Ripples. Stillwater Free Lutheran Church. Sharing Jesus Christ with Our Neighbors

Transcription

1 Ripples Stillwater Free Lutheran Church Sharing Jesus Christ with Our Neighbors 1401 Church Drive Pastor Craig Scavo Kalispell, MT (406) (406) Youth Pastor Dan Wilhelm Address: (406) Office Hours: 8:30-1:30 Tues Fri For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:6-7

2 From the Pastors Desk December is here already, and I am still wondering what happened to September and October! Can you believe that it s almost Christmas? With the way things have been going it seems nonstop and more stuff just around the corner, I keep thinking that maybe, just maybe, things will slow down next week. I know that isn t going to happen, but I keep hoping! And as Sherri pointed out to me just the other day, I don t do so well during this time of year. With the Christmas rush going on all around, and trying to keep up, Christmas cheer seems to be lagging behind. I often wonder where is the peace on earth that the Angels proclaim in Luke 2:14? Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the poem Christmas Bells in The first stanza goes: I heard the bells on Christmas day their old familiar carols play, and wild and sweet the words repeat of peace on earth, good will to men. Now, this all sounds nice, but if you watched the news of fist fights at the stores on Black Friday, or read a couple of headlines dealing with North Korea and missiles, and Pressure from the US, or any of the political back and forth, then Peace on earth is probably pretty far from your mind, and I would bet there is something different than Goodwill on your mind toward your fellow man! Not many know that when Longfellow wrote this poem, He had just been through a number of devastating personal tragedies. He wrote in the third stanza: "And in despair I bowed my head: There is no peace on earth, I said, For hate is strong, and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men. As we deal with the stresses of the world around us weather it s job, family, house or anything else related we sometimes struggle with having Peace and Good will. When we are struggling with the pressures of our everyday world we need to stop,

3 and take a moment to remember what the source of our Peace is. It s not in the things we have or get. It s not in the places we go or even in the places we stay. It s not even in our families even though they can be a great comfort. No the source of peace is found only in Christ Jesus! That is why the Angels could proclaim the message they did That the Messiah was born, and Peace would come! Mr. Longfellow even understood this! He wrote in stanza four of his poem: Then pealed the bells more loud & deep: God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, good will to men. " It is God alone who is the provider and sustainer of peace! Micah 5:5 in speaking about Jesus, says: He shall be their peace! Isaiah declares the source of peace in Isaiah 40:1-2: Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins. These words bring hopefulness and peace, because they are from God. This is not Isaiah crying out, but God s response to a weary people. A response of peace and comfort. The initiative is God s, and the comfort Isaiah is telling us about is the everlasting comfort in knowing that our God is looking out for us! So, as we move closer to Christmas and Peace on earth AND goodwill toward men remember that the source and sustainer of our PEACE and COMFORT is God Himself through Jesus our Lord and Savior! MERRY CHRISTMAS and GOD BLESS! ~Pastor Craig

4 Free Flyers Youth Group The Free Flyers are committed to serve the community through our strength in Jesus Christ. Winter Youth Calendar Dec. 6th (Wed.) - Youth groups 6:15-7:45 Dec. 13th (Wed.) - Youth groups 6:15-7:45 Dec. 20th (Wed.) - Youth movie 6:30pm, Pizza will be provided. Dec. 30th (Sat.) - Youth Whitefish Mountain resort. Details TBA Thank you so much to the after and before school program volunteers! You play a vital role in this ministry and are very much appreciated! We could still use volunteers throughout the year, even if it s one day here and there. After school hours needed are from 3:45-6, Monday-Friday. Many of you have signed up for cookie trays for the youth group fundraiser. Thank You! We will be selling cookie trays again for donations on Sundays. We will be doing this on the December 10th and 17th. Thanks for your time and support! Questions or concerns please contact Thank you to the congregation for all the great cards and presents you gave my family and I for the month of October! I am humbled and blessed to be serving alongside of you in this exciting time for Stillwater. Looking forward to see what God does next! Wilhelm s

5 Grape Salad 1 Cup Brown Sugar 16 oz. Sour Cream 8-16 oz. Cream Cheese 3 lbs. Green Grapes 3 lbs. Red Grapes 3 lbs. Purple Grapes Toasted Almonds *Mix brown sugar, sour cream and cream cheese until well blended. Wash grapes and remove from vines. Cover grapes with creamed mixture and enjoy! ~ Juanita Hirtes 1~ Partridge in a Pear Tree = Jesus Crist, the Son of God 2 ~ Turtledoves = The Old and New Testaments 3 ~ French Hens = The Trinity 4 ~ Calling Birds = The Four Gospels 5 ~ Golden Rings = The First Five Books of the Old Testament 6 ~ Geese A- Laying = The Six Days of Creation 7 ~ Swans a Swimming = The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2 wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, piety, fear) 8 ~ Maids a Milking = The Eight Beatitudes (Matthew 5) 9 ~ Ladies Dancing = The Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22 love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) 10 ~ Lords-a-Leaping = The Ten Commandments 11 ~ Pipers Piping = The 11 Faithful Disciples(Minus Judas, who betrayed Jesus) 12 ~ Drummers Drumming = the 12 Points of the Doctrine in the Apostles Creed

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8 Christmas Program is December 17 10:00 am Christmas Eve Morning 10:00 am Christmas Eve Candlelight 7:00 & 9:00 pm There will not be a Christmas morning service WMF Christmas Party! December 21 st at 7:00pm Bonnies House Bring a white elephant gift, a testimony or story to share, your secret-pal-revealing gift, and a goodie for coffee time. All ladies are encouraged to come. If you need a ride, call

9 November 16 th Elaine opened with Devotions titled Tell me About Jesus written by Richard E. Lauersdorf. Elaine read the minutes from the previous meeting and they were approved. Linda gave the treasures report; we have $ in the bank. Our money this month will go to World Missions. We had our final lesson in our Lessons in Acts bible study booklet titled Acts of Unity and Reconciliation. A delicious soup and salad lunch was served by Elaine. We will have a pie social after the Thanksgiving Eve service. We are going to have the annual WMF Christmas party at Bonnie s house on December 21 st at 7:00pm. Please bring Christmas goodies to share. This year we are going to try something a little bit different; there will be a white elephant gift exchange. This is something small from your home that you have on hand and would like to give. Our prayer partners will also be revealed, and as always you should bring your partner a Christmas gift. Please try to attend; we will be drawing new prayer partners for We have a great time every year singing, fellowshipping and sharing testimonies and stories of years gone by. New in 2018, the work group callers are Sherri Scavo, Heather Meyer and Julie Hanson. Make sure to pick up the 2018 WMF insert for your directory to know whose group you are in. There is a building committee meeting on December 2 nd at 9:00am, following the meeting (around 10) we will decorate the church for Christmas. On December 3 rd we will go caroling after the second service. There is a sign-up sheet in the foyer. Please bring a sack lunch for before we leave the church. Linda McGrew is ordering our new bible study, they are $11.00 and we should get them at our next meeting on January 18 th. ~ Elaine Lessor Secretary

10 When to Keep Your Mouth Shut Don t Open Your Mouth: 1. In the heat of anger Proverbs 14:17 2. When you don t have all the facts Proverbs 18:13 3. When you haven t verified the story Deuteronomy 17:6 4. If your words will offend a weaker brother 1 Corinthians 8:11 5. If your words will be a poor reflection of the Lord or your friends or family Peter 2: When you re tempted to joke about sin Proverbs 14:9 7. When you re tempted to make light of holy things Ecclesiastes 5:2 8. When you would be ashamed of your words later Proverbs 8:8 9. If your words would convey a wrong impression Proverbs 17: If the issue is none of your business Proverbs 14: When you re tempted to tell an outright lie Proverbs 4: If your words would damage someone s reputation Proverbs 16: If your words will destroy a friendship Proverbs 25: When you are feeling critical James 3:9 15. If you can t speak without yelling Proverbs 25: When it is time to listen Proverbs 13:1 17. If you may have to eat your words later Proverbs 18: If you have already said it more than one time (then it becomes nagging) Proverbs 19: If you are tempted to flatter a wicked person Proverbs 24: When you are supposed to be working instead Proverbs 14:23 Building Committee Report We have some exciting news to report this month! Our new well has been successfully drilled at a depth of approximately 320 ft. Thanks to Joe Liss, driller from Eureka and Miles Erickson who monitored the process for us! Our civil engineer Stephanie Reynolds was often present to ensure we were meeting guidelines, rules and regulations of state and local government entities (i.e. MDEQ and DNRC). The Building Committee met Saturday December 2 to discuss and revisit some very important specifics related to the pavilion, our site plan, our architect Ted Clarke s drawings and Stephanie s work and timeline. Details related to the completion of our well project were also discussed. Obtaining an approved COSA is critical to these matters. ~Ed

11 GOOD MEDICINE REPORT AFLTS AFLC Youth Ministries serve to WIN, BUILD, EQUIP and MULTIPLY... maturing disciples as servant leaders of Jesus Christ. Some ways that this is accomplished are Biblical instruction, resource referral, vision /mission evaluation and youth worker coaching and placement. Our own youth pastor Dan has been active in our AFLC. He has attended the Youth Workers Weekend and faithfully brought our youth to the FLY convention. Isn t it amazing that that reaches 1,800-2,000 youth? One aspect of the youth board s emphasis was new to me it s the apprentice program. There are two aspects of this: 1) Sending an Apprentice to a congregation with a youth pastor. 2) A congregation raising up a volunteer from within to be trained as a youth worker. One of the seminary students wrote this, I m not real handy in the kitchen. The 1st (and the last) time my wife asked me to help make pancakes, I wrecked most of them and we had to go to Plan B for dinner. If I can t physically feed my family, it might seem equally far-fetched for me to feed people spiritually. Thankfully the Word of God is not something we have to cook up. The Word is living and active and doesn t return void. Unlike pancakes, preachers don t prepare the Word. The Word prepares the preacher. Kevin Hall We can have lots of programs paint ball, lock-ins, etc. But the Word is what will last for eternity. Thanks church for your support of our youth as well as the other youth ministries of the AFLC. Let s keep them in our prayers and find ways to help when we can. See you in Dickenson!!!!

12 Stillwater Free Lutheran Church 1401 Church Drive Kalispell, MT 59901