News & Notes

The older I get the more I appreciate the many and varied gifts God gives everyone. In our four adult children alone, all of whom grew up in the same house with the same parents and in the same surroundings, I see such varied and unique gifts, interests and abilities! It amazes me.

On a larger scale, I see that in our congregation. During this past Lenten season, Holy Week and now during our ongoing Easter elebration, so many contributed in such meaningful ways to our worship experience: from the lighting (Wesley Dean), to the dramatic readings (so many of our folks, young and old), to the planning (eg. Good Friday, Carole Olsen), to all of the beautiful music, to the beautiful lilies (all who donated and Lynn Sadler and crew who ordered, delivered and set them up), and the list goes on (like the Easter breakfast put on by our Men in Mission). And that's only in the area of worship.

At the same time wonderful things were happening in Sunday School, in our Parish Health Ministry, in our Youth Ministry, and in our community, with so many members involved in a number of local social service ministries and beyond, with our connection with Haiti Partners and the Lutheran Church in Guyana. And the list goes on. So many and varied interests and gifts!

I share this because Our Savior is about to recognize another way that various gifts and abilities are shared through the church. That is through the office of deacon. Deacons have been a part of the churchmsince Biblical days. In the ELCA a number of congregations are recognizing certain people who have had specialmtraining and who are qualified to hold the title of deacon.

Here at Our Savior, Allan Klotsche is one such person. Having completed a two year diakonia program of education here in our Synod, and having met certain service related requirements, Allan is now ready to be consecrated as a deacon of the church. That will happen on Pentecost Sunday, May 25 at the 8:30 service.

Due to space limitations, I'll just say for now that on that Sunday and in future newsletters we will share more about what this means for Allan and for our congregation. You can also go to our synod website: www.fysynod.com and type "diakonia program" in the select-a-topic" text box for more information.

As this season of Easter concludes on May 16 and as the season of Pentecost begins May 23, may we all recognize the gifts God has given us and be open to using them for the good of all and to the glory of God.

See you in church!
Pastor Jack Diehl

And the world would never be the same.

Since that first Easter everything changed. The authorities, religious and political, thought that Jesus had been silenced, taken out of the picture, finished. Jesus’ follower’s hopes and dreams had come to an end. It seemed the powers of death and darkness had prevailed.

But then there was that open, empty tomb. And then the Risen, Living Jesus talking to Mary and later to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. And the world would never be the same. Because of this Risen One, the Bible would not be read the same either . From that first Easter the Bible would be seen and heard and read in light of that ultimat e act of redemption. There would no longer be Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female; all would be one in Christ. (Gal. 3:28) Even the Biblical Sabbath Day would be changed from Saturday to Sunday, the day of Resurrection, as an ongoing reminder of the Dawning of God's New Day. For God sent his Son
into the world not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him. The Bible isn't just a book of laws and rules. This Risen One, we see, is the focus of the Bible, and the One to whom the whole Biblical story points!And the unfolding of that story continues.
Come and see, not just on Easter Sunday, but on all of the

Sundays of the Easter season and beyond, as the Living, Risen Christ and his promised Holy Spirit continues to breathe life into us and into God's world yet today.
And the world would never be the same.
See you in church!
Pastor Jack Diehl

For the entire month of March we will be journeying through Lent, which began on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17 and ends on Easter Sunday, April 4. So, what does that look like at Our Savior? In addition to our regular worship schedule of Saturday at 6pm and Sunday at 8:30 and 11am, there will be midweek Wednesday Lenten services at 11am & 7pm. The midday service is followed by lunch and the evening service is preceded by a soup & salad
supper at 6pm.

These services and the meals are wonderful times to gather together for some of the "Four Keys for Practicing Faith": 1. Caring conversations; 2. Devotions; 3. Service and 4. Rituals and Traditions. (You'll be hearing more of this language as a result of our Jan. 23 workshop with Pastor Hill.)

But for now, what these mid week services and meals offer are places for caring conversations, which take place at and around the meals provided during this season. In these settings we are able to get caught up on each others lives and share both our joys and sorrows.

The worship then provides a place for devotion as we sing, pray and hear God's Word together. The theme for these services will be "Overheard Conversations by the Cross" as we listen in on conversations that may have taken place between different people who were there during Jesus' last days.

Between the meals provided and the conversations overheard, many members of Our Savior will be providing some wonderful service to us all. (If you'd like to be a part of helping with any of this, talk to one of the pastors.)

There are also some rituals and traditions which will continue for our evening worship. The setting on Wednesday evenings will be Holden Evening Prayer which is becoming a much loved tradition here at Our Savior.

So, as this season unfolds, I hope you can join us on this Lenten journey. This is the bread that feeds our souls and the spiritual exercise that makes our faith strong.

See you in church!
Pastor A.C.'Jack' Diehl III

Not long ago I saw the new blockbuster movie, Avatar. It's 2 hours and 40 minutes of amazing special affects (no, I didn’t see it in 3-D...it was plenty enough for me to see it as it was!) lots of action, explosions, etc. But it was also filled with all kinds of religious and spiritual symbolism.

I found it curious that in an increasingly secular world, and in a world where church membership in general is waning in some areas, there would be so much interest in spiritual things, such as evidenced in this movie and other popular movies today (“The Book of ELI” is another). What this tells me is that the spiritual nature in us is always there and always hungry. There is a part of us that wants and needs more than just the tangible, measurable and/or pleasurable things in life.

As we enter February we come to a time of the year when our different worship experiences can speak to our spiritual nature in different ways. The season of Epiphany comes to a conclusion on Transfiguration Sunday, Feb. 14, as we once again lock away our Alleluias until Easter. Then our Lenten journey begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17, as we begin our way toward Easter. During the changing of the seasons we get to hear and experience the different dimensions of our Christian faith.

In the spirit of our Jan. 23 "Vibrant Faith Formation" workshop, these extra worship opportunities are additional times our faith can be nurtured.

Watch for the special presentations and unique worship settings as the season of Epiphany comes to a close and as the season of Lent begins. Come worship and be a part of something that can nurture your faith and your spirit, which movies like Avatar can't really feed.

See you in church.

Pastor Jack Diehl

This December/January newsletter brings us into the new church year. This is a wonderful time of the year beginning with a season of hope, anticipation and preparation: Advent (which began Nov. 29 this year). This is often a time when "the world" wants to simply jump right into Christmas (then toss Christmas out with the tree on December 26). Let this be a time to begin thinking about what it means that God would choose to come among us, to bring us his Light and Life, and what we need to do to be open to the great gift of the Christ Child. In our worship together during the four Sundays in Advent leading up to Christmas, we can keep our focus on what this season is about and what God has done and is doing among us, instead of just getting caught up in the commercialism and secularization of the season.

Then as the season unfolds, Christmas and Epiphany become celebrations of what it means that God is with us (Emmanuel) and that God's Light shines into our deepest darkness. Yes, we are entering a wonderful season, rich in images, symbols and celebrations. Let regular worship help shape this season for you, help you avoid the pitfalls of a secularized Christmas and help you keep close to the heart of it all.

See you in church!
Pastor Jack Diehl

If you've spent any time around children, you would know that during October there is one thing on their minds: "Halloween"! Ask any teacher, Sunday School teacher or parent.

As November comes, what is one of the first things that comes to mind for you? My guess would be that "Thanksgiving" would be right up there. Of all the holidays and seasons of the year, "Thanksgiving" has a unique character. It's not wild and noisy like the 4th of July, it doesn't mark the beginning or end of the summer season like Memorial Day or Labor Day, (although it does kind of mark the beginning of "the holidays"), and it doesn't have the religious significance of Christmas or Easter. It is simply a time to reflect on our blessings, usually with family and friends, and be thankful. By it's very nature Thanksgiving is a reminder that "It's not about me." To truly be thankful, as a nation or as an individual, means to look outside of ourselves, to THE source of our blessings, God our heavenly Father.

One can't be truly thankful, or have a thankful heart if ones attitude is "It's all about me!" That kind of "turned inwardness" sees blessings only as something earned or received because of some kind of entitlement. But to be truly thankful is to recognize "It's not about me", but rather it's about a gracious God who gives us more than we desire or deserve. For that reason, it seems fitting to bring our Stewardship emphasis, “It’s Not About Me” to a conclusion in November. The weekend of November 7-8 we are asking that we all bring our plans for giving for 2010 to worship, as a way of saying "thanks to God", and recognizing that all we are and have are gifts from God. As we make that important shift from "It's all about me" to "It's NOT about me", I can almost hear Jesus say, "You are not far from the kingdom of heaven."

May God give us the kind of thankful hearts that truly know "it's not about me", and which find joy and satisfaction in giving thanks and in living out an attitude of gratitude everyday.

Gratefully,
+Pastor Jack Diehl

Polarization: to be separated into opposed or antagonistic groups or viewpoints. Lately it seems our country and churches are experiencing more and more polarization. While it seemed both political parties, during the election process last year, talked about "crossing the aisle" and working together", it seems little of that is happening now that the election is over. And I'm not faulting either party for that. I'm just saying, it's a sad situation that doesn't seem to get any better.

But it's not just in the political world. For several years a number of church bodies have been experiencing polarization among their members. Just within the last couple of years we've seen that happen on a local scale with a well established congregation here in Vero Beach. Maybe some revel in this kind of discontent and division, but to me it's always painful.

Our own church body, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is not untouched by this kind of negative force at work around and within us. Since the national assembly, I've heard of a couple of congregations that are talking about leaving the ELCA. This is just sad, and in my opinion, plays right into the hand of the devil himself, who would love to see Christ's church wrangling and divided.

But in the middle of this kind of atmosphere, I am hopeful that our church, the ELCA, can be a different kind of witness and a different kind of "leaven in the loaf.” Our Bishops, and so many of our pastors and members are saying, the oneness we share in Christ, is stronger than some differences we may have among us. Not only that, but we need each other, with our differences, to keep each other honest and learning and growing together in God's grace. Perhaps one of the ways to fight the polarizing that is going on in our country and churches, is to set aside our arrogance, and be open to listening and learning from one another, recognizing that all are gifted in some way, but also that we are all also broken in some way.

The Scriptures are filled with stories of broken people being used in amazing and powerful ways for God's purposes. Is it possible that God is calling us, the ELCA, to be a witness to God's ability to reconcile a fallen humanity to Himself and to one another, in spite of our differences? This is a constant work in progress, the end of which isn't totally clear. But as we stand at the foot of the Cross and recognize the oneness we share in Christ as a beginning point, I believe the Holy Spirit will continue to guide and direct us, and even lead us out of this wilderness of polarization, to a new way of dealing with our differences and learning to live and work together for the common good and to God’s glory.

Lord, have mercy.

Pastor Jack