful Noise Children's Choir - That Easter Day With Joy was Bright
Sonshine and Joyful Noise Children's Choirs - Alleu!
Hymn of the Day - Alleluia! Jesus is Risen!, ELW 377
Offertory - Chancel Choir - My Master From a Garden Rose, E. Daley
Chancel Choir - Agnus Dei, from Solemn Mass, L. Vierne, sung in Latin
Music During Communion -

• Chancel Choir - Salvation is Created, P. Chesnokov
• Hymn - This Joyful Eastertide, ELW 391
• Bell Choir - Joyful Alleluia, C. Dobinsky
• Hymn - Alleluia! Sing to Jesus, ELW 392
• Hymn - Soul, Adorn Yourself with Gladness, ELW 488

Final Hymn - Thine is the Glory, ELW 376
Postlude - Toccata from Symphony V, C. M. Widor

There is an intergenerational Sunday School gathering before the service at 9:15 a.m. Please join us - visitors are always welcome, whether you live in town or are just passing through. Click here for a location map.

Pastor: Rev. Gary Eichhorn
Music Director and Director of the Chancel Choir: Ginger Minneman
Organist: Rachel Spry
Director of Sonshine Children's Choir: Elizabeth Beal
Director of Joyful Noise Children's Choir: Celeste Hoerner

Pictures from Our Good Friday Service

It's become our tradition at LCOS to light votive candles in the shape of a cross at the end of our Good Friday service. These are pictures from our service earlier this evening.

Choir Rehearsal Times for Easter Sunday

A reminder for Easter: The Bell Choir meets to rehearse at 9:00 a.m. The Chancel Choir meets to rehearse at 9:30 a.m. in the sanctuary. We will practice the anthems first, then work with the brass and timpani on the festival setting of the Communion service. The service starts at 10:30 a.m.

A Message from Our Pastor about Good Friday & Easter

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Just a reminder that GOOD FRIDAY worship is tonight at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. At the conclusion of the Maundy Thursday service last evening, the altar and chancel area were stripped in the ancient practice of the Church in preparation for tonight. Worship tonight will include a reading of the "passion narrative" as recorded by St. John (which offers a different perspective from St. Luke, read last Sunday), the ancient "Bidding Prayer," a procession of the cross, and lighting of votive candles at the conclusion of worship. We will be using the traditional liturgy appearing in Evangelical Lutheran Worship.

EASTER WORSHIP – 10:30 A.M. SUNDAY (it is the only service of the weekend – there is NO Saturday or 8:15 a.m. Sunday worship) More details about this service appear in the posting below this one.

Easter Sunday begins in the fellowship hall at 9:15 a.m. with an intergenerational Sunday School event featuring creative studies of the origin of Scripture. A continental breakfast will be available (bagels, fruit, pastries, juice, coffee). Join us!

May God bless you with New Life this day!

In Christ,
Gary

A Message From Our Pastor

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

This is Holy Week, and below is the schedule for worship for the remainder of the week:

Maundy Thursday (April 5, 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary)
We will celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion that Jesus instituted on this night long ago. We also bring the season of Lent to full circle: We began Lent on Ash Wednesday by having the sign of the cross marked on our foreheads with ashes created from burning last year's palm branches. On Maundy Thursday, during the singing of our opening hymn, we will receive a special blessing of forgiveness accompanied by the marking of the cross on our foreheads with oil. The service will conclude with stripping of the altar in preparation for the next night. (Traditional liturgy from Evangelical Lutheran Worship.)

Good Friday (April 6, 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary)
We mark the last night of Jesus' earthly life with the reading of the Passion Narrative in the Gospel cccording to John, which offers a rather different perspective to that which was read last Sunday from the Gospel according to Luke. The service will include the ancient "bidding prayer" (offered only on this night), and concludes with a procession of the cross and lighting of votive candles. (Traditional liturgy from Evangelical Lutheran Worship.)

THERE IS NO SATURDAY EVENING WORSHIP OR 8:15 A.,M. SUNDAY WORSHIP!

Easter Sunday, April 8
Intergenerational SCS Event, 9:15 a.m., in the fellowship hall – includes light brunch and a creative study of the origin of the Bible.

Worship, 10:30 a.m., in the sanctuary – our "Celebration of New Life in Christ" will bring all three worshiping communities into one glorious celebration on this most important day of the year. Once again, we will hear the good news of the Risen Christ, accompanied by our choirs. (More music details appear in a posting above.) The stark Lenten drabness of our sanctuary will be replaced with an explosion of living color! (Setting Four of the service of Holy Communion from Evangelical Lutheran Worship.)

Please keep our Youth in your prayers as they purchase and deliver Easter food to the families in our Adopt-A-Family Program this weekend, asking that God bless their ministry in our community.

And . . . . work on the HVAC project kicks off Monday, as asbestos abatement begins and the boiler is shut down. The Property Committee has secured an alternative heat source for the sanctuary that will be linked to our ventilation system, so we will have heat throughout April . . . . and given the turn in the weather, praise to God for the dedicated members of our Property Committee!!

May God greatly bless you this week as we worship the God who died and rose for us, and who breathes new life into us each day!

In Christ,
Gary