| Following a wonderful Christmas season, we have now entered the season of Epiphany. And what a great way to enter the season in worship this past weekend with a procession as our 3 Kings who brought the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Christ Child. But it wasn't just about remembering that event. The Epiphany message is that Jesus is for ALL people, Gentiles included (like the three kings), and that we can face the future, and this New Year, not in fear, but with faith that God is with us and shines His Light on us that the darkness cannot put out. For the next 5 weekends we get to celebrate this season of Epiphany (a relatively short season this year due to an early Easter). So don't miss any of it. This is also a time to say welcome back our winter residents! How good to see so many of you this past weekend. As this New Year begins, several things begin and/or resume around Our Savior: 1) Our adult Sunday School classes have combined for the next several weeks around a series, "Worship Matters". This will also be a somewhat inter-generational event as our high school class will be joining. This class meets in the Fellowship Hall during the Sunday School hour (beginning at 9:45am). It's off to a great start, but even if you can't make them all you can join in any Sunday. 2) Also, this past Sunday our children's choir has begun, with 12 kids! They will meet every Sunday from noon til 12:30, right after worship. What a great time they all had on their first get together! 3) Wednesday suppers resume this Wednesday. Supper at 6pm, pork and sauer kraut. Youth Group meets at 6:30. Choir rehearsals won't resume til NEXT Wednesday, Jan. 16, since Ryan will be at an ecumenical sacred music conference on the Gulf Coast this Week. 3) This coming Sunday at 4pm the Richard R. Pautz Leaning Foundation invites you to enjoy a phenomenal concert here at Our Savior "An Afternoon in Old Russia"! A suggested donation of $15 per ticket will go to support Haiti Partners. Children are free, and it will be a fun, energetic concert that children will enjoy. Two fun and engaging Russian musicians, Stas Venglevski and Misha Litvin (boy, the spell check didn't like either of those names!) play instruments something like a mandolin and an accordion. This will be one of those you don't want to miss or will hear about later and think, "I should have been there!" (There's been a lot of those things like that around here lately!) Finally, a squirrel update. The Saturday before Christmas, just before worship, a baby squirrel met Pastor Shelly, Pastor Jack and Paula Sample out under the bell tower. She was hungry and cold (the squirrel, not Paula.) . Pastor Jack picked her up and she curled up in his hands. She found her foster home. Paula made a bed in a little cardboard box for her during the service, and after worship Pastor Jack took her home. She is thriving under the TLC of Karen Diehl (over the course of about 10 years a while back, Karen has raised about 50 orphaned squirrels). The little squirrel nibbles on nuts and apples and mostly drinks a special milk concoction through an eye dropper. She will eventually be released into the Diehl yard with the other squirrels. In light of the season her name is Mary. :-) So, as a New Year begins, may the Peace, Love, Light and Joy of the past Christmas Season and now the season of Epiphany carry you into this New Year with Hope, Courage and Faith! See you in church! Pastor Jack Diehl + www.oursaviorelca.com | 
No comments:
Post a Comment