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Redeemer Revelations
A publication of Redeemer Lutheran Church 1658 Roane State Hwy Harriman, TN 37748
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Parables and the Six Chief Parts
It happens every year, doesn’t it? We barely seem to catch our
breath following a busy holiday season, and then it happens.
What is the “it” to which I am referring? I am referring to Ash
Wednesday and Lent. Yes, the penitential season of Lent will
soon be knocking on our door. Later this month, on Wednesday, February 18 to be
exact, our 40-day Lenten journey will begin anew.
I have said it before and I will say it again. Lent is far and away the busiest time of
year for me, but it is also my favorite time of year. It is a time when I am reminded
of my own utter sinfulness … and of my own utter helplessness to do anything about
it. It is a time when I am humbled as I look into the mirror of God’s Law … and see
there nothing but a poor, miserable sinner. This aspect of the season reaches its
climax on Good Friday … as I witness by faith the sinless Son of God being nailed to a
cross.
Yet it is also a time when I am reminded anew of the wonder of God’s love and grace
… reminded anew of just how far He was willing to go to purchase and win me for
heaven. It is a time when I am reminded anew that, even though it was my sin that
sent Jesus to that cross, He gladly and willingly took the punishment of my sin upon
Himself so that I never have to bear it. And this aspect of the season reaches its
climax on Easter Sunday, of course, when we celebrate Jesus’ triumph over death and
the grave … when we celebrate the amazing truth that Jesus’ resurrection guarantees
our own resurrection to eternal life!
It’s my favorite time of year, alright, as both God’s Word of Law and His Word of
Gospel come into especially sharp focus. Lent goes straight to the heart of what we as
Lutheran Christians believe, teach, and confess … that we are sinners justified/saved
only by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. I am very excited, therefore, about
where this year’s Lenten journey is taking us. Our ultimate destination, of course, is
the cross and the empty tomb, but we will be taking two different paths to get there …
a Wednesday evening path and a Sunday morning path.
February 2015
The Wednesday evening path could be called a “catechetical path.” If, after reading
that, you’re thinking that it might have something to do with Martin Luther’s Small
Catechism, you are correct. There are six Wednesday evening services, and there are
Six Chief Parts in Luther’s catechism. We will be considering one of those “Chief
Parts” each Wednesday evening. In case you don’t remember, the Six Chief Parts are
as follows: 1) The Ten Commandments, 2) The Apostles’ Creed, 3) The Lord’s Prayer, 4)
The Sacrament of Holy Baptism, 5) Confession, and 6) The Sacrament of the Altar.
The Sunday morning path is all about parables. In fact, this Sunday morning path is
called “The Parables of Lent.” Each week, as we consider one of Jesus’ parables, we
will focus on something we receive in and through the crucified Christ. For example,
on the First Sunday in Lent, the theme will be, “Receive the Word: The Sower and the
Seed.” On the Second Sunday in Lent, it will be, “Receive the Treasure: The Hidden
Treasure and Priceless Pearl.” Lenten devotion booklets that bear the same title, “The
Parables of Lent,” will be available on the Narthex desk beginning Sunday, February
15. In addition, beginning on Sunday, February 22 and concluding on Palm Sunday,
the Adult Sunday School Class will be doing a six-week study called “The Parables of
Lent.” Finally, the “Parables of Lent” theme will take us all the way to Maundy
Thursday, Good Friday, and the Resurrection of Our Lord.
I mentioned above that, while the Wednesday evening and Sunday morning paths
are very different, they both lead us to the same ultimate destination … the cross and
the empty tomb. And oddly enough, as different as those two paths are, they will both
begin in the same place. They will both begin in a most fitting way on Ash
Wednesday as the fifth of the Six Chief Parts, Confession, is combined with the theme,
“Receive Justification: The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.” To be sure,
we will go home that evening wearing ashen crosses on our foreheads. But humbly
confessing our sins and receiving God’s Word of Absolution, we will also go home as
did the tax collector in Jesus’ parable … justified before God!
Contrary to what the Christmas song says, I believe that this is “the most wonderful
time of the year.” It is a wonderful time to grow in faith, knowledge, devotion, and
discipleship. I hope you will join me on Ash Wednesday and on both of the Lenten
paths that follow. I am
Yours in Christ,
February 2015
RUMMAGE SALE
Our 2015 Rummage Sale will be held Saturday, May 9th. Proceeds will be used to help support the
2016 National Youth Convention.
It is never too early to set aside your best Rummage Sale items. What do we need? Furniture, clothing,
baby items, toys, household, tools, sports items, books, DVDs, games, holiday, decorations, purses,
office items (please no large appliances). If you bought it, we can sell it! If you have questions or large
items (such as furniture) that you cannot store until Sunday, May 3rd, please call Carole James, Kathy
Moore, or Judi Owens for help.
Items can now be put into the room adjoining the Youth Room. Donation slips will be made available
(on the desk in the Narthex).
Your donations will make a difference. So, clean out your basement, garage, or attic, support our
youth, and find a treasure or two for yourself at our Congregational Pre-Sale.
Thanks for your continued support.
REDEEMER CRAFT FAIR
We are in the planning stages of hosting a Craft Fair at our church. It will be the third Saturday in
September, the 19th, from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. There will be a free lunch of beans and
cornbread inside the church, as well as baked goods for sale. We will try to get money from Thrivent to
rent a bounce house for the kids. There will be no charge to set up a booth. If you would like to set up a
craft booth, want to volunteer your time, or even if you would like to demonstrate one of your Godgiven talents without selling anything, we need you! If you would like more information, booth
registration forms, or have a suggestion, please contact Connie Turner or Alison Savard.
February 2015
You are Invited to an Evening of
Wine Tasting, Fellowship, and Snacks
When: Friday, February 13, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Fellowship Hall
At our first wine-tasting event in October, those in attendance expressed a
desire to do it again. Therefore, on Friday, February 13, Pastor and Jennifer
will again be offering tastings of several of their favorite wines, both reds and
whites. If you have ever perused a wine store, you know that prices can vary
from $5.00 a bottle to hundreds of dollars. Good wine, however, is not
necessarily expensive wine. Very good wines can be purchased for about
$10.00 a bottle, especially if you watch for sales. Most of the wines offered
for tasting will fall into this category.
Feel free to invite friends and neighbors. Anyone and everyone is welcome to
attend! As was the case last time, you are encouraged to bring a bottle of your
favorite wine for tasting, but it is not necessary. You may also wish to bring
your own wine glass.
There is no charge for this event, but a suggested donation of $5.00 per person
to help offset costs will again be greatly appreciated. We hope you will join
us!
February 2015
News from Trinity/HOPE
This is one of a series of articles which we make available each month to keep
congregations informed about our activities. Trinity/HOPE, a not-for profit charitable
organization, raises funds and administers feeding programs that provide a noon meal
for the hungry children who attend our schools in Haiti where the Good News of Jesus is
daily shared. It is blessed to have numerous supporters in this church.
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2024 Hunters Place, Mt. Juliet, TN 37122  [email protected]  Web Page: Trinityhope.org
Facebook: trinityhopehaiti
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God Protect Haiti from Ebola
By John Hall
I have always marveled at the personal cleanliness and presentation of the majority of the people in Haiti. For
some it seems to almost border on compulsive behavior. However, with that being said there is an extreme lack
of understanding in Haiti about sanitation, germs, bacteria, and parasites.
When Trinity/HOPE first started serving the schools there, we had a meeting to inform the school leaders and
the cooks of the necessity of basic sanitation in our program. We talked about hygiene and sanitation, spread of
parasites, the need to wash hands before eating and using clean water. At the close of the session a grey haired
lay pastor from one of our schools rose and thanked us for sharing this information. He closed by saying, “I am
an old man and I had never heard of this sanitation and hygiene.”
With so many organizations such as Trinity/HOPE working in Haiti, the influx of health care workers following
the earthquake, their response to the cholera epidemic, etc. knowledge in this area is increasing but still at
woefully inadequate levels in the general population. We thank God that during the cholera outbreak not one
child in our schools contracted it. While we were encouraged that the value of our hand washing requirements
were seen as important, we were also amazed and perplexed to hear that this practice was being credited by
some as the major reason that none of our children contracted this water borne disease.
Sanitation in Haiti is not only rooted in a lack of knowledge, it is at this time almost physically impossible. There
is no general garbage and refuse pickup or storm drains. For the general population sewers and or septic
systems are just not available. There are few paved streets, dust everywhere and tons of run off of contaminants
into both public and private water supplies.
The lack of health care is not only evident in the area of prevention as in vaccinations and immunizations against
diseases, it is also very evident in the lack of doctors, health care workers, hospitals, clinics and their lack of
ability to treat and control diseases.
The Haitians are a resilient people. Since Trinity/HOPE has been working there (15 years) we have seen them
survive a political coup, hurricanes, bad crop years, a huge earthquake and cholera. God will get them through
whatever comes, but they are woefully unprepared for preventing, resisting and stopping something like Ebola
infection. Please join with me in prayer that this plague never reaches their country.
February 2015
Be Merciful
“Be merciful as your Father in heaven is merciful” (Luke 6:36). The word for mercy that Jesus uses here has a
more concrete meaning than what we typically associate with mercy. It means more than just being kind. It
means to be concerned about your neighbor’s state and well-being. Thus, Jesus taught that we are to care, to be
concerned about our neighbor’s state and well-being even as our Father in heaven cares for and is concerned
about our state and well-being.
How has our Father in heaven cared for our state? How has He shown His concern for our well-being? How has
He showered this mercy upon us?
He gave of Himself. He sent His only-begotten Son in human flesh, to become one of us—a man—and to suffer
all that we suffer and to endure what we endure—a fallen world full of sinful people, temptation, the attacks of
the devil, and death. He took upon Himself what rightfully belongs to us—sin and death—in order that He could
give to us what rightfully belongs to Him—righteousness, purity, eternal life, and victory over the temptation of
Satan and this fallen world. That is how He cared for our state. That is how He was concerned for our well-being.
He entered into our state for the sake of our well-being, died in our place, rose for our justification, redeemed us
to make all things new. He entered our state so that by water and His Word we would be granted entrance into
His state as children of our Father in heaven. In other words, He had empathy toward us, which resulted in true
sympathy.
Jesus, therefore, calls the church to empathy and sympathy for her neighbors. “Be merciful even as your Father
in heaven is merciful.” He asks the church to give of herself, to enter into her neighbors’ state for their wellbeing. And the church gives of herself the only thing in her that is worth giving. As the Body of Christ, she gives
Christ to her neighbors. She gives out the same mercy that she has received. She gives the mercy that the
heavenly Father poured out upon her through the sending of His Son. And she does it through the preaching of
the forgiveness of sins in Word and Deed, in Word and Sacrament. For this is how the church lives—in the
forgiveness of sins received in the means of grace—and, therefore, this is what the church does. What else can
she do?
And since this is how the church lives and what the church does, this is likewise how Christians live and what
Christians do. That is why giving to the church is so important. It ensures that the proclamation of the
forgiveness of sins in Word and Deed continues. It ensures that our neighbors’ state and well-being is cared for
and attended to. It ensures that our neighbors have access to our heavenly Father’s mercy just as we have
received it here in time for all eternity.
Therefore, I say, let us be merciful even as our Father in heaven is merciful.
Service Schedule
1st
Cleaning
8th
Schubert
Communion
Altar Flowers
Sanctuary Lamp
15th
Krampe
22nd
Headrick
Ellis
Felix and Frances Ooten
Moore
Schubert
Wood
Lent
Pennington
Powell
Wood
O’Shell
February 2015
PLEASE INCLUDE IN YOUR PRAYERS
† Lucille Anderson, aunt of Kathy Moore, who is in declining health;
† Richard Cantrell, brother-in-law of Judi Owens, who has been diagnosed with leukemia;
† Mike Dunaway, friend of Dee Brock, who is experiencing heart problems;
† Patrick Engkall, friend of the Cordell family, who has been diagnosed with leukemia;
† Marika Kirby, former member of Redeemer, who is in poor health;
† Edith Litz, mother of Monika Pennington, who is experiencing declining health and is unable to walk;
† Frances McClure, mother of Janice Bardill, who is experiencing declining health;
† Madeline Faith Plemons, grandniece of Paul and Virginia Schubert, who was born with VACTERL syndrome;
† Donna Powell, daughter of Dorothy Powell, who is receiving treatment for Hepatitis;
† Janie Scandlyn, mother of Virginia Schubert, who is in Harriman Care;
And please pray for our shut-ins:
† Joanne Passmore (Home); and
† Wallen Strey (Baptist Health Care, Lenoir City, TN 37771).
If you know of someone who may be removed from this prayer list, please leave a note in the “Newsletter
Editor” mailbox.
February 2015
February 2015
Sunday
Monday
1
2
“Fan Into Flame” Sunday
The Purification of Mary
and the Presentation of
Our Lord
Sunday School, 9:15 am
Divine Service, 10:30 am
Fellowship following Worship
Pastor’s Day Off
Junior Confirmation, 12:00 noon
Tuesday
3
Wednesday
4
Thursday
5
Friday
6
7
14
Choir, 6:00 pm
Thrivent Chapter Meeting,
6:00 pm
“Lost Books?” Bible Study
7:00 pm
8
9
10
11
12
13
Food Pantry Sunday
Pastor’s Day Off
Choir, 6:00 pm
Board of Elders
meeting, 7:00 pm
Chaplain Meeting at
RMC, 12:30 pm
Prayer Breakfast at
Harriman Care, 7:30 am
“Lost Books?” Bible Study
7:00 pm
Sunday School, 9:15 am
Divine Service, 10:30 am
Saturday
Wine Tasting in
Fellowship Hall, 7:00 pm
Fellowship following Worship
Junior Confirmation, 12:00 noon
15
16
17
18
19
The Transfiguration of Our Lord
Pastor’s Day Off
Choir, 6:00 pm
Ash Wednesday Soup
Supper, 6:00 pm
Circuit meeting at St
Paul, Sevierville, 9:30
am
Sunday School, 9:15 am
Ash Wednesday
Worship, 7:00 pm
Divine Service, 10:30 am
Fellowship following Worship
20
21
“Listening Hearts”
Support Group, 10:00
am-12:00 noon
Mid-Winter Youth Gathering in Gatlinburg
Junior Confirmation, 12:00 noon
22
23
24
25
Sunday School, 9:15 am
Pastor’s Day Off
St. Matthias, Apostle
Worship Service at
Harriman Care, 2:30
pm
Lenten Midweek
Worship, 7:00 pm
Divine Service, 10:30 am
Fellowship following Worship
Junior Confirmation, 12:00 noon
Choir, 6:00 pm
26
27
28
Newsletter DEADLINE
Mid-Winter Youth
Gathering in Gatlinburg
The Lord’s Supper will be celebrated on February 1, 15, and 18 (1st and 3rd Sundays and on Ash Wednesday).
February 2015
Michael M. Miller
Redeemer Lutheran Church
1658 Roane State Highway
Harriman, TN 37748
February 2015