12/21/08

Dear Fellow Beloved Children of God,

Today my family and I are continuing another family Christmas tradition.
For our 18 Christmases in Alaska we have gone out into the woods and cut a Christmas tree. This trip can be an adventure. Finding the right tree is not easy. It can mean trudging through the snow in the cold.
(But you know that cold and snow are better than warmer weather and rain this time of year). Carrying the tree back to the truck is always an adventure. My daughter, Mary, claims that her brother, Timothy, dropped the tree on her on purpose last year. (We just sit back and laugh at the give and take between brother and sister.) But, mainly this has become an activity that we do together as part of our family celebration of Christmas, the birth of our Savior, Jesus.

Some might ask, “Are Christmas trees Christian?” Well, there are stories of Martin Luther or other church fathers cutting and decorating trees. Pastor Allen did point out recently that Christmas trees point up. Christmas trees are evergreens, and some have used this characteristic of the Christmas tree to point to the eternal love of God. But, if you read the story of Jesus’ birth in the Bible you will find nothing about a Christmas tree. There might have been palm trees, or olive trees, or date trees, but nothing like what we in Western Culture call a Christmas tree.

Do you know, however, that there are many other examples in Scripture of God’s people using outward celebrations to remind them of the gracious love of God. You may know of the celebrations of Passover and the other Jewish festivals. But, have you ever read about the celebration of the Jewish Feast of Purim, the celebration of the deliverance of God’s people through the bravery of Esther and Mordecai? After the Jews had been spared and delivered from slaughter, they celebrated. 17 This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy. 18 The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy. 19 That is why rural Jews-- those living in villages-- observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents to each other. (Esther 9:17-19) That sounds sort of like our Christmas celebration, doesn’t it?

We all know that outward celebrations can get in the way of the real meaning of Christmas. We have all struggled against the busyness and trappings of Christmas hindering our reception of the gift of God’s Son through our repentance and faith and joy. But, when we allow those outward celebrations to point us to the gift of God’s love they allow us to celebrate God’s gracious goodness in our lives with joy. And, the angels reminded us that the birth of God’s Son is “Good news of Great Joy!”

May you and your loved ones rejoice in the amazing gift of love that God gave when He sent His Son, Jesus, to save us. May all your celebrations point to Jesus, his forgiveness and love!

Rejoicing in God’s Gift of Love in Family celebrations of Worship, Faith, and Love, Pastor Jonathan

P.S. Yesterday I received a Christmas ornament as a gift. On one side the ornament is a Christmas Tree and the saying, “When you strip away all the glitter.” But, when turned around the ornament shows the cross, and underneath is written, “God’s real truth shines through.”
P. P. S. The link to pictures of this ornament is:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jonrock53/ChristmasOrnament2008?feat=directl
ink

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ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’ - I am sending these e-mail messages,
hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I have. (I am always adding new names of friends and members – in case you are just receiving this e-mail for the first time.) However, if you don’t want to receive this e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for this message. . . Or, if you know someone who would like to receive one of these e-mails, please send me their e-mail address.

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PLEASE REMEMBER THE FOLLOWING WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES TO CELEBRATE THE GIFT OF God’s Son.

A CHRISTMAS CAROLING OUTING will be held on Sunday afternoon, December 21, beginning at 2:00 p.m. These caroling events have been times of joy which have brought the Christmas joy of God’s love to people who are housebound. We have many people to sing for this year. Come and join us!

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS WORSHIP

* A CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLE-LIGHT CHILDREN’S WORSHIP SERVICE will be
held again at St. John on Christmas Eve, Wednesday, December 24 at 6:00 p.m. This service will include a telling of the Christmas story, Christmas Carols, and a candle lighting ceremony.

* A Traditional Christmas Carol Candle-light worship will be held
at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. Plan on inviting your friends!

* CHRISTMAS DAY WORSHIP will be held again this year at St. John
at 11:00 a.m. This worship will include the reading of the traditional Christmas story, devotional readings from a Paul Maier* book on the First Christmas, and a short communion liturgy. As we celebrate the coming of ‘Immanuel - God with us’, we will experience that coming in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Please plan to attend!

* NEW YEAR’S EVE WORSHIP will be held at St. John on Wednesday
night, December 31, at 7:00 p.m. This is a good way to end one year and begin another, with the Lord and His blessings. This also will be a communion service.


PASTOR ROCKEY IS SERVING LUNCH FOR RETURNING COLLEGE STUDENTS (and young
adults) at church on Friday, December 26, at noon!. He will serve home made chicken soup and salad. All college students are encouraged to come and enjoy the food, catch up with friends, and share their faith stories. (Later that night is the yearly game night at the Grieses for this same group. Call Herman, Linda, Katlyn (David), or Lauren at
357-0703 for more information.

MANY HAVE ASKED ABOUT MY OFFICE COMPUTER. My new computer is up and running, and with the help of those who are more computer savvy than myself, I will soon have all my programs working. Thank you for your concern.

THANKS TO THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE SPECIAL OFFERING HELD AT ST.
JOHN FOR THE NEEDY! Over $900.00 was donated to help St. John help members in need. If you still want to contribute you can write a check and put “Local Missions – Needy Offering” in the memo.

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DID YOU KNOW THAT MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT ST. JOHN is available on our church website? The link is: http://www.st-john-lutheran.org
<http://www.st-john-lutheran.org/> We hope to have recordings of
worship and sermons on our web page soon!