December 2021 Newsletter
Grace, mercy, and peace are yours this Advent Season, in our infant King and Savior Jesus Christ!
Dear Family of God at Grace,
A blessed Advent and Christmas to all of you! December is upon us and that begins with Advent, the season of patient preparation for the glorious remembrance of the incarnation of Christ and for His return at the end of the age. This is a blessed time filled with more activities than you can possibly attend so choose wisely.
Our Advent and Christmas theme this year is the “Symbols of Salvation.” You know and will hear those wonderful Old Testament promises of the birth of Jesus, yet all the Old Testament points to Jesus. The whole bible testifies concerning Christ. With that in mind on Wednesday, December 1st, we will hear of account of the burning bush from Exodus 3:1-14. On Wednesday, December 8th, we will hear how the Lord lived with His people in a tent made of animal skins in Exodus 40:17-21, 34-38. On Wednesday, December 15th, we will hear how by means of the weakest and least, the Lord conquers our enemies and rescues us in Judges 6:11-24. Then on Christmas Eve, we will hear of “The Living Nativity” from Isaiah 9:2-7. To go along with our Advent and Christmas theme there is a daily devotions booklet that you can pick up in the narthex or church office. I hope you find joy in your soul and strength in the faith from this Advent and Christmas season.
I want to encourage you this Advent and Christmas season to sing to the Lord! Music certainly brings joy to the soul. There are eight Psalms that proclaim, “sing to the Lord.” Psalm 95:1 “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!” Now maybe you think you are not a singer, or you can’t carry a tune in a bucket, you can still sing to the Lord! When you sing you are participating in the service by giving thanks and
praise to the Lord for the wonderful gifts that He has given you. And just maybe there is a beautiful voice in there just waiting to sing out. No one will look at you funny. If they do, just sing louder! Please understand that I’m not making a joke or being flippant, Lutherans sing! Its who you are and what you do. The music at Advent and Christmas is so wonderful that is a perfect time to sing for joy to the Lord. As we begin a new church year, make your new years resolution early and let it be that you will sing to the Lord, all year
long. If you try it, you may find that you like it.
We are getting a new website soon. We have had the same website for about 8 or 9 years. It is time for a new fresh face to the website. We should have it up and running early in the New Year. Keep a lookout for it. We are trying to add online giving to the website. Many people watch our YouTube services, this would give them an opportunity to give, if they felt moved to do so. Online giving is the wave of the times. Checks are a thing of the past. This is another giving option. Like “Joyful Response” which is a direct deposit style of giving.
School update: No new news on the school at this point. In the New Year we will work with the Genesis Project to do a feasibility study. This will tell us if it is wanted by the community and possible to have a school on our campus. Be patient. Don’t give up. In the interim as we prepare for the feasibility study let’s consider getting a group together to discuss how we can help homeschool families incorporate Christ in their instruction.
Finally, thank you to all who help decorate the church! Great job!
I hope and pray that this Advent and Christmas Season may be a joy to your soul and strengthen your faith!
In His Service, Pastor Lingsch
