Interim Pastor
The Rev. Murray D. Finck
Bishop Emeritus; Interim Pastor
Message from the Interim Pastor:
January 2025
“Behold, I Make All Things New”
Dear Members and Friends of Redeemer and St. Theodore of Canterbury,
Happy New Year. May the promises of God who promises to always be with us give us hope and faith as we enter the New Year.
The Church Calendar in January brings us the Season of Epiphany, that time as the Christian Church reflects on the early days of Jesus’ ministry. The Epiphany Season will last through the next two months, as it leads us to Ash Wednesday on March 5th, the beginning of Lent. Our primary focus on Sunday mornings these next weeks will be the stories told in the Gospel of Luke about the first days and months of the ministry of Christ Jesus.
The New Year will offer us the following:
The Wednesday Bible Study at 12:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall will begin again on January 8th. For three weeks we will finish our study of the Ten Commandments and then begin a new study, yet to be decided. All are always welcome. Please invite a friend or neighbor to these 75-minute times of study, learning, prayer, and conversation.
2025 Commitments. As written about some weeks ago, in January anyone who wishes to make their stewardship commitment will have an opportunity to fill out a pledge card for 2025, seal it in an envelope, and place it in a box on the altar. Pledges are between God and the person making the commitment. There are no expectations for this. Each person may or may not choose to make this pledge for the New Year.
End of Life Preferences. We also wrote previously that after the New Year we would hold three one-hour gatherings wherein members and friends of the congregation will be able to fill out a form that offers preferences at the time of death. We will be able to choose the Holy Scripture passages, the music and hymns, and other details about a memorial service of thanksgiving that will gather our family and friends together in worship when that time comes. Again, there is no expectation for anyone to do this, but we want to make it available for those who would so choose as it helps family when those decisions are made in advance.
New Daily Devotionals for 2025. Two new daily devotionals are now available. Christ in Our Home and Our Daily Bread are ready to be picked up and used as a daily devotional. Please find copies in the entry way of the church.
If anyone needs to communicate with me, please feel free to email, text, or call. I am normally in Leisure World on Wednesdays and Sunday mornings. Again, a blessed New Year. In the peace and light of Christ,
+Pastor Murray D. Finck
The Rev Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus
Message from the Interim Pastor:
February 2025
Dear Members and Friends of Redeemer and St. Theodore of Canterbury,
The grace and peace of God be with you as we begin the second month of this year 2025. We are midway through the wonderful Season of Epiphany, those weeks within the calendar of the Christian Church when we read and focus on the ways God revealed the love of God in the earliest days of the ministry of Jesus… his baptism, his first miracle, the beginning of his preaching and teaching, his choosing of his disciples, and as he clarified his eternal and divine mission to bring the grace, compassion, and love of God to all of humanity
February is, of course, the shortest month of the year, but as I look at from the point of view of our congregation, I see it teeming with activities and invitations. Of course, we worship every Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. Our Wednesday Bible Study at 12:00 – 1:15 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall will study the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) during the four Wednesdays of February. As promised, during this month we will offer several gatherings to allow our members and friends to fill out an “At the End of Life” document that will give indications and preferences about the services and memorials that will honor and give thanks for our lives upon our death. Those dates and times are listed at the end of this article and any and all are invited to attend one of those gatherings. A small group of people will be working on the Ministry Site Profile of the congregation, a document then shared with the Synod Office and finally, the whole church, that will help us identify a person to more permanently fill the long pastoral vacancy of this congregation. We will be receiving estimates for a new heating and cooling system for our campus, with the hopes that in the months ahead, it will be more comfortable during the times when it is uncomfortably cold or hot in our facility.
Along with all that activity within our congregation, we will pause in February, especially around St. Valentine’s Day to reflect on the ways God loves us and how we love God and one another. On Presidents’ Day Weekend, we will observe and remember those who have faithfully and courageously served in our nation’s highest office. It will be the 99th year since our nation first began, in February, to observe Black History Month, and it will be the 49th year since this observance became more formalized through presidential proclamations. We are also encouraged to continue to think how we are able to support and care for the many Southern Californians who have lost their homes and livelihoods in the devastating fires of this past month.
The month of February this year is only 28 days long and yet those four weeks offer us many reasons to gather as the people of God. This short month invites us to pray, to worship, to study, to plan, to contemplate, to support, to give thanks, and to love God and one another with heart, soul, and mind. Let us gather together as often as we are able to be the church—the people of God—and receive all that God is offering us day by day.
Here are dates and times for the gatherings to discuss, prepare, and record the information you may wish to leave “At the End of Life.” Please notice these gatherings are offered either before or after the Wednesday Bible Study. If another day of the week is needed and requested, we will add at least more offering of this gathering.
Wednesday, February 5th, 10:45-11:45 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, February 12th, 10:45-11:45 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, February 12th, 1:30-2:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, February 19th, 10:45-11:45 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall
May our Lord God continue to bless you, watch over you, and keep you in the days and weeks ahead.
+Pastor Murray D. Finck
The Rev Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus
Just a reminder:
New Member Reception in Early March. We are start the conversations and preparations for another New Member Reception for any who desire to join the official membership of the congregation. The form will be available on Sunday mornings. It is also attached to the weekly Communiqué. If you are interested, please fill out the form and give it to Pastor Finck on Sunday morning or send it to the church address: 13564 Saint Andrews Drive; Seal Beach, CA 90740. There is never any pressure for people to officially join the membership. We always welcome, include, and love our visitors, friends, associate members, and members.
Message from the Interim Pastor:
August 2025
"Decisions, Decisions"
We find ourselves in a hopeful and important time of making several significant congregational and personal decisions and plans for the days and years ahead. It is good to have before us new possibilities that may move us in new ways into the days ahead or re-affirm what we are currently doing. God made plans for the future. According to Jeremiah 29, God spoke through the prophet, saying…
“For surely I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord, “plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give a future with hope.”
God was telling the people of God that new days were dawning. Here are four decisions our congregation and our friends and members have before us these summer days.
ONE -- A CONGREGATIONAL DECISION… We recently voted to move forward with a plan to replace the old and no-longer-working heating system that fills an entire room in the lower level of the building. When the City of Seal Beach gives us the permits (and green lights) to move forward, new heating and air conditioning (HVAC) units will be installed in the sanctuary, the fellowship hall, the meeting room, and both offices in the back of the building. Each area will be zoned in such a way that they may be turned on or off completely independently. Thank you for helping us make that decision several weeks ago.
TWO -- A PERSONAL DECISION… As we have shared earlier, the Pacifica Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles have given us a total of $37,500 in ministry grants and another $12,500 in an interest-free loan that will allow us to dedicate some of our current operating funds toward the purchase of the new HVAC system. Now we individually have the ability to cover the rest of the needed funding for this system with over-and-above giving. The Council is extending a special fund-raising appeal, entitled B2B2B—Blessed To Be Two Blessings, to the friends and members of the congregation to raise at least $15,000. That amount, along with the $50,000 in grants and loans will allow us to complete the project with a very low monthly payment to repay the interest-free loan. Please prayerfully consider making a decision to support this effort as you are able.
THREE – ANOTHER CONGREGATIONAL DECISION… On August 10th, following worship, the congregation will be asked to consider the request of Seal Beach Sa-Rang Church to use parts of our campus for their congregation. Currently, this Korean-speaking congregation is meeting in Clubhouse 3. They wish to use our facilities on Sunday afternoon for worship, Wednesday evenings for Bible Study, and Tuesday through Saturday from 6:00-7:00 a.m. for prayer. None of those times conflict with the current use of our facilities by our congregation. The Council is bringing this before the congregation for discussion, sharing of additional information, and a congregational vote on August 10, 2025, at 10:30 a.m.
FOUR – YET ANOTHER PERSONAL DECISION… A wide variety of people participate regularly in the life and ministry of this congregation, and we give thanks for each and every one of you. Some are members of either the Lutheran or the Episcopal congregations. Some are associate members. Some are friends. Each person is a blessing to our community of faith. Are some of you considering membership? When people choose to become members, they then are able to serve on the Council and help us make the monthly decisions that govern the congregation between Congregational Meetings. They also are considered Voting Members who then are welcomed to attend all Congregational Meetings to approve congregational decisions, budgets, and other ministry and mission plans upon which the congregation is deciding. If you are not a member, but wish to become one, there will be a gathering in the Meeting Room on Wednesday, August 13th at 1:30 p.m. to talk together about that. A New Member Reception will take place during the worship service in mid-September. We invite any and all friends and associate members to consider officially joining the membership of the congregation. Attending the information meeting on August 13th would hopefully be helpful toward making that important decision.
Decisions, decisions… much to think about these summer days as God is moving among us, challenging us, giving us opportunities to grow and move forward as the Body of Christ. During the days of Jeremiah, God had plans for God’s people’s future. During these days, God also has plans for us now and in the days before us. May God bless our discernment and decision-making!
+Pastor Murray D. Finck
The Rev Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus
Message from the Interim Pastor:
March 2025
“The Cross”
Dear Members and Friends of Redeemer and St. Theodore of Canterbury,
Saint Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth that “the message about the cross … for those of us being saved is the power of God.” He went on to say, “I have decided to know nothing among you except the crucified Christ Jesus.” He repeated those thoughts when he wrote to the Galatians that the primary message he came to bring was “the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” by which the world was saved. As the Season of Lent is about to begin, we too will again spend time contemplating the necessity of the cross of Jesus. One of questions we will ask is this: “Do you have a cross or a picture or an image or a memory of a particular cross that has had an impact on your life?”
March is going to be a wonderful month filled with opportunities to gather for worship, inspiration, community and collegiality. At the same time, there will be a number of special times together to observe the disciplines of Lent.
March has five Sundays and four of those, beginning with March 9 through March 30 are the first four weeks of Lent. The biblical reading and the sermons during those weeks will focus on Jesus’ journey toward the cross, where he sacrificed his life for the forgiveness of our sin and the eternal salvation of the world.
One of the long-standing traditions of the Lenten Season within many Christian traditions is the mid-week gatherings during those six weeks. The theme we have chosen this year is CrossWays. We will gather, starting on Ash Wednesday, March 5th, for a Holy Communion service. Also, during the worship, for anyone so desiring, we will offer the imposition of ashes, either upon our foreheads or on the back of one of our hands.
On this month’s Wednesdays following Ash Wednesday, March 12, 19, 26, we will gather at 4:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall downstairs for a 50-minute time of inspiration from Scripture, music, and devotional moments focusing on the cross of Jesus. During those gatherings, attendees sitting at round tables will have an opportunity to share with others at their table the meaning and the power of the cross in their lives. At each gathering, one person from our congregation will share a five-minute story about the way a particular cross has had an impact on their life. At 5:00 p.m., we will share a meal together and enjoy the friendships and community of all who gather for those events. All are always welcome. We hope to see you there! And into the first two weeks of April, this same pattern of gathering will continue throughout the remainder of Lent.
In March we will have our Annual Meeting on March 2nd immediately following the worship. On March 16th, we will remember and give thanks for Dee Sessa, and all are invited to a luncheon in Dee’s honor following the worship service. That luncheon will be served in the Fellowship Hall. Then, on March 23rd, we will again enjoy a new member reception during our worship service.
March is going to be a month of many opportunities for our congregation. We look forward to being together in worship, fellowship, learning moments, and community the message of God’s love through Jesus and the cross reminds us that we are the recipients of grace and forgiveness. Thanks be to God!
+Pastor Murray D. Finck
The Rev Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus
December 2025
Message from the Interim Pastor:
“He was, he is, and he will come again.”
The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word “adventus” which means “a coming, an approach, or an arrival.” When we expect guests to arrive at our homes, we turn the lights on; we anticipate their arrival and welcome them with joy. That is the spirit of this new season we enter now called Advent.
In Advent, we prepare our homes and churches as we joyfully anticipate Jesus three-fold arrival or coming into our lives. In some of our liturgies, we say, “He was, he is, and he will come again.”
He was… As we light more candles each of the weeks of Advent, the light gets brighter as we near the celebration of Jesus’ first coming into our world two thousand years ago. On Christmas day, we celebrate the day on which the Light of the World was born.
He is… We also know and remember that Jesus, just before he returned to his heavenly kingdom, promised “I am with you always…” He told his followers then and his words ring true for us today that he will be with us day by day until the end of time.
He will come again… Advent also reminds us that Jesus said he will come again, on the last day. We profess in our creed each week, “he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.”
“He was, he is, and he will come again.”
Advent wreaths and candles are commonly seen in many Christian churches and homes during this liturgical season. Each week we light another candle bringing more and more of the light of Christ into our devotions and worship. It is a season of preparation, of waiting, of watching. We not only gather for Sunday morning worship at 10:30 a.m., but we will come together on the Wednesdays of Advent (December 3, 10, 17) at 3:00 p.m. for special Advent devotions and inspiration, followed by a shared meal.
All are always welcome. Join us as we worship the One who was, is, and will come again.
+Pastor Murray D. Finck
The Rev Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus
April 2025
Message from the Interim Pastor:
“He Is Risen”
Dear Members and Friends of Redeemer and St. Theodore of Canterbury,
Saint Luke tells us toward the end of his Gospel that when some women came to the garden tomb early on Sunday morning to anoint the crucified body of Jesus, two men in dazzling white garments asked them,
“Why do you seek the living in this place from the dead? He is not here. He is risen.”
Starting on March 5th, Ash Wednesday we have been on a Lenten journey with Jesus that led him to Jerusalem, to Calvary Hill, to a cross, and to the sacrifice he made for the sake of the world. That story of grace and love now brings us to the celebrations of resurrection joy and wonder on Easter, April 20th. However, between now and then, the journey with Jesus continues as we join the throngs shouting “Hosanna” on Palm Sunday (April 13), the day Jesus entered Jerusalem. Then on Maundy Thursday of that Holy Week, (April 17th), we go with him to the upper room to receive the Last Supper, the sacrament of Holy Communion. The next day, Good Friday, (April 18th) we will go with our Lord to his humiliations first before the High Priests; then the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate; and the cruel king, Herod Antipas, all of whom decided he should be sacrificed on Calvary Hill. Our creed says, “for our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.” Three days later, Easter morning, (April 20th) we will go to the tomb with the women and hear the most amazing news the world has ever heard.
Everyone who is reading this page is invited to take that journey with us this month as we gather to worship, sing, pray, and read the sacred stories. These are solemn, holy, and also joy- filled days, some of the highest moments in the Christian calendar. Please join us! Bring a neighbor or friend. A pilgrimage with Jesus to the cross, to a grave, and from an empty tomb assures us over and over again of God’s love and grace, forgiveness and compassion, eternal promises and new life.
Below is the April schedule that will bring us together at Redeemer Lutheran/St. Theodore Episcopal Church. All the services will be at 10:30 a.m. The sermon titles are also listed.
April 6th The Fifth Sunday of Lent “An Extravagant Gift from A Beloved Friend”
“An Extravagant Gift from A Beloved Friend”April 13th Palm Sunday “How Can I Keep from Singing?”
Palm Sunday “How Can I Keep from Singing?”April 17th Maundy Thursday “A New Commandment”
Maundy Thursday “A New Commandment”April 18th Good Friday “It is Finished”
Good Friday “It is Finished”April 20th Easter Sunday “Where We Find New Life and Hope”
Easter Sunday “Where We Find New Life and Hope”April 27th Second Sunday of Easter “Seeing and Believing”
All are always welcome. May these be holy days, filled with the presence and promise of God’s abounding love,
+Pastor Murray D. Finck
The Rev Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus
May 2025
Message from the Interim Pastor:
“A Festival Day in May”
(Often Missed and Sometime Neglected)
Dear Members and Friends of Redeemer and St. Theodore of Canterbury,
There is an important day in May that we will want to remember. Please read on…
One of the primary messages of the Christian Church during this month of May is that we are blessed as the people of God to “live the resurrection,” with all of the promises, joy and hopefulness that Jesus gave to the world. During the month of May, we are between two of the major festival days in the Christian calendar. We celebrated the Easter Day of Resurrection on April 20th. Fifty days later, on June 8th, it will be the Day of Pentecost—the day remembering the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It is considered to be the birthday of the Christian Church. The four Sundays in May this year are called the “Sundays of Easter,” the middle days in a season of seven weeks that continue to tell the story of Jesus’ resurrection and his appearances to his disciples and followers for the forty days between his rising from the grave and his return to his heavenly throne. There is one very special day in the Church calendar during May…
In the Nicene Creed, we profess
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures.
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
Ascension Day this year will be remembered and observed on Thursday, May 29th. Saint Luke tells us the story of the ascension of Jesus at the end of his gospel and then again in the first chapter of his book, The Acts of the Apostles. Here are a few of the verses from that story in the Book of Acts, wherein Luke articulates some of the most important understandings and teachings about Jesus’ interactions with humanity…
Saint Luke penned, “…1I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning 2until the day when he was taken up to heaven… 3After his suffering (Good Friday) he presented himself alive (Day of Resurrection) to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God… Jesus told his followers ‘8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; (Pentecost) and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ 9When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, (Ascension) and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10While he was going, and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come (Day of Judgment) in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." (Acts 1, selected verses NRSV)
Years ago, many congregations worshipped on the Day of Ascension, often with an evening service. When I was young, our family always attended Ascension Day services year after year, remembering that very special day in the earthly life of Jesus. Our pastor told us that we Christians crowd into our churches to celebrate Christmas, the day Jesus came into our world as the Incarnate Son of God. How important it is that we also remember the day that Jesus physically departed to return to his heavenly home. Today, some churches still gather and worship on Ascension Day, but in many denominations and congregations, that practice has diminished. This month you will be provided a few resources to help remember and observe Ascension Day in whatever ways might be meaningful for you. There will be some things written in the Midweek Communiqué and toward the end of the month, there will be a handout on Sunday and an attachment to the Communiqué.
The most important part of the story, in my opinion, is the last and final words of Jesus as he was being lifted up into the clouds… “Remember,” he said, “I am with you forever to the end of time.” (Matthew 28:20)
May God be always with each of us as we “live the resurrection” these holy Easter days!
+Pastor Murray D. Finck
The Rev Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus
June 2025
Message from the Interim Pastor:
Promises! Promises!
Jesus said, “I am going away, and I am coming back to you.”
(John 14:28)
Jesus kept his promise (as always!) He told his disciples and followers that he would be returning to his heavenly home, and, as we know, forty days after his resurrection he ascended into the clouds and beyond. (His ascension was the focus of last month's article.) He also promised that his Spirit would come upon those first believers, and he would be with them forever. As always, Jesus kept his promise!
Ten days after his ascension, fifty days after his resurrection, his Spirit came like a mighty wind, blowing new life into the hearts and minds and souls of those that he had chosen to continue his mission and ministry in the world that he had redeemed. It was the high festival of Pentecost! Jerusalem was filled with people from all over the Mediterranean world. What a wonderful opportunity to start something new!
The Spirit of Jesus, just as he had promised, descended upon the apostles. They were filled with the fire of faith, with new and courageous boldness. They now were ready and wanting to tell his story to neighbors, friends, strangers, foreigners, everyone! There were people from other cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities… persons whose languages and attire certainly indicated they were from other lands and places… and the Gospel story of Jesus was for them!
The disciples were given the miracle of tongues, able to speak in languages they had never known or learned. They told the story of Jesus. They told of God's love and grace. They called upon the people to repent and believe that the Lord God, in and through the person of Jesus, the one who had been crucified and buried, had broken down the barriers that would ever separate them and the rest of humanity from a loving God who created them and had compassion for them.
This same Jesus rose from his tomb on the third day! He ascended on the fortieth day! His Spirit breathed new life and excitement into his followers on the fiftieth day! In the days that would follow, that same Spirit of Jesus would give birth to a new way of thinking and believing and doing. A church was born... Christianity!
Today the spirit of Jesus moves among us! We too are the church born of this Spirit--a community of faith, people who repent and believe, people washed and baptized, followers of Jesus, yes, indeed; and also disciples called to share, tell and retell the story of God’s love, Jesus promise, and the outpouring of God’s grace and love.
Jesus kept his promise, as always! You and I are recipients. Our congregation, and so many others, exist because the Spirit of Jesus continues to move and blow among us, through us, in us, and beyond us!
The day of Pentecost is June 8th, a wonderful festival day in the Christian Church calendar. We are encouraged to wear something red that day to the worship service. The sanctuary will be filled with that color and other symbols and signs of the Holy Spirit’s presence among us. We will gather to celebrate a God who keeps promises... the greatest of those to love us, to save us, and to make a place for us in God's own heart and home. Thanks be to God who keeps promises!
+Pastor Murray D. Finck
The Rev Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus
July 2025
Message from the Interim Pastor:
Freedom
Saint Paul wrote: “For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1
The Apostle Paul wrote a number of times about “freedom” in his letters to the Romans, Corinthians, and Galatians. He was writing about freedom from the slavery of sin that tempts us away from God. He wrote about freedom from laws and codes that would only condemn humanity and yoke us with shame and guilt. He wrote about freedom from the judgment of others. He was talking about the freedom we have through the love of God and sacrifice of Jesus to live as forgiven and redeemed people of faith. Jesus said, “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36) Freedom has a wide range of understandings and dimensions… spiritual, personal, individual, social, national, historical, and more.
This month we observe the 249th anniversary of our nation’s independence as we became a people freed from the rule of British kings and parliaments. Last month we observed on Juneteenth the freedom in this country of a people who had been brought to the Americas in chains and enslaved for 246 years, from 1619-1865. While we enjoy these freedoms today, we know there are still people who do not feel free or live freely. Some find it difficult to believe they are forgiven and set free by the grace of God. Some continue to be victims of racism and bigotry. Some live in fear each day that their liberties and rights will be taken from them. Some are oppressed by nations warring against them and destroying their lands and lives. Freedom is a precious but oftentimes fragile gift.
God intended all of the people God created to be free—free to live with God today and forever as a people reconciled to God through the life and sacrifice of Jesus. God intended that we would be free to live and to love God with heart, soul, and mind, and free to then love all of our neighbors as we love ourselves. God intended us to live in peace with those both near and far. God has given the world abundance and calls upon us to share and distribute that bounty so all people may freely live without hunger and poverty. God intends us all to be free in every dimension of freedom.
Freedom is a wonderful gift. God has done God’s part. We have made some significant strides, and yet we still have a long way to go. We give thanks that God has set us free, and we pray that we will live and share in that freedom with all.
+Pastor Murray D. Finck
The Rev Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus
September 2025
Message from the Interim Pastor:
Discipleship
Jesus said, “Follow me…” Matthew 4:19
The call to “discipleship” is at the very heart of Jesus’ ministry and teachings. In all four of the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly called people to “follow him” and imitate his ways of living and loving. Jesus did not seek people to simply admire him or cater to him. He called a group of people to embrace a radically new way of life. The words and actions of Jesus reveal the profound cost, the transformative power, and the enduring purpose of faithful discipleship.
The Gospel readings over the coming weeks emphasis that call of Jesus. The questions we will have before us these next Sundays are these:
+ What was Jesus asking of the men and women whom he called to follow him as he sent them to go out and about in his name and on his behalf and to tell others about him and the kingdom of God?
+ What happened to those who answered the call to be a follower and a disciple of Jesus?
+ What does Jesus’ call to discipleship mean for us today, two thousand years later in a world that is so different in many ways, and much the same in other ways?
In each of the four Sundays during this month of September, we will hear and read biblical passages that speak about “discipleship,” and each week we will explore a difference understanding of what it means to hear the call and answer the call of Jesus to “follow me.”
Week One – we will hear Jesus’ very high expectations for those whom he has called to be his disciples, and in so doing to “choose life.”
Week Two – we hear about the power of the cross and how the One who foretold his own crucifixion told his followers they too will “take up their own crosses” and follow him.
Week Three – we will hear Jesus inviting his followers to be creative followers and “children of the light,” rejecting the lifestyle of those who “walk in the darkness.”
Week Four – In one of his most profound parables, Jesus reminded his disciples about the plight of the poorest of the poor and how his followers are called to faithfully respond to those whose lives have been severely marginalized, neglected, and made virtually invisible.
Like Simon and Andrew, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Suzanna, James and John, we too have been called to follow Jesus. In this month of September, let us gather week after week to hear his call and contemplate the meaning and the privilege of Christian discipleship.
May the joys and promises of God be with you these September days!
+Pastor Murray D. Finck
The Rev Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus
October 2025
Message from the Interim Pastor:
Times of Transition and Reformation
Jesus said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Revelation 21:5
Dr. Phyllis Tickle (1934-2015) was an academic, author, and devoted member of the Episcopal Church. In her book, “The Great Emergence,” published in 2012, she writes about the significant transitions and re-formations of the Christian Church, which took place about every 500 years. She quotes an Episcopal Bishop who said, “It seems like every 500 years, the Christian Church has a huge rummage sale.”
The first of those great transitions began with the collapse of the Roman Empire in the late 5th Century. With hordes of barbarians overrunning the lands and people of Europe, and with the disintegration of an empire that had at one time dominated and brought some kind of civility to much of Europe and the Mediterranean world, the Christian Church responded with what is called the “Rise of Monasticism.” The leaders of the church-- nuns, priests, bishops and popes--were the most educated and influential in those days. They helped to stabilize and reshape the church, society, and culture as empires were falling, and Europe began a 500-year time often called “The Dark Ages.”
The second time of transition and upheaval is called “The Great Schism.” After nearly two centuries of debating and disagreeing about some matters of faith, in 1054 AD, the Christian Church officially divided into the (Western) Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. It was a very dramatic shift in the witness and history of the Christian Church after its first 1000 years, and it was a huge change in world history, too.
About 500 years later the third transition took place. Prominent leaders of the Western Church cried out for reform for more than a century. Dr. Martin Luther, surrounded with a group of clergy, priests, and professors, led the church in Germany and then beyond, in what would be called the Lutheran or the Protestant Reformation. The significant date attributed to the official beginning of that movement is October 31, 1517, the Eve of All Saint’s Day (sometimes called “All Hallow’s Eve” from which we get the word “Halloween.”) Again, there was great disruption and transition happening in the Christian Church and in the world during those years before and after 1517.
In each of these three historical moments, significant shifts, challenges, and transitions took place within the Christian Church and, at the same time, with the societal and cultural populations of Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, and the new lands being discovered.
So, we fast forward another 500 years to approximately October of 2025… now… today. Is the Church of Christ Jesus experiencing yet another transition, upheaval, re-formation? With the technological and scientific advances surrounding us, with the world population growing from 6.2 billion people in 2000 AD to 8.2 billion in 2025 AD and with that population migrating all over the globe, with current political and economic shifts, challenges, and changes happening from one day to next, with wars raging, including in the land where so much of our biblical history took place, with climate and environment changing right before our eyes, we are in the midst of yet another great time of transition for the Church and for the world.
And, like the previous three transitional times, the Church of Christ Jesus will emerge. Phyllis Tickle’s subtitle for her book is “How Christianity is Changing and Why.” We are experiencing yet another “great emergence” and we do so empowered, uplifted, and sustained by the love of God, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. The people of Jesus’ Church will cling to his words to “love God first and foremost, and then love one another as God loves us.” We will ground ourselves in the stories of faith and the words of the Holy Scripture and discover how alive for us today are those ancient words. We will pray fervently, worship together frequently, sing joyfully, approach the Holy Table humbly, read and study the Scriptures regularly, and give generously our offerings of time, talents, and financial resources. We will be a people in this transitional and reformational times calling ourselves Redeemer Lutheran and St. Theodore of Canterbury Episcopal Church, but even more accurately we will go into these next 500 years as the beloved people of God and the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
+Pastor Murray D. Finck
The Rev Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus
November 2025
Message from the Interim Pastor:
Saint Paul wrote: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver”
2 Corinthians 9:7
Christian stewardship is a calling from God to faithfully manage all that God entrusts to us—our time, talents, resources, relationships, and the environment. Biblical stewardship begins with the understanding that everything we have belongs to God. We humans are not owners of all that God has made. We are caretakers. In the opening pages of the Book of Genesis, after God created the world, God then appointed humanity to be the “stewards” of God’s creation. That stewardship was then and still is today an act of worship and gratitude as we acknowledge God's sovereignty over all that exist. As we believe that God’s generosity has blessed us with everything in creation and then given us the privilege to faithfully manage those blessings, we are filled with thanksgiving and gratitude.
Stewardship is not a single activity of giving. It is more a lifestyle, involving daily decisions how we use our time, our energy, our possessions, and our financial resources. People of faith are able to view every aspect of our lives—our work, our family, our church, and our leisure—as opportunities to honor God through responsible management of all we have. We also have the privilege of giving generously in ways that reflect the abundance of God’s love for us.
Biblical stewardship is rooted in trust. Believing that God gave us all that we are and have, believing that God gave us even God’s own Son, knowing Jesus then gave his life for us, our response is worship and thanksgiving. We respond to God’s grace, not as a duty performed out of obligation or fear. We worship God because we love God and are so very thankful. We sing, we pray, we gather as a Christian community, we put our offerings in the plate, not because we are trying to “pay God back,” but because we love the One who has loved us so much more and has been so good to us.
Our Christian stewardship then flows from hearts transformed by God’s love. Filled with thanksgiving to God, the people of God have been led to generous sharing with others—especially caring for those in need. Jesus said, “just as you have cared for the least of these, your sisters and brothers, you have cared for me.” (Matthew 25) Biblical scholars tell us that one-sixth of the passages of the Bible address our calling to be good stewards of all that we have received from God.
By living as faithful stewards, by giving back to God a portion of what God has given to us, we Christians participate in God’s mission to love the world, we support the work and ministry of the church and congregation, we care for creation, we help to feed and shelter the hungry, the homeless, the poor, and we reflect Christ’s love to our neighbors, our family, our friends, and the world.
Filled with thanksgiving and gratitude,
+Pastor Murray D. Finck
The Rev Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus
