St. John s Messenger. December From the Pastor s Study. Upcoming Events. December Birthdays and Anniversaries

Transcription

1 December 2015 St. John s Messenger St. John s Lutheran Church 1000 Bluff Street, Beloit, Wisconsin (608) From the Pastor s Study Dear Friends, In the wonderful holiday cartoon special A Charlie Brown Christmas, Charlie Brown sets out on a frequently-disappointing quest to understand the meaning of Christmas. It appears that everyone else is finding fulfillment in their Christmas activities, but for Charlie there is only emptiness. He looks into his empty mailbox, totally bereft of Christmas Cards and packages, and laments how this time of year only brings into sharper focus the reality that no one really seems to like him. Walking through his backyard, he stumbles upon Snoopy who is feverishly nailing Christmas lights to his doghouse in the hopes that he may be awarded a large cash prize for his efforts in the Christmas Display contest. To this humorous spectacle, Charlie groans, even my own dog has gone commercial. He seeks the psychiatric counsel of Lucy, who charges him a nickel and then suggests that he direct their Christmas play. Before leaving for the Christmas play, Charlie writes a letter to Santa Clause, as it is dictated to him by his sister, Sally. When Sally indicates that Santa may simply give her money perhaps, tens and twenties Charlie throws the pad and pencil into the air with disgust, and cries, even my little sister! Since Charlie Brown is not what we would call a person of influence, the other children in the school auditorium (including his sister and dog) do not pay any attention to his directing and proceed to play music and dance all about the stage. Lucy sends Charlie Brown out to get a Christmas tree, which she suggests will help get everyone in the Christmas spirit. She instructs him to get the biggest aluminum Christmas tree you can find maybe painted pink! As you probably remember, Charlie and Linus return with a pathetic little tree that drops needles the whole way from the Christmas tree lot to the schoolhouse. Needless to say, Upcoming Events Dec. 3 rd PM, LWML Christmas Luncheon Dec. 2, 9, &16 th 5:30 PM Advent 6:30 PM Advent Worship Service. Dec. 24 th 6:30 PM Christmas Eve Worship Service. Dec. 25 th 9:00 AM Christmas Worship Service. Dec. 31 st 6:30 PM New Years Eve Worship Service. December Birthdays and Anniversaries Happy Birthday to 12/1 Peter Fast 12/4 Dan Rogers 12/11 Andrew Bartz 12/15 Alexander Nohr 12/16 Debbie NIman Happy Anniversary to 12/6 Jeff & Deb Niman 12/16 Wally & Kathy Prins 12/18 Roger & Marcia Stenberg If we are missing your birthday Page 1 of or 7 anniversary, please let us know!

2 the response from the group is not overwhelmingly positive. Feeling rejected again, and confused, Charlie Brown asks loudly to no one in particular, isn t there anybody who can tell me what Christmas is all about?!? Out of the silence, Linus steps quietly forward and says, I can tell you what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown. After calling for the stage crew to turn down the lights, Linus begins to quote from the gospel of Saint Luke, chapter 2. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:8-14, King James Version). Linus then says, That s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown. Taking this in, Charlie Brown leaves the auditorium with the little tree. He takes the little tree home, and decorates it with lights from Snoopy s doghouse. You may remember that this causes it to droop, and he believes that he has killed it. In deep despair and resignation, he goes into the house. The other children come along, they right the tree, and they all sing Hark! the Herald Angels Sing. Since that Thursday, December 9, 1965, when this program first aired on televisions across America, our society has seen many cultural changes. I am not sure that the commercialization of Christmas which Charles Schulz drew our attention to in this wonderful Christmas classic can even begin to be combated and I do not believe that this is really our calling as Christians living in today s world. What I am trying to say is this: do not lament about the retina-piercing lights on your neighbor s house which daily threaten to halt the earth in its rotation around the sun, do not be dismayed by the Christmas stuff advertisements that you have been inundated with since the fourth of July, do not lose heart over the goofy euphemisms of sparkle season and winter holiday, do not feel pressured to combat the yuletide carols and log (few people today pay attention to these pagan symbols, anyway) and come to the manger where God who loves you took up our frail humanity in the birth of Jesus. As the Blessed Virgin Mary gave birth to a child that had been conceived in her yet-untouched womb by the power of the Holy Spirit, she gave birth to the Savior of the whole world. I really don t care what my neighbors and friends buy, decorate, or wrap in bacon or tinsel this Christmas I want for them to hear that they have a Savior who is Christ the Lord. That s what Christmas is about. Search the retail shops, the Christmas parties, and the scores of people who annually double the weight of their homes with electrical lights and inflatable lawn figures and you will find people searching for a deeper sense of meaning, happiness, and contentment in their lives. Most people do not announce publicly that they are depressed by the hopelessness and loss in their lives, but thousands of people every day in this the wealthiest nation in the world plod along in quiet resignation and despair. What if someone they knew told them about God s love for them as shown in Jesus, whom Mary wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger? Page 2 of 7

3 What if someone in their life took the time to explain to them that this world and the things in it are only fleeting, but that there is an eternal life of peace and joy that awaits those who trust in this child lain in a manger so long ago? What if someone in their life actually risked social awkwardness in order to tell them about their Savior? May the Church of Christ be renewed in her urgency to share the message of the Savior with a world that is dying in its sins. When the limits of this world s splendors and self-help psychology were exposed in Charlie s despair, his friend Linus shared with him the eternal Word of God which gives hope and does not disappoint. Your neighbor may have lights and holiday cheer (whatever that means), but do they have saving faith in the Savior? Go, and find out. In Christ Jesus, Pastor Treasurer s Report November 2015 Expenses Concordia Publishing House $ Emanuel the Florist $ Charter $ Beloit Utilities $ Great America Fin. (copy machine) $ TDS (phone) $ Father & Son Cleaning $ Fleming & Heating (1 st pmt. Boiler) $ Alliant Energy $ Church Mutual $1, Big Radio $ SWD District Support $ Together in Mission (quarterly) $ Advanced Disposal $ Fleming & Heating (Seas. Maint.) $ Jay Big Roll $ U.S. Yellow Pages (quarterly) $ Stamps $ M.J. Maintenance $ CPH $ Maffetts Ad $ St. John s LWML/Women s Guild News St. John s LWML/Women s Guild hosted a Craft Boutique & EXPO on Saturday, November 7th from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. The professional venders and crafters arrived early Saturday morning to set up and were ready to go when the doors opened at 9:00 a.m. This was a great opportunity for shoppers to buy special gifts for Christmas or maybe just to splurge on something for themselves. As they strolled around the nearly forty booths there was a lot to see with a great variety of items for sale including jewelry, books, candles, hand tooled leather items and much more. Other events going on were a raffle with items donated by the crafters and our members, a white elephant sale with a large variety of items and quilts for sale. There was a tempting bake sale with many home baked goods Page 3 of 7

4 from our good cooks at St. John s. All of this and there no admission charge! By the way, all proceeds will go to church needs, local charities and missionaries. Lunch was also available which included homemade pulled pork sandwiches or hot dogs, chips and coffee or soda. Shopping and eating lunch out what could be more fun? Featured all day were our famous freshly-baked cinnamon rolls which went like well, hot cakes!! They were as popular with the vendors manning their booths as they were for the shoppers. There were a lot of carry outs as well as eat in and an amazing amounts were sold. Some people admitted that they came just for them and ended up finding other things they liked. This was a great place to run into friends that you hadn t seen for a while and to sit and have coffee and a snack together. It was a fun day for all and there are rumors that we will have to do this again especially if we promise there will be cinnamon rolls! *Annual Voters Meeting December 6, beginning at 10:45 am! We hope that all of our members can join us for this important meeting. Page 4 of 7

5 Advent Midweek Services begin on Wednesday, December 2 nd, with supper at 5:30 pm and the service at 6:30 pm. These services will be 35 to 40 minutes in length, and will focus our attention upon each week s Old Testament lesson. On Sunday, December 20, beginning at 10:30 am, we will have a Christmas party downstairs in the Fellowship Hall. Everyone is invited to bring some Christmas cookies or other treats to share. Pastor and Dawn will be bringing the wassail and egg nog. We will sing some carols and enjoy one another s company, as we prepare to celebrate our Savior s birth! Our Christmas Eve service will begin at 6:30 pm and our Christmas Day service will begin at 9 am. [In order to reduce confusion in scheduling, morning services will always be held at 9 am and evening services at 6:30 pm]. Our New Years Eve service will be held on December 31, beginning at 6:30 pm. We were delighted to receive Vallie Nolta into the membership of St. John s Church! Please give her a warm welcome when you see her, and keep her in your prayers as we pray for one another and our congregation! Lucy Dreher has recently moved to Madison. We invite you to keep her in your prayers and perhaps send her Christmas greetings. Her new address is: Sebring Associate Care Residence, 7710 S. Brookline Dr., Ste. # L030, Madison, WI On November 8, our congregation gathered for a special voters meeting, in which our members voted to move forward in having our beautiful stained glass windows cleaned, repaired, and protected with new storm guards. This project also includes the replacement of any damaged or deteriorated window frames and repainting of the frames. The total cost of this project is $111, Because of the deterioration of frames and storm system guards there exists the potential of more significant damage to our windows if we do not take up the project at this time. While a project task force is currently being appointed by our parish council to oversee the raising of needed monies to provide for the project, we invite you to consider this worthy cause as you consider end-of-the-year giving. Please write window project in the memo section of your check, that we may apply the monies correctly. We have needed to replace the heating boiler in school building which houses the gym and additional classrooms. The total cost for this project is $14,303. While we had some money in the budget for this item, we were able to make this urgently-needed purchase due to the generosity of members who have contributed to our capital needs fund. The unit will be supplied and installed by Fleming Heating and Air Conditioning. We are grateful for your contributions to the Capital Needs Fund! Page 5 of 7

6 As you send out Christmas cards this year, please consider sending greetings to our homebound members and keep them in your prayers. Since this newsletter is circulated somewhat widely, it is inappropriate for us to publish everyone s address here. If you should need someone s address, please give us a call in the office. Pastor takes the Lord s Supper to these members at least once per month, and many of our members visit them frequently. Additionally, some of our women s Bible study groups host meetings at facilities where our members live. We rejoice that some of these members are sometimes able to attend services with us. Thank you all for your care of our members! Ivadene Austin Joanne Baier Marianne Berg Dan Burrows Marie Chandler Ivan Drake Lucy Dreher Connie Fast Peter Fast June Feldon Marie Hefty Joanne Hildebrandt Lois MacGowan John Marquardt Ray Mathewson Joyce Nelson Bill Peterson Nadine Polzin Ione Reetz Josephine Rhode Christine Ruckert Anna Rumery Marcella Savage Marilyn Treder Margarete Voight Audrey Weiss Kay Wells Dolores Wittnebel (temporarily) Others to Remember in Your Prayers... Mildred Wedel, Jeff Niman, Janice Hemerley, Marianne Berg, Ruth Peterson, Russell Ultsch, Ed Spychalski, Joanie Genz, Charlotte Ross, Brianna, Cory Bartz, Betty Steuck, Alison Carter, Gerryann Brohn, Roy Joacob, Baby Hope, Pam Isenberger (Arlo & Lisa Hartley s sister), Page 6 of 7

7 The King s Men Men s Ministry at St. John s Do you like to watch videos on the computer? Check out Stuff They Didn't Teach Me In Sunday School. These videos are 5-10 minutes in length and offer the viewer some fascinating engagement with the Bible. Visit them at: A word from Luther regarding the Shepherds... "AND THERE WERE in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night" That was a mean job, watching flocks by night. Common sense calls it low-down work, and the men who do it are regarded as trash. But the Evangelist lauds the angels because they proclaimed claimed their message only to shepherds watching their flock by night. These were real sheepherders. And what did they do? They did what real shepherds should do. They stayed in their station and did the work of their calling. They were pure in heart and content with their work, not aspiring to be townsmen or nobles, nor envious of the mighty. Next to faith this is the highest art-to be content tent with the calling in which God has placed you. I have not learned it yet. Martin Luther. Martin Luther's Christmas Book (Kindle Locations ). Kindle Edition. Page 7 of 7