Forty Years of Grace

Dear friends,

This month, Peace Lutheran Church celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Our congregation began officially in April, 1965. Of course there had been some initial work in the years before that. For several months, two pastors of the American Lutheran Church, one serving Bethlehem in Auburn and the other Faith in Meadow Vista, came to Grass Valley on Sunday afternoons to conduct services—first at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, and later at the Horseman’s Club.

When things had progressed to the point of organization, Pastor Carl Sandbeck was called as the organizing pastor. The congregation was formally chartered forty years ago this month.

So many things have happened over those forty years. There are still a few among us who were charter members, but most of us have come to the congregation at some time after the founding date. It’s perhaps a little like the story of the Israelites in the wilderness: by the end of the journey, when they were ready to go into the promised land, there were only two living persons who had been on the journey from the very beginning. (Can you name them?)

That’s why it is important to remember the past as a congregation, and to tell the stories of the early days. Most of us weren’t here then, but the congregation we are today grew out of those experiences. Our past helps us to remember who we are.

Of course that’s an important concept in the Christian faith, isn’t it? We are part of a tradition—we didn’t just wake up this morning to decide we know something about God. Our faith is one that has been handed down, generation after generation. We learn about God from one another, to be sure—but also from all those in that "endless line of splendor" whose lives and words have proclaimed Christ through more than twenty centuries.

And so in creed, in song, in liturgy, and in many other ways, we form our faith and our praise in the way that we have been taught. We need to do this, for it is what it means to be a Christian. That does not mean that we ignore more contemporary expressions of faith; the gospel is always being restated in the language and culture of the day. But it is also always rooted in the tradition—or, better, in what is sometimes called the Great Tradition. It isn’t just "we’ve always done it that way before"; rather it is "this is who we are, this is what defines our identity and our purpose."

So let’s reflect this month on forty years of grace, shown by our Lord to and through hundreds of people here at Peace Lutheran Church. And let’s reflect as well on our community as part of that Great Tradition, built on the foundation of all those who have gone before us, that "great cloud of witnesses" who have, by their lives and their witness, invited us to follow them on the Way.

Peace to you,

Pastor Richard O. Johnson

Classic Prayers

Come, my Light, and illumine my darkness.

Come, my Life and revive me from death.

Come, my Physician, and heal my wounds.

Come, Flame of divine love, and burn up the thorns

of my sins, kindling my heart with the flame of

your love.

Come, my King, sit upon the throne of my heart

and reign there.

For thou alone art my King and my Lord. Amen.

--Dimitri of Rostov

17th century Russian bishop

Liturgy Notes: In, Of and After

In a liturgical church like ours, each Sunday of the year is given a particular name. Some of these are very specific, such as "Easter" or "Pentecost." Most Sundays, however, have a name that locates them in a particular liturgical season. If you pay attention to the prepositions, you will learn something about how we regard each of these seasons.

During this time of year, for example, we celebrate the "Sundays of Easter." This is the only season in which we use that little preposition "of." It makes the point that Easter is the most important of the Christian festivals, the "queen of feasts." Because of its importance, Easter actually lasts for "a week of weeks"—i.e., for seven weeks; and it is understood liturgically as one long celebration. This meant, during the medieval period, that there were no fast days during the weeks from Easter to Pentecost. At one time it was actually forbidden to kneel in church during this period; it was a season of joy, and kneeling was thought to be too somber and penitential.

A similarly significant preposition is used in the other high point of the church year, Christmas. We are familiar with the phrase "the twelve days of Christmas," which makes the point that Christmas, too, is regarded as one single celebration that lasts beyond the date itself. However, the Sundays during that season have long been known as Sundays after Christmas. The reason for this is obscure, but it is likely due to the fact that Christmas Day itself is not necessarily a Sunday, so the Lord’s Day is not an integral part of the "structure" of the celebration.

The two penitential seasons, Advent and Lent, use the preposition in. We speak of "Sundays in Lent" or "Sundays in Advent." That’s because the Sundays themselves are considered to be little islands in the midst of the long penitential season. If you’ve ever tried to count the forty days of Lent, you have discovered that you have to omit the Sundays, or you end up with 46 days instead of 40. That’s because Sunday is always considered a "feast day," celebrating the resurrection of Christ—even if it comes in the midst of a season of "fasting." In the time when Lent was taken seriously as a fast, that meant each Sunday offered a little respite, a note of joy in an otherwise somber time.

The rationale is similar for Advent. Its length varies, though there are always four Sundays which are called "Sundays in Advent." Advent has lost much of its penitential character in the modern church, but the preposition remains as a remnant of an earlier time.

The two longest seasons of the year use the term "Sunday after." We have "Sundays after the Epiphany" in January and February, and "Sundays after Pentecost" in the late spring until the end of the liturgical year. Some churches use the designation "Sundays in ordinary time"—and the "after" in our calendar reflects the same idea. This is ordinary time, the time that we mark "after" on celebration as we wait for the next one to roll around.

All of this has little real life significance, of course, except to remind us that our liturgical calendar has developed quite deliberately over the centuries, in such a way that even prepositions have their meaning. In this present season, it can also remind us that our joyful celebration of Christ’s resurrection continues for a "week of weeks"—and indeed, in another sense in continues through the year as each Sunday is a reminder of resurrection. As the contemporary hymn writers Avery and Marsh once put it, "Every Sunday is Easter Sunday from now on!" To which we can only add: Alleluia!

From the Associate Pastor

It does not matter in what arena of life, there are people that are shouting that they are right. In politics, the Democrats are right..or the Republicans are right. In the church, some say that we must teach or do this or that. Fighting is everywhere, and everyone is certain that they are right and they will make those who are wrong pay in some form or fashion. But listen to scripture and Luther’s reflection.

He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. In Mary’s song, known as the Magnificat, she sings of the great works of God. The first work of God is mercy. Martin Luther writes, “No rich or mighty man is so puffed up and bold as one such smart aleck who feels and knows that he is in the right, understands all about a matter and is wiser than other people.” Luther said that it was a great and widespread evil in his day( as it is in our’s as well)—many being arrogant about their hold on the truth.

But some might say that we are supposed to stand up for the truth, defend the truth, speak the truth. Luther responds, “They suppose it is sufficient that it is right, and then they desire to continue and carry it out by their own power. Thus they turn their right into a wrong, even if it was in itself right.” Luther goes on to argue that anyone who is in the right should fear God first and foremost and realize that his mercy is great. All good things, including truth come from him. We are required to show mercy to others at all times, even when we are certain that we are right and they are wrong. We cannot push the truth in our power, but only through God’s power . Of course, this requirement will mean that often we will suffer. And suffer is something that we must be willing to do. During the Passion, Jesus spoke the truth. He suffered. Jesus did it in God’s power, no armies or angels. Jesus died on the cross. He showed mercy…. He was right and we were wrong. Let us show mercy to everyone, right or wrong…like Jesus.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Dean