DECEMBER Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

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1 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, DECEMBER 2018 I love this time of year as we make preparations for Christmas. The first two Saturdays of this month kick off our 12th annual Christmas Kids Shoppe at the church. I can hardly wait to see the excitement and smiles of the 250+ children who will be selecting gifts for their family members while the adults enjoy holiday treats, festive music, and beautifully decorated tree upstairs. Then there s the Red Lodge Christmas Stroll downtown with carolers, fire pits for toasting marshmallows, bells ringing, businesses inviting folks in for a cup of good cheer and goodies, and of course, Santa appearing at the Elks. Homes are being decorated, baking, shopping, parties and family gatherings planned. Every year the Christmas message fills the bookstores and airwaves with sentimental favorites like It s a Most Wonderful Time of the Year and I ll Be Home for Christmas. The Christmas season evokes warm, comfortable, expectant feelings. Amid all the festivities, the church reminds us we are not in the Christmas season, rather the Advent season that includes the four Sundays before Christmas. At Christmas we will welcome the coming of Christ. During Advent we make ready for the coming of Christ. While radio proclaims Santa is coming to town, the church proclaims God is coming in the flesh to dwell among us. God s messenger is a fella named John the Baptist and his lyrics proclaim the coming of Jesus. That sounds good, but John s message is not all feel good, comfort and joy. We hear John the Baptist hollering out in the wilderness, Repent, turn from your sins and start a new life. Oops! That s not in tune with the Christmas spirit! Repent! John is calling folks to turn around, move in a new direction, move out of our comfort zones. I don t think this means we should give up our Christmas traditions and all the holiday activities. However, if we re honest there is much we need to turn from. It may be a most wonderful time of the year, but it s also a most self-indulgent time of the year with too much. Too much food, too much drink, too much time and too much money spent. And, of course, it s fun and the way of the secular world. It s quite a contrast to the simplicity and austerity of the birth of Jesus. In response to John s call to repent, people asked him what they should do. John told them if you have two coats give one away. If you have enough food, share it with others. These are two examples of repentance. Undoubtedly, you will receive many gifts this Christmas. As a child my friends and I would ask each other, What did you get for Christmas? We d compare and check out who got the most or the best stuff. John the Baptist reminds us that repentance is not measured by what we get, rather by what we give and also to whom we give. It s expected we ll give gifts to our family and close friends, but what about gifts to those who don t have much, those who aren t part of our family or friends list? These gifts to those outside our comfort zones are sacrificial giving. Gifting to those in need may cost financially, but also may include giving your time at a local food bank, nursing home, or social service program. I pray that your Advent season will be one of repenting as part of preparing to receive and share the greatest sacrificial gift of God coming in the flesh to dwell among us and in our hearts. Page 1

2 Words from the Bishop: Why Advent? We are about to enter the month when we as Lutheran Christians take a different approach than the society at large. While much of our surrounding culture sees December (maybe even November!) as a lead-in to Christmas, we see it differently. We see it through Advent. Without Advent, secular Christmas is a flurry of excess excess pressure to buy, excess pressure to party, excess pressure to have a perfect Christmas, as defined by number of presents, quality of decorations and quantity of food-- divided by family stress. I am always taken aback momentarily when someone asks if I have had a good Christmas. What does that mean? Probably my best Christmas was the one in which we had to cancel a trip to Bermuda with my extended family to go to San Francisco to see a neurosurgeon about the possible recurrence of a brain tumor. What was good was that we had a very stripped-down Christmas, without any of the trappings. We had family, and church, and an overwhelming gratitude for God s incredible gift, available to all of us, anywhere, under any circumstances. Don t get me wrong. I may have Quaker ancestors, but I love many of the aspects of secular Christmas. I love the music and the stories, the decorations and the family get-togethers. I appreciate the non-commercial values of secular Christmas peace on earth, generosity. These are values that are significant for Christians year-round. But if someone wants to highlight a Giving Tuesday or promote a Christmas cease fire, I am all for it, if it gets others to practice generosity, to strive for peace. These are wonderful things. But they are not what Christmas is about fundamentally. Advent is not warm and fuzzy. It is stark. The biblical texts we use in Advent paint a picture of a world full of conflict and disaster. It is easy to draw parallels with the world we live in today with fires and floods, wars and rumors of war, desperate refugees, frightened people. Advent is the beginning of the church year, and a time when we wait anxiously for the coming of the Lord. The kind of waiting that Advent brings is not the happy anticipation of a wonderful surprise. It is a waiting for judgment, for the end of times. And in the midst of it all, there is hope. Just as Good Friday is what gives Easter its meaning for Christians, Advent is what gives Christmas its meaning for us. On Christmas we marvel to see what God has done, how God has decided to respond to sin and evil, death and destruction. God s piece de resistance a baby, pouring all of Godself into a vulnerable human infant, born to unwed parents living in a conquered nation, soon to be homeless refugees fleeing violence. As modern American Christians we live in two realities. In our communities we are surrounded by secular Christmas. And there is no reason we should, Grinch-like, refuse to participate in the many activities and practices of secular Christmas. After all, it is the world we live in, and the world God loves. But at the same time, we live in Advent s tension. Paul describes it well: I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans 8: 18-25) That s Advent. Jessica Crist, Bishop Page 2

3 Messiah Candlelight Worship and Holy Communion Christmas Eve 5 & 7 pm Page 3

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5 9:00 AM - Noon, Saturday, December 1st 9:00 AM - Noon, Saturday, December 8th For more information please contact Jeri Kyner. Page 5

6 PRAYER REQUESTS For prayer requests, contact the church office at or with accurate information and permission from the person you are adding. ON-GOING PRAYER CONCERNS Jim Hardy Andrea Holmen Rick Koski Mark McLagan Wylie Roth Ruth Urban Josh Wilker Manfred Maryott 12/8 Alex Elsberry 12/11 Clara Jarvi 12/14 Michael Mullaney Allen Hansen 12/15 Suzi Hansen 12/18 Megan Gildehaus 12/30 Dan Elsberry 12/31 Manfred Maryott 12/16 Jeff & Renee Gildehaus Page 6

7 Every Monday Men s Group 8:00 AM The Willows 1:00 Cedarwood 4:00 Every Tuesday Women Messiah 9:00 AM DECEMBER SPECIAL OFFERING Parsonage Church Council Tuesday December18th 4:30 pm Women s Safari Book Club There will be no Book Club meeting in December. We will meet again in January. Page 7

8 Messiah Calendar ~ December 2018 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDA THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 9:00 - Noon Christmas Kid s Shoppe 2 1st Sunday of Advent 3 8:00 AM Men s Group 1:00 PM Bible The Willows 4:00 PM Bible Study 4 9:00 AM Women s Bible Study 5 10:00 AM Pastor / LPA Text Joliet 6 7 Pastor s Day Off 8 9:00 - Noon Christmas Kid s Shoppe 9 2nd Sunday of Advent Annual 10 8:00 AM Men s Group 1:00 PM Bible The Willows 4:00 PM Bible Cedarwood Villa 11 9:00 AM Women s Bible Study 12 10:00 AM Pastor / LPA Text Joliet Pastor s Day Off rd Sunday of Advent 17 8:00 AM Men s Group 1:00 PM Bible The Willows 4:00 PM Bible Cedarwood Villa 18 9:00 AM Women s Bible Study 4:30 Church Council 19 10:00 AM Pastor / LPA Text Joliet 20 21Pastor s Day Off th Sunday of Advent 24 Christmas Eve Worship Cedarwood Villa 5&7 pm Messiah 25 Christmas Day 26 10:00 AM Pastor / LPA Text Joliet Pastor s Day Off

9 Messiah Lutheran Church P. O. Box 1330 Red Lodge, Montana DECEMBER 2018 The Bear s Tooth Messiah s Vision: To become a growing congregation of Christ s disciples who make a difference by living out our faith daily, active in love. Messiah s Mission: To know Christ To make disciples To send out To make Christ known HOW TO REACH MESSIAH Church Phone: Church Address: 723 S. Adams PO Box 1330, Red Lodge, MT Website: churchoffice@180com.net Pastor Kim Wilker (406) Sunday Choir Practice: 8:45 AM Sunday Worship Service: 9:30 AM Coffee and Forum: 10:30 AM Office Hours M-TH 9 NOON Closed Friday