January 3, 2017 – Christmas + 9
William Passavant, Lutheran Minister

“Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.” What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.” Acts 6:1-6

On this date in 1894, Lutheran minister William Passavant passed away, (October 9, 1821 – January 3, 1894). He was a Lutheran minister noted for bringing the Lutheran Deaconess movement to the United States. He is commemorated in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church on November 24 with Justus Falckner and Jehu Jones. He was born in Zelienople, Pennsylvania, the youngest son of Phillipe Louis Passavant and Fredericka Wilhelmina Basse. His mother, known as Zelie Passavant, was the daughter of Baron Dettmar Basse. Baron Basse, a former diplomat, arrived during 1802 from Frankfurt, Germany to become the founder of the city of Zelienople, Pennsylvania. Passavant attended Jefferson College and later Gettysburg Seminary in preparation for a career in the ministry. William Passavant began his ministry in Baltimore, Maryland in 1842. He became a publisher of the first Lutheran Almanac and in 1845 The Missionary, which in 1861 was merged into The Lutheran of Philadelphia, where he remained for many years as co-editor. Dr. Passavant was pastor of Christ Lutheran Church of Baden, Pennsylvania from 1858 until 1879, a period of 21 years.” (satucket.com website)

The first deaconesses who came to America were trained at a German motherhouse founded in 1836 in Kaiserswerth by Theodor Fliedner and Friederike Münster. The first deaconesses came to the United States through the efforts of William Passavant, D.D. who encountered these women in Germany. These first four Lutheran Deaconesses in the United States worked in what is now Passavant Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Shortly after the arrival of these four deaconesses, John Lakenau brought another seven from Germany to work in the German Hospital in Philadelphia (now Lakenau Medical Center). The deaconesses performed functions similar to various orders of Roman Catholic sisters – they worked as administrators and nurses hospitals. When the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America was formed by the joining of various synods, communities in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Omaha combined and formed the Deaconess Community of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

Pastor Dave

January 2, 2017 – Christmas + 8
Go Tell It……

“Therefore my people shall know my name; therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here am I.  How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion.” Isaiah 52:6-8

“Go, tell it on the mountain, Over the hills and everywhere, Go tell it on the mountain, That Jesus Christ is born. While shepherds kept their watching, Over silent flocks by night, Behold throughout the heavens, There shone a holy light.” Hymn “Go Tell It On The Mountain”

On this date, January 2, 1921, two months following its first broadcast: “KDKA aired the first religious service in the history of radio. It was undertaken by Westinghouse to test its ability to do a remote broadcast far from a radio studio. Pittsburgh’s Calvary Episcopal Church was chosen because one of the Westinghouse engineers happened to be a member of the choir and made the arrangements. The junior pastor, Rev. Lewis B. Whittemore, preached because the senior pastor was leery of the new medium. The technicians (one a Jew, one Catholic) were outfitted with choir robes in order to keep them from distracting the congregation. KDKA soon offered a regular Sunday evening service from Calvary Episcopal Church. The senior pastor, Rev. Edwin Van Ettin, overcame his initial reluctance to become the regular speaker. (Regular broadcasts continued through 1962.)” (Christianity.com website)

We live in a society where we have many mediums at our finger tips, literally, to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We don’t need the ability to make a radio broadcast – all we need is the courage to take to social media or our phone and share a message of love and blessings in the name of Jesus. We don’t have to have the eloquence of a pastor, we don’t need to have the ability to author a great tome – we just need to have the courage and the willingness to share our stories – talk about why Jesus is important to our lives. Thanks to people like KDKA, Westinghouse, and the pastors at Pittsburgh’s Calvary Episcopal Church, there are regular broadcasts of religious services and bible studies across the air waves. Millions of people have been introduced to the Gospel because of these radio shows.

Pastor Dave