Welcome!
We are members of the Pacifica Synod of the ELCA
Sunday Services are at 10:30 a.m.
the 1st and 3rd Sundays are Communion Sundays
Coffee Fellowship follows Services each Sunday
We are located at 13564 St. Andrews Drive 
Seal Beach (inside Leisure World)
Our Goal: To serve our Lord by providing personally spiritual and physical care to our community; and corporately to the world God has entrusted to us.
We Believe: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life." (John 3:16 NRSV)


ANNOUNCEMENT!!! THE CHURCH IS CLOSED

Consistent with CDC, state and local recommendations to reduce the potential for community spread of the COVID19 virus, and in consultation with the Bishop, Redeemer Lutheran will suspend all worship services and close the campus entirely until it is deemed safe to Worship together. At this time the plan is that we will celebrate Easter the first Sunday we are back (whenever it falls in the Liturgical Calendar).
In need of spiritual support?  Click on "In These Trying Times" for ongoing uplifting contact!
We ask your continued prayers for all those who are afflicted with this virus and those who are afraid and vulnerable, especially in this community. We also ask you to pray and reach out to help neighbors, families, and friends who are facing difficulties as a result of this emergency. Check-in with one another through a phone call. We also need to keep in our prayers all the doctors, nurses, caregivers, and public health and civil authorities working to contain the outbreak of this virus and treat those who are sick.
We, as disciples of Christ, are encouraged to continue to pray at home and join with the church by making an act of spiritual communion.

See below for more ways to help!

For more financial information, see our Budget and Expenses 
page!
How to Help YOUR Church During These Times!

Prayers and keeping in touch with other congregation members by phone is the best way to support, calm fears, share faith, and strengthen one another!
If you know of someone who needs help and you cannot help them (food, needing to talk, spiritual support, or the like) PLEASE let Pastor Lisa or a Church Council Member know!

Another concern the leadership has is the financial situation of our Church. Even though we are closed, we still have ongoing expenses.  You can continue your financial support in  many ways.  

You may always send a check by mail or drop it in our mailbox at the church.  The mail is checked and any checks will be deposited! 

You can register your Ralph's Community Card that will get us a small donation.

You may also continue your usual donations online at Tithe.ly!  You can even do this as a recurring donation so you don't have to remember to do it monthly or weekly.

The directions for all of this are here (click "here" and it will take you to our DONATIONS page.)  If you get lost or need help please send an email to the Church's email: redeemer_lutheran@verizon.net  including your question and a phone number so that Margo (our church secretary) can call you back.  She is still working Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.!

Thank you for your gifts!!

APRIL 10
Good Friday Meditation AND Video on In These Trying Times

APRIL 7 UPDATES
New Prayers on In These Trying Times

APRIL 3 UPDATES
New Content on Pastor's Page!
New Content on In These Trying Times!
New Donations Page
Bishop Andy Taylor's Triduum Reflection
Easter Message

But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you." – Matthew 28: 5-7

Dear Sisters and Brothers, Siblings in Christ,

Today we enter the three days, what in Latin is called the Triduum, the three days of Jesus’ suffering and death prior to his resurrection on Easter. We begin today on Maundy Thursday. The word maundy means “commandment,” and on this day we remember Jesus gave the great commandment to love one another as Christ loves us. Jesus embodied this commandment by washing the disciples’ feet, taking the role of a servant, and calling his followers to serve others as Christ serves us. Little did the disciples know at that time how Jesus would serve them.

That night, he was arrested and prior to dawn he was tried by the religious authorities. On Good Friday, he was brought before the political authorities, before the Roman governor Pilate who sentenced him to death. He was crucified, died, and his body was placed in a tomb. On Holy Saturday, the Sabbath, the women who wished to pay him honor by anointing his body had to wait in obedience to the law until Sunday morning. Then they heard the good news that Jesus had risen, that they would see him, that death had been conquered and new life given through Christ’s death and resurrection.

Most of my ministry, I have focused on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, giving little thought to the meaning of Holy Saturday. But I think all of us are in a Holy Saturday time. We are called to wait at home in order to protect our neighbors from possible contamination with COVID-19. Some of us wait, as the disciples did, with those closest to us, our families who similarly must stay at home. Some of us who live alone wait alone, reaching out to loved ones by telephone, social media, and other means of communication. But we wait, nonetheless. Like the disciples, we are dealing with the shock of how quickly our lives have changed. Like the disciples, we are wondering about death we did not anticipate, and may be worried that we or those we love will be next. Like the disciples, we are wondering how our lives will change, how our gatherings as followers of Jesus will be forever altered, and what the world and the church will be like for us when this is over.

The promise of Easter is that, in the midst of this worry, wondering, and waiting, Christ is with us. Whether you live with others or by yourself, you are not alone. Christ is with you. Jesus died and rose from the dead in order to take away the separation that our sin brought between us and God. Jesus is present by the power of the Holy Spirit to help us do what we are called to do now: wait. As we await our public health officials to tell us that it is safe to leave our homes, we can wait in hope, because we know we do not do so alone. Christ died and rose to be with us and will continue to be with us each day of our lives. Christ will be with us as we wait and will be with us to continue to share the good news of God’s love when our time of waiting is over.

I believe we will need to wait longer than we anticipated even a month ago. I first asked churches to abstain from meeting in person in mid-March, stating that we should stay apart at least through Palm Sunday. I amended that, following President Trump’s admonition, to the end of April. I believe we will need to wait even longer than that. Until our governor and our local public health officials tell us it is safe to meet together, we must continue to practice social distancing in order to protect the lives of our neighbors. I want to encourage you in your waiting. God gives us all we need, each day, and will help us be resilient. We may even learn some things about our faith, ourselves, & our church, as we wait.

For we need not wait with nothing to do. I encourage you to take this time to deepen your personal spiritual practices. Take time for prayer, for Bible reading, for sitting in silence and listening for God. If you are unsure what can be done, contact your pastor and ask. Our congregations are so creative, and they have a variety of resources to help you take time as you wait to help you recognize that God is with you. For those with internet access, continue to worship with your congregation or, if your congregation does not have online worship, with a neighboring ELCA church, in order to nurture your connection both to God and to your siblings in Christ. Finally, while we are called to social distance, we are also called not to forget our neighbors in need. Many food banks and feeding programs need help and blood is desperately needed to aid the sick. If you can help, you are encouraged to do so. 

Always remember, you are not alone. Jesus died and rose from the dead so that nothing could ever separate you from God. And even while we have to live in physical separation from one another, we are one with Christ and one with each other through the power of the Holy Spirit. God bless you this Easter. And God grant you all you need during this time of Holy Saturday waiting.  

Yours in Christ Jesus, 
 ELCA Bishop Andy Taylor
Pacifica Synod

Easter Sunday April 12th, 2020
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!!! 
The Lord is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!!  

Easter is upon us once again….and like never before. We read, by faith with hope, the familiar acclamation that our Lord has defeated death! Know that he lives! Alleluia! As our 2020 news headlines bring us anxiousness, we are called to remember that our life is called to be a resurrected life. By our faith, we too, have been given the ultimate gift of eternal life and are called to live by Christ, through Christ and in Christ every day of our lives.  

A Resurrected Life is one that honors the active, healing, Holy Spirit that was present in everything Jesus did — throughout his ministry, his life and his resurrection. This same Spirit is available to each of us. Our faith is affirmed as the Holy Spirit calls us to create, lead, offer compassion and hold up every one of our brothers and sisters in the world with love and prayer. Easter, in actuality, is every day our spirits are raised by the one Holy Spirit to lead a new, resurrected, everlasting life. In this year of the pandemic, we join with all those who are suffering, grieving and unsure of the future. But our futures are secure in the Lord…and for that we confidently proclaim: Alleluia!!!  
Blessings and peace; I am prayerfully with you.

— Pastor Lisa
Redeemer Lutheran Church
Seal Beach

Prayer of the Day:  God of mercy, we no longer look for Jesus among the dead, for he is alive and has become the Lord of life. Increase in our minds and hearts the risen life we share with Christ, and help us to grow as your people toward the fullness of eternal life with you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Read the Scripture lessons & Proclaim the Psalm:

Acts 10:34-43 (Faithful witnesses of a Living Savior)  

PSALM 100 (God’s Steadfast Love Endures Forever)
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Jeremiah 31:1-6 (A prophet’s vision for us)

Matthew 28:1-10 (The first post-resurrection sighting 
of Jesus)

Seek forgiveness with the words from 1John 8-9: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Bless us, forgive us and keep us, we pray.

Pray for all in need: those that are ill, those that are grieving, those caring for others, those hungry and homeless, those in need of Christ’s peace and love.  

Lord, remember us in Your kingdom and pray the prayer Jesus himself taught us:  
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours now and forever.

Consume the bread (found in the lid) and the cup of the fruit of the Vine, knowing they were blessed and offered to you with these words:  The Bread:  “The Body of Christ, given for you.”  The fruit of the vine:  “The Blood of Christ, shed for you.”

In Thanksgiving for everything, be blessed:  
May the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord look upon you with favor and give you + peace.

Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton’s Easter message.
Christ is risen indeed!
Easter Messages from 
Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton; 
Bishop Andy Taylor; and 
Pastor Lisa are all below!
Bishop Andy Taylor's April 19, 2020 Gospel Reading and Homily
Ang Katawan ni Kristo 
Behold, the Body of Christ

As we pass another Sunday without being able to gather as "the Body of Christ", I heard a hymn during my Mass today that reminded who we truly are - WE are the body of Christ.  Listen especially to the second verse that begins with the words: "When we are gathered in our homes, through our prayers and our meals ..."  This hymn is a reminder that, no matter what, we are and will be "The Body of Christ".

The hymn is by Ricky Manalo, CSP, Pia de Leon who is a Filipino priest.  The refrain is bilingual (“Ang Katawan ni Kristo” is Filipino for “the body of Christ”), and the verses are in English. 

Blessings to you all!  Margo Geesing
Message from Bishop Eaton
April 30, 2020
Bishops' Joint Letter Against
Re-opening for Public Worship

May 22, 2020

Dear People of God of the congregations of the Sierra Pacific Synod, the Southwest California Synod, and the Pacifica Synod:

Grace and peace to you, in the name of the risen and ascended Christ!

It is with concern that we reach out to you today, on the eve of Memorial Day weekend and the last Sunday of Easter, having just witnessed in a televised message by the President of the United States a statement declaring that the nation's churches should open for public worship this weekend. We understand the strong desire of our people to worship together, particularly on a meaningful weekend like this one. We wish to state for the sake of our church and its people that we believe the advice to re-open this weekend is at odds with the prevailing medical understanding of the course of this virus and the ways to prevent its spread.

We call on you to continue to listen to those state and local public health experts who, using the best medical and scientific information available, have already given us sensible guidelines to follow in our states and in the counties of our synods. Churches remain places of particularly high risk for contagion, and recent cases in many states have confirmed that opening prematurely can be catastrophic. We cannot ensure, in all our congregations, the sanitation and distancing requirements necessary to be together for worship. Nor has the risk of infection decreased in many parts of our synods-and both a reduction in infections and effective measures to block contagion will be needed before we will be able to gather in person again.

This is not a question of religious liberty. Nothing earthly-no government, indeed no virus-can come between us and the love of God. The decision to quarantine us for a time is a public health decision, and we are obligated, for our own good and the good of our neighbor, to do the right thing-which in this case is to refrain from non-essential gatherings. Our faith is not optional-indeed it is "essential" to us as Christians-but it does not override our higher duty to consider our neighbor's welfare in a time of medical emergency.

Though in normal times people of faith gather every week for praise and proclamation on the day of Christ's resurrection, we are not absolutely required to do so in spite of every obstacle. We have alternatives right now; we do not need to be able to gather together physically in order to worship God-for God hears our prayers wherever we are and whenever we are. We may pray, we may hear the proclamation of the Word, and we may read and study the scriptures-we may even assemble in digital communities on Sundays-without endangering ourselves and others by gathering together in our church buildings.

Lutherans, in particular, know that there is nothing sacred about a church building except as our sentiment makes it so, and that God is as accessible to us in personal intercession as in corporate prayer. Again, we say, this time of separation is not a time of separation from God. You may cultivate and even expand and intensify your faith in this time of sheltering at home. God is with us in each of our homes right now as surely as God is with us anywhere. And at the appropriate, safe time, we will gather again for the face-to-face worship we so miss and for which we ardently long. We share a hope that will come soon.

Again, we do not think resuming in-person worship ahead of the public health advisories is a good choice. It would be neither wise nor faithful for us to endanger our elders and those communities of poverty and color who have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Nor would it be faithful to expose ourselves and our friends to contagion, or to rush into gatherings that are more likely to harm us than to bring us the peace we desire.

We call on the pastors, deacons, and lay leadership of our synods to comply with the standing public health directives in their localities. We recognize that as these directives continue to change, we will stay in dialogue with you. Our faithfulness to God is shown by our love of our neighbors, and in this situation there is a clear witness to be made-the one that best shows care for others.

May God bless and protect us all.

Bishop Mark W. Holmerud
Bishop R. Guy Erwin
Bishop Andy Taylor

May 22, 2020

The message below is the Bishops' Joint Letter Against Re-opening for Public Worship.
NO, Redeemer is not opening this weekend, May 24, 2020.  We are not ready to open.  We cannot, at this time, insure that the Congregation will be safe.  We will NOT put you or anyone at risk by opening our doors before we can insure the safety of the Congregation to the best of our ability.
Bishop Eaton's Holy Trinity Sermon for June 7, 2020
Revd. Terry Tuvey-Allen Sermon on 1 Samuel 3 and John 1:43-46
On Re-Opening

        There are many legal and pastoral guidelines we must consider in reference to re-opening benchmarks. The one constant is a consistent downward trend on the number of new hospitalizations, ICU cases, and deaths and an increase of available beds and ICU spaces. Orange County has reached Government benchmarks which enable us to reopen our doors for Worship within our Sanctuary! There is a definite concern about the spiritual well-being of our members and the community at large. There is also the Christian need to gather in faith so we, as a faith community, can strengthen one another on our journey. There is the mental need to return to some sort of “normal”, and the human need to socialize. This is the balancing act we are trying to perform. One of the reasons we had to halt “pick up Communion” as the numbers in Seal Beach began to rise, is that we do not want to be “the Church with a Heart in the Heart of Leisure World” that got anyone sick. We are trying to move with an abundance of care for and about our members, ourselves, and our community. Our goal is RISK MITIGATION – we are not able to avoid all risks and be open. When we are able to open, everyone is invited but needs to be reminded that, just because we are open does not mean you must attend.  The choice on attendance is up to each individual and no pressure or guilt should be put on anyone for attending or not attending. There is a risk with the choice to attend.
        There is a process of approvals and guidance we will need to follow before opening. We have established a Task Force to develop the criteria for re-opening, and they must give a report to the Church Council. The Church Council must then approve opening. We also need to submit a plan to the Bishop and Synod before opening. With the vast majority of our members being over age 65 and older, we are among the demographics that are most risk, so we are proceeding with an abundance of caution. Things change constantly so, perhaps by the time you actually receive this newsletter, thing will, again have changed. We are doing our best in keeping you updated.
        To help us with the planning, if you have not already done so, please fill out the slip enclosed with this newsletter and return it to the office in the enclosed envelope. You can include a prayer request (on the other side of the enclosed sheet) and any offering to the church you would like to make. Offerings may also be done on our website: www.redeemersealbeach.com through Tithe.ly (click on the green button!).

The points below provide an overview of what Sunday in-person worship will look like initially:

•Our current goal is to stay open as long as we are able. If you have changed your phone number or have a “better” number where you can be contacted if you wish to attend Services, please call the church number and speak with the Pastor or leave a message. (The church’s phone is currently being forwarded to Pastor Lisa’s phone as no one is supposed to be in the church office for a long period of time.)

•As we are able to resume worship service inside our sanctuary, our goal is for the Service to be between 30 and 45 minutes.

•We will bless Communion together at all services, and then you will receive the bread and fruit of the vine to take home.

•You will be required to wear a face covering that covers the nose and mouth and keep them in place throughout the time you are in the building.

•Your body-temperature will be taken with a no-touch infrared thermometer prior to entry to the Church building. If the maximum of a 100° temperature is exceeded, you will be given the 10 Things You Can Do/What to Do page and asked to return home. You may return after seeing your doctor or after 14 days.

•Please arrive at least 15 minutes before service in order to ensure sufficient time for temperature checking and guided seating. There will be no seating once the Announcements are done. A picture of all in attendance in the Sanctuary will be taken after the announcements in case there is a need for contact tracing.
  • ​Please fill out and leave by the towel your attendance form!

•Attendance at any service will be limited to about 45 people.

•Congregants and clergy will not engage in handshaking, hugging, or other physical contact.

•Please follow the Usher’s directions! They know the plan and how we are trying to keep people safer. The Usher will guide you to designated seating areas which are marked by towels (please, sit on the towels!) 6 feet apart for proper social distancing (families will be able to sit together; pick up needed extra towels when entering). You may not be able to sit in your “usual” spot, please sit where asked. The Usher will direct you to receive Holy Communion and / or Dismissal.

•Offering plates will be placed at the entrance of the Sanctuary and at the exit doors (in lieu of the passing of the plate). Please, prepare your offering at home before you come. There will be no pens available in the Sanctuary.

•Music will be played but Congregational singing will not be allowed. Audible Congregational responses (Creed; Lord’s Prayer; etc.) will not be encouraged. You are encouraged to either respond in your heart (God will always hear you!) or whisper them.

•In the beginning, we shall celebrate Services at 10:30 a.m. 

•Hand sanitizer is available at the main entrance of the Church.

•Restroom access will be limited to one person at a time to ensure appropriate social distancing. Please use the paper towel you used to dry your hands after washing them (for at least 20 seconds!) to open the doors as you exit. Throw away the paper towel in the trash can outside the restroom.

•Water fountains will not be operational (you may bring your own water bottle into the sanctuary).

•After-service fellowship, unfortunately, will not be available.

July 26 Sermon - Pastor Cyndi Jones
Bishop Andy Taylor Sermon
based on the story of King Jehoshaphat's Prayer from 2 Chronicles 20:2-12
A Labor Day Message
From ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton

September 4, 2020

Our calling from God begins in the waters of Baptism and is lived out in a wide array of settings and relationships. Freed through the Gospel, we are to serve others through arenas of responsibility such as family, work, and community life. Although we continue to be ensnared in the ambiguities and sin of this world, our vocation is to seek what is good for people and the rest of creation in ways that glorify God and anticipate God's promised future. 
-ELCA social statement Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All, page 7.

The origins of Labor Day, established as a federal holiday in 1894, lie in the labor movement's persistent organizing for the rights and recognition of American workers. This year's impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the heroics and faithfulness of the many we now know to be essential workers. 

While all workers are essential, especially during this pandemic, we give special thanks on this Labor Day for those workers who, despite challenges and dangers to their health, plant and harvest and deliver our food, keep store shelves stocked with essentials, nurture and teach our children, and care for the sick. In honor of their contributions to our country's well-being, they deserve our support and accompaniment so they can do their jobs safely with dignity and respect.

Our church's social teaching reminds us that work is a way we serve God and our neighbor. The ELCA social statement Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All states: "In Genesis, work is to be a means through which basic needs might be met, as human beings 'till and keep' the garden in which God has placed them (Genesis 2:15). Work is seen not as an end in itself, but as a means for sustaining humans and the rest of creation" (page 8).

Labor Day, like many holidays, marks the passage of time, the change of weather, the return to school, the end of the growing season. It also marks our eighth month of collectively facing the challenges of this time together. Dear church, we need to also acknowledge the extra labors these last months have required in what is turning out to be a marathon with a long way to go. The multiple hardships of this year have touched every one of us.

We know this crisis has been disruptive and destructive - as it has been elsewhere in the world - with so many suffering and facing uncertainty through a staggering loss of millions of jobs and no end in sight. The coronavirus also has exposed the inadequacy of an economic system for workers who live paycheck to paycheck, many of whom are disproportionately people of color. It has pulled back the veil of long-held racial disparities in income and opportunity and within the health care system. Communities of color have borne the brunt of death and illness in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Racial and economic injustices deprive people of the fruits of their work (Proverbs 13:23), which benefits our economy more than the workers' sustainable livelihoods.

Furthermore, gender discrimination has placed women of color in low wage, front-line positions at heightened risk. Many vulnerable women of color work as personal care aides, nursing assistants, cashiers and retail salespeople. In addition to their vulnerability, these front-line workers are disproportionately underpaid for their work. The average woman earns 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. Black women, Native American women and Latinas earn 62 cents, 57 cents and 54 cents, respectively, for every dollar earned by white men, according to the National Women's Law Center.

These systemic issues continuously challenge and obstruct the well-being of many and deny God's desire for us to execute justice for the oppressed (Psalm 146:7). As church together, God calls us to accompany our neighbors who have lost livelihoods or income, supporting our siblings through prayer, service and advocacy. Our nation's leaders must not forget that responding to the needs of those who have lost jobs or income is now critical. Our accompaniment also must take shape as we prayerfully heed God's call to build economies that enable life in all its fullness; dismantle disparities in health, income, racial equality and privilege that trouble human community; and act together toward a more just society where all can live out their vocations and sustain their families with dignity.

This Labor Day remember that God is at work in our economic life, which "is intended to be a means through which God's purposes for humankind and creation are to be served" (Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All, page 3). Throughout this pandemic, we have risen to many challenges. We have reimagined almost everything in our lives and churches, including worship, workplace, education, child care, vacations, communication, service, advocacy, faith formation and much more. God's sustaining love for all of us is even more abundant than our imaginations and is providing us with the creativity and grit to try, try again so that Christ is proclaimed and our communities are served. Together, we can solve what seems unsolvable. Together, we can strive for each person's dignity to be recognized and treasured, remove disparities in health care, achieve racial equity, defeat poverty and work together with all people to overcome this virus. 
As you take time to observe this year's Labor Day, may you find time to rest and renew yourselves for the work ahead. As is stated in this church's economic life social statement: "Our vocation is to seek what is good for people and the rest of creation in ways that glorify God and anticipate God's promised future" (page 7). Below you will find information and resources to advocate for our neighbors and communities to build a just economy for all:

  ELCA social statement Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All
   Hungering for Justice, a study guide on Martin Luther and the economy
  Action Alert on COVID-19 response
    Interfaith Worker Justice, an ELCA partner organization


A prayer from Evangelical Lutheran Worship:

God of justice, we remember before you those who suffer want and anxiety from lack of work. Guide the people of this land so to use our wealth and resources that all people may find suitable and fulfilling employment and receive just payment for their labor; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In peace,

Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 

Rev. Tom Goellrich
Director for Evangelical Mission and Assistant to the Bishop
Stewardship Sermon
As of this newsletter’s publication (3/18/2021), we are keeping with GRF’s Pandemic recommendations and are opening with limits to numbers and times. Please see the President’s Article for Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday schedule. Good Friday plan is after Pastor Lisa’s message.  

Hold each other in prayer as we wait upon the Lord. We are in His Hands! 

IF YOU NEED EMERGENCY PASTORAL CARE, 
PLEASE CALL 562-598-8697
First Sunday of Advent
Advent is here!
We may not be inside the Church building but the Nativity is set up and available for viewing at any time in front of Redeemer Lutheran Church!  He is coming, ready or not! 
The Advent Wreath is up! 
The waiting begins ...
See our "DONATIONS"
 page for directions for using the "GIVE" button!
        One thing we can do despite any pandemic restrictions is pray. A Prayer Request Box has been installed by the front door of Redeemer Lutheran Church for all of Leisure World residents to use.

        The Leisure World Interfaith Council encourages all to go by the entrance to Redeemer (13564 Saint Andrew’s Drive) and use the paper and pens to write a prayer request to God. Think of the locked, copper-toned mailbox as a way to share your concerns with your Creator. Let go of fear, discouragement, frustration, sadness and of course share thanksgivings and blessings. This new physical prayer place will be dedicated during this Passover and Lenten season as a way of staying spiritually close (while remaining socially distant!) with the One who loves us and knows our needs before we even ask. May God bless all of us as we continue to build our relationship with God and one another, in prayer.
Dear Friends in Christ,

Grace and peace to you during this season of Lent. It is a time when we, as Christians, reflect on our life together in Christ and the ways in which our identity in Christ is reflected in the world. Being able to articulate that identity can help guide us to a better understanding of ourselves and each other as God continues to call us to respond to the needs of the world.

There are many ways to reflect on our identity as Christians and Lutherans, one of which is by engaging each other across our global Lutheran family. As part of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), we seek to contribute our North American Lutheran perspectives to the larger Lutheran tapestry, made up of 77 million members across 99 countries! And like the ELCA, the LWF has a rich history of theological study processes that can help us better understand ourselves and what it means to be church.

In 2019, the LWF launched a study process to explore the ways our global Lutheran identities are lived out through biblical interpretation, worship and the work of justice, peace and reconciliation. As a member of the LWF, the ELCA is taking part in this unique study process in a number of ways as we examine our Lutheran identity in our own context here in North America. We hope this process will allow us to experience the diverse ways our Lutheran tradition is being lived out. This is an opportunity to discern the ways in which we, in our own contexts, express law and gospel, faith and works, nature and grace, justification and sanctification, freedom and vocation – all parts of our common theological identity.

This Lent, I invite you to reflect on your Christian and Lutheran identities by participating in the Global Survey on Being Lutheran/Encuesta Mundial Sobre lo Que Significa Ser Luteran. We also ask that you invite others in your churches to participate. The survey will be open through March 31, and responses gathered will help to shape the 13th LWF Assembly in 2023.

In addition, between now and June you are invited to take part in a larger conversation that will transpire across the LWF communion. The LWF has produced a discussion guide titled We Believe in the Holy Spirit: Welcome to a Global Conversation on Being Lutheran/Creemos en el Espíritu Santo: Bienvenido/a a una Encuesta Mundial Sobre lo Que Significa Ser Luterano/a. This guide will help lead your congregation’s Christian education and/or youth group on a journey of mutual discovery and learning.

Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences. They will contribute to furthering our understanding of what being Lutheran means in this time and place as we continue to journey together in Christ through these next 500 years of reformation.

With peace and gratitude,

Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

I try to imagine what it must have been like on that first Easter morning when there wasn’t the knowledge of the resurrection. When, instead, it was all about death and disappointment. And I imagine Mary Magdalene coming to the tomb in order to care for Jesus’ body, to prepare it for burial. The story was over. The hope was gone. And then someone shows up in the garden, and Mary can’t recognize him. Thinking that he’s the gardener, she says, “Sir, tell me where you’ve taken the body so that I may bring it back here.” Imagine a woman, literally, thinking that she could carry the deadweight of a man. All of that grief, the heaviness of that physically as well as spiritually, and just then Jesus speaks her name. “Mary,” he says, and her eyes are open. And she can see Jesus because she has been seen by Jesus. Her name has been called by the risen Lord, and now she is part of the resurrection story that happens for all of us in baptism. Jesus has called all of us by name and knows every one of us. And we too now are part of the resurrection story. Her mourning was turned into dancing. 

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton Presiding Bishop Evangelical Lutheran Church in America