INTERIM PASTOR S PAGE ADVENT, CHRISTMAS AND EPIPHANY DEACON S CORNER. St. John s Journal Dec/Jan 2017/18

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1 INTERIM PASTOR S PAGE ADVENT, CHRISTMAS AND EPIPHANY In our tradition, ADVENT is celebrated on the four Sundays before Christmas. The word ADVENT means coming. We celebrated Christ s coming in the past, the present, and the future. We begin with the end times. On the first Sunday of Advent, our Scriptures point us to Christ coming again in the future. We then hear from John the Baptist for two Sundays and Mary for one leading up to the moment when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Ultimately, we look to the moment when Christ is born in us today as a favorite CHRISTMAS hymn states. Christ continues to come to us every today of our lives. January 6 marks the date of the EPIPHANY on our church calendar. In general, the word epiphany means a sudden manifestation or realization of a great truth. Specifically, it refers to the Christian holiday celebrating the visit of the Three Kings. During the Epiphany Season, we celebrate Jesus not only as the light of the world, but also his manifestation as the Son of God: in the waters of Baptism, in the Wedding at Cana. and in many kinds of healing. We do not know on what dates the early Church celebrated either Christmas or Epiphany. By the Fourth Century, the Western Church had adopted December 25 as the official day to commemorate the Nativity, and January 6 as the date to commemorate the Feast of the Three Kings. Because the Three Kings were, after all, from other nations, Jesus was seen as a light to the other nations (the Gentiles) from the very beginning. For this reason, this time of year is often seen as a time for renewing our mission to tell the world. In some cultures, the letters C M B are written on the doors of the house. The letters represent the traditional names of the Kings: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, as well as the Latin phrase Christus mansionem benedicat, meaning, May Christ bless the house. May Christ bless you and your home. Pastor Margay 1 DEACON S CORNER Advent is upon us, a time when we anticipate. Anticipate the coming of Jesus. Yes, we know he will come again, but we don't know the time or place so we need this exercise in waiting. We will spend the next four weeks anticipating the coming of Christ on December 25. In the interim we will have an opportunity to enjoy many things at St.John's. First; on Dec 3, we will (hopefully) go caroling after the 10 am service to home bound members. I hope you all can be there with us as we sing carols to our members who cannot attend services. Second; on Dec 10, the Hospitality Team will be hosting a Christmas sing along after the 10 am service. Not only singing but, eating. You know how those ladies can put together a great party, so come and join us. Third; on Dec 17, come and listen to something that Susan Guse has put together for you, Lessons and Carols at 3 pm. Susan has put together a great program for us, so please come and enjoy it. Fourth; the last Sunday in Advent is Dec 24, so at the 10 am service we will be blessing and lighting the Christmas trees. This will be followed by the 12:30 pm service with the famous Pop Up Christmas pageant brought to you by Pastor Margay. Later, we will follow up with a Candlelight service at 7 & 11 pm. This is a powerful service where we are transformed and taken to that place in the manger with our Lord Jesus Christ, the savior of the world. Boy do we need him now! So, you see we have lots of opportunities to participate and sing Christmas Carols. January leads into Epiphany where we will be changing the setting of the service. Come with us and enjoy this trip. We will also be honoring our college students in January and giving out college Scholarships. This will be a busy time for all of us, so join us as we enjoy Christmastime and beyond. Before we know it Lent will be just around the corner. I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year and may all your troubles be little ones.

2 Your servant in Christ, Deacon Rich YOUTH NEWS SING-A-LONG EXTRAVAGANZA! The Hospitality Team is sponsoring a Christmas Sing-A-Long Extravaganza on Sunday, December 10, after the 10 am service. You are welcome to bring a batch of your favorite homemade cookies to share. We will be offering a variety of hot beverages and light brunch refreshments. There will also be singing, pictures with Mrs. Claus, face painting and cookie decorating, so don t forget to stop by with the whole family! In October 8 of our youth attended a retreat at Koinonia. The weekend was filled with games, hikes, good food, and time to hang out. The speaker for the weekend Pastor Michelle Kauffman from Pennsylvania. She choose to speak about hope. Before we could fully grasp the concept of hope we talked about the things that we fear. This was an eye opening exercise for me. I had 11, 12, and 13 year olds talking about the things that they fear. When I was their age, I feared getting bad grades and falling off my bike. At the same age, our youth fear nuclear war, violence against minorities, harassment, strangers, the government, abuse, chemical dependency, bullying, natural disasters, kidnapping, and guns among other things. Their lives are filled with fears that I would never have thought of at their age. Thankfully, we talked a lot about hope as well. We used the verse Jeremiah 29:11 as our focus for the weekend: For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. One of the activities that we did as a group was look in newspapers for stories that inspired and shared hope. Going into the activity, I thought it would be hard. As it turns out, it was actually easy. Their were stories of people helping others all over; things like fundraisers and health clinics. There were also stories of extreme survival and healing. Through this activity, we learned that the hope we have in Christ surrounds us. Another activity we did was writing our baggage on broken shards of glass. As we handed them in, we were invited to hand our baggage to God. Pastor Michelle took our baggage and made a 2

3 beautiful cross mosaic out of the pieces. She explained that when we encounter the hard things in life, often we are never the same. But that doesn't mean the end. When given to God, that baggage can turn into some beautiful things and we can find hope and joy in new and different ways. Submitted by Abby Triebel We often approach Christmas with joyful songs, special worship services, seasonal events and traditions that fill us to overflowing. Yet, does that same joy extend into January when the once sparkling tree is discarded, holiday bills arrive and the prediction of a winter snowstorm doesn't bring on the same enthusiasm as it did on December 24? Has the joy truly become who we are as Christians, or is it just a feeling that comes out at high Christian holidays and then rapidly fades as holidays become mere memories? Our faith is not something we express only on holidays, but it is a life long journey. Our joy is not situational, but is steadfast as we live in the love and grace of Jesus every day of the year. Living a life of discipleship brings deep joy to our hearts and it is what God desires for all his people. Bible study, quiet devotion time with God, worship, sharing and serving others are all expressions of the joy Christians experience no matter what season we are in. LAY MINISTRY There ain't nothin' gonna steal my joy! My friend shared a youtube video of a children's choir singing the contemporary Christian song called "Old Church Choir". There's one line in the song that says. "There ain't nothin' gonna steal my joy" and as the choir sang, it was certainly true for one young lady who simply could not contain herself as she smiled, widely, sang loudly and made some dance moves even Michael Jackson would envy. As the rest if the children's choir sang in stoic manner, this little girl could not contain her movement; a testimony to the pure joy in her heart. May we celebrate the birth of our Savior with joy this Christmas, but not forget that this joy doesn't end December 25. Even in the cold, bleak January nights, may our hearts be filled with deep gratitude, love and joy as we continue our Christian "dance" 365/24/7. Jeanne Jones Director of Lay Ministry When I think of the night Jesus was born, I can imagine that the angels sang and danced in the sky, similar to this choir girl, with pure joy. I can imagine the shepherds running to see the Christ child, then leaving with glad hearts, to spread the joyful news. 3

4 CHRISTMAS BASKETS The Christmas baskets of gifts and food for the less fortunate will be assembled on Wednesday, December 13, at 5:30pm in the Book Nook. We welcome adults and children alike to come help with this project. JOURNAL DEADLINE February Edition January 14th Please note that the Journal deadline is the 2nd Sunday of the Month. Please make sure all submissions are in by that date. When submitting, please forward in Microsoft Word or an . Please send submissions to Carol Versace Please include name and phone number in case of questions. BIRTHS CHRISTMAS CAROLING Sunday, December 3, at 11:15 am you are welcome to come spread Christmas cheer by joining others in festive caroling to St. John's Homebound members. All are welcome to come, just meet in the Meet and Greet Room and grab a sandwich (or bring your own) to eat in the car. We offer prayers of congratulations to Erin and Phil Castiglione on the birth of their son, Paxton Joseph Castiglione. Paxton Joseph, who is the grandson of Gayle and Steve Turowski, was born on October 18th. 4

5 CONFIRMATIONS We extend prayers of Thanksgiving to all who affirmed their Baptism and participated in the Rite of Confirmation on October 29, Julia Elizabeth Bailey Joyce Ningxin Chen Marian Louise Decker Dylan Bradford Fisher Cole James Horos Linda Marie Lamberton Benjamin Lee Leung Serena Marie Marchi Grace Rose McLeod Noah John McLeod UPCOMING EVENTS *Nave=Main Worship Space Food Pantry is open 1st and 3rd Sundays 9-11am in Church Office Nov. 26 New Member Reception 11:15am, Meet & Greet Room Dec Living in the Presence Bible Study, Wednesdays 10-11am & 6-7pm Blue Room Dec. 3 Christmas Caroling to Homebound, 11:15am, Meet in Meet & Greet Room Dec. 10 Christmas Sing-Along 11:15am, Fellowship Hall (11:15am Coffee Hour will be here instead of in the Meet & Greet Room) Due date for Poinsettia Flower Donation Forms (See folder in church office.) Dec. 13 Book Nook Christmas Basket Assembly 5:30pm, Dec. 17 Youth Deliver Christmas Baskets, 10am Service of Christmas Lessons & Carols 3pm, Nave* (Reception to Follow) CHRISTMAS CARDS We welcome you to send Christmas Greetings to your friends at St. John's. Christmas cards sent to the church will be posted in the hallway for all to enjoy. Dec am Advent Service (no 8am service) 12:30pm Christmas Family Service (Children's Pop-up Pageant 7 & 11pm Christmas Candlelight Services Dec. 25 Dec am Christmas Day Worship Service 8 & 10am Worship Services, No JAM Jan. 7 Student Recognition Sunday Church Office Closed for Holidays on these dates: Dec , 29 & Jan. 1 5

6 CHRISTMAS FLOWERS Christmas Flower Contribution Please fill out a form found in kiosks and in the Church Office-white folder labeled "Christmas Flowers". Put both the form and contribution in the folder. Checks payable to: St. John s Evangelical Lutheran Church To have names in Christmas Bulletin, forms must be received by Sunday, December 10. SYMPATHY We extend our prayers of sympathy and concern to the family and friends of Susan Mac Millan, daughter of Jan Viola, who died on October 14th. ANNUAL CONGREGATION MEETING On January 28, there will be a Potluck and Congregation Meeting in the Fellowship Hall following the 10am service. There will be no Coffee Hour after the 10am service that day, but please bring a dish to share and join us for a potluck in the Fellowship Hall, followed by our Annual Meeting. 11:15am Potluck 12:15pm Annual Congregation Meeting Joel Kaplan, cousin of Kathy Lederman-Miller, who died on October 10th. Marion Lopane, mother of Angela Lopane, who died on October 25th. Pasquale Ignaffo, father of Mike Ignaffo, who died on October 29th. Paul F. Murray Sr., father of Paul Murray, who died on October 29th in Florida. Rome Lindmark, great-nephew of Cheryl and Bill Moreau, who died on November 2nd in Albany. Maxine Lee, mother of Susan Lee & Cynthia Leung, who died on November 3rd. 6

7 BAPTISM AFFIRMATION We welcome the following new members who made a public Affirmation of Their Baptism on October 15, 2017 Susanna Theresa Consiglio Kayla Marie Consiglio Benson Sean Winfield BAPTISMS Louis Mitchell Marrero was baptized on October 15, Louis Marrero, who is the son of Albert Marrero and Susanna Consiglio, was born on October 7, 2016 at Putnum Hospital. 7