A Message for Advent

The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah. In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land. In those days Judah shall be safe and Jerusalem shall dwell secure; this is what they shall call her: "The LORD our justice." Jeremiah 33:14

This may be hard for some of you to believe, but as a child I was quite talkative. And I was really, really bad at keeping secrets. I remember one Christmas in particular when my impulse to blurt out what was in my head caused my parents to . . . well, sigh in disbelief. My maternal grandmother had an old toaster. Some of you remember the type, with doors that opened on both sides where you set the bread. You then plugged it in, and when one side was toasted (and you had to be careful not to burn it), you turned the bread around to toast the other side. It was time for Grammy to have a pop-up toaster, still a pretty cool invention when I was a little kid. My parents saved up their green stamps, and went to the green stamp store on lower Congress Street. They redeemed their stamps for a gleaming, state-of-the-art pop-up toaster. They wrapped it carefully. They were delighted with the choice of gift, and in their enthusiasm they thought it would be OK to share the secret with me. On Christmas Eve, we arrived at my grandmother’s house, and as my parents placed the wrapped gift under the tree, I blurted out, “Grammy! It’s a new toaster! A pop-up toaster!” I could not contain my joy any longer. A gleaming new toaster for Grammy could not be kept secret. I became the herald of good news!

Jesus is not a toaster. Jesus is not a secret. The manger is not Christmas wrapping paper. But I long for the childlike enthusiasm that enabled me to blurt out good news so spontaneously. As Advent approaches, it is really OK for us to tell people what they are getting for Christmas. In fact, keeping Christmas joy a secret is probably not a good thing to do at all. And how could we possibly contain such good news? Jeremiah tells us that God will do what is right and just, and in the coming of the Messiah, we will find peace and security. This is a message our frightened and confused world needs to hear over and over.

As we celebrate Advent and anticipate Christmas, we live in a noisy world that tells us that the season is about money and gifts and more money. We hear many messages of despair and injustice. The world is not at peace. And we have Jesus, fulfillment of a promise, wrapped in poverty and human frailty, beautiful in his simplicity. God’s power in the world made flesh so simply yet miraculously. Jesus is a gift that we cannot keep secret!

Pastor Bill Barter

It Gets Better

Follow this link to my Youtube posting for the "It Gets Better" project. The project was begun as a response to the recent awareness of gay suicide.

On Thanks and Giving

Jesus said, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Matthew 19:21

My aunt recently asked me the question, “So what do you want for Christmas?” The question, along with the gift giving, is an annual tradition in our house. I struggled. What do I want for Christmas? What do I really want? I couldn’t answer her. I told her I would get back to her. Then I got a brainstorm. Maybe I could not answer her because I really couldn’t think of anything. Maybe the question should be, “What do you need for Christmas?” Now I had some clarity.

While there are some things I might want for Christmas, there is really nothing I need. I have people who love me (including the wonderful aunt who asked the above question). I have a house that is warm, and I eat three meals every day. I am able to run on the treadmill and lift weights. I have too many clothes. I have a job (make that two or three jobs). I have a car that is paid for. I even have a summer cottage, thanks to grandparents who were good planners. So I don’t need anything.

I don’t want or need anything for Christmas. But I know people who need lots of things that I have and take for granted. So this year, when someone asks me what I want for Christmas, I am going to ask them to make a donation to Project Feed in my name. In fact, I am going to make some special Christmas cards that they can send to Project Feed with their donation. Recently, Project Feed lost 1/3 of its funding when Shaw’s Supermarkets, Bush Beans (who now own B&M), and Maine’s Credit Unions pulled their funding and donations. This happened at a time when demand for food is at an all-time high. Food insecurity is huge in Maine, and lots of kids go to bed hungry at night.

As we approach this season of thanks and giving, what do you want? What do you need? As a disciple of Christ, what are you going to do about it?

Sincerely Yours in Christ,






Pastor Bill Barter

Pastoral letter 9-1-2010

September 1, 2010

Dear friends in Christ:

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17-22-23

On August 27th, a group of Lutherans met in Grove City, Ohio, and formed what is now known as the North American Lutheran Church. About 20 congregations have officially joined the new denomination so far, and it is estimated that nearly 200 ELCA congregations may follow suit by year’s end. (The ELCA currently has 10,348 congregations nationwide.)

The formation of the NALC came about as a reaction to the decision of the ELCA last September to allow homosexual clergy in publicly committed relationships to be called as pastors. In their view, such a move was a departure from a literal understanding of Sacred Scripture and longstanding church tradition.

The ELCA has always had gay clergy, but prior to September 2009, those who were homosexual in their self-understanding had to take a promise of celibacy to be ordained. This policy was never uniformly enforced, and in 2007, the ELCA urged local bishops to exercise “restraint” when dealing with complaints about a pastor being a partnered gay or lesbian person. The changes in policy came about as the culmination of an ELCA discernment process known as “Journey Together Faithfully.” The new 2009 ELCA policies are available on the web at http://www.elca.org/What-We-Believe/Social-Issues/Social-Statements/JTF-Human-Sexuality.aspx

As a pastor, it pains me to see splits in our church at a time when unity, and not division, could better equip us to address the urgent matters of our day such as world hunger, poverty, disease, and oppression. It was hoped that Lutherans who disagreed with one another about the topic of human sexuality could live together in the same church while respecting the beliefs of the others. For most ELCA Lutherans, that has been the case, but sadly not for all.

As we read the press releases and news stories about the split, it is important to keep positive. For example, while roughly 1.8% of ELCA congregations may vote to leave the ELCA, a large number of ELCA congregations from Atlanta to San Francisco have come back to the ELCA as a result of last September’s decisions. (This is not often reported by the media.) On the same day the ELCA voted to allow gay and lesbian pastors, the Churchwide Assembly allocated 10 million dollars in seed money toward the eradication of Malaria in the developing world. When media hype is on controversy instead of mission, the good news can get lost.

Last week, ELCA Bishop Mark Hanson issued a pastoral letter. It is available at http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Office-of-the-Presiding-Bishop/Messages-and-Statements.aspx. In the spirit of that letter, and in the true spirit of being a reconciling congregation, please join me in prayer for the new member congregations of the North American Lutheran Church. Pray for their leaders. In speaking to others about the split, please be loving and charitable as Jesus would have us do. Even though the members of the NALC may disagree with some of our beliefs and teachings, we are all God’s people, and we are called to the same mission of love and justice. Those who have left the ELCA are disappointed and in pain. And like us, they strive to be faithful Lutherans.

Since 1866, my Methodist ancestors prayed for church unity with one of my favorite childhood hymns, “The Church’s one Foundation.” If you want to see the lyrics and sing along, go to: http://nethymnal.org/htm/c/h/chofound.htm. In verse two, we sing: She is from every nation, Yet one o’er all the earth; Her charter of salvation, One Lord, one faith, one birth; One holy Name she blesses, Partakes one holy food, And to one hope she presses, With every grace endued.

The foundation is Christ. The table is huge. Our human divisions pale by comparison. Pray for the unity of all. Give thanks to God for our life together.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Pastor Bill Barter

Easter message 2010

Dear friends:

We are now in our final full week of Lent. As Lent draws to a close, we shift our focus to the solemn celebration of Passion Sunday and the three holiest days of our church year. As we hear the crowds change their shouts from “Hosanna!” to “Crucify him!” we are reminded of the sinful and unstable nature of our human relationships. But as we stumble upon an empty tomb at Easter, we are also reminded that all things are made new in the Covenant that is Christ.

Without the meal, we cannot remember; without the cross we cannot be washed clean; without the resurrection we would be a hopeless bunch! This is why our communal celebration of Holy Week is so important to our spiritual life together. We remember all that God has done for us in Christ. We do this as a community of faith, love, and support.

Holy week begins this Sunday, the 28th, with Palm (Passion) Sunday. Service begins at 10:30 outside (weather permitting).

Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services are at 7:00 p.m. on April 1st and 2nd. I am very pleased that Pastor Tom Chittick has agreed to give the instructional sermon on Maundy Thursday.

April 4th, Easter Sunday, begins with our legendary homemade breakfast, sponsored by the church council to benefit kids with camper scholarships to Calumet. The breakfast starts at 9:00 a.m. in the church hall. The voluntary donation is $3.50 per person with a $10.00 capped price for a family. (You are free to donate more to help a young camper!)

If you can join us on Easter Sunday, please remember Project Feed and bring non-perishable food for the basket.

Easter worship is at 10:30 a.m. Bring a hand bell (or cowbell or dinner bell or jingle bell) to ring in the ALLELUIA season!

This Easter, we are pleased to welcome new members to the St. Ansgar church family. I hope you can join us in this happy occasion of the growth of our congregation.

Finally, if for any reason you would like to come to church and cannot find transportation, please let me or a member of our church know. We will make sure you can be here!

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Pr. Bill Barter
Pastor@saintansgar.org
207.774.8740 ext 1

Lent pastoral letter

February 15, 2010

Dear friends in Christ:

This Wednesday, February 17th, marks the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday. At 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, I will mark the foreheads of our church members with ashes that commemorate our mortality and our need for repentance. This marks the beginning of our second season of Lent together since I have been your pastor.

How will Lent be different for you this year? Are there ways in which this can be a holy time, a period of reflection, a season of renewal? Will your Lenten discipline help to prepare your heart for accepting the tremendous sacrifice of the cross, the lasting gift of the Lord’s Supper, and the awesome joy of finding an empty tomb at Easter?

Here are some suggestions for Lent. This is by no means exhaustive, and you may well have thought already about how you will spend this prayerful season:

Attend our weekly Lenten devotions at First Lutheran Church at 132 Auburn Street in Portland. This is a regional gathering of Lutherans that happens each Lent in a different parish. We begin with a simple soup and bread meal, followed by evening prayer and a sermon by a local pastor. This happens each Wednesday of Lent, with the soup supper at 6:00 p.m. and worship at 7:00 p.m.

As a symbol of giving yourself over to Christ, be generous during Lent. St. Ansgar has become a crucial partner in the Project Feed program by collecting non-perishable food items for the hungry. Are you participating in Project Feed? If not, do you have food to spare? Can you hit a sale at a supermarket, or check out the food deals at the dollar stores? Can you simplify your diet during Lent to help the hungry?

Can you invite a friend to church on Sunday? Perhaps you know someone (even a family member) who just needs that little extra invitation to come and hear God’s Word.

Can you make an extra devotion during Lent? We are encouraged to pray unceasingly, yet so many of us take far too little time to talk with God. Could this Lent be the time that you commit to regular conversations with God?

Reflect on the Sacred Scriptures during Lent. Bring your Sunday bulletin home and re-read the Bible passages during the week. What is God saying to you during this holiest of seasons?

I can’t think of a better place to be during Lent than St. Ansgar. As a strong community of faith, you are an inspiration to me. Let us hold one another in prayer and loving support during this holy time.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Pastor Bill Barter

Statement on the recent desecration of the Jewish Cemetery at Mt. Carmel

“Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Deuteronomy 16:20.

In the extermination of six million Jews in the last century, there were villains. In the popular mind, we conjure up the image of a Nazi soldier, polished boots, a rifle, a snarling German Shepherd, a swastika-emblazoned uniform. When Christians remember the holocaust, we can engage in denial as many (including Lutherans) have, claiming that we did nothing to further the holocaust, that we were powerless to stop it, and that the Nazis were the only villains. When we Christians are honest with ourselves, however, we know that our silence was perfect complicity. It is simply implausible that as entire neighborhoods of Jews disappeared, their absence was not noticed. It is impossible to believe that if millions of Christians rose up to end the genocide, it could still have happened. By Christian silence, the holocaust became our own crime against humanity.

In recent days, a terrible desecration of sacred Jewish burial plots and monuments at Mt. Carmel Cemetery took place. Far beyond mischievous vandalism, Nazi symbols became an ugly reminder of the horrors of the past, as well as the hate that is still woven into the fabric of today.

“To love God with your whole heart, with all your understanding, and all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Mark 12:33

The Christian cannot be silent in the face of such horrible desecration, defamation, and hate. If we are silent, we are accomplices. If we say we love God, we cannot ignore our neighbor. We, the pastor and people of St. Ansgar Evangelical Lutheran Church in Portland, hold the Jewish community in prayerful support and love. We pledge to speak against hate. We will continue to educate our young people to love others in celebration of diversity. If there is any way in which our small but dedicated congregation can assist, we are at the disposal of our Jewish sisters and brothers. We will not be silent.


Rev. Dr. William M. Barter and the Lutheran Church of St. Ansgar.