Dear Sisters and Brothers, In Confirmation class we had a lesson a few weeks ago entitled Adiaphora. I think, Holly and Zavery were both excited to learn a new word especially after I told them that even their parents might not know what it means. Adiaphora is a Greek word that basically means nonessential. Any practice of the church that does not contradict the essentials of the faith is considered adiaphora. Since we were studying the Reformation, it was important to understand what is important or essential to our faith and what is adiaphora. Adiaphora is not always a bad thing. In fact it can be very good at times depending on the intent of the user. Here is an example. Adiaphora in the church today includes whether we use wine or grape juice for communion, whether we sing praise songs with a guitar leading or hymns accompanied by the organ and whether we pour water over or submerge a baby for baptism. They are all good things: taking communion, singing to the Lord and certainly baptism. But does it really matter how we do it? The church was divided during the Reformation over many things that would be considered adiaphora. What was adiaphora depends on your theology. The confirmation youth had a fun time deciding whether something was adiaphora or not? The banners in the sanctuary Jesus is the Son of God The color of the robe and stole the pastor wears Which version of the Lord s pray we pray If the ushers wear name tags or not The Bible is the Word of God The hymnal we use We are saved by God s grace And I challenge you this Advent season to ask yourself about some of the things you are doing in preparation for your celebration of the birth of Christ. How much of it is adiaphora, non-essential and will you make time for what is really important this Christmas? How many kinds of cookies you bake God loved us so much He sent his Son to earth to die for us How you wrap all those presents you want to give Worshipping the new born King What to take to the Holiday pot luck at the office Go and tell others about Jesus I hope that you will join me in remembering what is essential to our faith. We are all distracted this time of year with the sales, gifts, food, decorations and music. However, the most important thing is still the most important thing. And so we celebrate the birth of Jesus. God sent his only Son to take the world s sin upon himself and give us the promise of eternal life. Jesus, the baby in the manger is the Savior of the World. O come, let us adore Him! Merry Christmas, Pastor Gwen
Memories of summer fun start fading into the reality of dark days and cold nights. But even though the gloom is settling outside, there's light and warmth indoors -- it's baking season. This is the time for all bakers to roll up their sleeves, dust off their oven mitts and hit the cookbooks to find out just what figgy pudding actually is. Below, we'll take a look at 5 must-have ingredients to keep stocked during the holiday baking season. 1. Nuts are a great thing to have on hand in the kitchen at any time of year. If kept in the freezer, they can last for months. 2. Keeping brandy and rum in stock during the holiday baking season is still a good idea. You can use the liquor in cake recipes that call for a teaspoon or two of rum-flavored extract. Dried fruit will perk up when soaked in high-quality brandy or rum. 3. Sugar is what makes whipped eggs and butter fluffy, as well as what gives baked goods that tasty-looking, golden brown color. The type of sweetness you want to add is going to vary, which makes it a good idea to have a few different types of sugar stashed in the cupboards. Quilting Group - Mondays, 11:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Lunch and Bible Study at 1:00 p.m. December Office Hours for Pastor Gwen Mondays 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Wednesdays 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm There will be no office hours on December 26, 28 and January 2, due to pastor s vacation. Do you ever wonder? Want some questions answered? Put your questions in the Questions for Pastor box in the narthex. I will try to answer all of your questions. Whether they be about Lutheran theology and polity or questions of a Biblical nature, I would try my best to answer them in this monthly newsletter. 4. Sticks of pure cinnamon are handy to have around for stirring hot cider and flavoring curries, but they're difficult to grate, so unless you have your own spice grinder, the powdered variety is fine. 5. Chocolate is to holiday baking as walls are to a building. Always use bittersweet, unsweetened or baker's chocolate for your baking recipes. As a rule of thumb, the sweeter the chocolate that goes into a cookie or pastry, the less you'll be able to taste it when you pull it out of the oven. in, anyway.
DECEMBER BIBLE READINGS December 4th - 2nd Sunday of Advent Isaiah 11:1-10 Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 Romans 15:4-13 Matthew 3:1-12 December 11th - 3rd Sunday of Advent Isaiah 3:51-10 Psalm 146:5-10 James 5:7-10 Matthew 11:2-11 December 18th - 4th Sunday of Advent Isaiah 7:10-16 Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-25 December 24th - Christmas Eve Isaiah 9:2-7 Psalm 96 Titus 2:11-14 Luke 2:1-14 [15-20] December 25th - Christmas Day Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed James 5:16. Please remember these people and requests in your prayers. Health/ Concerns: Ken, Betty, Gail, Sarah, Baby Charlie and Cathy. Military: Erica, Kevin, Dylan, Dane Anton, Natalie and Kevin D. CTS Church Council, HLSHC Team, Men s Group, WELCA, Quilting Ministry, Adult Bible Studies, CTS Youth, AIDS orphans in Malawi, hunger, and poverty in the world. Isaiah 62:6-12 Psalm 97 Titus 3:4-7 Luke 2[1-7] 8-20
TLC-Reminder that the first Sunday of each month is Lord s Cupboard donation day. Please bring items and drop them in the box in the narthex. Some of the items that are needed are proteins such as canned meat, tuna, peanut butter and non-sugar breakfast cereal. We also now have a need for paper grocery bags. Orders for the apparel sale are due by December 4th and can be dropped off at the office or handed to Diane. You can find the order form in the narthex, delivery will be before Christmas. This will make a great gift your family and/or friends. Mitten Tree: As many of you have already noticed, our annual mitten tree is back. There are mittens on the tree for children we are trying to give a better Christmas to. If you would like to help, please take a mitten and then purchase a gift with a value between $20-$25. Wrap the gift and return it with the mitten taped to the top by December11th. The gal from Price County Human Services will be here to pick up the gifts on December 12th so it is important that all gifts be returned by then. Our WELCA group has agreed that they will provide food gift certificates for these four families as well. So if you cannot purchase a gift and still want to help, cash donations should be given to WELCA through Barb Schindhelm or Lori Becker. Christmas music is on the radio already, so get your voices ready for caroling on December 11th. Anyone wanting to participate should be ready at 11:00am, after worship on that Sunday. We will be going to Waterford first and then to Park Manor. 5 or 6 songs at each place and some Christmas wishes to the residents and we will be back at CTS. Book Club: With the hustle of the holiday market we have gotten off track with our book club. Anyone wishing to get back in the swing and read, I have another book. The 13th Gift: A True Story Of A Christmas Miracle, by Joanne Huist Smith. This will be our book for December and we will discuss it on January 9th, Monday at 4:00 p.m. Pastor Gwen has copies in her office for a $4 donation. December 8th at 3pm is the WELCA decorating party. All are invited. We will be decorating the Christmas tree and the building. After our work is completed, we will enjoy the appetizers we have brought and play a few games. So please come and join in the fun! Remember to come worship with us on Christmas Eve, Dec 24 at 6:30 for a candle light service of hymns to our new born King. There will also be Christmas Day worship at 9:30 am Sunday morning. Also on Sunday January 1st at 9:30 am join us for a wonderful service filled with all your favorite Christmas Music. Mark your calendars for our Annual meeting, Sunday January 28th following worship.
CTS Worship Volunteers August - September 2016 Date Assisting Minister Altar Guild Coffee Hour Greeter/Usher December 4 Liz Carpenter Julie Kiser Gwen & Rodney Downing Carol & Fred Matson 11 Terry Tarras Julie Kiser Lori Becker Rodney Downing & Friend 18 Carol Matson Volunteer needed Ralph & Vicki Klassy Chuck & Barb Schindhelm 24 Ralph Klassy Volunteer needed Not needed Rodney Downing & Friend 25 Lori Becker Barb Lofthus Volunteer needed Ralph & Vicki Klassy Christmas Songs Fun Facts. Which Christmas song was the first song ever broadcast on radio? A Canadian inventor named Reginald Fessenden created the first audio broadcast in 1906. He read passages from the Bible and played "O Holy Night" on the violin. "Joy to the World" is based on which book of the Bible? It is taken from Psalms 98. It first appeared in publication in 1719. Which Christmas carol is also the third best-selling single in world history? Bing Crosby's version of "Silent Night" is one of the best-selling songs ever. The song has been translated into at least 140 languages. In what year was "Silent Night" first performed? It was written by a young priest in 1816 and then performed at a church in the Austrian Empire on Christmas Eve in 1818. What was the original title of "The Little Drummer Boy"? "The Little Drummer Boy" was called "Carol of the Drums," and by carol standards it is brand new it wasn't written until 1941. A poem called "The Manger Throne" provided the basis for which carol? The poem was written by William Chatterton Dix in 1865 and used for "What Child Is This?" a haunting song written as Dix was recovering from a life-threatening illness. "Jingle Bells" was originally written for which holiday? The song was published in 1857 by James Lord Pierpont, and it was written for Thanksgiving. Since then, it's become universally associated with Christmas.
Christmas traditions around the world: All over the world, Christmas celebrations reflect local culture and traditions. The festivities can be startlingly different from country to country, focusing on different aspects of the nativity story. But whether you're celebrating Sheng Dan Jieh in China or awaiting Pere Noel in France, you're sharing in the wonder and magic of the Christmas season. Australians live on the world's largest island, which is also the world's smallest continent. Most of Australia's immigrants came from England and Ireland, bringing their Christmas customs with them. Australia is the Land Down Under, where the seasons are opposite to ours. When Australians celebrate Christmas on December 25, it is during summer vacation. Most of Australia is a hot, dry desert, known as the Outback. The grassy or marshy savannas are called the Bush. But most people in Australia live in the green coastal areas of the southwest. China: The small number of Christians in China call Christmas Sheng Dan Jieh, which means Holy Birth Festival. They decorate their homes with evergreens, posters, and bright paper chains. The family puts up a Christmas tree, called "tree of light," and decorates it with beautiful lanterns, flowers, and red paper chains that symbolize happiness. They cut out red pagodas to paste on the windows, and they light their houses with paper lanterns, too. Many Chinese enjoy the fun and color that Christmas brings to the drab winter season. Big cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong are gaily decorated at Christmas. England: It is cold, wet, and foggy in England at Christmastime. Families welcome the warmth and cheer of a Yule log blazing on the hearth. They decorate their homes with holly, ivy, and other evergreens and hang a mistletoe "kissing bough." Throughout the holidays, carolers go from house to house at twilight ringing hand bells and singing Christmas songs. "The Holly and the Ivy" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" are English favorites. People give the carolers treats, such as little pies filled with nuts and dried fruits. France: Christmas in France is a family holiday. The celebrations begin on December 5, which is St. Nicholas Eve. It is a day for gift-giving between friends and relatives. On that cold night, children leave their shoes by the hearth so Pere Noel, or Father Christmas, will fill them with gifts. Christmas Eve is the most special time in the French celebration of Christmas. Church bells ring and voices sing French carols, called noels. Germany: German families prepare for Christmas throughout cold December. Four Sundays before Christmas, they make an Advent wreath of fir or pine branches with four colored candles. They light a candle on the wreath each Sunday, sing Christmas songs, and eat Christmas cookies. The children count the days until Christmas with an Advent calendar. Each day, they open a little numbered flap on the calendar to see the Christmas picture hidden there. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, homes are filled with the delightful smells of baking loaves of sweet bread, cakes filled with candied fruits, and spicy cookies called lebkuchen.