SUNDAY S COMING... GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH - 65 E. MAIN STREET, MENDHAM, NJ 07945 EMAIL: GRACEMENDHAM@VERIZON.NET / PHONE: 973-543-7595 / WWW.GRACEMENDHAM.ORG THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT Worship Schedule December 1, 2013 NEW WORSHIP SCHEDULE One Service at 10:00 am 10:00 am worship Christian Education for Children 11:00 am coffee hour 11:00 am Adult Forum Children s Choir Rehearsal 6:00 pm Harmonium in Sanctuary Serving this Sunday Ministers: The People of Grace Pastor: Carol Petersen A Special Congregational Meeting has been called by our Council President Richard Schwartz, on Sunday, December 8th following worship. The purpose of the meeting is to vote on a resolution to authorize the council to refinance our mortgage.this will result in considerable savings for us. Ushers: Gene Eberenz, Scott Jacobson, Trink Schwartz, Richard Schwartz Diaconal Minister: Kathryn Schwartz, Director, Faith Kitchen, Dover Assisting Minister: Tim Gau Acolyte: Jessy Chiotelis Altar Guild : Vivian Morrison & Helen Wolfmeyer Coffee Hour: Lew & Mary Paul these folks in our prayers: Counters: Katherine Schmadel & Tim Gau Reader: Kris Swanson This week we hold Millie & Gene Eberenz Neil & Margaret Erath & their children James, Erica, and Thomas Clare and Fred Ertel CHECK OUT THE NEW SCAN CODE FOR OUR WEBSITE
WEEKLY CALENDAR Monday, December 2, 2013 6:00 pm - Boy Scouts in Parish Hall 7:00 pm Handbells Tuesday, December 3rd 10:00 am Quilting 12:15 pm Bible Study UPCOMING EVENTS New Advent Study The Tuesday Bible Study group invites you to our new Advent study: "Making All Things New." We'll "explore God's ongoing work of renewing all things, particularly our stories, our days, our spirits and our ways." We meet on Tuesdays from 12:15-1:45 pm and bring a bagged lunch. Please contact Margaret Erath for details (margaret@eraths.com or 908-879-8763) Come and join the conversation! 6:00 pm - SNAP in Parish Hall Wednesday, December 4th 6:00 pm Jockey Hollow Weavers in Parish Hall Thursday, December 5th NW Mission Cluster Meeting - Sparta 2:00 pm Music Room in use Friday, December 6th 4:00pm WMMHS in Parish Hall Saturday, Decmber 7th Walk in the Woods The next walk in the woods will take place on Saturday, December 14, 2013 We will meet at 3:00 pm at Jockey Hollow Park at the Trail Center, just down from the NY Brigade. Sunday, December 8th Second Sunday of Advent NEW WORSHIP TIME - 10 am 10:00 am Worship Christian Education for children Coffee Hour following service 11:00 am Adult Forum 11:00 am Church Council 1:00pm Interchurch Christmas caroling 6:00 pm Advent Dinner in Parish Hall 6:00 pm Harmonium in Sanctuary 6:00 pm - Boy Scouts downstairs 2014 Giving Envelopes will be in your narthex mailbox soon. Please remember to pick them up on Sunday. Do you love Christmas music? Enjoy singing? Come on out and join a choir for Christmas - rehearsals begin next Wednesday, December 4th. Worship Team meets at 6:45 and Chancel Choir meets at 7:30 pm Contact Margaret Erath with any questions (margaret@eraths.com After five years of service as our Financial Secretary, Tim Gau would like to retire from that position in June of 2014 and is looking for a successor. No financial knowledge is necessary, just a willingness to help look after the congregation s contributions. The software used to track giving is straightforward to use, and Tim has set up the periodic reports so that they re easy to implement. If you have questions or might be willing to serve please contact Tim at: tcgnj@comcast.net or 908-879-3715
Marked with the cross of Christ forever, we are claimed, gathered, and sent for the sake of the world. GOD S WORK. INTERFAITH FOOD PANTRY FOOD ITEM OF THE MONTH PEANUT BUTTER In 2012 the Interfaith Food Pantry served 4,768 different households Early Bird Registration is open for this year s Turkey Trot. The Annual Thanksgiving Day 5K and 1 mile family fun run. MEALS ON WHEELS Due to loss of funding an estimated 40% of meals on wheels programs are reducing the number of days they serve meals. This has not happened here in Medham/Chester because of the wonderful volunteers who are committed to serve and deliver the meals to those who are in need. colleen.pe@gmail.com 908-879-1193 OUR HANDS. HOMELESS SOLUTIONS Offers shelter, services and supportive housing to homeless and low-income people. We share in this ministry by cooking dinner for the residents at the shelter on the fourth Friday of each month. This fall we still need folks to cook on Friday, December 27th. Please contact Pam Gau if you re willing and able to serve. 908-879-3715 pamela.gau@chester-nj.org QUILTERS Want a hands on way to make a difference? You can quilt! Really! No experience needed. Tuesdays from 10am -12 noon. CELEBRATING THE SEASON ADVENT DINNER Sunday, December 8th 6:00 pm Join us as we celebrate the beginning of the Christmas season with our annual Advent dinner on Sunday evening, December 8 at 6 pm. The entree will be provided and there will be a sign up sheet in the narthex. Please bring a salad, a side dish or a dessert. INTERCHURCH CHRISTMAS CAROLING SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8TH 1-3 PM HOLLY MANOR AND MASH The 2014 Altar Flowers Calendar is posted on the narthex bulletin board. Worship is an experience of beauty, and our altar flowers are a meaningful symbol of what we offer to God in worship. We invite you to contribute to the beauty of our worship by donating flowers to the glory of God, and in memory, thanksgiving, or celebration for people and events in your life. HAVE YOU FRIENDED US ON FACEBOOK YET? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Simply sign up on the calendar, and you will receive a reminder in your church mailbox regarding the date and payment. The cost will remain the same at $35.00, and the flowers may be donated or taken home with you after the service. Thank you in advance for your generosity and contributing to the beauty of our worship on Sunday mornings! Check out Grace s updated website at gracemendham.org You ll find all kinds of new things...order Pointsettias for Christmas, Fill out an online survey about the worship service, Set up E-giving, Share updated Directory information, Find the Christmas Schedule and more...
STEWARDS OF GOD S LOVE THE BIG 5! # 1 We believe: Jesus is God s Yes to us. What are five blessings you ve received from God? # 2 We believe: we are energized by lively engagement in our faith and life. Who are five people who have influenced your life? Lift their names up in the prayers of the church this Sunday. # 3 We believe: Our lives can be a yes to others. What are five ways you can be or have been a blessing to others. (put these in the offering plate) # 4 We believe God is calling us into the world together! With the lens of God s justice, we listen to our neighbors in both our local and global communities. Who are those most in need? How might we share the abundance that God has entrusted to our care? God calls us, like the Samaritan, to reach across boundary lines, setting aside our differences, to live lives of love. #5 Stewardship Sunday - THE BIG FIVE! Just $5.00 more per week in your offering commitment can make a BIG difference in what we can do as Stewards of God s Love! BIG HIGH FIVE!!!!! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22; 37b - 39 By God s grace, we are claimed as children of God through baptism. We belong to God and all that we have belongs to God. How does belonging to God shape the way that we live our lives? How might we be good stewards of God s love?
Scripture Readings for the First Sunday of Advent Isaiah 2:1-5 Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24:36-44 Jesus describes his second coming as a sudden, unexpected event that will bring salvation or judgment upon people caught up in the usual affairs of daily life. He urges people to be alert and expectant. The visionary message presented in this reading focuses on a future day when God establishes a universal reign of peace. Divine decisions will make war obsolete, and the worshiping community responds: "Let us walk in that light of that Lord now!" The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 In days to come the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. 3 Many peoples shall come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD! Paul compares the advent of Christ to the coming of dawn. We live our lives today in light of Christ's coming in the future. 11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12 the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13 let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. 36 But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39 and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. 42 Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT The new church year begins with a wake-up call: Christ is coming soon! In today's readings both Paul and Jesus challenge us to wake from sleep, for we know neither the day nor hour of the Lord's coming. Isaiah proclaims the day when God will gather all people on the holy mountain and there will be no more war or suffering. Though we vigilantly watch for the promised day of salvation, we wait for what we already have: Christ comes among us this day as the word and meal that strengthens our faith in the promises of God.
THE GIVING TREE Poinsettia Plant Orders Giving Tree gifts will go to North Porch Women and Infant s Center in Dover, NJ. Our Confirmation Class is coordinating the project The mission of this organization is to provide critical supplies for babies and toddlers in need. North Porch provides emergency aid, in the form of baby supplies and clothing, to mothers and infants in northern New Jersey, to help them stabilize and improve the quality of their lives. North Porch has centers in Newark, Paterson, and Dover as well as satellite centers in several locations. Thank you for donating poinsettias for our Christmas Eve services. Orders must be placed by Sunday, 12/08/13. The cost for a 7 plant is $15.00. Please make checks payable to Grace Lutheran Church and place in Colleen Peterson s church mailbox. Plants may be picked up after the second worship service. Number of Plants White Poinsettia Red Poinsettia Your Name: To the glory of God and in memory of: To the glory of God and in honor of: To the glory of God (circle if this is your choice) The Giving Tree will be up on the first Sunday of Advent. Please take a tag from the tree and write your name on the second tag that will remain on the tree. Once you ve done your shopping, please put the items in gift bags and leave them under the tree in the Narthex. Here are some of the things to include in the gift bags... (it s okay to include a small baby toy as well Baby Wipes - Diaper Cream - Baby Food (stages 1 & 2 & 3) Pull Up diapers - Regular diapers- large sizes are great (4, 5, & 6) Winter Pajamas for infants (sizes 3-6 months, 6-9months - all the way up to 3 T Toiletries for baby- baby bath, powder, baby oil Toiletries for Mom-hand cream, powder etc.
TAKING FAITH HOME Jesus is our King of kings. He has come to rule in our hearts and our lives forever.. Daily Bible Readings These readings are related to the Lectionary readings for this Sunday. We invite you to take time each day to read the assigned Bible passages. Sunday Matthew 24:36-44 The sudden coming of salvation Monday Matthew 24:3-14 Persevere to the end Tuesday Matthew 24:23-28 Don t be deceived Wednesday Matthew 24:45-51 The faithful servant Thursday Luke 17:22-37 The coming of the Son of Man Friday Joel 3:14-21 The day of the Lord Saturday Psalm 124 We have escaped like a bird Sunday Matthew 3:1-12 Prepare the way of the Lord Scripture Verse of the Week So always be ready, because you don t know the day your Lord will come. Matthew 24:42 (NCV) Say, Pray and Bless A Prayer for the Week: Lord Jesus, keep us awake in our faith, always ready for you to return. Amen. (Matthew 24:42) Mealtime Prayer: Lord Jesus, please bless our Advent eating and our Advent waiting. Give us hearts that are ready and faith that is steady. Amen. A Blessing to Give: May you wait and watch for Jesus. May your faith burn bright each and every day. Amen. Caring Conversation Discuss in your household or small group: Share about a time when you were waiting for something or someone to come. Jesus asks his followers to be ready, as he could return at any time (Matthew 24:42). How do we stay ready for Jesus? How would you describe yourself as a Christian right now tired, sleepy, awake or alert? Devotions Set up an Advent wreath to use in your home in the weeks leading up to Christmas. An Advent wreath contains five candles: four in a circle and one in the center. The circle represents the eternity of God, and the four candles are usually blue or purple. The center candle is usually white. It represents Christ and is lit on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. In the first week of Advent, light the first candle. Say: This is the first week of Advent. Advent means coming. We are waiting and watching for the coming of Christ. Let us light the first Advent candle, the candle of waiting. (The candle is lit.) Read: Read one of the following verses: Matthew 24:42, Matthew 24:44, Romans 13:12, Luke 12:35, Colossians 4:2, Psalm 130:5, Psalm 130:6, Matthew 3:3. Pray: Lord God, thank you for Advent. In this season of waiting, make us ready for Jesus to return. Amen. We are God s people gathered around word and sacrament We are people sent into the world to make God s kingdom of love and grace known. Our mission Marked with the cross of Christ forever, we are claimed, gathered and sent for the sake of the world. This is the mission statement of the ELCA. As members of the ELCA, we believe that we are freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor. With our hands, we do God s work of restoring and reconciling communities in Jesus name throughout the world. Biblical and theological foundation Members of the ELCA are called and privileged to participate in God's work in the world. God calls and empowers us for mission through baptism. As a community of believers justified by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), we do not describe mission in terms of our own work but with reference to the healing, salvation and restoration that God accomplishes through Christ. We seek the guidance of the Spirit in our planning, while expecting surprising developments and unanticipated opportunities. Grounded in God s love and forgiveness, we are equipped to live and serve here and now, in the world, with all its complexities, tensions and ambiguities. We have the courage to explore the world as saints and sinners are certain of God's promises and of the confident hope that all God's loving purposes will be fulfilled when our risen Lord Jesus Christ returns (1 John 3:2).