Bulletin Announcements – December 6, 2015
† Bulletin Announcements †
December 6, 2015
THOUGHTS ON STEWARDSHIP: “As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.’” (Luke 3:4 ESV) God makes long range plans: Isaiah lived more than seven hundred years before St. John the Baptist preached by the Jordan River. Obviously God sees farther into the future than we do! That’s yet another reason to trust Him when it comes to how He tells us to live our lives: He knows what’s coming and we don’t.
THE ADULT BIBLE CLASS, led by Pastor Lueck and meeting in the church basement at 9:15 a.m. is studying “Lutheran Doctrine and Practice Today”.
TODAY’S SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON is “The Birth of John Foretold.” The children learned that God in His mercy promised to send John to prepare sinful people for the coming of the Lord. God in His Word calls us to repentance, declaring us righteous because of His Son, Jesus. In your family discussions ask, “When have you doubted God’s Word? How does God forgive and relieve our doubts?”
MIDWEEK ADVENT WORSHIP SERVICES: The 2nd of our three Advent Worship Services takes place this Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. The message: “Advent Faith”. The meal, a free-will Offering will be given to Seminarian Bradley Ferch from Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN. That meal begins at 5:30 p.m. and you can sign-up on the sheet in the narthex.
THANK YOU to everyone who helped decorate the narthex and Sanctuary for Advent/Christmas. It looks wonderful and we appreciate your help during this fellowship event.
VOTER’S DIRECTIVES: Following the directives of the voters following the recent meeting we have a sheet with Fund Balances available for pick-up on the table in the narthex. Please note the Organ Fund money will be used once the scheduled work is completed in early 2016. Also, there are Financial Statements in the church office for those interested.
SPECIAL REQUEST – IT’S A CARD SHOWER: In honor of her 100th birthday on December 17,2015, Pauline Hanner’s family would appreciate a card or note be sent to her. She is a charter member of Good Shepherd and has gladly served her church and community all her life. Cards can be mailed to: Pauline Hanner C/O Apostolic Christian Home 610 W Cruger Ave Eureka IL 61530
LUTHERAN ANNUAL: It’s time again to order copies of “The Lutheran Annual”. The cost is $28.00. If you are interested in obtaining a copy, please contact Janet or Sandy in the church office by phone (309) 662-8905 or by email: goodshepherdblm@frontier.com, or even in person!
CHOIR PRACTICE: Choir is meeting every Wednesday from 7-8:00 p.m. and we always need more voices. If you would like to learn more about choir, contact Steve Parry at drparry68@outlook.com or (309) 533-5200. Come make a joyful noise until the Lord!
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.
YOU ARE INVITED to take a free 20-minute walking tour and experience “The Journey” that Mary and Joseph took so many years ago. This tour features indoor and outdoor scenes with live drama, live animals and singing. The “Journeys” begin inside every 10 minutes from 5-7:00 p.m. next Sunday, December 13th at Christ Lutheran Church, 311 N. Hershey Rd., in Normal. Free cookies and hot chocolate will be available. Meals are also available for purchase between 4:30 and 7:00 p.m. If you would like more information, please call Christ Lutheran Church at (309) 452-5609.
POSITION AVAILABLE: Christ Lutheran Church at 311 N. Hershey Road in Normal is seeking to hire an Office Manager. The list of Qualifications is posted on the bulletin board. You may submit a letter of interest and resume to Christ Lutheran Church, Attention: Employment Committee; or email to: clcms@frontier.com. For additional details see http://christlutherannormal.org.
THE LUTHERAN HOUR: “The Lord Is Near” is the topic for next Sunday. The sermon text will be from Philippians 4:4-7. God’s message is simple and straightforward: Jesus is near-put trust in Him! The speaker will be Reverend Gregory Seltz. 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 home # is (309) 661-6522; her cell phone# is (309) 532-2582. The Prayer Request box is on the table in the narthex for any written requests.
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Elder, Usher, and Acolyte Schedules for December 2015
Elder and Ushers
| Dec 2 / 7PM | Mid Week Advent | Barry Hamlin | |
| Dec 6 | Daryle Schempp, Gene Fuller, Mike Field, Richard Ross | Craig Culp | Bud Kessler, Curt Kessler |
| Dec 9 / 7PM | Mid Week Advent | Craig Culp | |
| Dec 13 | Gerald Semelka, Steve Parry | Curt Kessler | Holden Lueck, Ryan Kleiboeker, Theron Noth |
| Dec 16 / 7PM | Lessons in Carols | Curt Kessler | |
| Dec 20 | Ben Holland, Jeff Piper, Joshua Parry, Nathan Kluender | Paul Gerike | Brian Dirks, Bryan Reichert |
| Dec 24 / 6PM | Christmas Eve | Paul Gerike | Daryle Schempp, Marvin Huth, Mike Huth |
| Dec 25 / 9AM | Christmas Day | Curt Kessler | Ben Holland, Gene Fuller, Richard Ross |
| Dec 27 | John Hardy, Paul Gerike | Nathan Kluender | Bud Kessler, Greg McNeely, Nick Henson |
| Dec 31 / 7PM | New Year's Eve | John Hardy | Charles Nottingham, Craig Culp, Mike Field |
Acolytes
| Dec 6 | Katey Parry | Pastor/Elder |
| Dec 13 | Pastor/Elder | Will Dowell |
| Dec 20 | Lucas Piper | Pastor/Elder |
| Dec 24 / 6PM | Christmas Eve | Anna Holland |
| Dec 25 / 9AM | Christmas Day | Pastor/Elder |
| Dec 27 | Pastor/Elder | Justin McNeely |
| Dec 31 / 7PM | New Year's Eve | Pastor/Elder |
Stewardship Corner December 2015
Our Lord Jesus Christ healed the man with dropsy by His Word on the Sabbath (Luke 14:1–6). He is the great Physician of both body and soul. The paradoxical symptom of dropsy was an unquenchable craving for drink even though the body was over inflated with fluid, a craving that when indulged served not to ease but to feed the disease. And so if a man drinks a great deal, but is never filled, he sees a doctor to inquire about what ails him, what is wrong with his body and how to remedy it. For that is not thirst but a disease (Seneca, Consolation to His Mother Helvia, 11.3).
But if the owner of five couches goes looking for ten, or the owner of ten tables buys up as many again, and even though he has plenty of land and money, he remains unsatisfied and desires yet more, losing sleep and always in discontent, does he not also require a physician to diagnose the cause of this distress? For this is not want or lack, but a disease (Aristippus, quoted in Plutarch, Love of Wealth, 524b). As St. Augustine of Hippo wrote, “we may rightly compare the dropsical man to a covetous rich man: For the more the one is swollen with excess of water, the more he thirsts; so also the other: The more he abounds in riches . . . the more eagerly he desires them” (The Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers, Vol. 4, 135). Both require physicians. Both require diagnosis and medicine applied from the outside to the inward being. For these are not desires to be fulfilled but diseases to be cured.
This is why our Lord instructs us on taking care not to be overmuch consumed by money. “No one can serve two masters . . . . You cannot serve God and money” (Matt 6:24; Luke 16:13). The point is that our desire for money, like the disease dropsy, is never satisfied. We always desire more. We always think, if I just had this much then I would be happy. But even when that much comes, which God gladly gives, that happiness evades us. For the desire for more of these things is never satisfied. It demands our constant energy–either in procuring more or protecting what we already have. When this happens, God, in His mercy, shows us that the money that He has given is no longer serving us, but we it. We have another master.
To overcome this, we need a physician’s diagnosis and a physician’s remedy. And our Lord, Jesus Christ, our great physician of both body and soul, like the man healed of dropsy, applies His Word to us. He shows us how we have put our fear, our love, and our trust in our money and not feared, loved, and trusted in Him above all things. In essence, He says, “Stop it! Stop chasing after these fleeting things. They are vanity. They are the things that moth and rust destroy. For you cannot have two masters. Repent!” And in seeing our great error, we are sorry that we have not fully feared, loved, and trusted in God above all things. And, in the mercy and grace, that He earned for us on the cross, He takes away this sin, restores us to health, and bids us live.
But then what? What do we do with this healing balm and care that our great Physician has done? Do we simply go back to our old ways? “By no means!” St. Paul says (Rom 3:31; 6:2). We do not just go back to the old ways. That way is dead to us and leads us to death. No, we live a new life, a life filled with the grace, mercy, and love of God toward us. And God’s great mercy, grace, and love toward is so abundant that it overflows and pours out onto those around us. So we no longer hoard money and possessions. We no longer scrape and crawl our way to amass more. We give to those around us, as God in Christ has given to us. We press our money and possessions into service for those who need it: our family, our society, and our Church. For money is God’s gift to us to serve us and others. Not the other way round. It serves us because it is a gift from our Father in heaven.
Celebrating December 2015
Birthdays
12/3 Matthew Culp
12/3 Jacob Piper
12/6 Eli McNeely
12/7 Kaitlin Culp
12/7 Brian Hitch
12/10 Kimberly King
12/14 Johanna Kirchner
12/17 Pauline Hanner
12/17 Karson Lueck
12/19 Matthew Holland
12/20 Heidi Bliese
12/24 Devin Kemp-Golden
12/28 Tanner Hitch
12/30 Audrie King
12/31 Richard Olson
Baptismal Birthdays
12/1 Theron Noth
12/4 Caleb Evans
12/5 Curtis Kessler, Jr
12/12 Sierra Parker
12/18 Gordon Schroeder
12/20 Jeanette McNeely
12/23 Jacob Piper
12/25 John Campbell
12/27 Aaron Scott
12/28 Maria Kirchner
12/29 Heidi Bliese
12/29 Karson Lueck
Pastor’s Notes December 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Today on my schedule I had the task of writing this devotion for the newsletter. As I awoke and made my way to the bathroom to shower, my schedule changed. As I turned on the light I noticed a note on the mirror that read in part, “__________________ ran into the mailbox this morning.” As I showered I wondered how much damage had been done. Was the mailbox bent? Was it knocked over? Did I have work to do so that we could receive our mail that day?
After getting myself ready, I peered out the window and the mailbox was . . . completely on the ground. This newsletter article was going to have to wait. I spent most of that morning working to get it into some semblance of shape for the catalogs, bills, and junk to be delivered.
Ever have a day or numerous days like that where your plans are changed? Now think of the Virgin Mary and the day she had when the angel told her she would be the mother of Jesus. What were her plans that day? Had she just gotten up, stepped out of the bath, eaten her breakfast? For me, a few hours of my day were changed. For Mary, a lifetime was altered. Imagine what it was like to know that she would be carrying within her the King of kings and Lord of lords! She knew the Lord was with her and she could confidently say, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to Your word.” (Luke1:38)
As we head into December we must be prepared for our plans to be changed or altered. It could be the weather. It could be sickness. It could be our job. It could be the mailbox knocked over. Whatever it is, be assured that you are not alone. That Child Mary was carrying was coming into the world to carry our burdens. Our Lord will sustain and comfort us. He will walk with us every step of the way. His death and resurrection are our entrance into the glory of heaven . . . where there will be no mailboxes on their sides or anything else to disturb our eternity.
In Christ,
Pastor