Our annual Thanksgiving Eve service of worship will be held at 6:30PM on Wednesday, Nov. 23. Everyone at St. Jacob’s is encouraged to attend as we worship and give thanks to our loving God for the many blessings he pours out upon us. Gather with your church family for this special evening.
It’s hard to believe, but in a few short weeks the season of Advent will be upon us.
“Advent” comes from a Latin word meaning “coming” or “arrival.” Within the traditional Church, the season of Advent is the season of waiting and anticipation of the coming of Christ. Not simply the coming of Christ as the child born in a manger, but also His second Coming to usher in the kingdom of God in its fullness. This dual meaning of Advent has been celebrated by Christians since the 6th century.
At St. Jacob’s we will celebrate Advent in traditional ways. Sunday worship services will focus on the lessons prescribed by our lectionary. Our mid-week services will feature dramatic readings and the Vespers liturgy from the Lutheran Book of Worship.
On Wednesday, December 21, we will once again offer a Blue Christmas Service: Worship on the Longest Night. Further information will be shared in the weekly worship bulletins leading up to this date.
Celebrating Advent leads worshipers to greater spiritual depth in the midst of a secular season of distraction that pulls us farther from the very meaning of Christmas. Like a powerful magnet, using images of bright lights, festive decorations, and beautifully wrapped gifts, the world seeks to draw Christians away from the expected hope of Christ and toward a life shaped by earthly cultural traditions.
Join us for worship during Advent and experience God working in your spiritual life as you join the Christian family in the waiting, expectation, and contemplative reflection of pondering the grace of God and the ultimate gift of CHRISTmas.
How might you participate in the life and ministry of St. Jacob’s? It is the time of year when all church family members are asked to ponder this very question. As you consider ways in which you might become or continue to be involved, please be sure to fill out the Time and Talent Sheet for 2023. Every member of St. Jacob’s (all ages) is encouraged to fill out a time and talent sheet.
Blank sheets will be included as an insert to the worship bulletin each Sunday through November 13th. Begin with prayer and then check the ways in which you are willing and able to serve our Lord and his church.
Every other Sunday, Pastor David leads worship for the residents of Generations Assisted Care of Chapin. This ministry has made a difference in the lives of many folks who are not able to attend worship at their home church. The congregation is invited and certainly encouraged to share the love of Christ Jesus in worship with our friends just down the road. Our next worship opportunities will be:
Sunday, October 30
Sunday, November 13
Sunday November 27
We begin our worship at 1:00PM in the lobby. Join us as you are able and bring a smile to those whom God loves.
Our St. Jacob’s choirs continue to gather and grow. Our youth members in grades 4 and up have been rehearsing handbells each Sunday and have enjoyed playing during our Sunday services.
Our Children’s Choir, (grades K-3) have been busy learning new songs. As they continue to gain confidence they too will share their gift of music with the congregation during worship.
And finally, our adult Chancel Choir continues to rehearse on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 and always has room for more.
I would like to encourage members of our church family of all ages to consider how you might participate in the music ministry of St. Jacob’s. Even if you are only able to share your musical talent from time to time, there are many opportunities for special music.
Anyone who might be interested in learning Hand Bells is strongly encouraged to contact me so we might explore this opportunity.
Please come and join us.
It’s that time of year again, time to turn our clocks back one hour as Daylight Savings Time comes to an end. To be on time for worship on Sunday, Nov. 6, be sure to set your clocks back before going to bed on Saturday November 5th. If you forget, well then you will have plenty of time to participate in Sunday school.
It is also a good time to replace the batteries in your smoke detectors, emergency radios and flashlights. In this way we also prepare our homes and families for the long winter nights.
The days are cooling, everything pumpkin spice is on the menu and that means all our choirs are back in practice. This year there are a few changes to our St. Jacob’s choirs. Our youth in grades 4 and above are rehearsing hand bells each Sunday afternoon at 4 pm. We have started a new choir for our youngest St. Jacobs family members. Children in kindergarten through 3rd grade are meeting at 3 pm on Sunday afternoons for Children’s Choir. There are even changes for our adult choir. The Wednesday evening service will be held at 6:30 each Wednesday starting the first of October which allows our adult choir to practice from 7-8 pm starting immediately following the service. Please come and join us.
I’ve seen Christmas merchandise being put on the shelves in stores, so it is not too soon to be thinking about our Christmas music. If you would be willing to participate in special Christmas music for the season, please let me know. I would love to have a small hand bell group, and this would be a great time for you to participate in choir on a limited basis. Come learn the music for Christmas with us.
St. Jacob’s Lutheran men led the congregation in worship on Sunday, September 25th. Thank you to all our men who participated and lent their gifts to the service of the church and sharing God’s Word among his people. Thank you also to St. Jacob’s Choir Director, Angela for assisting the men in their planning and participating in this service.
We are very thankful for the ministry of our St. Jacob’s men and pray that God would continue to bless them in their ministry among us.
Psalm 98:4-6
4 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;
5 make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing,
6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
There is no doubt that God loves our music. Throughout scripture we are told to offer songs to God. In 1Chronicles, we are told that after David’s armies had subdued Israel’s enemies, the people were able to settle and David assigned duties to the Levites, the clan chosen to be priests and care for all things related to worship. In 1Chronicles 23, David chooses 4000 men to be in charge of the music used in worship. David knew that our offering of music was pleasing to God.
In the book of Revelation, John is given a glimpse into heaven where he sees the heavenly host gathered around the Lamb of God singing. Verse 4 tells us that each of the elders holding a harp fell down before the Lamb and they sang a new song. Then angels numbering thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand encircled the throne and sang. And finally John heard every creature in heaven and earth and under the earth and on the sea singing. There is no doubt that God loves our music. The music of our worship service is an offering to God. Just as we bring our gifts of money, and offer prayers and praise to God each Sunday, we also give an offering of music to God. Some of the songs of our worship are old familiar hymns that we love. Some of the hymns are newer and we may not be as familiar with them. But all of the hymns are an offering of music to our God and we join those elders, and angels and all the host of heaven and earth singing new songs and much loved songs to our Lord. On Sundays, sing out with gusto. If you can’t carry a tune, sing out with gusto, God will hear the beauty of your voice in offering to Him. If you aren’t familiar with the song, sing out with gusto. God will accept your offering with pleasure. If you are afraid to sing, sing out with gusto and join your voice to all those voices in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and in the sea. God will hear your offering and there is no doubt that God loves our music.
Beginning on Monday, September 12th, Pastor David will offer a Bible study for the men of St. Jacob’s. Each Monday morning at 7 AM., we will meet in the Church Office Conference Room for approximately one hour. Each man who signs up to attend will receive a copy of the “Every Man’s Life Application Bible” which will be used as our primary text. Please contact Pastor David with your intent on participating so he can order your copy of the “Every Man’s Bible.”
