St. Paul Lutheran Church

Transcription

1 January 2017 Newsletter N4118 Cty Rd AB Luxemburg, WI Church Office: P: F: Mission Statement "Proclaiming the saving grace of Jesus Christ to all." St. Paul Lutheran Church From the Heart of Your Shepherd And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great joy. Matthew 2:9-10 On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me so the song goes. Everyone heard the song playing endlessly leading up to Christmas. People hear the song. But do most people have any idea of what the twelve days of Christmas are referring to? It is talking about the time between Christmas Day and Epiphany (with some variance in the start of the count depending on the tradition). Epiphany falls on January 6, and there s no question that Epiphany has fallen on hard times in our society. Of course, we are familiar with the war on Christmas. There is a concerted effort to get rid of any reference to Christmas in so many parts of our country. We hear about schools replacing Christmas Concerts with Winter Concerts. We even saw the school in Texas ordering Linus be taken off a door because he made reference to our dear Savior. We are accustomed to having people tell us to have a Happy Holiday (without specifying what holiday it is that everyone might be celebrating in December). But Epiphany? Epiphany tends to be simply forgotten. After all, Epiphany falls on a Friday this year. Getting people to come out to a special service on a cold January night on a Friday might prove difficult. So, Epiphany doesn t get the kind of attention that it used to. Some will try to counterbalance it by melding the wise men into the Christmas story by putting them in the manger early and putting stars on top of Christmas trees. People feel that the wise men need to b honored, even though the wise men didn t follow the star and arrive until after Jesus birth. Why does Epiphany matter? Well, first of all the Bible talks about it. That should be the first thing that tells us that it s important. Epiphany simply means manifestation. The Epiphany account is all about Jesus being revealed to the wise men. It is often referred to as the Gentile Christmas because it shows that the gift of the Savior was for all people. We also see that the wise men responded to this gift of salvation by bringing their gifts. They were moved to respond to the life and salvation that had been sent to them from heaven. God still comes to us during this Epiphany Season and reveals the gift of the Savior to us. He comes to us through His Means of Grace and fills us with the same joy that the wise men were given. We have the joy that comes from having our Savior revealed to us. God showed us true love during the twelve days of Christmas in sending a Savior to overcome sin and death for us. Like the wise men, we long to see our Savior as He reveals Himself to us through our hearing of His Word and in the Sacrament. In His service, Pastor Daniel Olson Also, Katie and I would like to thank everyone for all of the Christmas cards and well wishes this past Christmas. I appreciate your kindness as we celebrated the birth of our Savior!

2 January Sermon Texts and Themes January 1, Christmas 1: Many in our world will be celebrating New Year s Day on this day. We will have observed the New Year the night before. On this day, we will be looking at our Gospel reading from Matthew 2: Our title for this day is The Story within the Story. This account is also at times referred to as the slaughter of the innocents. We see how King Herod ordered the murder of all male babies two years and younger in Bethlehem. It is a sad story in many ways. We see results of one man s evil deeds. However, we are reminded that is precisely because of such darkness and evil that Jesus came to bring light. January 5 & 8, Baptism of Our Lord: The Gospels skip very quickly from the birth of Jesus to the beginning of His public ministry. In Matthew 3:13-17, we see how Jesus begins His public ministry by being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. We are reminded that Jesus came that He might fulfill the Law in our place. We are also pointed to our own Baptism and all that it means for us. Our title is A Few Splashes of Water. We see what God accomplishes through what appears to many to be nothing more than a few splashes of water. January 12 & 15, Epiphany 2: Our Gospel reading for this day, John 1:29-42, shows us an encounter between John the Baptist and Jesus. John continues to proclaim who Jesus is and what He has come to do. He calls Jesus The Lamb of God. He points His disciples and us to the sacrifice that Jesus will make on the cross for our sins. We will focus especially on one of Jesus disciples that we don t hear about as much: Andrew. January 19 & 22, Epiphany 3: Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. In the readings from the previous Sundays in the Epiphany Season, we see Jesus beginning His public ministry. We see how Jesus, following His birth, is now being revealed to all people. We see that Jesus calls His disciples that they might reveal the Savior to others. We too are called to be fishers of men. We are to be a beacon of light in our world today. We too are called to go fishing with Jesus. January 26 & 29, Epiphany 4: Micah 6:1-8 is the Old Testament reading for this week. We see God indicting His people in this passage. It is indeed the trial of the millennium. The title of the sermon this week will be The Trial of the Millennium as we see how we too stand before God as our judge. We know that we stand before God guilty as charged. However, God gives us the forgiveness that Jesus has won for us. He declares us not guilty because of what Jesus has done for us.

3 St. Paul Lutheran School School News Registration for the School Year: Registration for the school year is open. St. Paul Lutheran School is fully accredited by the NLSA. We offer a wonderful opportunity to learn in a Christian environment. In addition to an excellent academic education, students receive daily religion classes and sound instruction in God s Word. We have weekly chapel services where the students gather together to hear God s Word and sing His praises. Wisconsin Parental Choice Program: St. Paul participates in the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program (voucher program). This program covers all educational expenses for qualifying students. If you have any questions about this program, you should contact Pastor Olson. Toys for Tots: The students enjoyed shopping for Toys for Tots again this year. Sheriff Joski collected the toys and visited with the students on December 16. The students were able to purchase $700 dollars worth of toys for this program. National Lutheran Schools Week: National Lutheran Schools Week will be celebrated the week of January The week will begin with the students singing in church on January 22 and will have many exciting events for students throughout the week. There will be an open house after the church service on January 22. The school will be open to anyone interested in viewing the classrooms. The students will also have their art projects on display. This year we will top off NLSW with a field trip to Winter Park. After lunch, the students will go to Winter Park for tubing. More information will be going out to parents early in January. Grandparent Breakfast: There will be a grandparent breakfast at 8:30 on January 24 as part of the National Lutheran School Week celebration. Upcoming Events: School Resumes after Christmas Break January 3 End of 2 nd Quarter January 13 Open House/Art Fair January 22 Grandparent Breakfast January 24

4 4K: If you walked by my classroom at any point in the month of December you would most likely have heard the sweet (sometimes painfully loud), but always joyful sounds of various Christmas songs from the little bodies of four year olds. One of the refreshing things about teaching this age group is that you have the opportunity to "experience Christmas" through the eyes of a child. As adults it is so easy to get busy with "To-Do" lists, the stresses, and even some of the hard memories that can often flood our minds and lives during this season. We can find ourselves just a few short days away from Christmas and feel as if we have missed the entire Advent season and focus. If you are like me it is work to be intentional in keeping your eyes on the true meaning of Christmas - Jesus birth. So, I could spend this article dazzling you with how smart my class is (they are and have grown so much in knowledge since the start of school), or recount the many projects, math lessons, and science experiences we have enjoyed but instead I want to share how together we kept our focus on Jesus this season. Each day in class for the month of December we put a piece of the Nativity scene up as a part of our calendar time and talked about the character, their role, and how they might have felt at that first Christmas. We also enjoyed unwrapping a mystery Christmas story each day and talked about how it helped point us to Jesus. We sang Christmas songs, made fun projects, and shared some of our favorite Christmas memories. Although all of that was fun - and it certainly did help keep Jesus at the forefront of our minds - what they did for me through their little comments about who they understood Jesus to be, the little ways they could be joyful in situations that could have been stressful, the way it was commonplace to belt out a song about Jesus in the middle of a math lesson, or even the way they care for each other and forgive each other just as fast as they argue - spoke volumes about what our faith should look like. So let's learn from these wise little children and follow some of their example this Christmas...- Be curious about the Savior, ask questions and don't be afraid to share what you believe-choose joy in the moments that are hard - Jesus is the source of our joy- Don't be afraid to sing about Jesus so others can here -Love and forgive as easily as you are angered. This Christmas - may you have faith like a child and slowdown long enough to recount the blessings and gifts you have received in Jesus! Merry Christmas and many much JOY in the coming New Year! 5K: December was a month filled with a lot of excitement getting ready for the birth of Jesus. We had a great Christmas service in which we were celebrating the jubilee of Christ's birth. We were loud in proclaiming the birth of Christ and His redeeming grace. We also had many Christmas crafts and ornaments that we made this month. There is going to be an Art Show January 22nd for Lutheran Schools Week and many children will be working making art to be displayed. If you know anyone who might be interested in 5K for next school year, there will be a Preview Day on Friday, February 17th 8-11:20am. Please contact Mrs. Byrne for more information at Our class wishes all a happy new year!!1 1st and 2nd grade: Merry CHRISTmas and Happy New Year from 1st and 2nd Grade! It has been such a joyful month! We had a fun Advent devotion that was all about shining our light and waiting for Jesus, the brightest light, to come! The kids were very excited to light our Advent wreath each day and read our devotions. We also spent many hours preparing for our Christmas service which took place on December 15th. All of the kids worked so hard and did a great job sharing the exciting news of our coming Savior. Students, staff, and families also collected money this moth for Kewaunee County Toys for Tots program. We collected $700! Then we took the kids to Shopko where they got to buy as many toys as they could. Officer Matt Joski came to school to pick up all of the toys and deliver them. We are so thankful for the generosity of the families here at St. Paul. To end our Christmas season we invited our friends, families and neighbors to join us for chapel and a fun morning of Christmas Bingo and treats. It was such a great way to end 2016! We pray that each of you have a safe and blessed Christmas Christmas and a wonderful New Year 3 rd, 4 th, and 5 th Grade: December has been a very busy month. The students worked hard on the Christmas Service. They did an awesome job sharing the jubilant message of our newborn Savior! On December 21 st, we invited family and friends to chapel and to play Christmas Bingo with us. That was fun and there were lots of great cookies and bars to eat. Then we ended our 2016 school year with a party to celebrate our Lord s birth! May the Light of Christ shine in your Christmas season and throughout the New Year! 6 th, 7 th, and 8 th Grade: Hello again from the 6-8th grade!! This month has been a crazy, but exciting time in our class. For the last few weeks, besides our studies, we have been focused on preparing for our Christmas service which we presented just a short time ago. The students did a fantastic job singing and leading us in worship through the words of the Christmas story. It was quite a jubilant sight to behold. Outside of our rehearsals we were hard at work preparing final projects, labs, and papers before we close for Christmas break. Of course it hasn't been routine with a Secret Santa exchange and making parent gifts, amongst other events, but we have done our best at keeping up with what is expected in school while also getting into the Christmas spirit! On behalf of the entire 6-8 grade, may you all have a blessed Christmas and a very happy New Year!

5 Lutherans for Life Sunday January 15, 2017 Porkie Pancake Breakfast When: Sunday, January 15, 2017 Where: St. Paul Lutheran Church, N4118 County Road AB, Luxemburg (Montpelier) Serving 9:30AM 12:00PM Sponsored by Lakeshore Lutherans for Life Freewill offering Pennies for Life Collection What is Pennies for Life? This is a way to give to the Lord and Lutherans for Life. There will be a basket in the narthex on Life Sunday (January 15, 2017) and the following week, to place any donations. The suggested donation is to give one penny for each year of life the Lord has granted you. Thank you and God bless. Maternity and Baby Clothes Drive New and gently used baby clothes and maternity clothes will be collected on Life Sunday. These items will be given to area homes of mothers who choose life instead of abortion. Abortion Stats (Source: Life Issues Institute) Thoughts to Ponder According to the US Abortion Clock.org, 59,606,103 abortions have occurred in the United States since 1973: Roe vs Wade. In 2016, there were over 1,019,848 abortions in the United States and over 37,865,211 abortions worldwide. The CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report lists that 46.1 percent of all abortions were performed on women who had at least one previous abortion. Approximately 3,200 babies die every day from abortions. Every 23 seconds a baby is killed by abortion in the US. Based on Planned Parenthood s own annual report, it has performed over 329,445 abortions, accounting for about 27% of all American abortions. It works out that Planned Parenthood performs an abortion every 96 seconds. 40.2% of abortions in the United States are performed on African American women, while they represent only 13% of the female population of the country. For more information on how abortion is decimating the African American community and what can be done to stop it, go to

6 A very special thank you to the School Board for the gift of the St. Paul ornaments. They were greatly appreciated! The Sunday School Staff and Students Stewardship News & Views January is traditionally the time for New Year s resolutions. It s an ideal time to take stock, reassess and recommit to a life lived for and in Jesus Christ. Here are a few suggestions for the important areas of our faith life: Stewardship of Prayer: Nothing is more important than cultivating a closer, deeper relationship with God. Make a new commitment to a time each day to listen to God s voice. Stewardship of Family: How often in our busy lives does time with family get neglected? Resolve to find a special time with each family member each week. Make sure that family meals are celebrated frequently. Plan a special family outing once or twice a month, and go to church together. Resolve that when your spouse or child speak, you will look at them and truly listen. Stewardship is the comfort of knowing that everything comes from God. He gives us our clarity and the vision and character of what to be and do. We can trust in Him, and not in our materialistic goods. Do what God has called you to do and do it with passion, truth, and in love! In Christ, Don Mullen, Susan Heim, Cindy Doell

7 Christian Service Guild News: There is no meeting in the month of January. Our next meeting will be February 1, 2017 at 1:00 pm. The Bible study will be His Love, Our Love. Upcoming Events: Quilting will begin January 9th from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm. Bring a lunch, coffee will be provided. Volunteer at Bethesda: We will be working on January 12th. Call Diane Zeitler if you are interested in working. The Service Guild is now selling dish cloths for $2.00 each. Purchases can be made from Diane Zeitler. There was a great crew of people that helped to assemble and deliver 48 fruit baskets. We were very fortunate to get Thrivent money to help pay for the fruit, candy, and wrapping supplies. The group worked together very efficiently and got the baskets done in record time. We wish all the prime-timers a blessed Christmas and a happy new year!!

8 Come cheer on the kids! Basketball schedule as of December 21, More games may be added. Mon Jan 9, 2017 St. John Maribel Girls--Home 5pm St John Maribel Boys--home 6pm Tue Jan 17, 2017 Jacksonport 6:30 Zion Lutheran, Jacksonport 5: County Road V Egg Harbor, WI (920) Tue Jan 24, 2017 Morrison 5 PM Morisson 6PM Mon Jan 30, 2017 St. John Two River 5:30PM th Street Two Rivers, WI St. John Two Rivers 6:30PM th Street Two Rivers, WI Tue Feb 7, 2017 Jacksonport--Home Girls 5 PM Jacksonport--Home Boys 6PM

9 Holy Humor Faculty/Staff Contact Pastor & Principal: Rev. Dr. Daniel Olson: 4K Teacher: Beth Cheslock: 5K Teacher: Sherry Byrne: org 1 st & 2 nd Grade: Heidi Pahnke: hpahnke@stpaullux.org 3 rd & 4 th Grade: Laura McClellan: lmcclellan@stpaullux.org 6 th, 7 th, & 8 th Grade: Tim Eigenfeld: teigenfeld@stpaullux.org Office Staff: Yvonne Janda: secretary@stpaullux.org Karen Belter: secretary@stpaullux.org Newsletter: Angie Peterson: apeterson0727@yahoo.com Funerals: Tina Peterson Arlene Gruetzmacher Prayer Chain: Arlene Gruetzmacher Sunday School Christmas Program DVD s are available of the church service. Call the church office at and one of our volunteers will deliver it to you. Need a ride to church? Please notify the church office for a ride to and from church services. Newsletter Deadline: the 21 st of the month. Day School Christmas Program Join us on Facebook: Search for St. Paul Lutheran Church and School and LIKE us today!