MESSY CHRISTMAS. Messy Christmas, Pastor Matt. December, Inside this issue: Messy Christmas, by. Pastor Matt

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1 December, 2018 MESSY CHRISTMAS Inside this issue: Messy Christmas, by Pastor Matt God s Gift by Joan Thomas, and Thank You! from the Mallorys Upcoming Events, Announcements, and Ways to Serve LCMS Stewardship Ministry December 2018 Newsletter Go Forth by Steve Gruenwald Treasurer s Report October December Schedule 7 And the Winner Is... 8 Replace a couple of R s with a couple of S s, and you go from Merry Christmas to Messy Christmas in the blink of an eye. I was watching a TV commercial for washable markers and the tagline was Life is Messy, this is especially true in the Advent and Christmas season. Because of a wrapping jobs gone wrong, a missing package that has a special present inside, or traffic causing us to be late to a holiday gathering, life can go from merry to messy faster than Santa can get down a chimney. Most of us don t like dealing with an unexpected mess, especially if it is close to Christmas. We look around us and our Christmas decorations, our families, and our lives have to look like a Hallmark card. Or thinking about this as a pastor, we look at Christmas Eve service and want to make sure things don t become messy because we want to leave a good impression. I know for me when life gets messy it is easy to become frustrated, upset, and angry with myself or those around me and this is true for many of us. We become ashamed of our messes. We try to cover them up with pretty decorations, and don t let God and fellow Christians into the messes of our lives, which leads to isolation and pain. The good news though is that as we sing, O Come, O Come Emmanuel, we are not just singing a familiar Christmas carol, we are asking God to come into our messes. We are asking him to come into this broken world, with broken relationships, with stains, with all the junk that all of us try to hide. And God doesn t say, Ugh, that mess is too much, or Man, your situation is too ugly for me to get into. No, instead he sends his Son into the mess. His Son, Emmanuel is God with us in the messes. He not only sends his Son into the messes, but his Son is the one who has the power to clean all the messes. I am here to say this Advent and Christmas season will get messy. And I can already guarantee you something will goof up at Christmas Eve service, but let s not focus on the messes. This season let our focus be on the one who cleans up the messes. That is who Jesus is. To find out more about who this Jesus is I encourage you to make sure you either make it to all the services during our series, Who is Jesus? leading up to Christmas or watch them on Facebook because we will see that Jesus had messes, even in his own family. We are all mess makers, but who is Jesus? He is the cleaner of them all. So let Him clean you up this Messy Merry Christmas. Messy Christmas, Pastor Matt

2 Page 2 GOD S GIFT By: Joan M. Thomas 11/18 God s Son A tiny baby Tears flow silently Stinging heart and eyes Sweet pain Confused emotions Mix within my soul Joy blends with sorrow Jesus Born in a stable Humble and sleeping In a wooden crib Trusting Innocence and truth Hope of all mankind Come to set us free He wakes Smiles joyfully Bringing light and love Timeless Morning Star His arms Open and Embrace All of life inside No hate or guile Just love And with outspread arms He was crucified Our Lord died for us Sinless Rejected, scorned Crowned with thorns Nailed to a wooden cross God s Gift Jesus Christ, a King Risen from the grave Blessed Trinity! He lives So tell His story Giving Him glory Everywhere you go. Bringing Him glory. THANK YOU! To our RLC family: we just wanted to say a huge "thank you" for the reception following the service on November 11. It was a privilege to serve this congregation for four years, and wonderful to be able to wrap up our time on a high note. We appreciate the generous financial gift as well. We will miss you, will continue praying for you, and hope to see you around from time to time! God bless, Ron, Emily, Vivian, and Miles Mallory

3 Page 3 UPCOMING EVENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND WAYS TO SERVE More Hands More Quilts Resurrection Quilt Ministry will meet at its regular monthly quilt-tying session this coming Wednesday, December 5 th in Room 200 at 9:00 until 11:30 a.m. Come when you can. Not into quilting? No skills needed, it s simply tying knots. Let s get more acquainted! 18 quilts were sent to LWR s warehouse in Baltimore and 7 quilts were given to a local needy family. Many thanks to Jerry Thomas for delivering the quilts and 35 Fabric Kits to Our Redeemer Lutheran Church north end, a total of 100 Lbs.! WCCW Dress for Success Clothing Closet Please reserve and mark your calendar: December 16 th at 9:15 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. following Adult Bible Class. Refreshments will be provided. There is an urgent need for winter clothing, new/nearly new: winter jackets, short coats large - 3X, men s outerwear jackets, unisex style large-2x, black pants, jeans, in sizes 16-5X, nice tops for interviewing, clean, gently used or new tennis shoes, black flats, underpants, no-show socks, scarves, gloves, hats. Please, no sweatpants or sweatshirts.. Please keep donations until Sunday, December 16th and deliver in bags to the Gym. Amazon- Smile for LMSN If you shop Amazon, your order will help support Lutheran Ministry Services NW, a non-profit Chaplaincy, Pastoral, & Spiritual Care Ministry serving men, women, children and their families in Seattle area hospitals, nursing homes, and care centers. LMSN serves as a pastoral extension for all Lutheran congregations and is called to visit anyone that is away from their normal pastoral, support. Getting to Know You Sunday Morning Fellowship Time 9:15-9:30 is a great way to get acquainted with RLC members and visitors! The Host Sign-up Sheet Clipboard is ready for December. Simple guidelines are at the top, thank you for planning ahead to sign up for hosting or quick cleanup. Friends together, men, families or singles are encouraged to take a turn. 'Keep It Simple' - Thank you! Remember Random Mites Loose coins in your purse or pocket while shopping? Find a Mite box in the Narthex glass case & convert those coins to bills or checks to Resurrection Women s Fellowship for Trudy Osley s mailbox. 75% collected are sent for LWML WA-AK District Mission Grants and 25% for LWML National Goal Mission Grants. Mission Grant Name Amount to be Paid Aid to Washington-Alaska District Scholarship Fund $19,000 Southeast Alaska Travel Fund Alaska Mission for Christ $10,000 Opportunity Mission Outreach, Washington-Alaska District $6,000 Vehicle for Elliot and Serena Derricks Lutheran Bible Translators $10,000 Concordia Seminary s International Graduate School Student Support $3,500 Classroom Addition Sterling Lutheran Church, Sterling, Alaska $5,000 Camp Courage A Place of Hope and Healing LCMS $4,000 Musical Instruments for Native Youth Program in Neah Bay Lutheran Indian Ministries $6,500 PB & J for the Homeless $4,000 Equipping People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to Share the Gospel $5,000 Seminary Education for New Pastors in South Sudan Lutheran Heritage Foundation $5,000 Care Center Outreach, Seattle/Puget Sound Area Lutheran Ministry Services Northwest $2,700 Deaconess Ministries in the Mission Field LCMS $4,000 Trinity/HOPE Haiti $5,000 Reaching Visually Impaired Inmates with God s Love Lutheran Braille Workers $6,000 Worker Wellness for Chaplain Families LCMS $3,000 TOTAL $98,700

4 Page 4 LCMS STEWARDSHIP MINISTRY DECEMBER 2018 NEWSLETTER ARTICLE Throughout his epistles and his preaching recorded in the Book of Acts, St. Paul refers, in one way or another, to thanksgiving and thankfulness nearly 50 times. Whether vertically toward God, or horizontally toward the neighbor, thanksgiving is a major theme within St. Paul s body of work. What does this mean? It means thankfulness is intrinsic to the life of those baptized into Christ. In other words, giving thanks is what Christians do as they live out their lives in this world. The problem is that we often forget this. Consider your average, run-of-the-mill, normal day. When you get home, and your parents, your spouse or your children ask about your day, what first comes to your mind? After 99 percent of things went right, went exactly as planned, were enjoyable and blessings, we tend to focus on and remember the 1 percent of things that went poorly, that didn t go as planned, and that were nuisances. We remember the bad things. We focus on discontent. And we fail to give thanks in all circumstances for everything (Eph. 5:20) and to rejoice in the Lord always (Phil. 4:4). Thankfulness and contentment go together. We are content with things for which we are thankful. St. Paul could be content with having plenty or when in need because He gave thanks to the Lord for all things. He thanked the Lord for those who had prayed for him and listened to his proclamation of the Gospel. He gave thanks for their good works in and for the Church of Christ. He gave thanks for the grace of God in Christ Jesus and found that God s grace was sufficient for him. So, give thanks for all things and in all circumstances dear brothers and sisters in Christ. For you have been saved from sin, death, and hell by the death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. You have been added to the very family of God in an adoption of grace through Holy Baptism. God is your Father. Our Lord, Jesus Christ is your brother. But He not only provides for your spiritual well-being, He cares also for this body and life. Your Father in heaven provides food and clothes, house and home, husband, wife, and children. He gives you reason and all your senses. He has given you the raw talents that you have developed into careers. Everything you are and everything that you have is a gift from His fatherly divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in you. Give thanks for these things. Make a list every morning if you must. Say them out loud. Sing about them within the congregation of the saints. And remember this: God has given you these things so that you may be of service to those around you your family, your neighbors, your brothers and sisters in Christ. For to whom much is given; much shall be required (Luke 12:48).

5 GO FORTH by Steve Gruenwald (Concordia Plan Services Better Health) I ve always had an interest in the origins of words and phrases. I like to know the meaning behind phrases that I use on occasion. One such phrase that has always interested me is peter out (to fail or give out). Most etymology dictionaries refer to it as miners slang and the association to saltpeter (potassium nitrate) used in mining. I ve always believed that the phrase is based on the disciple Peter who often gave out on Jesus. Visualize Peter petering out while walking on water: he stepped out of the boat with confidence, with his eyes fixed on Jesus, and his heart fervent to the calling to come. But when he started doubting and began placing trust in his human abilities abilities that do not include walking on water he sank. Page 5 It s not too difficult to see the similarities between Peter and us. When life is going well, we are confident and trusting in the promises of God and His word. Once the storms of our sinful world and our sinful natures start kicking up waves, we become distracted. We doubt God s guidance in our lives and we question His wisdom. During adversity we doubt His presence. During pain and loss, we doubt whether He really cares. Our confidence starts to falter and we peter out. God forgives us when we give up. He also gives us the promise that He will be with us to the very end of the age. His fulfillment to His many promises in the Bible remind us that He is faithful. Nourished with that assurance, we step into the swirling waves around us: we go forth with confidence trusting that God will be with us. I m reminded of an old comedy bit where the confident straight man tells his nervous sidekick to go forth into that dark room and see what s making that strange, scary noise. The sidekick hesitates so the self-assured buddy says, Well, what are you waiting for? The sidekick looks around every which way and replies, I m waiting for three others to go first (rim shot!). God calls us to Go Forth to proclaim His Gospel message and to be of service to others. In the midst of our uncertainty and doubt, we only need to remember that we are not alone in our journey. We have the first three (in one) walking with us: The Father of all grace and mercy, the Son who redeemed us from our sins, and the Holy Spirit who sanctifies and keeps us in the faith. So keep walking, keep proclaiming, and keep trusting that God will be with you every step of the way.

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8 134 S. 206th St. Des Moines, WA AND THE WINER IS... Thanks to all who donated to Resurrection Quilters Raffle. Proceeds raised for Lighthouse Family Ministry amounted to $119! Kudos to Sue Peto for many labors of love hours recycling a donated Vintage bedspread with donated new fabric into a beautiful quilt of many colors. The drawing will be held December 2nd in the Gym during Fellowship Time before 9:30 Adult Bible class. Ticket donations will be available. Phone: Fax: secretary@resurrection-lcms.org