The Annual Christmas Congregational Dinner is December 2nd following the service in the Fellowship Hall. This event is sponsored by our Lutheran Men and Lutheran Women. Cost is $5.00 per plate (children 6 and under and adults 80 and over are free). Be here to fellowship and enjoy a great meal.
Our Annual Congregational meeting will be held next Sunday, December 2nd to elect members to serve on Church Council for 2019-2020, (Nominees are Karla, David, Leon, Robert, Sherrie, A.J., Kayla, John, Marie, and Johanne), and approve the 2019 Budget (Copies of the proposed budget are available in the Narthex). We will have a recommendation from Church Council regarding a digital sign and kitchen renovations.
Please make plans to meet on Saturday, December 1st at 7:45 AM to pick up trash and clean up around our church grounds. Meet us in the Fellowship Hall.
Many times, members wish to provide the altar flowers in memory of loved ones or in honor of anniversaries, birthdays and other special occasions. As in the past, a flower chart sign-up sheet will be posted in the Narthex on Sunday December 2nd and will remain until Sunday, December 30th. If there is a particular Sunday YOU would like to furnish the altar flowers for the worship service, please indicate your choice by signing up for that Sunday. The Altar Guild will assign all open dates to other members of the congregation. NOTE: Remember artificial flowers are not to be used in the altar vases and pot plants are to be used to enhance services on Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday, Pentecost Sunday and Christmas Services – not as altar flowers.
Our current membership roster will be in the Narthex window until Sunday, December 30, 2018. Please take a few minutes to check your household entry and indicate changes, corrections and/or additions that need to be made. We especially need to know if you no longer have a land line and if your cell number and email addresses are correct. You can make changes in the posted roster, indicate changes on the Friendship Register sheet, complete a change of address card or call the church office. Our Ministry Teams and Auxiliary Groups use the information from the roster to ensure everyone is made aware of important happenings at St. Jacob’s. Thank you for taking the time to help keep our church roster and membership records accurate and up-to-date.
The children’s choir is working hard learning music to help lead worship. We are talking a lot about Jesus as the light of the world. In Advent the children will call to Jesus, Prince of Peace, Messiah, to come show us the light that we might follow. At Christmas the children will ask us if we are ready for this light. Will we see Jesus as he comes to us? Will we see the person who needs our help? Will we reach out to those who are hurting? Will we be ready to follow wherever God leads us? And finally during Epiphany the children will announce, “Arise and shine, your light has come!” As we celebrate the seasons ahead we pray we will all be ready to let Jesus’s light shine through us. I encourage you all to talk to our children about ways in which you see Jesus in your day to day life and ways that we can all shine Jesus’s light on others.
Merry Christmas from the children’s choir.
We will not be having a Coffee Fellowship in December due to the Christmas Congregational Dinner.
It’s hard to believe it’s already time to write my article for the November newsletter. Today, it’s raining, strong winds are blowing, and tropical storm Michael just deposited a tree in my driveway. I am also preparing to go on vacation tomorrow (Oct. 12) but truth be told, my mind is on our shared ministry in November. This is a busy time for the Church, and November is a month filled with opportunities to serve God and His people.
Think about it. We begin November as a church family celebrating the Sunday of All Saints. We remember fondly those beloved saints who have gone on to glory before us. It is a special time for Christians as we reflect upon the lesson taught to us by so many faithful followers of Christ Jesus. It’s also a time for us to consider the ways we serve our Lord as well. Then, a few weeks later, we conclude the month in celebration of Christ our King, a time to reflect upon the ways our Lord makes His grace known throughout the seasons of the Church.
Sandwiched in between these two festivals, there are so many other things that beg for our attention. There are elections of government officials and football rivalries to enjoy. And don’t forget setting time aside to enjoy the annual Thanksgiving feast! All of these beg the question, “How do we juggle the demands of our daily life and our life as a disciple of Christ Jesus? It seems something has got to give.
Sadly, all too often it is the church that takes a back seat. As life gets busier and busier, we know and understand that we must cut back. Each of our activities is important to us, and we hate to miss out. But God calls his people to be disciples first and above all else. This is where All saints Sunday and Christ the King intersect. Remembering the saints who taught us the faith, we strive to follow the example of Christ our King. Doing this, we follow the faithful examples of those saints who have died and now live in Christ’s glory. One such person in my life was my Grandma Bea.
Grandma Bea was a leader in the community in which I grew up. She was the first woman ever elected to our town’s council. She was also chairwoman of the Northville Beautification Society, and the founder of the Northville Business and Professional Women’s League (some of you may have noticed her B.P.W. placard on my desk). Somewhere in all that, Grandma found time to put up preserves and vegetables, care for her many grandchildren, bake wonderful bread and volunteer with the Red Cross. I don’t know how she managed to do all of this. I do know, however, that she never missed a Sunday in church, she was a generous giver with her tithes, and always took time to tell others of the wonderful things God has done and continues to do.
This November, I invite you to remember the saints who have gone before us and follow their many examples of faithful living. There is much to do here at St. Jacob’s, many ways of being a part of our ministry together. Above all else, remember to attend worship each Sunday and give thanks to the One who provides all we need, and whose mercy and grace endure forever.
Grace to you and peace,
Pastor David Nuottila
Christ the King
For just a few seconds, close your eyes and relax. Get comfortable, clear your mind and imagine seeing Jesus. Imagine actually seeing his face, imagine being there with him. What image did you see? Did you see him as a baby born in Bethlehem? How about as a shepherd, or blessing little children? These are often the images we see of Jesus in our mind. Such images provide us with popular metaphors associated with Christ. Jesus our friend, Jesus our brother, Jesus our comforter. We learn to see Jesus as the one who walks with us and talks with us.
I would imagine that few if any saw Jesus as King. Kings aren’t normal images for too many folks these days. In folklore, Kings wore long purple robes and golden crowns. Today’s kings mostly wear suits and look like presidents, or wear military uniforms and look like soldiers. Jesus doesn’t fit these descriptions. He doesn’t wear gold around His neck or rings on His fingers. He doesn’t wear a suit and certainly not army fatigues.
I’m curious, when you imagined seeing Jesus, how many saw a man beaten to within an inch of his life, his outstretched hands nailed to a cross beam and gasping for breath with bystanders mocking and taunting him? Oh…and as for his crown? Thorns, sharp and pointed; digging into his forehead. When a few finally recognized Jesus as King, this is the image they had before them. Yet, in this image we see the glory of our King Jesus.
Jesus came to earth to save His people from sin. He came to rescue those who believe in Him from eternal death. In the stripes of His wounds runs the blood from which we are saved. From His dying words, “It is finished” we have the proclamation that Christ has won the victory, God and creation are reconciled through His innocent death on the cross.
So once again I invite you to close your eyes, picture Jesus in your mind. What do you see? Yeah, me too. I see the babe of Bethlehem, the Good Shepherd and the one who feeds the hungry and cures the sick. But that’s ok, that’s who Jesus is as well. And next week Matthew will begin telling us the story in his words; the story of Christ our King.
The Lutheran Women would like to thank all of you for your generous support for our Congregational Luncheon Fund Raiser on Sunday, September 23. It was such a big success. The total raised was $2,053. God bless all of you for your continuing support throughout the year. Without your help, our group could not help those in need. We have had a great year and have put smiles on many faces. We will also be helping some families at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Thank you and God bless,
Phyllis, President
