St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Cumberland, MD

The Year B Lectionary readings for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, September 1, 2024, are found in Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9; Psalm 15; James 1:17-27; and Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23.

Jesus protests against human customs being given the weight of divine law, while the essence of God’s law is ignored. True uncleanness comes not from external things, but from the intentions of the human heart.

Please join us tomorrow morning for worship at 8:30 a.m. in the Luther Chapel on the lower level or at 10:00 a.m. in the Nave of the church.

All are welcome to join us.

The Gospel reading for tomorrow, the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, is found in Saint John 6:56-69.

Jesus promises to nourish us with food for our faith journey in the gift of Himself, His Body and His Blood. This is God's great gift to us, the very person of the risen Christ.

Please join us for worship tomorrow, August 24, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. in the Luther Chapel, or at 10:00 a.m. in the Nave of the church.

All are welcome in this place.

The Scripture readings for tomorrow, August 18, 2024, the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost are found in Proverbs 9:1-6; Psalm 34:9-14; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58.

Today’s Gospel reading stresses the importance of hunger for God. When we share in the Body and Blood of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, Jesus himself comes to dwell within us making us one Body, and we are sent out to be Christ’s Body for the life of the world.

Please join us for worship tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. in the Luther Chapel on the lower level, or at 10:00 a.m. in the Nave of the church.

All are welcome.

Tomorrow, August 11, 2024, the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B, the Scripture readings are:

First Reading 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33
Psalm 130:1-8
Second Reading Ephesians 4:25-5:2
Gospel John 6:35, 41-51

These readings help us to reflect on the support God gives us as we strive to avoid negative behaviors and as we reflect on God's care for us. "I am the Bread of Life." We are called to live with kindness and faith in Jesus.

Please join us for worship at 8:30 a.m. in the Luther Chapel on the lower level, or at 10:00 a.m. in the Nave of the church.

We welcome all in this place.

The Gospel reading for tomorrow, August 4, 2024, is found in John 6:24-35 - "I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to me shall not hunger; he who believes in me shall not thirst. No one can come to me unless the Father draw him." These words from a worship song come to mind when reading these verses. What did Jesus mean in this first of the "I am" statements?

In Christ alone we find full satisfaction. God will provide all that we need.

Please join us for worship at 8:30 a.m. in the Luther Chapel on the lower level, or at 10:00 a.m. in the Nave of the church.

All are welcome to come and break the Bread of Life with us.

The Lectionary readings for tomorrow, June 28, 2024, the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, are all about the Abundance of God.

2 Kings 4:42-44 – Elisha feeds 100 with plenty left over;
Psalm 145:10-18 (16) – The Lord is near to all who call upon Him;
Ephesians 3:14-21 – Christ dwells in our hearts by faith, doing more than we can think of or ask;
John 6:1-21 – Feeding of the 5000.

We cannot outgive God!

In praise and thanksgiving for God's abundance, please join us tomorrow for worship at 8:30 a.m. in the Luther Chapel on the lower level, or at 10:00 a.m. in the Nave of the church.

All are welcome in this place.

Tomorrow, July 21, 2024, is the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost. The Lectionary readings: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 23; Ephesians 2:11-22; and Mark 6:30-34, 53-56.

The readings remind us of God's constant care for all His children. As a shepherd gathers his sheep, God in His Love, gathers the people and shows us by example, we are to have love, peace and compassion for all.

We welcome all to join us for worship tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. in the Martin Luther Chapel on the lower level, or at 10:00 a.m. in the Nave of the church.

The Gospel for tomorrow, July 14, 2024, is found in Mark 6:14-29, and tells the important story of John the Baptist, called by God to fulfill the prophesy in Isaiah: "prepare the way of the Lord".

God set John apart for a special mission. He was to preach about repentance and to baptize people in water. His story is one of humility, always directing people to Jesus Christ.

God has a detailed plan that He is carrying out, and though we do not understand everything about the plan, we can know that God calls us as he did John.

Please join us tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. in the Martin Luther Chapel on the lower level, or at 10:00 a.m. in the Nave of the church.

We look forward to seeing you.

II Corinthians 12:2-10, the Second Reading for tomorrow, July 7, 2024. In verse 10: Paul writes: "That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

"Lord, let us embrace our weaknesses. In them Your strength is made perfect." Amen.

Please join us for worship at 8:30 a.m. in the Luther Chapel on the lower level, or at 10:00 a.m. in the Nave.

All are welcome in this place.

The Gospel reading for this Sunday, June 30, is from Mark 5:21-43. Mark continues with stories of Jesus' power over nature, over demons, over sickness and this week over death, in the story of Jairus' daughter. God can, and does, work in our lives.

“Talitha koum!”(“little girl, get up”) is in the original Aramaic languages. This is the language the Jews spoke in the first century and so these are the actual words Jesus would have said.

Please join us this Sunday at 8:30 a.m. in the Luther Chapel on the lower level or at 10:00 in the Nave of the church.

All are welcome.

The Gospel Reading for this Sunday, June 22, 2024, is found in Mark 4:35-41. It is a familiar story of Jesus calming the stormy sea and bringing peace to His disciples. We can learn from this reading that when storms come into our lives, we can depend on God to replace our fear with faith as we pray for strength to battle the storms. We stand on the rock of our faith in Jesus Christ knowing that He hears our prayers.

Please join us for worship tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. in the Martin Luther Chapel on the lower level or at 10:00 a.m. in the Nave.

We look forward to greeting you.

The Gospel reading for tomorrow, June 16, the Fourth Sunday After Pentecost, is Mark 4:26-34. The Kingdom of God. Planting seeds of faith causes God's kingdom to grow as people become followers of Jesus. God uses what we plant, but He alone causes the growth.

Please join us for worship at 8:30 a.m. in the Martin Luther Chapel on the lower level, or at 10:00 a.m. in the Nave of the church.

All are welcome. We look forward to greeting you.

Please join us tomorrow, June 9th, at 11:00 a.m. for the Annual Worship and Church Picnic at Lakewood Beach Pavillion.

The church will provide paper products and sandwiches.
Each family is asked to bring their own drinks.
Please bring lawn chairs.

All are welcome.

Location: Lakewood
Pavilion and Beach
351 S. Lakewood Drive
Ridgeley, WV 26753

O Most Holy God, thank you for times of refreshment and peace in the course of busy lives. We come together to renew our spirits as we enjoy the beauty of your creation with our church family. We pray in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Last night of VBS! Get ready for a fun evening!

Please join us in wishing the Rev. Father Ryan K. Viands, a happy birthday. He is a blessing to our community of faith, teaching, preaching the Word and administering the Sacraments. Thank you, Father Ryan.

This is the Season after Pentecost - the longest season of the Church year - which runs from Pentecost to the Feast of Christ the King, the first Sunday in Advent. It is called ordinary time, and the color is Green, a sign of the triumph of life over death, like regrowth in springtime. The symbol is the “Chi Rho” formed from the first two letters of the Greek “Christos” which means Messiah.

God supports our lives through the Church with His Word and the sacraments that are each an outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual grace, as we learn how to live our faith in our normal, everyday, lives.

Please join us tomorrow, June 2, at 10:00 a.m. for worship. All are welcome. We look forward to greeting you.

Each Sunday morning, we hear The Apostolic Greeting to begin the Liturgy. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

Tomorrow, May 26, the first Sunday after Pentecost, we will commemorate Trinity Sunday. We celebrate God who is three in one: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Celebrating the Trinity reminds us that the nature of God is relationship. God exists in community and is fully experienced in community, and we, His people, were made to live in community.
Please join our community of faith tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. in thanksgiving and worship of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

We look forward to greeting you.

May 19, 2024, Feast Day of Pentecost

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.” Acts 2:1. Waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit as promised by Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is promised to every Christian. We will know His Power, experience His Presence and speak His Word. God, equipping His church with the power of the Holy Spirit, in the lives of all of His children.

Please join us tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. for worship as we give thanks for the Gift of the Holy Spirit.

All are welcome. Please wear RED in celebration!

The Gospel reading for this Seventh Sunday of Easter is John 17:6-19. Jesus ends His time with His disciples in the upper room with a final prayer to his Father before the cross. He prays for Himself, for His disciples and for future believers.

“As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world” (17:18). Jesus prays for all those who follow him, and He prays for specific things: He prays that we'll be protected. united, joyful and holy; “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one” (17:15).

Martin Luther said of this prayer, “This is truly, beyond measure, a warm and hearty prayer. He opens the depths of His heart, both in reference to us and to His Father, and He pours them all out. It sounds so honest, so simple; it is so deep, so rich, so wide, no one can fathom it.”

Please join us this last Sunday of Easter at 10:00 a.m. as we read and hear these words of Jesus again.

We look forward to seeing you. All are welcome.

Ascension of Our Lord - May 9, 2024

Please join us tomorrow evening, May 8, at 6:00 p.m. in the Martin Luther Chapel for vespers with the Holy Eucharist.

We celebrate that Jesus was taken up into heaven 40 days after his resurrection from the dead. In the Creed we say that we believe in Jesus who "ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father almighty". Jesus' ascension marks the end of his life on earth. Did Jesus leave us alone?

Just before Jesus ascended into heaven he said to his disciples, “And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Jesus did not ascend into heaven to be absent from us. but to be present with us.

There is but one Lord Jesus Christ, true God and true man. Since God is present everywhere, and since Jesus is God, Jesus – true God and true man – is present everywhere. Wherever God is, there is the man Jesus.

All are welcome.

The First Reading for The Sixth Sunday of Easter, May 5, 2024, is in Acts 10:44-48. In this reading, Peter has a vision which led him to the house of Cornelius, a Gentile, who believed in God. Peter observes the Gentiles being filled with the Holy Spirit and welcomes them as fellow Christians. Amazing! Jews and Gentiles did not interact with each other, but Peter's vision helped him to understand that God was doing something new.

Please join us tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. for worship.

Is the Holy Spirit leading us to change and do something new in our lives?

All are welcome.

The Feast Day of the Apostles Philip and James is May 3. These Saints share the same day because their relics were transferred to the Holy Apostles church in Rome at the same time.

These two apostles were witnesses to Jesus' Resurrection. They were martyred for this testimony. Though they suffered persecution and were martyred they placed their confidence in Christ's promise:

John 14:1-3 (NIV) “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

Pictures often show Saint Philip leaning upon the cross to which he was fastened, as Jesus had been; Saint James holding the club that struck him dead.

Please join us this evening for vespers at 6:00 p.m. in the Martin Luther Chapel. All are welcome.

Tomorrow is the Fifth Sunday of Easter. The Gospel reading is found in John 15:1-8, "I Am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."

As Christians we cannot bear fruit unless we stay connected to Jesus who is the source of life for all believers. Only by staying connected to Him can we get the necessary nourishment to produce fruit and grow in our relationship with God.

Please join us tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. for worship for this nourishment.

We look forward to seeing you. All are welcome.

Please join us this evening, April 23, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the Martin Luther Chapel to celebrate the April 25 Feast Day of Saint Mark the Evangelist. The Gospel of Mark is the first and the shortest gospel and was written under the guidance of Saint Peter.

We celebrate Saint Mark for his role in building the early church, particularly through preaching and documenting the good news.
Although he was not a direct disciple of Jesus, Saint Mark played a vital role in spreading the Gospel as a missionary in the early church.

Mark faithfully carried out the injunction of Christ: “Go into all the whole world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15)

The Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday, is John 10:11-18.

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep," says Jesus.

Sheep and shepherd were everyday terms to those who were listening to Jesus. Their ears would have picked up quickly the meaning of Jesus describing himself as a Shepherd, a loving and caring Savior of the world.

Please join us for worship tomorrow morning, April 21, at 10:00 a.m. All are welcome!!

Please join us tomorrow evening, Wednesday, April 17, at 6:00 p.m. for vespers in the Martin Luther Chapel.

We will commemorate the April 29 Feast Day of Catherine of Siena.

St. Catherine of Siena is among the most well-loved and controversial saints of the Church. Her writings about Jesus have appealed beyond Catholics to Protestants, and her courageous witness of charity in her care of the sick and poor has inspired millions through the centuries.

Her extreme fasting has led modern scholars to think she may have suffered from an eating disorder. She began to live only on the Eucharist toward the end of her life and her body was unable to sustain itself. She suffered a stroke and died eight days later on April 29, 1380, at the age of 33.

Before her death, she wrote The Dialogue, a series of conversations between a soul and Christ.

Quotes from Catherine of Siena:

“There is nothing we can desire or want that we do not find in God.”
“The human heart is drawn by love.”

April 14, 2024 The Third Sunday of the Easter Season. The Gospel reading is Luke 24:36b-48. The resurrected Christ appears to his disciples. He presented himself to his disciples and presents himself to us, sometimes when we least expect it. We, the Church, bear witness to His Presence.

Please join us tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. as we worship the Risen Christ.

All are welcome.