Many thanks to all who helped with last night’s chili supper.  We had a great turnout and a great evening with over $2,200 raised for the Habitat for Humanity project in Mt. Horeb.

Again thanks!

Pastor John

The annual Sunday School Christmas Program is this Sunday, December 19 at the 10:30 AM worship service. We look forward to seeing you there!

Due to the blizzard conditions in the Mount Horeb area, all services on Sunday, December 12, 2010 have been canceled.

The Sunday School Christmas program scheduled for Sunday, December 12, 2010 has been postponed to Sunday, December 19, 2010 at 10:30 AM due to the inclement weather.

Church services at 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM will be held as usual on December 12, 2010. Please watch the website or call the church office at (608) 437-5012 for further updates.

Most all in the coming weeks, I long to hear those familiar words:

“And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people;  for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”                                                                  Luke 2:10-11

There is so much that happens between now and then, some of it wonderful, some of it not so great.  As we enter December, we are in the season of Advent, a time to prepare for the coming of our Lord at Christmas, and the return of Christ at the end of all days.  This can be both a wonderful and anxious time in our homes and in our lives.  The watchwords of the season of the church encompass big questions for our lives.  The season of Advent urges us to consider:

hope & fear                                   deliverance

darkness &  light                           repentance

watchfulness                                 preparation

expectation                                    anticipation

Meanwhile the worldly “Holiday Season” fills us with another whole set of questions and feelings.  Too often our days are filled with concerns of:

Saving & spending                        Abundance & Scarcity

Expectation & disappointment     Family peace

Cleaning, cooking, wrapping, decorating, scheduling, travel, competition, gatherings, anxiety, and the list goes on.

If this year is like so many others, there will be both times of great joy and contentment, as well as moments of disillusionment and worry.

My hope and prayer for you in this season is that you can discover joy in the preparation and the celebration.  Jesus’ arrives each year into a world that is preoccupied, harried, and often ignorant of the ‘good news’ of the season.  That means he arrives for me and for you.  He is in this world for us, even when we don’t notice, but take time to discover the joy and peace he brings in the midst of the hustle and bustle, and share that love with those who you treasure.