St. John s Lutheran Church December 2018 Eagle Newsletter Matthew 1:20-21 20...that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. St. John s Lutheran Church and School 4939 W. Montrose Ave., Chicago, IL 60641 773-736-1112
Advent and Christmas Worship Schedule 2
Ladies Book Club: The Ladies Book Club is reading The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George for December. This is a charming story about a man who is a literary apothecary. From his floating bookstore in a barge on the Seine, he prescribes novels for the hardships of life. Using his intuitive feel for the exact book a reader needs, Perdu mends broken hears and souls. The only person he can't seem to heal is himself; he's still haunted by a heartbreak after his great love disappeared. In the book Perdu departs to the South of France, hoping to make peace with his loss and discover the end of the story. Because Christmas falls on the last Tuesday of December, we will discuss this book with our January read, The Life She Was Given by Ellen Marie Wiseman on January 29 th at Laura Weith's house at 7 PM. Please join us for some good conversation and refreshments. THE MEMBERS OF THE LADIES BOOK CLUB WISH EVERYONE A VERY JOYOUS CHRIST- MAS AS WE CELEBRATE THE BIRTHDAY OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST and WE WISH YOU GOD S BLESSINGS IN THE NEW YEAR From the Principal: This seasons of Advent and Christmas allow Sue and me to welcome a baby into our home.. No, we didn t adopt nor were we part of a miraculous conception! Our grandson Connor will join in the family gatherings and traditions. Being back in the Chicagoland area allows us to spend a lot of time with Connor. We have watched him grow from a new born to a soon to be eight month old boy. He is loved by his parents, his uncle and his grandparents. Experiencing the birth of this baby boy also leads me to think about the birth of another baby boy over 2,000 years ago. As you know this baby is Jesus the Son of God. He too experienced the love of His earthy parents and other family members. More importantly He was loved by His Heavenly Father and was the Messiah the world waited for since the fall into sin. While the first Advent (the coming of Jesus) has been celebrated we are reminded during Advent that He will come again. During Advent we will again make preparations for Christmas and once again hear the Christmas story. I invite you to attend the two Christmas programs presented by St. John s students. The third through eighth grades program will be on Wednesday, December 5 th. The early childhood program will be on Wednesday, December 12 th. Both programs are in the church beginning at 7PM. May God grant you a blessed Advent and Christmas. Dan Green Principal The Dorcas Society: Thank you everyone who participated in our bake sale: buyers and bakers. We will celebrate Christmas with a party on December 4 th at 7PM in the Fellowship Room. If you are interested in attending please contact Debbie Wheeler as there is a fee and gift option. Children s Bazaar is Friday December 14 th. The ladies of Dorcas have crafted items for our school children to purchase for gifts for their family and friends. January 11 th - weather permitting - is our Ugly Sweater party at 7PM in the Fellowship Room. We will have prizes and food to share. Please join us. We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year. 3
4 Walther Christian Academy News: Walther Christian Academy Open House and Placement Tests for Prospective Students Do you know a family who is looking for an excellent, Christian high school? Invite them to consider Walther Christian Academy. The next Open House is Thursday, November 29 th at 7:00 p.m. Placement testing for prospective students begins on Saturday, December 8, at 9 a.m. Register today by calling 708.344.0404, ext. 245 or emailing Alma_Calleros@walther.com. Bronco Benefit Dinner: January 26 Support Walther students by becoming a Bronco Benefit Dinner event sponsor, placing an ad in the program book or donating an item or experience for the evening's silent auction. Contact Catherine Hegarty at Catherine_Hegarty@walther.com or visit Walther.com/dinner for details. You are invited for a fun evening of good food and fellowship all to help students whose families are not able to afford a Walther education. If you would like to receive a Bronco Benefit Dinner invitation, please email dinner@walther.com. This year mobile bidding will be available so that those who can t attend can still participate and support Walther students. Walther Annual Fund The Walther Annual Fund helps families with financial need enroll their student at Walther Christian Academy. Thanks to a generous challenge grant established by the Lutheran High School Association of Greater Chicago and an additional contribution from the Chicagoland Lutheran Educational Foundation, your annual fund gift will be matched dollar for dollar. With your support, Walther Christian Academy can meet the challenge to raise $65,000, resulting in $130,000 to help families with financial need. Checks may be mailed to Walther Christian Academy, 900 Chicago Avenue, Melrose Park, IL 60160 or donations can be made online at Walther.com/ match. Where Blessings Abound Capital Campaign Update Thanks to the generosity of many alumni and other friends of Walther, the $2.3 million campaign to fund building and grounds improvements, support the Grade School Instrumental Music program and provide additional financial aid support for families in need is coming to an end. Less than $12,000 remains on the heating system loan. If you would like to help Walther retire this debt, please consider making a donation either by mail to Walther Christian Academy, 900 Chicago Avenue, Melrose Park, IL 60160 or online at Walther.com/donate. By paying off this loan 18 months early, funds will be freed up for other school needs. Prayer Request Please pray for the faculty, staff and students of Walther Christian Academy and for many prospective students to attend the Open House and to take the placement test which will enable us to share God s love with more students and their families. You re Invited To the Walther Christian Academy Christmas Concert and Cookie Walk on Friday, December 7 th at 7:00 p.m. Walther Alumni are encouraged to arrive early for a pre-concert reception at 6:30 p.m.
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9 Stewardship Under the Cross, God's Word on How We Use His Gifts by HR Curtis Overcoming the Fear of Tithing Your heart will always go where you put God's money. Jesus said that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. As the hymn verse has it: We give Thee but Thine own. God is the ultimate giver of our incomes: all these gifts come from him. To acknowledge this gift and our dependence on the Lord, God calls us to give a portion of our income back to Him for the maintenance of His Church. Indeed, the Scriptures are very clear: God calls His people to give at least a tithe of their income (10% of whatever comes in ) back to Him at their place of worship. This calls for faith. Do we trust God's Word? Do we trust that what He says is for our benefit, not our harm? If you have never tithed before, it can be a scary proposition. Give 10% of my income away!? You've got to be kidding. But God doesn't ever kid us in His Word. Instead, He tells us how to live holy and blessed lives full of peace and contentment. Consider these Scriptures: Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21). "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse-- the whole nation of you-- because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it " (Malachi 3:8-10). On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as each one of you may prosper (1 Corinthians 16:2). But just as you excel in everything-- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us --see that you also excel in this grace of giving (2 Corinthians 8:7). The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work (2 Cor. 9:6-8). We do not make God poor when we fail to give money to Him properly, but we do make ourselves poor if we do not give according to the standards He sets for us in His Word, the Bible. God does not need our money, but we need to give the way the Bible tells us to in order to overcome the negative influence money and the things of this world can have on us. (continued on next page)
10 (continued from previous page) God will never tell us to do something that will be to our harm He loves us too much for that. Jesus gave His life on the cross for me. He loves me and knows what is best for me so I can know that what He says about stewardship is meant for my benefit. He wants my heart to be with Him and my heart will always follow where I put God's money. Tithing is not easy: it is godly. It will change your life. Stepping out in faith always does. You may have to change your lifestyle to accommodate following God's Word in this matter. But tithing will change your life in other ways too: it will give you a peace and contentment that can only come from actually putting yourself in the hands of the Lord. So read through those Scriptures again. Pray through the questions on the next page. And step out in faith this year with giving that is in accord with God's Word. And just see if you are not blessed in it.