Parish of St. John and Trinity Lutheran Church December 2017 St. John and Trinity Lutheran Parish, Worship Times: 8:30 @ Trinity 204 2 nd Street NW, [P.O. Box 99] 10:30 @ St. John Hillsboro, ND 58045 Sunday School: 9:15 @ St. John stjohnhillsboro.com facebook.com/stjohnhillsboro 9:30 @ Trinity Rev. Jacob Swenson, Pastor 651-331-1014 trinitystjohn@outlook.com Faith Swenson, Deaconess 218-329-8515 deaconess.swenson@gmail.com Our Mission Statement: Growing Faith by Sharing God s Word By Sharing God s Word, we: St. John Lutheran Church, 204 2 nd St NW Hillsboro, ND 58045 Ruth Johnson, Secretary secretarystj@rrv.net 701-636-4692 Trinitystjohn.com Trinity Lutheran Church, 270 7 th St NE Hope, ND 58046 Show God s love in our words and actions, Help others as Christ helps us, Accept responsibility in taking the Gospel into the world, Reach out to people in need, Inspire and teach our youth the truth of God s Word, Nurture a personal relationship with Christ through God s Word and worship, and, Give people the hope of the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
Beloved in Christ, St. Paul wrote to the Romans, "Besides this, you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime." (Rom. 13:11-13) This text serves as the Epistle Reading for the First Sunday in Advent. It also helps to set the theme for the short season that precedes Christmas, which you know is Advent. I was listening to a sermon just the other day, and the pastor said something to the effect of, "Advent is not the same as Christmas." I don't remember exactly what he said; I do remember thinking that you couldn't tell that from what we see around us. Halloween came this year. Then the very next day Christmas decorations were up. They weren't up in full force, since we have to throw Thanksgiving a bone. But, they were there. Christmas drinks have been available at the coffee shops for over a month by now. Everywhere we look, Christmas is in the air. How odd, then, the readings for the Advent season must seem. In the Epistles, we have repeated encouragement from the Apostle to wake up from the night of sin, to cast off the works of darkness, to endure by holding to the teaching of God s Word, until such time as the Lord brings all things to light. In the Gospel readings, we hear of Jesus' humble entry into Jerusalem to suffer and die. We hear more warnings about the End Times and are taught about the mission of John the Baptist - to preach repentance and faith before the coming of the Messiah. The Advent season is not just pre-gaming for Christmas. Christmas, as a real event, has happened already. Christ was born some 2,000 years ago and will not be born again. However, He will be coming again at the End. This is what St. Paul meant when he encouraged the Romans by saying that "salvation is nearer to us now," and to the Philippians, "The Lord is at hand." (Phil. 4:5) Before we remember and confess our Lord's coming in the flesh for us, we spend some time anticipating His return, even as He comes to us now in His Word and Sacraments. This idea is called the Three-fold Coming of Christ. He came in the flesh in the manger, which we'll celebrate on Christmas and in its season. He comes to us now through the Word and Sacraments, which we celebrate every Sunday. He will come again to judge the living and the dead, which we continue to prepare for in this Advent season. One change that you'll notice, which expresses that Advent is a season of preparation, is the omission of the Gloria in Excelsis in the Divine Service. The change can be jarring, but it reflects that the Gloria is a song of joy and triumph. We will begin singing it again on Christmas. But, for a time, we refrain from this song of joy while we reflect on our lives and prepare for our Lord's return. We prepare by casting off the works of darkness and walking as in the day. This means we repent of our sins, receive absolution, and - by the Holy Spirit - seek to do the Lord's will. Some items of note before I close: Our Sunday School Christmas programs are approaching quickly. They will both be on the 17th. Trinity's is during the morning service and St. John's will be in the afternoon. Our Christmas Eve services will be 5:00 p.m. at Trinity and 9:00 p.m. at St. John. On Christmas Day, we will worship the Lord and receive His gifts at 10:30 a.m. at St. John. All are invited to also attend our Advent midweek services. They will be Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. at St. John, during December. God be with you all, and grant you a blessed Advent season, Pastor Mercy Musings: We Praise You, Jesus, at Your Birth You may have noticed, I have always titled my newsletter articles Mercy Musings. I m a deaconess. I like to muse about mercy. Without mercy, and the mercy shown to me and those surrounding me by God, we would not be here. Christmas is full of mercy. God had mercy on us by sending His own Son to be human, in flesh, to die for us. He didn t do it because it was easy, he did it because He loved us. This month s hymn of the month by Luther is a treasure. It is a Christmas hymn that puts emphasis on God s mercy entering the world as human flesh to redeem the world. The words are beautiful. Below are a few stanzas. Drink them in like a warm cup of hot chocolate, relax, and bask in the lyrics of this hymn. Bonus points to those who can guess which verse is my favorite!
1. We praise You, Jesus, at Your birth; Clothed in flesh You came to earth. The virgin bears a sinless boy And all the angels sing for joy. Alleluia! 3. The virgin Mary s lullaby Calms the infant Lord Most High. Upon her lap content is He Who keeps the earth and sky and sea. Alleluia! 5. The very Son of God sublime Entered into earthly time To lead us from this world of cares To heaven s courts as blessed heirs. Alleluia! 2. Now in the manger we may see God s Son from eternity, The gift from God s eternal throne Here clothed in our poor flesh and bone. Alleluia! 4. The Light Eternal, breaking through, Made the world to gleam anew; His beams have pierced the core of night, He makes us children of the light. Alleluia! 6. In poverty He came to earth Showing mercy by His birth; He makes us rich in heavenly ways As we, like angels, sing His praise. Alleluia! 7. All this for us our God has done Granting love through His own Son. Therefore, all Christendom, rejoice And sing His praise with endless voice. Alleluia! In Christ, Deaconess Faith MAIN STREET LIVING NORTH TV PROGRAM\ CHRISTMAS UPDATE & SUPPORT APPEAL We CELEBRATE our first year of Sunday forenoon broadcasting the Good News of Jesus Christ through our MSLN TV ministry program! During this time, nearly all of our LCMS pastors within the broadcast area of our ND & MN North Districts have led a 30-minute worship service which has aired at 10:00 am on the FOX TV and cable stations in the eastern half of ND and the western half of northern Minnesota! As this update is being written in mid-november, we currently have funds to cover broadcasting fees only through the first Sunday in December and therefore any special CHRISTmas gifts received would be greatly appreciated and needed! It is our hope and prayer that viewership and donations will continue to increase during our upcoming second year of broadcasting; however the next several months will be a crucial for the financial support of our relatively new LCMS TV ministry! Please also continue to help spread the word to your extended family and friends! In addition to viewing the TV program at 10:00 am each Sunday morning (on the FOX TV and/or cable station in their area), please let them know that they can watch all of the archived programs at any time on line at www.mainstreetlivingnorth.com. To add your much needed financial support, checks may be sent to Main Street Living North, 821-5th Ave. S., Fargo, ND 58103, or donate by Credit Card or your PayPal account at: www.mainstreetlivingnorth.com. Thank you and God s blessing in Christ!
As Christians we are constantly at prayer, and now that Advent is here we have even more reason to pray: we are preparing our hearts for the coming of Christ! During this Advent and Christmas season we encourage you to pray for one another. Please stop by St. John narthex and pick up at least two ornaments with names that are not yours. Place one on your tree and home and make an effort to pray for them throughout this season. Ornaments were made by the KIC/LYF kids. St. John Sunday School will be practicing for their program following church on Sunday morning and a light lunch. The program will be December 17 at 4 p.m. Parents, want a break from your kiddos for a couple hours this Advent season? Send them to the KIC/LYF Christmas party at the parsonage (all kids, youth and parents who don t want to go home, are welcome to come! Saturday, December 9, 4:30 6:30 p.m. Food and games will be included! The address is 322 3 rd Ave. SE The new greeters list is posted on the bulletin board in the narthex. Check it out to see when you are scheduled to be a greeter.
3 **Melissa Kozojed & Julie Rust Joel Fuglestad Beverly Meyer 10**Andrew & Zachary Grothmann 17**Dan & Bambi Manthey **Joel & Angie Hamre Christopher Meyer 4 5 6 Esther Steinke Makaya Guenther Kelly Salander 11 Joel Hasbarger 12 *Kallyn *& Adam Gettel 18 19 Wallace Hertwig 13 Nick Brendenmuhl Annika Rotvold 20 Sandra Meyer *Kyle & Sandra Meyer 7 Don Anderson 1 8 14 15 16 21 James Andre Lowell Stevens 22 23 2 9 Larry Hertwig 24**Tom & Naomi Manthey **Darrell & Kay Rotvold Madison Mueller 25 26 27 Donna Christopher 28 Linda McLaughlin 29 30 *Mike & Amy Steinke Barry DickHoff 31**Don & Kathy Hanson **Greeters *Anniversaries
1 2 3 9:30 am SS Hope 9:15 am SS SJ 11:30 am Program practice at SJ 10 Communion 9:30 am SS Hope 9:15 am SS SJ 1130 am SJ council 11:30 am Program practice at SJ 17 9:30 am SS Hope 9:15 am SS SJ 4 pm Christmas program at SJ 24 Communion 5 pm Christmas Eve Trinity 9 pm Christmas Eve St. John 4 6:30 pm Bible Study 11 MOW 6:30 pm Bible Study 18 6:30 pm Bible Study 25 10:30 am Christmas Day Worship w/comm. 5 6 2 PM NH Devos 7:30 PM Board of Education 6pm Confirmation 7 pm Midweek Advent Services 12 MOW Circuit Pastors Conference 13 MOW 2 PM NH Devos 8 pm Youth Board 6pm Confirmation 7 pm Midweek Advent Services 8 pm St.John annual voters meeting 19 20 2 PM NH Devos 6pm Confirmation 7 pm Midweek Advent Services 26 27 28 7 8 9 9:15 am Coffee 9:30 am LWML 4:30-630 pm 14 MOW 15 MOW 16 21 22 23 KIC/LYF Christmas party
Parish of St. John and Trinity Lutheran Church PO Box 99 Hillsboro, ND 58045 Church Staff Pastor: Rev. Jacob Swenson E-mail: trinitystjohn@outlook.com Deaconess: Faith Swenson E-mail: deaconess.swenson@gmail.com Parish Secretary: Ruth Johnson E-mail: secretarystj@rrv.net Website: stjohnhillsboro.com and facebook.com/stjohnhillsboro