The Encourager Spurring one another to love and good deeds Let There Be Light by Jane Meyer I don t know about you, but I really don t like winter s late sunrises and early nightfalls in the Northern Hemisphere. By lunchtime only a few more short hours of daylight remain. Anyone who has traveled in the far north like St. John s VBS missionary crews to Nenana, Alaska, or trekkers who may make it all the way up above the Arctic Circle in mid-summer know how delightful are those super-long summer days when the sun barely sets. It hovers at the horizon till late into the night, so you can enjoy yet a little more of arctic summer s shine! Everyone one seems energized. (And have you seen the size of the vegetables up there that grow to State Fair blue ribbon size thanks to those prolonged days of solar rays?) Yes, I know that the awful truth is that if one traveled far north NOW, it would be DARK. Very dark. People have to find ways to cope with it, most of which involve artificial light (or a plane ticket to Florida). You must trick your brain into thinking it s sunny in order to fend off SAD Seasonal Affective Disorder. (Please see the footnote.)* The topic of SAD leads into the theme of this article: light and darkness. From the beginning, God always intended that we would live in the light. Check it out in Genesis, vs. 2 darkness covers everything, but in vs. 4 it says, God said, Let there be light, and there was light. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day... Yes, the LIGHT was good! We re talking about palpable physical conditions the original state of universal dark, and the created state of light. We are creatures of the light. We are drawn to light like moths to flame, especially in the darkness of winter when night closes in. We seek the flame of a candle, the flames of a fire safely contained; it is mesmerizing. Like our earliest ancestors, we gather around and gaze into the light, with the added benefit that our bodies are warmed (at least on one side!). We love the light, the warmth, the utility. We crave it. We need it. Even more crucial to our well-being is LIGHT in a spiritual sense. God saw that this kind of LIGHT was also necessary for the spiritual well-being of His benighted creation. In the Old Testament God Hebrews 10:24-26 1
sometimes seemed to give up on his people. They were so disobedient, so ignorant, so vengeful and warlike, so pliant to the demands of evil rulers, so blind to God s best hope for them, so rebellious again all the rules, rules, rules. They seemed to live in a cloud of darkness in which it was all too easy to deny that God was there at all, and He seemed to be a demanding, terrifying judge. But in spite of the often devastating accounts of kings and heroes, horrific wars, plagues, famines described in beautiful, poetic language there are hints and prophecies in the OT that this was not to be the end of the story. God still loved his wayward and stubborn people so much, in spite of themselves, that he came up with a plan, the plan we see come to fruition in The New Testament. He would send His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to be the LIGHT of the World, to lead this sorry lot out of darkness and into the LIGHT of salvation. In the New Testament we see how God the Father s tough love became redeeming love through the Christmas Gift of Jesus. No more let fear and SADness reign! It s a new day drenched in the light of love and grace. I know it s true that Christians in the Southern Hemisphere celebrate Christmas in midsummer (Throw another shrimp on the barbie!), but I love that up here we celebrate the LIGHT that came into the world in the midst of darkness. I like Christmas candles in windows, the Advent wreath that gets brighter with each week of Advent, Christmas lights on trees, trimming the eaves with lights ( An aside while on the topic of Christmas decorations: inflatables? Not so sure.) Well, remove yourself now from the front yard to any famous museum of art. Have you noticed that throughout history, the gorgeous paintings by Medieval and Renaissance artists that have depicted the Nativity have a focal point: the Babe in the manger, the Child Jesus. He is always bathed in light golden, glowing light. Sometimes it s the light beaming like a spotlight from the star overhead that led the Magi to the holy site. This may just be a brilliant artistic device, but it fulfills its function. It draws the eye of the beholder right to the heart and center of the composition to the Baby Jesus. Keep that in mind. May the focal point of every Christian s Christmas of YOUR Christmas be the true light, THE LIGHT OF LIFE right at the heart and center of every celebration. Some Light Scriptural References: Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Psalm 119 105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Isaiah 2:5b... come, let us walk in the light of the Lord. Isaiah 9: 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light... Matthew 5: 4-16 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 9: The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of the light of life. Ephesians 5: 8... walk as children of light. Hebrews 10:24-26 2
May you and your family be aglow with the Light of CHRISTmas! Be ablaze! Let God s love and grace illuminate your hearts and minds. May the Light of the World shine out to banish the darkness. Joy to the world! *Footnote on SAD: Symptoms of SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder, are fairly common in our darker months of the year, and you don t have to live in the Yukon to feel its effects. You may feel sluggish, fatigued; the world may seem colorless and bland. You d like to sleep all day, if you could. Lethargy may lead to full-blown depression which in some individuals may even lead to suicidal thoughts. If this sounds like you, or someone you love, do your research. You ll find that the most common treatment is getting lots of natural light, or bright light therapy. Special lamps use broad spectrum bright light for a period of time each day. So, check with your doctor. Don t be SAD! Church History: by Betsy Papp In the fall, we featured the life long members of St. John s in the History Cabinet. There are 23 members and their families that have been members for over 50 years. Since only pictures and names could be displayed in the cabinet, the church history of each member became very interesting that we have decided to put all the stories in a booklet that would be available for members of our congregation. After the holidays, I will complete the interviews and I will keep everyone appraised as to when the booklet will be published. JOANNE HAURI SMITH Joanne s family transferred in December 10, 1950 when she was a Junior in high school. They transferred from the Lutheran Church in Algonquin. Joanne s youngest daughter was baptized and confirmed in our church Her oldest daughter was confirmed. Joanne taught 5 th grade Sunday School for many years in the old church. She also belonged to the Quilting Group. She sang in the choir and belonged to LWML and was the secretary of that group. She served as an assistant in the Library for many years. JUNE AND JOHN LOCKHART June s mother Ruby Pollock transferred from Zion in Marengo in 1947. June and her siblings were confirmed in our church. June was confirmed in June 1952. John joined our church in 1958 after he and June were married. She attended Sunday School and was in the choir in the old church. Both of their children, Jodi Wightman and Jeff Lockhart were baptized, confirmed and married in our church. Jeff s two boys were baptized and Ryan was married in our church. Jodi s son Colton was baptized and confirmed. June and John also have two great grandsons that were baptized. Hebrews 10:24-26 3
Sunday School Christmas Program By Carole Peters Thank you to all the children and their families who participated in this years Sunday School Christmas Program on Sunday, December 10th. This special program was entitled "Born is the King- It's Christmas". It is always such fun to see our children and youth at St. John's prepare for this program and how it impacts our church in the coming year. Several years ago, we did the program that focused on Do Something! Today, we still talk about how each of us can choose to Do Something! Our hope is that this year, our program will help everyone know that they can invite someone to church and positively impact them through building a relationship. A special thank you to the children who took on lead roles: Narrators: Carson Vandello and Henry Bishop Dad 1: Joey Miceli Dad 2: Carter Heimsoth Daughter 1: Maddie Miceli Daughter 2: Regan Heimsoth Thank you to the Nativity Characters: Joseph: Dane Kowalski Mary: Cheyenne Money Wisemen: Caden Sauder, Daniel Kunde, Quinn Lechner Shepherds: Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th grade boys/girls A special thank you to the Scripture Readers: Kaylee Homeyer, Lily Homeyer, Ruby Sjurseth, Ashley Spilatro, Grace Hoban, Karter Velazquez, Brayden Thackwray, Sam Vandello, Gabrielle Schauer, Selah Schauer, Mia Miceli, Aleah Sauder, Drew Johnson, Whitney Kanowski and Morgan Zumpf Thank you to Only By Grace and AMP for assisting with our music. Thank you to Gabrielle Schauer, Spencer Stanley and Kayla Hanson for their special duets/solos. Thank you to Jeff Lindstrom for assisting with the sound. Thank you to our church staff, Sunday School teachers and helpers for all their assistance with this special program. We couldn't do all of this without your help. Have a blessed Christmas and 2018! Hebrews 10:24-26 4
REFIT at St. Johns We are excited to offer a fun weekly fitness class at St. John s Lutheran Church called REFIT! REFIT is a group fitness program that uses positive music, movement, and message to build community and impact lives. REFIT believes fitness is for every BODY, and the workouts are designed for all shapes, sizes, and fitness levels. Creating a powerful BODY + MIND + SOUL + SPIRIT connection through fitness is what makes REFIT a revolution fitness community of rump shakers, world changers, and impact makers. Watch the REFIT video on youtube to learn more! Classes will be on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 7:30 pm in the gym at St. John s Lutheran Church in Union, beginning January 2, 2018. Women of all ages (including your daughters, mothers, sisters, and friends) are welcome to join this free fitness class and we encourage you to invite others from the community. This is a wonderful way to invite people to St. John s! Please don t hesitate to reach out to Jenny Grimes at jennyg717@gmail.com with any questions. Looking forward to fitness and fun in the New Year! In Christ, Jenny Grimes, Leader Jen McHugh, Co-Instructor Renee Cifonie, Co-Instructor Feed My Starving Children and Faith Lutheran High School Feed my Starving Children in Libertyville -this is an intergenerational event with Faith Lutheran High School on January 20, 2018 leaving St. John s at 12:45pm. Please sign-up in the lobby. Get Connected Check out our website! Go to stjohnsluth.org or you can also find us on Facebook! Hebrews 10:24-26 5
Our preschool staff of highly qualified and motivated Christian educators: Jen Sauder Lead Teacher Haley Gifford Teacher/Driver Gail Perkins-Director Our preschool is supported by a wonderful, caring church staff: Caleb Schauer - Pastor Lauren Olsen - Deaconess St. John s Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod 6821 Main Street Union, Illinois 60180 Sue Ziller- Church Secretary Jenny Arevalo - Business Manager Phone: (815) 923-2733 Email: littleblessingslc.info@yahoo.com Shining For Jesus! Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Mark 10:4 God is the center of our learning here at Little Blessings Preschool. The following are the curricular highlights of our program: One in Christ Curriculum, a Lutheran curriculum published by Concordia, creating a joyful learning environment for everyone. Integrated Literacy, Math, Science, fine and gross motor and the Arts Christian Education is the very core of our program Jesus is evident daily in our actions and activities. Hebrews 10:24-26 6