Pastor's Letter

Pastor Scott Michael MacDonald has been serving at First Evangelical Lutheran Church since June of 2002. He is excited to be here and looks forward to meeting you. Prior to earning his BA, Pastor MacDonald worked for various human service agencies over a thirteen year period while gaining experience in cross-cultural missions work as well as Spanish speaking skills in Mexico. Music ministry, orphanage work, and evangelism were all a part of this experience and training. He graduated from Bridgewater State College in the spring of 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. This was earned with a major in Graphic Arts and a minor in Social work. Pastor entered Concordia Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri in the spring of 1998. After completing two years of studies there, he was assigned a year of internship (vicarage) at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in New Hartford, Connecticut, under Rev. Timothy Yeadon. He later returned to the seminary for a final year of training and in the spring of 2002 received his Theological Diploma and the Master of Divinity degree. On April 23, 2002 Pastor MacDonald received a Call from First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Odenton, Maryland. After being ordained at his home church on June 9th, St. James Lutheran Church of Canton Massachusetts, he was installed at First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Odenton, Maryland, as their pastor on June 23 of 2002. Pastor makes his home in Odenton, Maryland with his wife Wendy, his 11 year old daughter Beth, his 10 year old son Scotty, and his 8 year old son, Jeremy.

Private email to Pastor MacDonald can be sent to: Revscottmacdonald@felcodenton.org

From the Pastor's Pen...

Ashes to ashes…

“For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:19 (NKJV)

In this text from Genesis God says to Adam that he will work hard to eat and to live and that he will do this until the day he returns to the ground from which he was first created. The word of God here shows us that Adam, Eve and all their descendants are dust, and to dust they shall all return…

The season of Lent officially begins for us with our Ash Wednesday service at 7 PM on February 17th. During this season we reflect on the fact of our human frailty and sinfulness before a holy God as we face more seriously our own mortality, temptations and weaknesses.

A part of the traditional liturgy for Ash Wednesday is the Imposition of Ashes. Ashes are a symbol of the sinful soul. By receiving ashes on our heads we acknowledge that we are sinners. As we come forward in faith and repentance we are reminded of our fallen state that will one day pass away. It is a confession in act instead of in words. We will share the Lord’s Supper at our Ash Wednesday celebration as well. Following Ash Wednesday we will have brief Wednesday Lenten services at 7 PM continuing on through the Lenten season leading up to Easter. Please join us for these special services.

As we begin Lent we again resolve to fight against sin and are strengthened and aided by the Lord who desires salvation for us in His Son, Jesus Christ. It is also a time when we must remember the good news that our Savior faced all temptations and conquered them! He forgives us as his children and is always with us in our trials, struggles and temptations! We know too that the Lord will call his own up from the ashes one day when he delivers eternal life to his people!