Isaiah’s words are music to an exiled Israel’s ears. Could it be that deliverance was just around the corner?  Each generation finds itself in times that seem dark, but the promise of God is that a new day is coming.  Time to put away weeping, people of God—if you only knew what goodness is coming your way! 

Worship this week: 

Saturday at 5:00 p.m. in the chapel

Sunday – 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship

9:30 a.m. Sunday School

10:30 a.m. Contemporary Worship

Devotions for this week:

The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Me                              December 10-11, 2016

SHARE:   What was a high point of your day? What was a low point?

READ: Read the following daily readings to deepen your understanding:

Sunday: Spirit of the Lord upon Me, Isaiah 61:1-11

Monday: God Is Gracious, Isaiah 63:7-14

Tuesday: Prayer of Repentance, Isaiah 63:15-64:12

Wednesday: New Creation, Isaiah 65:17-25

Thursday: Edom’s Betrayal and Israel’s Restoration, Obadiah 1:1-21

Friday: Jerusalem’s Victory, Zechariah 12:1-13:1

Saturday: The Coming Messenger, Malachi 3:1-7

 TALK:  Consider some of these ideas:

For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations. Isaiah 61:11

Isaiah’s words are music to an exiled Israel’s ears. Could it be that deliverance was just around the corner? Time to put away weeping, people of God—if you only knew what goodness is coming your way!

• In what ways has creation been made new already?
• What binds you? What prevents you from being all that God has created you to be?
• What can you do this week to accept God’s freedom from the burden of your bondage?
• Who will you be, and what will you accomplish, knowing that in God you are free to live into the fullness of who God has created you to be and do?

PRAY:   You love justice and hate wrongdoing, O Lord. Plant within us this same love for what is right, that we might live it and be a beacon of your heavenly light. Through Jesus our Lord, Amen.

 BLESS: May God bless you abundantly with God’s Holy Spirit. Amen.

The prophet Joel’s vision a new future for God’s people included the promise that God’s Spirit would be poured out on all people, from young to old.  This week we learn about and celebrate the ongoing work of God’s Spirit through Laura Hermanns, who represented ELCA in Rwanda for a year through Young Adults in Global Mission. Laura will preach at all three services about the lessons we all can learn from Rwandans’ amazing ability to heal deep societal divisions. Read more about Laura’s experience abroad with YAGM in her blog entry: https://peaceonourwings.wordpress.com/

A pastor’s kid from Racine, WI, Laura Hermanns recently returned from a year of service in Rwanda with the ELCA’s Young Adults in Global Mission program. During her time in Rwanda she taught English at an ecumenical university, guided a bible study, and attempted to sing Kinyarwanda hymns in the university’s choir. She is now working as an ambassador for the YAGM program, which is one of the mission priorities of the Campaign for the ELCA. Laura plans to start the Masters of Sustainable Peacebuilding program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee next fall.

Worship this week with Holy Communion:

Saturday 5:00 p.m. in the chapel

Sunday 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship

9:30 a.m. Sunday School and forum with Laura about her time in Rwanda

10:30 a.m. Contemporary Worship

Devotions for this week:  Turn to a Merciful God

SHARE:   What was a high point of your day? What was a low point?

READ: Read the following daily readings to deepen your understanding:

Sunday: Turn to a Merciful God, Joel 2:12-13, 28-29

Monday: End of Babylonian Captivity, Ezra 1:1-11

Tuesday: Lament over the Ruined Country, Joel 1:1-12

Wednesday: Call to Repentance and God’s Response, Joel 1:13-20

Thursday: Dedication of the Temple, Ezra 6:13-22

Friday: Ezra Restores Torah as Law, Nehemiah 8:1-12

Saturday: Dedication of Jerusalem’s Wall, Nehemiah 12:27-47

TALK:  Consider some of these ideas:

 Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. Joel 2:12-13

God desires that we turn to God. At this Christmas time, we can remember that love (for God and for others) is all that truly matters.

• How do God’s people respond to God’ deliverance?
• How is your community of faith preparing for Christmas? What difference will your preparations make in the larger community around you? What can you do to bring hope and renewal to people in need?
• What in your life requires repentance and renewal? Who in your life needs hope? How can you bring hope to those who need

PRAY: Lord, we have nothing to fear from you. Bring us back into your presence, rejoicing in your promises and basking in your mercy. Through Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.

 BLESS:  May God fill your days with love. Amen.

As Advent begins we hear of Daniel’s faithfulness in the face of injustice, and his rescue from the dark night of fear.  As we prepare in this season, who do we look to for hope?  How do we remain faithful to that true hope?

All are welcome to join us for worship!

SATURDAY EVENING WORSHIP 5:00PM

• A modified traditional worship service, generally less that 45 minutes.  We gather the smaller chapel on the Front Street side of the building

SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP

8:30 AM
Traditional Worship

• We gather in the main sanctuary for liturgical Lutheran worship, accompanied by the pipe organ and featuring our excellent  choir.

9:30 AM  Sunday School Classes

• Classes for age 3 and up are held throughout the building, while there is time for coffee and conversation in the fellowship hall.

10:30 AM
Contemporary Worship

• Led by our Praise Team we share contemporary Christian music, God’s Word and prayer in the sanctuary.

Devotions for this week:

Daniel’s Hope in God      November 27  (I Advent)

SHARE:   What was a high point of your day? What was a low point?

READ: Read the following daily readings to deepen your understanding:

Sunday: Daniel’s Hope in God, Daniel 6:6-27

Monday: Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream, Daniel 2:1-49

Tuesday: The Fiery Furnace, Daniel 3:1-30

Wednesday: Belshazzar’s Feast, Daniel 5:1-30

Thursday: Visions of Four Beasts, Daniel 7:1-28

Friday: Seventy Weeks, Daniel 9:20-27

Saturday: The Resurrection of the Dead, Daniel 12:1-13

TALK:   Consider some of these ideas:

Daniel then said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no wrong.” Daniel 6:21-22

King Darius is in a pickle. His friend Daniel has violated an unbreakable law, and must now face a den of lions. The powerless king spends an anxious night fasting, hoping for a miracle. What will the morning bring?

• Are there ordinances or laws that you do not find just? What can you do to live faithfully according to God’s word?
• When has God rescued you from certain demise? Did you put your faith in God before your rescue? After? How do you demonstrate faith?
• What can you do to remind yourself to pray several times a day?

 PRAY: Lord, you know the dangers that we face. Give us the wisdom to call on you always, and deliver us in our hour of need. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.

BLESS:  May God strengthen you in your prayer and faith life. Amen.

Thanks to Sarah and the Confirmation Students for creating the bulletin board for Thanksgiving.  Each leaf lists things that our students are thankful for this season.

Join us for worship on Thanksgiving morning at 10:00 a.m.!

 

While we might be tempted to think of the story of Jonah as a funny story about a big fish, it really addresses hard issues.   Jonah, God’s chosen messenger, decided that his opinion of others’ worth and value was more important that what God said. 

But God’s mercy will not be denied, and if God’s messenger was unfaithful, things were going to get stormy.  Meanwhile God’s Word continues to be heard by unlikely people.  In the end, God offered mercy to Jonah’s enemies and to Jonah. Neither was more deserving than the other, but God alone chooses whom God will love.

All are welcome to join us for worship!

SATURDAY EVENING WORSHIP 5:00PM

• A modified traditional worship service, generally less that 45 minutes.  We gather the smaller chapel on the Front Street side of the building

SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP

8:30 AM
Traditional Worship

• We gather in the main sanctuary for liturgical Lutheran worship, accompanied by the pipe organ and featuring our excellent  choir.

9:30 AM  Sunday School Classes

• Classes for age 3 and up are held throughout the building, while there is time for coffee and conversation in the fellowship hall.

10:30 AM
Contemporary Worship

• Led by our Praise Team we share contemporary Christian music, God’s Word and prayer in the sanctuary.

Devotions for this week:

Jonah & God’s Mercy         November 13

SHARE:   What was a high point of your day? What was a low point?

READ: Read the following daily readings to deepen your understanding:

Sunday: Jonah and God’s Mercy, Jonah 1:1-17; 3:1-10 [4:1-11]

Monday: Zephaniah Prophesies Against the Kingdoms, Zephaniah 1:14-18

Tuesday: Nahum Prophesies of God’s Wrath, Nahum 1:1-11

Wednesday: Habakkuk Prophesies and Prays, Habakkuk 3:1-19

Thursday: God Calls Jeremiah, Jeremiah 1:1-19

Friday: Ezekiel Sees a Vision, Ezekiel 1:1-28

Saturday: The Valley of Dry Bones, Ezekiel 37:1-14

TALK:  Consider some of these ideas:

 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it. Jonah 3:10

If you want a job done, don’t send Jonah. Chances are he’ll end up on a cruise heading in the opposite direction, or putting his fellow sailors in mortal peril. And when he finally (reluctantly) relents to the task at hand, he regrets his own success. Is God’s mercy great enough even for the resistant prophet?

• How does God show mercy in these readings?

• What countries or cultures do you most dislike? Why? How will you treat these neighbors knowing that God has asked you to love and serve people there?

• When have you been angry with God for being generous with a someone you felt deserved punishment? What could you do to show love, rather than anger or hatred?

PRAY: You see our failings, Lord, and know the weakness of our hearts. Set us right and fill us with love and zeal for the people whom you love, just as Jesus has shown us. Amen

 BLESS:  May God bless you. May God bless your enemies. Amen.