“Good Christian Friends, Rejoice, with heart and soul and voice; now ye need not fear the grave; Jesus Christ was born to save! Calls you one and calls you all, to gain the everlasting hall. Christ was born to save! Christ was born to save!” – Third verse of “Good Christian Friends, Rejoice” by John Mason Neale, ELW 288.
Merry Christmas! Yes, I know it is January. Did you think that Christmas has come and gone?
“Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free; from our fears and sins release us; let us find our rest in thee. Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth though art, dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.” (Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus; ELW 254, Charles Wesley)
We have entered the season of Advent. In this season, we wait and prepare for the birth of Jesus.
“This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it! (This is the Day, Les Garrett, 1967)
I enter the month of October with this earworm stuck on repeat. I find myself humming and singing, “This is the Day” all the time. I sing, “Let us rejoice and be glad in it,” when I walk the dog, as I cook dinner,
This month, our confirmation youth resume their classes. Last year, they dwelt in the Small Catechism and learned what it means to be a Lutheran. This year, the youth are going to dwell in the scriptures. They are going to learn what the Bible is. They are going to experience the stories in the Bible. We start in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) in the year’s first half and move to the New Testament in the second half.
Grace Lutheran Church has had a vibrant summer so far. The community has come together to support the youth ministry of this congregation. As I mentioned last month, we hosted Day Camp. Fifty area children spent time in worship, Bible study, prayer, service, and play. With the support of Ewalu Bible Camp, our congregation came together to lift up and encourage these young children. Our confirmation students also spent a week at Ewalu,