The Christmas Promise

Transcription

1 1 ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH st Street SE PO Box 118 Gwinner, ND Divine Service 10:00 am Every Sunday December 2017 Newsletter The Christmas Promise Do you realize that Christmas is the fulfillment of an old promise? Yes, long ago God promised a Messiah to the world - a Messiah who would make things right (See Genesis 3:15). And throughout the ages, God kept His promise. Even when things looked really, really bad, God did not relent on His promise. So, that first Christmas, when Jesus was born, was not only God breaking into human history in the person of Jesus, but it was also the fulfillment of a promise. All of this is why we do what we do during the season of Advent and Christmas. We gather together to remember the story of Christmas and to hear about this fulfilled promise - a promise that was fulfilled for you and me. So, please take a moment and look through this newsletter and the bulletin to be aware of all the services and events that will be taking place at Zion. These events and services are not just busy things to do during the Holiday Season, but are gifts - gifts to remind us of the fulfilled promise. Yes, they are gifts for us to gather together and hear about the fulfilled promise of Christ being born into humanity to make things right - to make things right by living, dying, and rising for our justification. In This Issue Pastor s Note Youth Events December Birthdays Mission of the Month Christmas Celebrations Service Lists Calendar Article A blessed Advent and a Merry Christmas to you! -Pastor

2 2 Save your Teal s Market Receipts! Did you know that Teal s Market is currently donating 2% of your total grocery receipts? They are even including gas and milk! As you do your holiday grocery shopping, would you consider shopping locally and saving your receipts? The youth will do the tabulating and will use the proceeds for their Higher Things trip this summer. Please have your receipts to the church by Wednesday, December 27 to be included in the 2% offer July 24-27, 2018 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS Let Pastor or Tana know if you are interested in attending we have 11 youth from Zion, along with 32 other youth and adults from the ND district, already registered! December Birthdays 3 Logan Essig 5 Michelle Brockman 11 Jay Enderson 16 Andrew Greenmyer Grover Riebe 18 Hollie Asche 19 Jan Riebe 21 Joseph Greenmyer 22 Greg Nelson 26 Annah Greenmyer 30 Carissa Stroh 31 Howie Neustel When? Where? Why? What to Bring? December 10 at 5:00pm St. John s Lutheran in Oakes Pastor Matt likes throwing diapers at you and your friends!! A gift worth as little as possible, preferably slightly embarrassing!

3 3 Mission of the Month Mission Central Mission Central, located in the cornfields of Western Iowa, is the largest mission supporting agency in the United States. Through your support, this organization helps to send and keep LCMS missionaries in the field. Learn more about Mission Central and the exciting work they are doing at Advent Series Wednesdays December 6 & 13 6:15pm Soup & Sandwich at 5:15 Thank you! The Power of a Simple Gift Zion Evening LWML would like to give a big THANK YOU to all who donated items, monies for shipping and filled shoeboxes for our mission project to support the Shoe Box Gift. We collected 37 boxes which will be delivered to children around the world! Every gift-filled shoebox is a powerful tool for evangelism and discipleship transforming the lives of children and their families around the world through the Good News of Jesus Christ! The Christmas Promise For you The Promise Given December 6 The Promise Sustained December 13 The Promise Fulfilled December 24 Pastor s Office & Study Hours Make note of these: Parish Assistant Office Hours Monday Pastor s Day Off Tuesday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Wednesday 11:00 am to 3:00 pm Thursday, Friday noon to 5:00 pm Monday-Friday 9:30 am to 12:30 pm Wednesday 9:30am to 5:00 pm ziongwinner@gmail.com If Pastor is out for visitations, meetings, etc during the scheduled times above, he will generally have a be back soon sign on the church s front door informing you of his estimated time of return. Need to Contact Pastor? pastor@ziongwinner.org Cell: Office: Blog: Please call or either Pastor or the Church Office if you need spiritual care, know of somebody in the hospital needing a visit, have prayer submissions for the divine service, or for any other church related circumstance.

4 4 Ushers December 3 rd Chris & Marsha Mathias 10 th Scott & Christine Bopp 17 th Jim & Marge Asche 24 th Brian & Tana McKenna 25 th Gary & Kay Drevlow CHIP Families (Christians Held in Prayer) December 3 Naomi Vincent PO Box 404 Gwinner, ND December 10 Tina Vincent PO Box 443 Gwinner, ND Acolytes 3 rd Annika Nelson December 17 Derek & Jennifer Wangler Brittney, Bladen, Kaitlyn, Aleaha rd Ave SE Gwinner, ND December 24 Geneva Waswick 216 Main St Gwinner, ND December 31 Brady Anderson Lydia, Charli PO Box 92 Forman, ND Counters 3 rd Jason Asche, Jay Enderson 31 st Randal & Michelle Brockman Note: If you are unable to usher or acolyte on your scheduled date, we ask that you please contact another member to switch with. 10 th Anna Dudas 17 th Evan Asche 24 th Halle Nelson 25 th Annika Stroh 31 st Autumn Gaden 10 th Brian McKenna, Bob Orn 17 th Marsha Mathias, Jason Asche 24 th Michelle Brockman, Bob Orn 25 th Rodney & Sandy Asche 31 st Brian McKenna, Marsha Mathias 3 rd to 9 th Cleaners List 17 th to 23 rd Tim & JoAnne Rehborg Gary & Kay Drevlow Allen & Diane McDaniel Eric & Brook Olson 10 th to 16 th Jan Swanson Scott & Teresa Illies Duane & Sharon Orth Jody Schreiner Roger & Kathy Schreiner Dale & Martha Asche Joey & Cindy Enderson Derek & Jennifer Wangler Lonnie Hoechst 24 th to 30 th Rodney & Sandy Asche Collin & Betsy Greenley Teresa Rodahl Kevin & Cindy Dietz *Please remember to sign your name on the chart on the bulletin board by the kitchen noting which area of the church you have cleaned* 31 st to 6 th Darlene Buchholz Jim & Marge Asche Karren Euscher Cory & Laurie Timmerman

5 5 December 2017 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY am Sunday School for 10 am Divine Service *Communion Pastor s Day Off 10 am Staff Mtg 9 am Pastor s Study 3:30pm Program Practice 4pm Confirmation 5:15 pm Advent Meal 6:15 pm Vespers am Sunday School for 10 am Divine Service 5 pm LYF Christmas Party in Oakes Pastor s Day Off 10 am Staff Mtg 9am Pastor s Study 2 pm LWML 3:30pm Program Practice 4pm Confirmation 5:15 pm Advent Meal 6:15 pm Vespers 7:30 pm Council Mtg am Sunday School for 10 am Divine Service *Communion Pastor s Day Off 10 am Staff Mtg *Newsletter Material Due 9am Pastor s Study 10:30 am 4Season s 4pm Confirmation 5:15 pm Advent Meal 6:15 pm Children s Christmas Program NO Sunday School for 10 am Matins Service 5 pm Christmas Eve Service of Lessons and Carols 10 am Christmas Day Divine Service *Communion NO Pastor s Study NO Kids Club NO Confirmation Church Office Is Closed Pastor on Vacation 31 NO Sunday School for 10 am Divine Service Pastor s Day Off Church office closed

6 6 Zion LWML Christmas Party The Afternoon and Evening LWML units will be holding their Christmas Party at Noon Wednesday, December 13th We will be sharing a meal and time of fellowship together all are welcome to attend! New Year Open House Sunday, January pm Pastor and Serenity would love to open their home to the church family this New Year s Season. You are invited to the parsonage for an afternoon coffee house visit! Come and enjoy coffee, tea, muffins, scones, and other treats from 2-4pm on Sunday, January 7. Wednesday, December 20 6:15 pm Soup & Sandwich supper at 5:15 pm

7 7 Based on a letter by Francis Church, editor of the New York Sun in a September 21, 1897 editorial reply to Virginia O'Hanion who had written to inquire if Santa Claus really existed. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. Oh, I don't mean those silly santas you see in the shopping mall wearing those funny red and white suits. I'm talking about the real Santa Claus. His real name is Saint Nicholas. St. Nicholas lived in the 4th century in a town called Myra in what today is the country of Turkey. We don't really know very much about St. Nicholas. We're not even sure exactly what he looked like. He probably had a long grey beard. We know he didn't wear a silly red and white suit. His clothes probably looked something like the vestments that your pastor wears on Sunday morning in the Liturgy. You see, St. Nicholas was a pastor. Actually, he was a bishop. A bishop is a pastor who's been put in charge of all the other pastors in his town. He makes sure that everyone is well cared for and that the pastors are teaching people true things about God from the Bible. St. Nicholas was a very good father and pastor. He especially took care of all the poor widows and orphans in his city. If they didn't have shoes, he'd bring them shoes. If they didn't have a blanket to keep them warm at night, he'd give them a blanket. If they needed food, he'd bring them food. He was always looking for people to help, especially children. The real St. Nicholas didn't care much whether children were naughty or nice. He knew that children are both naughty and nice at the same time. So are adults. He also knew that Jesus died for everyone, the naughty and the nice, and that both naughty and nice people need Jesus. St. Nicholas wanted everyone to know that. He didn't keep any kind of list that he checked over twice, except maybe a list of all the people in his parish who needed help. He was careful about making sure that people knew how much God loved them by showing them his love. If you looked at St. Nicholas and saw how much he loved other people, you could see the love of Jesus shining through him. You see, Virginia, St. Nicholas loved Jesus very much. And he knew that Jesus loved him. He believed that Jesus was his best friend in the whole world and his Savior. St. Nicholas knew that because Jesus suffered and died for him, he would live forever with Jesus. He knew that Jesus became poor so that we might be rich. That's why he was always doing good things for poor people. He wanted to show them the love of Jesus. St. Nicholas worshiped Jesus much the same way that we worship Him every Sunday. He preached God's Word and celebrated the Lord's Supper with his congregation. He preached sermons about Jesus, just as your pastor does, Virginia. Sometimes the children in St. Nicholas' church got a little restless and noisy, but St. Nicholas didn't seem to mind. He was so happy that the children were there with their parents to hear about Jesus that he just kept on preaching anyway. He told people how God sent His Son to be born of the Virgin Mary, how he suffered for our sins under Pontius Pilate, how he died on a cross and was buried to save everyone from death and hell, how He rose from the dead three days later and now reigns as our King, and how Jesus is going to appear very soon to take us to live with Him forever. Many people believed in God and worshiped Jesus because of St.Nicholas' preaching. That made St. Nicholas happy. Continued on page 8.

8 8 Continued from page 7. St. Nicholas wasn't always jolly and happy. When people didn't believe in Jesus or made fun of him, St. Nicholas became very sad. Sometimes he even cried because some people in his city thought that Jesus was just makebelieve and so they never came to church. When people said bad things about Jesus, St. Nicholas would get very angry. One time, a man named Arius told some very bad lies about Jesus. Arius said that Jesus wasn't really God. That made St. Nicholas so upset he almost got into a fist fight with Arius. You see, St. Nicholas loved Jesus so much, he couldn't stand to listen to such awful things. Some good bishops got together with St. Nicholas and wrote what we call the Nicene Creed. We say the Nicene Creed together in church every Sunday. Just think, Virginia, when you say the Creed, St. Nicholas is saying it with you! It makes him very happy to hear little children say the Creed by heart. St. Nicholas is always jolly and happy when children love Jesus and confess Him. The real St. Nicholas doesn't bring presents to boys and girls at Christmas time. He doesn't slide down chimneys. Most houses don't even have chimneys. And he doesn't fly around the sky in a sleigh pulled by reindeer. Those are silly stories that some people made up. Actually, your Mom and Dad give you presents at Christmas time. They do that because they love you, and they want to teach you to give good things to other people, especially poor people, just like good old St. Nicholas did. Most of all, St. Nicholas wants you to remember God's Gift of His Son Jesus. He wants you to love Jesus with all your heart, and to know for certain that Jesus loves you with all His heart. So, of course, my dear Virginia, by all means believe in Santa Claus. How could you not believe in St. Nicholas? Why, you might as well not believe in angels and archangels, or Mary and Joseph, or shepherds and wise men, or the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Or for that matter, you might as well not believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! No Santa Claus? Of course, there's a Santa Claus! I don't know if he sees you when you're sleeping and knows if you're awake. But I do know that St. Nicholas is with us whenever we are together in church, along with all the saints who believe in Jesus. Thank God, St. Nicholas lives! St. Nicholas lives forever, because he was baptized and believed in Jesus Christ, who was born and died and rose and reigns for all of us. -William M. Cwirla

9 9 Zion Lutheran Church A Church of The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod THE MISSION OF ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH IS TO CONTINUE THE MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST BY BEING ROOTED IN THE WORD, BY GROWING IN FAITH, AND BY BRANCHING OUT WITH THE GOSPEL