December 2021
This art print which appears on this month’s edition of
The Messenger
depicts Saint Nicholas floating in the air above his namesake
church in Juneau, Alaska.
The artist is Rie Munoz (1921-2015) who was born in Los
Angeles of Dutch heritage.
Her artistic style might be called playful and colorful.
This Saint Nicholas print (c. 1984) hangs in the church
office alongside a very similar print named “Easter Services”
(c. 1991) by Rie Munoz.
(Coincidentally, both of these prints hang in our home’s dining
room.)
To the casual observer, the prints appear to be the same.
Except “Easter Services” has Jesus Christ suspended above
the church. Jesus
and Saint Nicholas appear as mirror images of themselves.
What might be said about these two prints?
Taking into account the many legends and expansions upon
the story of the 4th century Nicholas, who lived in modern day
Turkey, we learn that he was noted for his generosity.
This has morphed into the practice of children making
their Christmas present requests from Santa Claus.
A negative aspect of this is the jingle, “You better
watch out, you better not pout, Santa Claus is coming to town…he
knows when you’ve been bad or good so be good for goodness
sake.”
Although parents of young children might find this song useful
to help control the pre-Christmas fervor of their young ones,
the message is completely offensive to Christians.
After all, the generosity we know in Christ is “grace in
spite of being either bad or good.”
Our Saint Nicholas Faire & Auction has concluded, and we
rejoice over the amount to be distributed to our neighbors, be
they “bad or good,” in West Seattle.
As we continue to grieve the death of our pastor, Ron
Marshall, public eulogies have
been offered for his generosity which was experienced
formally and informally in our church and community.
He would not abide with public recognition for what he
did. Ron would not
have claimed to be either Saint Nicholas or Jesus Christ!
His saint-hood would always be modified by his sin-hood.
His generosity was motivated by John 3.30 “He must
increase, but I must decrease.”
Advent is here, and Christmas is soon to follow.
Keep in mind that this season is indeed about generosity
“For 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)
Now that’s generosity!
The Reverend Philip Nesvig
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Dear Friends
of First Lutheran Church of West Seattle,
As most of
you know, Pastor Marshall died in Christ on Tuesday, November
9th, 2021, surrounded by family. Our heartfelt condolences go
out to Jane, Susanna, Ruth, Christopher, Felix and Anders. It is
such a profound loss for so many; his family, his church
congregation and the greater community. As Christian believers
we can rest assured that he is standing in the presence of our
Savior, having gone on to inherit the promised redemption.
At the same time we must figure a way to pick up the
pieces when faced with such a loss. Please join me in praying
for the needs of those closest to him and for the needs of our
church. His obituary can be found on the website at Forest Lawn:
www.dignitymemorial.com.
I’d like to extend a warm welcome to The Reverend Philip Nesvig,
who has agreed to offer Pulpit Supply (basically act as a
substitute pastor for worship services as needed) to First
Lutheran Church of West Seattle through the end of 2021. We are
blessed to have him step in on such short notice to lead our
worship services and are thankful for his willingness to serve.
Plans are underway to begin the process of finding an interim
pastor and, eventually, to extend a call for a permanent pastor.
Cary Natiello has served as council President beyond his initial
term to navigate our church back to in-person worship, following
closure due to the Covid-19 epidemic. I am grateful for the
opportunity to have worked alongside him this past year, and
wish him and his wife, Nelly, safe journeys on their move to
Mexico.
During this season of Advent, may we keep in our hearts the
spirit of hope, love, joy and peace as we prepare to celebrate
the birth of the Lamb of God.
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CHRISTMAS WORSHIP
2021
Christmas Eve, December 24 –
No Service
Christmas Day, December 25 –
10:30 am Festival Liturgy
We rejoice that we are able to gather to celebrate Christmas
together again this year.
Mindful of the ongoing concerns relating to the pandemic
as well as its impact on participation in worship, we determined
in October, together with Pastor Marshall, that we should
celebrate The Nativity of Our Lord this year with a single
worship service on Christmas Day, December 25, at 10:30 am.
There will be no Christmas Eve service of lessons and
carols this year, but we look forward to the return of this
beloved Christmas tradition in our parish in 2022.
The Christmas Day festival liturgy will include traditional
carols, anthems sung by the Deo Gloria Cantores, sermon by The
Reverend Philip Nesvig, and Holy Eucharist.
Please join us on Christmas Day at 10:30 am for this
joyous celebration of the birth of our Lord. |
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The Memorial Fund
Dear church family, After many years of stability, we have come
to a crossroad. We
have lost the called shepherd of our flock and we will have some
challenges in the coming months.
These we must face as Christians over the centuries have
had to face; with prayer, patience, thoughtfulness and grace.
One thing that needs to be dealt with is the fact that
Pastor Marshall had an extensive personal library that needs to
be cleared out of the church office.
Pastor Marshall’s family asked that the Memorial Fund
donations to him be written up as follows in the funeral
bulletin and in periodical notifications:
Memorials in Ron’s honor may be sent to either the Endowment
Fund at First Lutheran Church of West Seattle or a Memorial Fund
in his honor created for the purpose of funding the dispersal of
his extensive and diverse library of philosophy of religion
texts to low-income seminary students and scholars in India,
Africa, and China as a missionary project. Gifts should be sent
to First Lutheran of West Seattle, 4105 California Ave SW,
Seattle WA 98116.
The donations have been coming in but there has been some
confusion as to whether or not people are aware of the need to
disperse Pastor Marshall’s extensive libraries as indicated
above. Also, the
family has noted that any monies remaining after the books are
properly dispersed will be moved to the Endowment Fund.
Please keep these considerations in mind if thinking
about giving a gift to the Memorial account for Pastor Marshall,
and be sure to designate; Book Mailing or Endowment
Fund.
A Memorial Service is being planned for early spring. |
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STEWARDSHIP
Our Gratitude to God
You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on
every occasion, and your generosity will result in thanksgiving
to God.
(2 Corinthians 9:11)
It feels like all of us have had to be in a survival mode for a
long time. This pandemic continues to bring changes and
challenges on a nearly daily basis with; health, politics, work,
raising kids, caring for aging loved ones.
We scrape by, manage,
and struggle to keep up. Who has time or the resources to be
generous?
Generosity is not a luxury or an add-on to the Christian life.
It is a central command. God’s word instructs us all to be
generous towards others. You don't have to be rich to be
generous. Remember the “the widow’s mite”.
Generosity stems from faith in God who provides us abundantly
with everything we need. God
who created the heavens and the earth, provided manna in the
wilderness, gives us our daily bread.
The promise in 2
Corinthians 9 is simply this: God is more generous than you are.
You will be enriched in
every way so that you can be generous on every occasion.
Generosity is not an
afterthought in Christian living; it is the outcome of the
manifestation of the spirit led life.
Say a prayer of gratitude to God for all that you have and
prayerfully consider how God is calling you to do his work here
on earth.
─Mariann Petersen, Church Council
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Our envelope
program is being updated for 2022 in order to reduce waste and
to better fit our members’ individual giving patterns.
·
For those
members that give weekly or several times a month, the usual box
of envelopes fits your needs well.
·
The members
that give monthly will receive a package of 20 envelopes to use
throughout the year.
More are available if you want or need more. Just let me
know.
·
For the
members that give electronically and have requested to not
receive a box of envelopes, I will include a few envelopes with
your December statement for any special gifts you might wish to
make during 2022.
The 2022
envelopes will be ready to be picked up on Sunday, December 19th.
If you are not attending in-person services, I can mail
your new envelopes to you or include them with the weekly
communion delivery/pick-up.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact me
at terilk@comcast.net.
Teri Korsmo
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COMPASS HOUSING ALLIANCE:
Until the middle of December, we will be collecting
Christmas gift items for the Compass Center for both men and
women. Some
suggested items needed are: Amazon, Target, Fred Meyer and
Walmart gift cards in $25 increments; men’s slippers size 9 &
above, women’s PJ sets size L-3X, 39 hot/cold thermoses, at
least 12 oz., 25 sets of dishware.
Donations can be left at the office.
HOME COMMUNION:
Holy Communion is available for home use for those who
are not able to come to church.
If interested, please call 206-935-6530 or email the
office at
flcws.fd@gmail.com.
FOOD BANK COLLECTION
suggested donation for December is holiday foods.
We are collecting food for the West Seattle Food Bank.
Your items can be left in the food box located in the
lounge.
2021 FLOWER CHART:
A few more people signing up for Christmas flowers would
be helpful.
The new chart for 2022
will be up the last week in December.
Check it out early for the best choice of dates.
JOHNSON CN:
Our thanks to Ben Johnson and Johnson CN for the
financial and technical support donated to the church office
this year. It is
very much appreciated.
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Our Thanks!!!
To Scott and Valerie Schorn
and team for all the
work they did
to
organize and put on the
Saint Nicholas Faire.
We much
appreciate this yearly event raising \
much
needed funds to support our local
West Seattle Food Bank and Helpline.  |
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Foss Home and Village……
“transforming lives with dignity
and grace.”
This is the
mission for Foss, an elder care organization that was built on
the compassionate spirit of its founder, Dr. L. C. Foss.
He saw the need for a place where people could grow into
their older years with security, care, and activities available
to them. In 1929,
Sunset House was founded in the Greenwood neighborhood of
Seattle. It was
because of the support of the Lutheran Welfare Society during
the Great Depression that Sunset House became a reality.
An important piece of our church history is that First
Lutheran Church was one of the founding members of the work of
the Lutheran Welfare Society.
Since that early start in a residential house on Ashworth
Avenue NW, Foss has evolved to provide memory care, long term
nursing care, assisted living, and post acute/rehabilitation
care.
When Foss began as Sunset House it had 17 guests.
Today it can accommodate almost 250 residents in the
various areas.
Because of its roots in Dr. Foss, it has always had a
relationship with the Lutheran Church, plus it also has a
501(c)(3) not-for-profit classification.
Being not-for-profit makes a difference in the type of
care that is offered.
Their mission is directed toward the needs of the
residents, or you could say the “greater good of their
community.” Plus
all funds are reinvested in the residents, their care, and the
programs that are offered.
As I am sure you can imagine, a small organization like
Foss in the midst of the many large and powerful for profit
assisted living/continuing care businesses, is the “little guy”
left at a disadvantage in this heavily marketed field.
Foss has always valued its residents as people deserving of
quality care, individual treatment, interesting activities, and
a home like environment that is warm and approachable.
With assistance from individuals, churches, and
businesses in the community, it will continue to be able to do
just that. Every
dollar that is donated goes to projects that directly benefit
the residents. Some
examples on projects that directly benefited all the residents
were touch screen TVs, low beds to help residents avoid falls,
recliner chairs for comfort, and a refurbished van for safe
outings. Larger
ongoing “extras” are the pet therapy program, the gift shop, the
beauty salon, an on-site dental clinic, and a pharmacy, music
memory, eldergrow which provides in house growing of flowers and
vegetables, and regular art sessions where residents create
amazing art. There
are many more special things about Foss.
Perhaps the most
important feature is how much the employees care about the
residents. For more
detailed information check out their website at
www.fosscare.org.
Great pictures and inspiring stories and videos to share.
From the humble beginnings in 1929, to the present with all its
complications and difficulties, Foss has always been a place
where caring and supporting are the most important part of their
mission. It is
worth being part of their important work of “transforming lives
with dignity and grace.”
We are glad to feature Foss as one of the extended
ministries that First Lutheran Church of West Seattle supports.
-Larraine King |
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Kim Lim, Melanie Johnson, Holly Petersen, Leah and Melissa
Baker, Felicia Wells, Marlis Ormiston, Connor Bisticas, Eileen &
Dave Nestoss, Kyra Stromberg, Tabitha Anderson,
The Rev. Randy Olson,
The Rev. Albin
Fogelquist, The Rev. Howard Fosser, The Rev. Alan Gardner, The
Rev. Allen Bidne, Leslie Hicks, Kari Meier,
Yuriko
Nishimura, Susan Curry, Anthony Brisbane, Alan Morgan
family, Lucy Shearer, Ramona King, Karen Berg, Donna & Grover
Mullen and family, Kurt Weigel, Carol Estes, Paul Jensen, Tak On
Wong & Chee Li Ma, Hank Schmitt, Mary Ford, Andrea and Hayden
Cantu, Dana Gallaher, Jeanne Pantone, Kevan & Jackie Johnson,
Eric Peterson, Gary Grape, Larry & Diane Johnson, Wendy &
Michael Luttinen, the Olegario Family, Nita Goedert, Mariss
Ulmanis, Shirley & Glenn Graham, Karen Granger, Mike Nacewicz,
Mike Matsunaga, Bill & Margaret Whithumn, The Robert Shull
family, Mary Cardona, Mark Nesheim, Angel Lynne, and
Grace-Calvary Episcopal Church (Clarkesville, GA).
Pray for our professional
Health Care Providers:
Gina Allen, Janine
Douglass, David Juhl, Dana
Kahn, Dean Riskedahl, Jane Collins
and all those
suffering from the coronavirus pandemic.
Pray for our country, for
unbelievers, the addicted, the sexually abused and harassed, the
homeless, the hungry and the unemployed.
Pray for the shut-ins that the light of Christ may give them
joy: C.J.
Christian, Bob & Mona Ayer, Gregg & Jeannine Lingle, Joan Olson,
Bob Schorn, Crystal Tudor, Nora Vanhala, Martin Nygaard, Lou
Landino.
Pray for those who suffered the death of a loved one this
Autumn: Pray that
God will bear their grief and lift their hearts:
Pray for Jane Harty and family on the death of her
husband, The Reverend Ronald F.
Marshall on November 9th; pray for the congregation on the loss
of their devoted pastor.
A Memorial service is being planned for early Spring here
at First Lutheran Church of West Seattle.
Pray for the new born that they grow in the strength of the
Lord: Vera Marshall
Freeze, daughter of Ruth Harty Marshall and Christopher Freeze,
born November 22nd.
Pray for our bishops Elizabeth Eaton and Shelley Bryan Wee, our
presiding minister Philip Nesvig, our choirmaster Dean Hard and
our cantor Andrew King, that they may be strengthened in faith,
love and the holy office to which they have been called.
Pray that God would give us hearts which find joy in service and
in celebration of Stewardship.
Pray that God would work within you to become a good
steward of your time, your talents and finances.
Pray to strengthen the Stewardship of our congregation in
these same ways.
Pray for the hungry, ignored, abused, and homeless this Advent &
Christmas. Pray for
the mercy of God for these people, and for all in Christ's
church to see and help those who are in distress.
Pray for our sister congregation:
El Camino de Emmaus in the Skagit Valley that God may
bless and strengthen their ministry.
Also, pray for our parish and its ministry. |
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A Treasury of Prayers Grant unto us, Almighty God, that we amid the
storms and trouble of this our life, may rest in Thee, knowing
that all things are in Thee, under Thy care, governed by Thy
will, guarded by Thy love; so that with a quiet heart we may see
the storms of life, the cloud and the thick darkness; ever
rejoicing to know that the darkness and the light are both alike
to Thee. In Jesus’
name I pray. Amen.
[For
All the Saints I:1124-25, altered] |