Our Christmas Eve Service of Worship will be held on Tuesday, December 24th beginning at 7 PM. Come worship the new born King! Join us and invite your friends and neighbors for our traditional candlelight service as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Worship and Music Archive
Christmas Eve – The Nativity Of Our Lord
Posted November 26, 2019 By adminBlue Christmas – The Longest Night
Posted November 26, 2019 By adminChristmas is not always a joyous time for everyone. Each year, there are some who will experience the Christmas celebration for the first time without a cherished loved one. There are also others who will find themselves facing difficult circumstances in life or loneliness. Still, the love of God out shines even the darkest night.
Once again, on the longest night of the year, we will gather for worship and give thinks for the light of Christ, especially as He comes to us at Christmas. Our entire church family, friends, neighbors and community is invited and encouraged to attend this candlelight service. Please be sure to tell others about this worship opportunity of prayer, peace and the power of God’s love. Worship for Blue Christmas begins at 6:30 PM on Saturday, December 21st.
Advent Vespers At St. Jacob’s
Posted November 26, 2019 By adminEveryone is invited and encouraged to come worship with us each Wednesday evening in December for Advent Vespers. The focus of our worship will be our Need for Redemption, God’s Promise of a Savior, and the Fulfilment of the Promise through Jesus Christ. In keeping with the worship time of our Wednesday Evening Light, Advent Vespers will begin at 6:30 PM.
Children’s Choir
Posted November 26, 2019 By adminAs I’m sure you’ve noticed, our children have been hard at work this fall in children’s choir. In addition to learning anthems, the children have been learning the liturgy and taken on the task of leading the kyrie. We are also learning about other parts of the liturgy to be able to bring praises to God with the rest of the St. Jacob’s church family.
We are beginning work on our Christmas program. Mark your calendar for Sunday, December 15th at 6 PM. You won’t want to miss our Christmas program as we ask, “Is there any peace left on earth,” adapted from a program written by The Reverend David Wendel, assistant to the bishop. With so much conflict around us today between nations, politicians as well as in day to day life, it is easy to believe there is little peace left on earth. Come explore the true peace of Christmas. We hope that you all have a blessed Christmas season. The children’s choir’s prayer for you this December is “Dona nobis pacem.” Ask any children’s choir member what that means. They can all tell you.
Filed in LCY, Worship and Music
All Saints Sunday
Posted October 31, 2019 By adminThis year, the Sunday of All Saints will be observed on November 3rd. All Saints Sunday is a day when the Church Militant (those saints who are still living) remembers and gives thanks to God for the lives and the witness of the Church Triumphant (those saints who have passed from earthly life). Traditionally, this is done through prayer and the lighting of a candle. During the Baptismal Rite, candles are given for the newly baptized with the words “Let your light shine before others, that they would see your good work and glorify your Father in heaven.
This year, we especially remember the light and the love of these saints from our church family who have completed their pilgrimage on earth within the last twelve months. Bob Shields, Pearl Cribb, Rie Eargle and Harold Driver have completed the work God gave them, yet their light still shines. Join us on November 3rd for this celebration of saints and to give thanks to God for all His blessings.
From the Pastor’s Heart
Posted October 1, 2019 By adminOctober! It’s October already! It seems summer has simply flown by. Yet, even as I reflect upon all we shared the past few months, there is much to plan and prepare for during the months ahead. Our church calendar is filling up with activities, Christian learning opportunities and several other ministry events for everyone to consider being a part of. As you begin making room for the many opportunities for your church and family in October, let me ask a simple question: How do you plan to be a disciple of Jesus Christ each and every day?
Each morning, Christians wake up to the opportunity to show the love of Christ Jesus to others who may not realize God’s activity in their lives. As God’s people we also wake up to the Christian responsibility to thank God for the many blessings He showers upon us, and to offer Him the finest of what we can offer of ourselves.
When a child of God begins each new day with such emphasis, the life of discipleship begins to take hold and we live into the calling God has for each one of us. So again, this begs the question: How do you plan to be a disciple of Jesus Christ each and every day? In my asking this twice, I hope you are not simply waiting for my answer. I hope you are not expecting me to offer a directive for the church that challenges you to do your part as I see it, for such is not my intent.
I am asking this question because as followers of Jesus Christ, we each respond to His call to follow in different ways. Some are able to engage in the life of the congregation more regularly than others. Some have time enough to come to the church and serve on committees, provide services such as lawn care and cleaning, others may even show up every time the doors are open. Others among us have different responsibilities.
Within our church family, we have parents with small children, members who work not just one, but two jobs, and still others who may have health related issues that prevent them from participating as they once did. Yet, no matter where we may fall in this broad spectrum, as God’s people each one of us share the Christian responsibility to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We all share Jesus’s calling to go into the world and make disciples by sharing with them the good news of God’s salvation. So understanding this, I’ll ask one last time: How do you plan to be a disciple of Jesus Christ each and every day?
As Pastor, I will do my best to help you discern the answer to this question. I will do what I can to help you pray, study God’s Word and live among God’s people so that you might hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit who is calling you to a life of discipleship. I will continue to pray for you and your family, preach to you the gospel of Christ Jesus, lead you in worship and teach you and your children the faith in which we baptize. In turn, I pray that you too will help me to further discern the answer to our question, for even pastors need to learn to take time to enjoy their relationship with our loving heavenly Father.
Yes, we have a busy month ahead of us; one filled with opportunities to worship God, love our neighbor and enjoy the fellowship of God’s people. Take a good look and identify those opportunities where you and your family can grow in faith and discern your answer to my question. Choose to take time each day to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ, seeking God’s kingdom first. Then be sure to share His blessings of grace, mercy and peace with those whom God places within your midst. Soon, you will realize you are living the life of discipleship, and the question will have its answer.
Grace to you and peace,
Pastor David Nuottila
Children’s Choir
Posted September 27, 2019 By adminThe Children’s Choir will practice each Sunday afternoon at 3 PM in the Sanctuary. We are looking forward to having so much fun learning new songs and lifting our little voices to the Lord.
Worship and Music
Posted September 27, 2019 By adminOctober is upon us. Cooler fall temperatures, leaves changing colors, high school and college football games, the State Fair – all serve as reminders that the year 2019 is rapidly nearing its end. But just because all the anthems have been chosen through the Christmas season doesn’t mean that I, or the singers, can rest on our laurels.
Church music isn’t like any other kind of performance. When you go to a concert, the band, orchestra, or choir have been rehearsing for months and the concert is the culmination of those months of practice. Once the concert is over, they move on to the next concert.
The foremost difference between church music and other vocal or instrumental groups is that church music is NOT a performance. It is, in its purest form, our prayer, our praise, our expression of gratitude to our Lord and Savior for His unconditional love, mercy and grace. For me, it is an ongoing, constant looking ahead to the next season, and the one following; always working ahead so that the musicians have ample time to develop the musicality of each piece that we sing or play. It is a challenge to look so far ahead and choose hymns and anthems that will not only compliment but enhance the Scriptures, and sometimes, I do miss the boat. But it’s those other times, the times when everything fits together like a giant puzzle; I know that the Holy Spirit was guiding my choices.
For that, I can only say …Soli Deo Gloria (to God Alone the Glory),
Laurie
Filed in Other Happenings, Worship and Music
From the Pastor’s Heart
Posted September 1, 2019 By adminThe reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life. 5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked; whoever guards his soul will keep far from them. 6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:4-6
Within the Rite of Holy Baptism, parents of small children, sponsors and congregations promise that we will lead the child into a healthy life of faith in Christ Jesus. We promise that we will bring the child to God’s house for worship, teach them the Lord’s Prayer, Ten Commandments and the Creed. We promise to place the Holy Scriptures in their hands and help them learn from them by reading the Bible together. We promise to provide for their instruction in the Christian faith so that they would live in the covenant of their baptism and in communion with God’s people. Parents of the newly baptized children especially bear responsibility for these promises; promises their parents first made on their behalf years ago.
The Proverb above speaks to the importance of such promise keeping. Usually, when the Proverb is spoken of, it is verse six that stands alone; “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” But when we read this verse in its fuller context, we soon realize the importance of a young life being provided a strong foundation of faith. The world is filled with powers that defy God, temptations that are overwhelming and so many of the devil’s false promises. We all want our children to have a good life, a full life, one that brings pleasure to their selves and to others. But as we read in Scripture, and know through our experience, the devil and his minions set thorns and snares along the pathways of God’s people. On our own, we are no match for them. Left to fend for ourselves, we will fall deeper into sin without even realizing it.
For several decades now, there has been a worsening condition permeating the Christian Church, one by which we have seen ever increasing numbers of our younger members fall away from faith. I believe it is so important to address this condition that I have devoted my doctoral studies to develop resources for pastors, congregations and families to bring about faith formation for our children and children’s children.
I think we can all agree that we would love to see more of our young people in worship and Sunday school. The trouble is that so often we don’t know how to encourage them. Instead, we sometimes inadvertently enable them in their staying away. Truth being told, children, especially teens, earnestly desire to have a healthy relationship with church families, one centered upon Jesus Christ and one that shares a desire to grow in relationship with God and his people.
Over the years, I have ministered to parents whose children have fallen away from the church. I have ministered to grandparents who faithfully bring their grandchildren to worship often (and that’s a good thing). I have also heard questions from such children that ask, “If mommy and daddy don’t have to go to church, why do I have to go?” This is a heartbreaking question because at the root of it lies a deeper and more central question, “Why don’t mommy and daddy WANT to go?”
Jesus says, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:16). The riches, honor and life the Proverb speaks of is a life lived eternally in the presence of God. When we fail to keep our baptismal promises, we hinder our children; we keep them from growing in a life of faith in Christ. And not only that, first and foremost, we break the promise we initially made before God and one another.
People of God, I know this is a sensitive issue. I myself have had to face this truth in my own life. I know first-hand the difficulties of keeping such promises, especially when children grow older and become more independent. That is precisely the time when parents should strive to keep the promise they made to their child. Train them up in the way they should go. Encourage them when they are older, and faithfully come to God’s house together and enjoy a life lived among God and his people. Doing so will bring us to the reward God has in mind for all his people; life in his kingdom forever.
Grace to you and peace, Pastor David Nuottila
Homecoming 2019
Posted August 28, 2019 By adminThank you to all who volunteered, attended and took part in our 2019 Homecoming celebration. It is always good to welcome back familiar faces, meet new people and enjoy a wonderful meal together with our Church family. It was especially nice to have as our guest preacher, the Rev. Brad Hales from the NALC staff. Thank you Pastor Brad for a wonderful message and for visiting us here at St. Jacob’s.
