Welcome to St. Jacob's Lutheran Church

All are invited to keep Christ in Christmas and worship with us on Christmas Morning. The Christmas Morning service is “come as you are.” Children in pajamas, adults in relaxed and casual dress are all most certainly welcome. Come make a joyful noise and share in the blessing of Christmas with your church family. Worship with Holy Communion will begin at 10 AM. As always, we will live stream our service on our Facebook page.

Because of the current pandemic and the need for social distancing, St. Jacob’s will offer two services of worship on Christmas Eve. This is to ensure that we honor our coronavirus protocols we have in place. The first service will begin at 4:30 PM with the second service beginning at 7:30 PM. Holy Communion will be celebrated at each service and both will conclude with the traditional candlelight singing of Silent Night.
In order that we might be faithful to our coronavirus protocols, yet accommodate everyone who would like to attend worship on Christmas Eve, we will post a sign up list on which families shall indicate which service they will attend and how many will be in their party. We look forward to sharing this most holy evening with you, along with the traditional readings and carols of Christmas.

As Christmas approaches, not everyone gets caught up in the joy of the season. No matter the situation, for some, Christmas is a time of extended grief, sorrow, and loneliness. For these and other reasons, we offer a time for worship and reflection on God’s gift of the Messiah. Worship on the Longest Night, also called Blue Christmas, falls on December 21st, the longest night of the year. This year, due to COVID-19 concerns, we will not gather in person. Our Blue Christmas service of worship will be live streamed on our Facebook page. The service begins at 7 PM.

The theme for our Advent Vespers will be “Letters from Bethlehem” featuring four brief monologues. Each monologue is a reading of a letter written to loved ones describing the events of Jesus’ birth.
Below is our schedule for mid-week Advent services.
• December 2 – The Angel to a Friend
• December 9 – A Shepherd to His Family
• December 16 – A Wise Man to His Court
• December 23 – Mary to Her Mother

Advent Vespers will begin at 7 PM each Wednesday during the season. We will also receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion at each service. Please plan to attend each week as we anticipate the coming of our Lord Jesus. Social distancing will be observed; and for those who are unable to attend, the services will be streamed live on our Facebook page

As in the past, an altar flower sign-up sheet will be posted in the Narthex on Sunday November 29th and will remain until Sunday, December 27th. Many times, members wish to provide the altar flowers in memory of loved ones or in honor of anniversaries, birthdays, and other special occasions. 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. If you are not currently attending in-person worship services at the church, you can email Robin to request a Sunday. All open dates will be assigned to other members of the congregation. NOTE: During Advent/Christmas Seasons only one vase of flowers is needed. Also, artificial flowers are never 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.

November is a month of remembrance, celebration, and transition. From the first day of the month until the final Sunday, we offer our thanks and praise to God for his saving grace that comes through his Son Jesus Christ. The celebrations of November complete the liturgical cycle of one year and lead us into the next. Please join us as you are able, either in person or online each Sunday as we observe these three significant dates.
All Saints Day
All Saints Day is a time of remembrance and a time of thanksgiving. We remember all who have entered the Church Triumphant and now rest peacefully in Christ. We also give thanks for all the saints within the Church Militant who strive to share the Gospel of Christ and extend the ministry of the church throughout the world. Join us on All Saints Day, November 1stfor worship. As is customary, we will have a prayer for our church family members who passed away since our All Saints celebration last year. All Saints Day is November 1stand traditionally observed on the first Sunday in November.
Christ The King Sunday
The earliest Christians identified Jesus with the predicted Messiah of the Jews. The Hebrew word “Messiah,” and the Greek word “Christ,” both mean “anointed one.” They refer to the expected king whom God promised would deliver his people from all earthly powers. Holy Scripture reveals Jesus of Nazareth to be this long-awaited Messiah. Unlike the Messiah most Jews expected, Jesus came to free all people, Jew and Gentile, and he did not come to free them from the Babylonians, Assyrians, or Romans, but from sin and death. Thus, the King of the Jews, and of all people, does not rule over a kingdom of this world. Christ the King Sunday is the final Sun-day of the Christian Church year and focuses on the return of Christ at the end of the age. This year, Christ the King Sunday is celebrated on November 22nd.
First Sunday Of Advent
The first Sunday of Advent is the beginning of the new liturgical year for the Christian Church. The word “advent” literally means “coming.” Coming on the heels of Christ the King Sunday, Advent is the season when Christians prepare for the coming of our King Jesus Christ. There is actually a two-fold meaning of this coming. When the Church celebrates Advent, we look toward Jesus’ second coming by remembering his first coming to earth. We ponder again the great mystery of the incarnation when our Lord humbled himself, taking on our humanity, and entered our time and space to free us from sin. All the while, we recall in the Creed that our Lord will come again to judge the living and the dead and that we must be ready to greet him. This year, the First Sunday of Advent is November 29th.