January 1, 2017
THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: Luke 2:21: “And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” There it is: the shortest Gospel lesson of the whole Church Year. It is for the festival of the Circumcision and Name of Jesus. What more do you need to know than the Name of Jesus? The Lord Saves. That’s who Jesus is: the Lord who saves us sinners. That simple Gospel message is the foundation of our faith and the strength to live out our faith in action.
THE ADULT BIBLE CLASS meeting at 9:15 a.m. this morning will watch the DVD “The First Rosa – Teacher, Confessor, Church Planter”. It tells the story of LCMS member Rosa Young and her work to bring the Gospel to different parts of the church in the southern part of the United States.
TODAY IN SUNDAY SCHOOL: “Jesus Is Rejected at Nazareth” is the Sunday School lesson for today. In Nazareth, throughout His ministry, and even today, Jesus is rejected by people who do not have faith in Him. God’s Word clearly shows that Jesus is God’s Son, and in faith, we believe. With your family, discuss, “How does sin blind our eyes to the Savior and cause us to suffer from sin’s effects with sickness, trouble, and even physical death?”
NEXT SUNDAY, January 8th, will be our monthly door Offering for our Seminary Student Jeremy Hercamp. Sunday, January 22nd, will be Life Sunday with a special Order of Worship. We will also have a door Offering that day for “Lutherans For Life”.
2017 OFFERING ENVELOPES: Your 2017 Offering Envelopes are available on the cart that is located in the narthex. We encourage everyone to pick up your envelopes!
PORTALS OF PRAYER: The January—March 2017 Portals of Prayer are available on the book rack in the narthex. Pick up your free copy today.
FELLOWSHIP HOSTS: The sign-up for help with coffee/doughnuts is posted on the wall by the north stairwell. We need an individual/family to sign-up each week to pick up the donuts and make the coffee. If no one is signed up by Friday of each week, the order will be cancelled. We thank everybody who continues to help with this part of our church fellowship.
THE LUTHERAN HOUR: “God’s Real Promise of Righteousness and Justice” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from Isaiah 42:1-9. Jesus brings us righteousness and justice to restore bruised reeds and reignite faintly burning wicks. Reverend Dr. Gregory Seltz is the speaker. Hear this Sunday’s message on the Lutheran Hour on WGN (720) at 6:00 a.m.; WJWR (104.7 FM) and WJWR (90.3 FM) both on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Also, if you can receive Lincoln, IL radio station WLLM (1370 AM) the program is broadcast two times on Sunday at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Tune in! You can also listen to The Lutheran Hour on your personal computer at RealAudio, www.lhm.org.
PRAYER CHAIN: If you have a prayer request please submit them by email to Mary Anne Kirchner at makirchner@yahoo.com or you may phone a Prayer Request to Mary Anne; her cell phone# is (309) 532-2582. The Prayer Request box is on the table in the narthex for any written requests.