Luther’s Ein Feste Burg ist Unser Gott

Martin Luther wrote over 35 hymns and his most famous one is, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” [Ein Feste Burg ist Unser Gott] (1528). We’ll sing it once again on Reformation Sunday this year, October 30. 

The center of the hymn is at the end of the third verse where it says we won’t tremble when the raging devil, who is this world’s tyrant, sends hordes of demons to devour us because of the “little word,” Christ Jesus, the mighty Lord, defends us [Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) hymn 229]. This makes God our mighty fortress. This comes from Psalm 46.1 where it says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” On this verse Luther writes, that “a false faith will not stand the test of adversity, but both… idol and superstition, become engulfed and vanish  [and only] despair remains. Therefore [only Christ deserves this name, because only he] can rescue from death” (Luther’s Works 19:57).

                                                                                                                               Pastor Marshall

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PRESIDENT'S REPORT.... by Matthew Kahn

At the end of every October we celebrate the beginning of the Reformation. That distinct schism occurred in the Church when Luther posted his 95 Theses. It has been years since I have read the simple document.  I read it again in preparation for this fall and I found one thesis that struck me once again. To me it pierces to the heart of what the protestations over indulgences were:

37. Every true Christian, whether living or dead, has part in all the blessings of Christ and the Church; and this is granted him by God, even without letters of pardon.

    Creation, life, the Law, the Gospel, forgiveness… ALL of our blessings are gifts from God, regardless of what a politicized church says.  The color of the festival is red, the same as the day of Pentecost, the celebration of the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was there with the disciples, there with Martin Luther and is with us today as we continue to spread the Word of God. May god bless our endeavors.

    During the first part of this summer we began the slow process of getting our financial house in order. At one point we were over $7,000 behind budget, however because of generous contributions from our membership we began to catch up. By the middle of summer we had shrunk the budget deficiency to only $4,000. Unfortunately by the end of summer we started to lose ground again. 

    At the end of August we had a Total General Budget Income of $15,557.60 versus a budget of $18,422. This is a shortfall of about $3,000 for the month of August alone.

Year to date we have had $150,525.40 in Total General Budget Income as compared to a budget of $158,721. We have fallen back to having a $6,200 giving shortfall. So far we have been able to counter this by keeping our spending under budget as well.  As the seasons change however, with greater heating expenses, our bills will now be on the increase again. Let us pray that we will be able to close this budgetary gap and through the Holy Spirit, continue to do His work in West Seattle.

    This October as we celebrate the movement that unshackled us from a politicized church and refocused us upon the Word of God and on His plan, take time to read the 95 Theses again. It only takes a couple of minutes. You can pick up a copy at the church office. Then say a prayer of thanksgiving for Martin Luther and the Holy Spirit, because today, forgiveness is free, but only for those who ask for it.

    May God Bless the Reformation.

Stewardship                                         Budget                       Received

       Month (August)                            $18,422                       $16,221

       Year to date (Jan-Aug)                 $158, 721                    $152,542

ST. NICHOLAS FAIRE

Sunday, December 4 from 4pm to 7pm

Sign-up sheets will be posted this month and preparations are underway.  Be thinking how you would like to help.  And more importantly MARK YOUR CALENDAR –

INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!!!!!!

We especially need donations of wine priced between $20 and $30, and home baked Christmas cookies and Scandinavian sweets. We had a great response to “Christmas in July” and all but one ornament was taken from the tree.  If you haven’t already brought your “ornament” item to the church, I will be giving you a reminder call.  We need all items no later than October 9th.  You can also still donate money that will help cover the cost of completing the themed gift baskets that will be sold.  Remember that the money we raise with your help from the St. Nicholas Faire, will all be donated to the West Seattle Food Bank and the West Seattle Helpline.  Help us make this event fun, memorable, and successful!

-Larraine King, Church Council

With the Mind:  Readings in Contemporary Theology

3-5 pm in the Church Lounge, Saturday, October 22nd

The book for October is 36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction (2010) by Rebecca Newberger Goldstein. This book is a fanciful, cynical exploration of a number of possible rational justifications for the existence of God, in a Jewish context. While it’s playful, it’s also serious enough to concisely state all 36 of the arguments at the end of the book that are explored chapter by chapter throughout the body of the book.

     Regarding the common belief of Christians that God exists because the Bible says he

does, Goldstein writes: “Only the most arrogant provincialism could allow someone to be-lieve that the holy documents that happen to be held sacred by the clan he was born into are true, whereas all the documents held sacred by the clan he wasn’t born into are false” (p.483).

     A copy of this panoramic study of faith and reason is in the church library. If you would like to purchase one for yourself, contact Pastor Marshall. Feel free to attend our meeting when we discuss the place of reasonability in establishing a saving faith in Christ.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: GOLDEN FELLOWSHIP:  Luncheon on Tuesday, October 25th.  Be sure to sign up when you see the sheet posted in the lounge. 

WEST SEATTLE RECYCLING buys your recyclables of aluminum

cans and newspapers and sends the church a 10% bonus check a couple

of times a year.  Pastor Marshall is willing to take donations if left in his

carport.  Also #6 Styrofoam can now be recycled (the kind that snaps

when broken).  Please put cans and Styrofoam donations in bags before

leaving at the back of the parsonage carport – newspapers must be tied. 

KORAN CLASS:  A four-week guided reading of the Koran begins

October 6th at 7:00 pm.  Interested?  Call 206-935-6530 to register

or email deogloria@foxinternet.com.  

NEW MEMBER CLASSES will be starting on Sunday, October 2nd

at 11:45 am in rm D.  If you are interested in becoming a member please

let Pastor Marshall or the office know.

SCRAPPER’S will meet on Wednesday the 26th and Thursday

the 27th of October.  Join this group for their last meeting in 2011,

the next meeting will be in January of 2012.

FOOD BANK DONATION suggestion for October

is tuna and mayonnaise.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          St. Luke, Evangelist

A Forgotten But Powerful Voice:

Dr. Kent S. Knutson, 1924-1973

By Pastor Marshall

Dr. Knutson was the presiding bishop of the ALC from 1971-1973. In his most famous book, The Shape of the Question: The Mission of the Church in a Secular Age (1972), which I am exploring in this column, he writes these arresting words on asking and answering questions about God. I think they deserve our serious attention:

[The] truly secular man is characterized by a rigorous honesty and energy…. At the root of his attitude is the basic cry, “Wherein lies meaning?”…. This really is a Lutheran question occurring at key points in Luther’s catechism. What does this mean for us, not just what does it say, but what does it mean?.... How shall it be applied? [But this] is a very difficult question to answer for at least two reasons. First, because secular man has fallen into a trap in the way that he understands the question. It is possible to ask a question in such a way that no answer is expected…. [So] asking a question does not in and of itself always permit an answer. It depends on the kind of question, the purpose of the question, the context out of which the question comes. Sometimes a question only deserves another question. Secular man, I believe, has asked this question out of a particular cultural commitment that is a trap for him and no kind of answer in and of itself will satisfy him. The second difficulty is that those whom claim to believe in God have not paid enough attention to this question to know how to handle an answer. We have not had the theological perception or the interest or intellectual equipment to be able to deal with that question. So we have created a confrontation which is a deadlock (pp. 16-18).