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THE WORD

THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED

FOR THE MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF

REFORMATION LUTHERAN CHURCH

December, 2006

HAVE YOU CHECKED YOUR LIST?!

We all keep lists… even if you don’t want to admit it. Sometime we call it a “to do” list, “things to remember” and my favorite here at Reformation, the “honey do” list. As 2006 comes to a close, if you’re anything like me, you’ve probably got more things to do on your list than time to do it! But it’s now or never to finish off those many tasks we need to complete at home…and in our church home.

If you’ve never taken the time to join a committee or organization here at Reformation, don’t let the year end without doing it. It’s easy to think you’ll get around to it and then another year goes by and it’s still on your list. We’ve got lots of groups looking for new members. The Helping Hands Committee is always looking for folks who’d like to help do things like distribute Thanksgiving baskets to families in need, or work at the opening of Reborn Boutique on Saturday, December 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pre-owned clothing, some never worn, will be sold at this event. The Esther Circle also will sell more of their Christmas crafts that day. Our choirs will be sponsoring an Advent Jazz Vespers, featuring Barry Sames, the following day, Sunday, December 10, at 4 p.m. We’re always looking for new members who enjoy singing and sharing God’s blessings with others. Now is a great time to join in as we prepare for the birth of our Savior.

2007 marks the beginning of our 65th anniversary year. Praise be to God! There are many things to be done by everyone, to prepare for our year-long celebration. When you start your list for 2007, please put this series of special activities at the top.

Our Time and Talent card is an ideal way to join in and work with your church family in any number of ministries. Please make sure you fill out a card and join in. Now you’ve got one thing you can check off your list!!

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From our Interim Pastor

Who’s Who at Christmas

When most of us think of Christmas two names come to mind.  Of course it is a celebration of the birth of Christ, and so Jesus is one of those names.  It can also be a time of fun and fantasy, and so Santa is the other name. What is interesting is that these two, Jesus and Santa, are so very different!

With the birth of Christ, God is entering our world in a very special way, with a very special gift.  It is the most wonderful, priceless gift we could ever receive.  We receive this gift in our baptism as we are adopted as children of God.  Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ we receive God’s love and mercy.  And we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us, support us, and help us live our lives in that special relationship with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  All of this is wonderful for us.  The difficult part is that it is a free gift from God.  We are so used to having to earn our way, earn approval, earn acceptance, earn respect – it is not easy for us to simply accept a gift with no strings attached.  We feel as though we need to do something, give something; we need to at least “be good” to have earned it.  But, there is nothing we can do or need to do to receive God’s love.  True, having received it we are called to respond with love for God and care for each other – but these actions are our responses, our thank you notes; they don’t earn the gift in the first place!

With Santa it’s quite different.  We hear the words, “He’s making a list and checking it twice; ‘gonna find out who’s naughty and nice!  Santa Claus is coming to town.”  And what is the question that is asked when Santa is visited?  “Have you been good this year?”  Of course the answer is YES!  Otherwise there will be no gifts.  At the same time, Santa is often a fun part of our Christmas celebrations – especially for young children.

With these two very different messages at Christmas time, how do we reconcile them for ourselves, and especially for our children or grandchildren?  We begin with ourselves, with our own experiences of God’s gifts to us in the birth of Jesus, and with the priorities we set in our Christmas preparations and celebrations.  Here are some suggestions you might want to consider:

·        Join us in worship Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m., to prepare our hearts and our lives for the coming of Christ.

·        Come on December 10, at 4:00 p.m., for Advent Jazz Vespers with Barry Sames.

·        Make an advent wreath, and plan to have family devotions throughout Advent to focus on the Christmas story.

·        Put out your crèche figures, except for the baby, and make the placing of Jesus on Christmas a special time to look forward to.  You may want to put Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men at a distance, and then move them closer throughout December.  Use it to tell the Christmas story, then ask your children/grandchildren to tell you the story.

·        Talk with your children about the giving of gifts, and that we give gifts to each other because God gave us such a special gift in Jesus.

·        Consider giving a tithe (10%) of all that you spend on Christmas gifts to a special charity.  As a part of your giving, give checks to children or grandchildren with “pay to the order of” left blank and discuss with them where to donate the money.

·        Tell children that Santa is a different, but fun part of our celebrations.  Downplay the “be good” part, and don’t threaten that Santa won’t come if they don’t behave.  Involve children in your preparations, and if some discipline is needed, do what you would normally if it weren’t Christmastime.

Be sure your own priorities are in order and that your plans are realistic in cost, time, and stress.  Santa is really quite simply.  In “Twas the Night Before Christmas” he only fills the stockings!  Children offer for us a wonderful opportunity to see the events in our daily life from a different perspective.  As you make special plans to focus on the birth of Jesus with the children in your life, your preparations for Christmas will be focused as well.

May you experience the joy of Christ’s coming in a special way, as well as the fun and the festivities of the season.

In Christ,

Pastor Jeff

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