Author Archives: Pastor David Tinker

Confirmation Sunday

Posted by Pastor David Tinker in Announcements, Youth and tagged with , , ,

Confirmation Graphic List

Join us for a special event, Sunday, May 3.

We will gather for worship and to support five youth from MLLC who are affirming their Baptism in the Rite of Confirmation.  You are invited to worship with us on this very special Sunday.

Note this special change of our Sunday Schedule for this Sunday only:

Sunday School will be at 9:00 a.m.

Worship will be at 10:15 a.m.

We will resume our normal schedule on the weekend of May 9-10.

Here is our usual schedule:

Sunday Worship at 9:00 a.m.

Sunday School at 10:10 a.m.

Worship on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month at 6 p.m.

The Sacrament of Holy Communion is offered at our regularly scheduled Sunday morning and Saturday evening worship services.

The worship service on May 3 – Confirmation Sunday – will be filled with joy and prayer as these young people formally say “yes” to God has first done for them in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism.

Please keep these young people in prayer as they grow in their faith and service in Christ.

These students are:  Faith, Jed, Dana, Aaron, and Dylan.

The Confirmation Program at MLLC includes the following:

A school year of study of God’s Word.  Included in this is a general survey of the story of Scripture with an emphasis on how it fits together.  Our relationship with Jesus Christ is emphasized.

A school year of study of Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, Theology and the Lutheran movement of Christianity.  Our relationship with the people of God is emphasized.

A Summer Camp experience at Lutherhill Camp near La Grange, TX.

Remebering Ira Bell Bathe

Posted by Pastor David Tinker in Obituary and tagged with

Ira Bell Bathe photo from obit

We Remember Ira Bell Bathe

We give thanks for a life well live in the light of Christ.  Our sister in Christ, Ira Bell Bathe, died this week. See the obituary below for details about visitation, service and memorial gifts.  Please remember to keep her and her family in your prayers.

Obituary

Ira Bell Bathe beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend, passed away peacefully on April 7, 2015 at the age of 84. Her family was with her in the days prior to her passing. Visitation will be held at Memorial Oaks Chapel in Brenham from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 9. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, April 10 at Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Carmine with Pastor David Tinker officiating with burial to follow at La Bahia Cemetery.
Ira Bell Joyce Braun Bathe was born to Alfred and Thusnelda Peters Braun on October 20, 1930 on the family farm near Round Top. She was baptized and confirmed into the Lutheran faith at Bethlehem Lutheran in Round Top. After graduating from Round Top-Carmine High School in 1948, Ira Bell married Max (Maxie Boy) Gerland Bathe on November 12, 1949 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Along with husband, she was co-owner of Charlie and Max Egg Farm, B and S Sales and Service, Village Restaurant and Circle G Distributing Company, Inc. After the death of her husband, she worked at Leonard and Margaret’s in Giddings until 2000, and then worked at The Gardens of Round Top Festival Institute where she was employed until her death.
Ira Bell served as a member of the Carmine City Council, Round Top-Carmine School Board, Round Top-Carmine Mothers Club (Past President), Parents Club, La Bahia Cemetery Association (Director), Carmine Fire Department, Martin Luther Lutheran Church serving on Church Council, the Altar Guild, the Worship committee, member of the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Mary Group, Cedar Creek Schuetzen Verein and the Carmine Chamber of Commerce. Her hobbies included: spending time with family and friends, floral arranging, gardening, cooking, baking, dancing and oil painting.
Survivors include: daughter Susan Bathe of Carmine; daughter Patti and husband Brad Eilers of Brenham; daughter Laurie and husband Mark Pawlak of Bellville; son Matthew and wife Dayna Bathe of College Station; daughter Amy and husband Shane Scott of Lake Jackson; sister Nellie and husband Burnie Wolff of Round Top; sister Jenell and husband Clarence Jaster of Round Top; sister Fay Graeber of La Grange; sister-in-law Mary Ann Bathe of Houston; grandchildren Megan and Chris Jackson of Brenham; John and Janie Hart of Brenham; Clark and Kristin Krueger of Brenham; Aaron and Lindsey Pless of Katy; Chase and Brooke Pawlak of Cypress; Lauren Pawlak of Katy; Morgan Bathe and Jay Eddens of Austin; William Bathe of College Station; Kyle and Audrey Slaughter of Angleton; and Riley Scott and Lainey Scott of Lake Jackson; great grandchildren Claire and Emma Jackson; Corrine Estrada; Trinity Hart; Kyle, Beau and Remi Krueger; Peyton and Adam Pless; Ariella Slaughter; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
Ira Bell was preceded in the death by her husband Max Bathe; daughter Debra Lynn Bathe; parents Alfred and Thusnelda Braun; father and mother-in-law Max and Annie Bathe; brother-in-law Charles Bathe; brother-in-law and sister-in-law Fred and Audrey Schultz; and nephew Rick Nelson of Giddings.
Ira Bell’s grandchildren will serve as pallbearers. Memorials can be directed to Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Carmine, The Gardens of Round Top Festival Institute or the charity of your choice.

Resurrection Sunday Fun

Posted by Pastor David Tinker in Announcements, Youth and tagged with ,

Easter Fun 2015 egg 5

Celebrating the Joy of our life in the light of Christ.

We gathered for worship at our three different worship times on the weekend of April 4-5:  Easter Vigil – Saturday at 7:00 p.m.; Easter Sunrise – Sunday at 7:30 a.m.; and Easter Festival – Sunday at 9:00 a.m.  After the third of these celebrations of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ we held our traditional Easter Egg Hunt.  This was followed by a lesson about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  A craft was enjoyed by children, teens and adults.

Thank you to the Christian Education Committee and the various volunteers who helped to make this such a great celebration of the saving work of Jesus Christ.

This egg hunt is all in good fun and spreads the joy of the day to the younger generations.  Children and adults are playing together and making wonderful memories of our life together.

Here are some photos from our after worship celebrations.

Easter Fun 2015 egg 7

Easter Fun 2015 egg 6

Easter Fun 2015 egg 4

Easter Fun 2015 egg 3

Easter Fun 2015 egg 2

Easter Fun 2015 egg 1

Easter Fun 2015 Diana

Easter Fun 2015 craft 4

Easter Fun 2015 craft 3

Easter Fun 2015 craft 2

Easter Fun 2015 craft 1

East Fun 2015 group 1

This is Good Friday

Posted by Pastor David Tinker in Announcements and tagged with ,
Good Friday Bare ChancelThe area near the Altar is bare of decoration.  This a result of the “Stripping of the Altar” on Maundy Thursday.  Candles for Good Friday are added, as well as a simple, wooden cross.

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An Introduction to Good Friday – Tenebrae

We begin our liturgy as we ended the Maundy Thursday Liturgy: in silence. What was begun then continues this day as we journey with our Savior from the Last Supper, the stripping and humiliation, to the cross and tomb. Good Friday is the second day of the Triduum, the “Three Sacred Days” of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday with its Vigil of Easter.

The Good Friday Liturgy is marked with austerity, silence and reflection. The chancel itself is bare from the Maundy Thursday stripping. There is no organ music except to accompany the hymns. Everything focuses on our adoration of the crucified Christ, reigning from the throne of the cross.
The service of Tenebrae is an ancient Holy Week devotion which began in the 7th or 8th century, or possibly earlier. The name “Tenebrae” means shadows. The service takes its name from the ceremony of extinguishing in succession all the lights in the sanctuary, casting it into total darkness which is symbolic of the disciples’ desertion of our Lord, and of his death and burial.

The purpose of the Tenebrae Service is to aid us in realizing the total impact of the darkest day in the history of the world, the day Jesus died on the cross.
The opening portion of the liturgy includes no praise. It proceeds directly to the Invocation and Prayer of the Day. It is a simplified version of our Sunday Liturgy of the Word. The chief acts are the reading of the Passion of St. John and the Bidding Prayer for the needs of our world.

Following the final hymn is a meditation on the Seven Last Words of our Lord which he spoke from the cross. After each word is read, there will be a prayer and silent meditation. Lights and one candle will be extinguished after each meditation until the sanctuary is in darkness.
After the lights are all extinguished, the congregation will stand as the Paschal Candle is carried from the sanctuary reminding us of the burial of Jesus. A loud noise, made by the closing of a Bible, will remind us of the closing of the tomb. This announces the fulfilling of the Scriptures and the completion of our Lord’s work on the cross for us.
The Paschal Candle (called the Christ Candle during Advent/Christmas) will not return until the beginning of the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. On Good Friday we recognize that Jesus was fully dead and was placed in the borrowed tomb.

Note: The return of the Paschal Candle moments after the loud noise is a form of the Good Friday service designed to be used in those congregations which do not have the Great Vigil of Easter.
All will leave in silence to return tomorrow as we wait in vigil and then celebrate our Lord’s resurrection at the Great Vigil of Easter. At the Vigil tomorrow evening we will have the first Holy Communion in celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Schedule for the rest of Holy Week:
Easter Vigil – Saturday – 7:00 p.m. – in sanctuary
Resurrection Sunrise service at 7:30 a.m. at the Carmine Cemetery.
(Bring your own chairs for seating at the cemetery)
Breakfast in the fellowship hall at 8 a.m.
Festival Resurrection Service at 9:00 a.m.
Egg hunt and party for the children. ~10:15 a.m.

Preparing for Maundy Thursday

Posted by Pastor David Tinker in Announcements and tagged with , , , ,

CommunionBreadWineThursday, April 2 is our Maundy Thursday service.  We invite you to gather with the people of God at MLLC at 7:00 p.m.

We believe it is an important and faith enriching experience to be part of these special days.  Worship will be each night at 7:00 p.m.  These Three Days together are called the Great Triduum.

*Maundy Thursday – April 2 – We connect with the events of the Last Supper of Jesus with his Apostles.  We also remember his betrayal and arrest.

*Good Friday – April 3 – We connect with the suffering, death and entombment of Jesus Christ.

*The Great Vigil of Easter – April 4 – We remember the waiting of the followers of Jesus when he was in the tomb and before he was raised from the dead.  We celebrate the victory of the Resurrection from the dead of Jesus.

Here is the introduction we use for Maundy Thursday:

The Maundy Thursday service is one of endings and beginnings. What was begun on Ash Wednesday is brought to a close here today. What begins today does not end until the Day of Resurrection. It is the ancient Triduum, “The Three Sacred Days,” which lead us to the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.
The theme is love, our Savior’s love for us, expressed in the washing of the disciples’ feet, in giving himself in bread and wine, in dying upon the cross. An invitation to confession is given. The focus is on forgiveness. On Ash Wednesday, we began Lent with a major act of confession and ashes, but we did not receive a strong statement of forgiveness in the absolution. That bold announcement of forgiveness comes now, “In the mercy of almighty God,” and “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” at the service celebrating Christ’s love.
The lessons of love are read. A new command derives from it: “Love one another.” The name “Maundy” comes from the first word of the Latin form of John 13:34: “Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos” (“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”). This self-giving love is demonstrated in the washing of feet. The prayers are said. The table is made ready. The time of the Lord’s Supper arrives, and our Lord is revealed in bread and wine as once he “revealed himself to his disciples.” It is a solemn moment, but we cannot linger here. Nor could the Lord, for His betrayal was imminent.
Before we know it, the markings of betrayal are seen before us. The symbol of Christ in our midst, the altar, is stripped bare. Christ is stripped of his power and glory. Good Friday is inescapable. The powers of darkness work upon him.
In silence, we depart without benediction. The Three Sacred Days continue with the Good Friday service on April 3 at 7:00 p.m. We will also gather on Saturday evening, April 4 at 7 p.m. for the Vigil of Easter.

Palms and Quilts for the Glory of God

Posted by Pastor David Tinker in Announcements, Women's Ministry and tagged with , , , , , ,

Palm Sunday 2015 Pastor Procession

As always we celebrated a joyful Palm Sunday at MLLC.  It was great to have a wonderful crowd for our Saturday evening and Sunday morning worship services.  Together we remembered the work of Jesus Christ as he entered Jerusalem on a donkey.  This entry began the week of dramatic events which provided for the salvation from the final power of sin, death and evil for all who would believe in him.

Our young people were joyful leaders in the Palm Procession.  The group circled the sanctuary while we sang the traditional “All Glory, Laud and Honor”.  The Palms were then placed before the altar to remember that the people covered the road with palms over which Jesus rode the donkey.

Palm Sunday 2015 Lined Up

Palm Sunday 2015 Lined Up 4

Palm Sunday 2015 Lined Up 2

Some of the children also gathered up front for the Children’s Time.  As part of this time the youth learned about the quilts and where these are sent around the world.

Palm Sunday 2015 Children's Sermon

 

Later during worship we dedicated the quilts and kits for Lutheran World Relief.

Our numbers are not quite final, but here is a general tally:

22 Quilts

2 Fabric Kits

70 School Kits

7 Baby Care Kits

and we are in the process of completing a great number of Personal Care Kits

Here are how the quilts were displayed.  Note the palms before the altar.

Palm Sunday 2015 Quilt from front

Palm Sunday 2015 Quilt Close up

There is a wonderful article on the Lutheran World Relief web page about the Mission Quilts.  You are encouraged to click over to this page to read more about this wonderful ministry.

The quilts displayed in the sanctuary on Palm Sunday were the ones for Lutheran World Relief.  Many more are prepared and sent to two other ministries.  Several are made for Camp for All in Burton.  A set are also made for Krause Children’s Center in Katy.

More on Palm Sunday

Posted by Pastor David Tinker in Announcements and tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

Quilt Palm Sunday Light

We are looking forward to a joyful Palm Sunday 2015.  There is always much to do to get ready for this special event.  This is the beginning of Holy Week – click here for our schedule.

Some things of note regarding worship this weekend:

1.  We will dedicate the quilts for Lutheran World Relief.  See the photo above which was taken right after our quilts were placed for this dedication.  Photo Credit:  Melissa Wickel.

2.  We invite children to participate in the Procession of Palms on Sunday.  We gather in the Narthex for this joyful celebration of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.  Plan now to participate.

3.  We will have worship on both Saturday night at 6:00 p.m., and on Sunday at 9:00 a.m., on Palm Sunday weekend.

 

 

Palm Sunday 2015

Posted by Pastor David Tinker in Announcements and tagged with , , , , , , ,

 

 

IMG_4580

Palm Sunday 2015 is this weekend.  We will have worship on both Saturday night at 6 p.m. and Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m.  Plan your weekend around making sure you are at worship this week for the beginning of Holy Week.

At both services we will do the following things:

*Remember the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.  We will wave palm branches as they did nearly 2000 years ago.  We will give thanks to God for the fulfillment of his prophecy about the coming Messiah and eternal King of Israel.

*We will begin our Holy Week observance.  Click here for the full schedule.

*We will dedicate the Lutheran World Relief quilts and kits.  See the photo above for an image of what we did last year at this time.

 

You are invited to make this the beginning of a very special week as we relive and experience the joys and sorrows of this most important week in human history.

 

Holy Week is Coming Soon

Posted by Pastor David Tinker in Announcements and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Holy-Week-Worship-Art

The centerpiece of the church year is the season of Lent and the events of Holy Week.  We invite you to be part of our revisiting of these core events in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Click over to our Lent & Holy Week Schedule to find out more.  It is all listed on our recently updated main church page:  Here is the Link.

Getting Ready for Ash Wednesday

Posted by Pastor David Tinker in Announcements and tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

Ash_Wednesday with ashes

 

Adapted by Pr. David Tinker, from an original article by Pr. Thomas L. Weitzel

The Ash Wednesday service at Martin Luther Lutheran Church of Carmine will be on Wednesday, February 18, at 7:00 p.m.

 

This day is something of a slap in the face, especially when one hears the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”  The original name – “Day of Ashes” – was a reference to the ancient Christian practice of sprinkling or rubbing ashes on the head or forehead as a sign of one’s mortality.  The same ancient gesture appears in the baptismal liturgy: a cross is traced with oil on the forehead of the person being baptized.  In this simple gesture the person is claimed by Christ.

 

There can be no more solemn and appropriate action on this day than to distribute ashes to all who gather for the beginning of the Lenten season.  Here the young and old, men and women, rich and poor, learned and simple.  Here the cross is the sign of salvation that all believers share.  It is the sign of death and resurrection.

 

What is Ash Wednesday?

On Ash Wednesday, the community of faith comes face to face with two realities.  First, we confront our own mortality.  None of us lives in this life forever. Secondly, all of us are sinners and need to confess our sin to God.  These two themes (death and sin) are brought together in light of God’s redeeming love in Jesus Christ.  As the Apostle John says in 1 John 1:9b, “…(God) who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  The confession of sin on Sundays reminds us, “In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins.”  The Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) confession also included, “To those who believe in Jesus Christ he gives the power to become the children of God and bestows on them the Holy Spirit.”

 

What are the ashes for?

The “ashes” of Ash Wednesday are rooted in the ancient worship of both the Jewish and Christian communities.  They are a sign of mortality and penance.  Even though we have used the imposition of ashes in our Ash Wednesday worship for many years, they still may seem new or uncomfortable to us.  What we should remember about the ashes is they are a visible sign of our cleansing and rebirth, a recognition of our daily dependence on God for life and a promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

 

Should I receive the ashes?

The ashes are not compulsory by any means.  You may choose, if you wish, to remain in your seat during the imposition of ashes.  But remember that they are a powerful way and a visible way to participate in the call to repentance and reconciliation.  If you choose to participate, come forward at the appropriate time in the liturgy with others desiring the ashes.  The pastor will did his thumb in the ashes and trace the sign of the cross on your forehead.  Afterwards, return to your seat and the liturgy will continue.

 

Pr. Thomas L. Weitzel’s excellent liturgy site is:  http://liturgybytlw.com/