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Immanuel News & Notes (Advent 1)

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THIS WEEK AT IMMANUEL

Sunday (11/28)

  • 7:30 am—Divine Service of the Word (On-Line Video)
  • 9:00 am—Divine Service with Holy Communion
  • 10:30 am—Bible Class & Sunday School
  • 2:30 pm—Nursing Home Service

Wednesday

  • 7:00 pm—Advent Midweek Service

Saturday

  • 3:30 pm—Individual Confession and Absolution
  • 5:30 pm—Divine Service with Holy Communion

Sunday (12/5)

  • 7:30 am—Divine Service of the Word (On-Line Video)
  • 9:00 am—Divine Service with Holy Communion
  • 10:30 am—Bible Class & Sunday School
  • 12:30 pm—Catechism Class
  • 5:00 pm—Church-wide Live Nativity (Ervin Park)

IN OUR PRAYERS

HEALTH CONCERNS: Bernita Ashwill; Rev. Paul Brink (cousin of Ann Carroll); Connie Bruns (cousin of Mary Appleby); Lynn Corrie (friend of Arleigh Jones); Ellie Crawford (daughter of Laran Crawford); Leona Czerwonka; Cindy Ekstrom; Lisa Hall (sister of Holly Wikoff); Rick Hardesty (family of the Hoels); Kim Hausman (friend of Ann Carroll); Deanna Henningsen (sister-in-law of Jerry & Joyce Alexander); Reuben Hostetler; Becky Kappes; Mary Miller (friend of David Holzrichter); Dennis Pickett (friend of Ann Carroll); Cary & Beth Rahn; Joan Rahn; Emma Silver; Ocil Slone (grandfather of Josh & Jake Dyer); Carolyn Stremming (sister-in-law of Arleigh Jones); Dylan Taylor (friend of Becky Kappes), Doris Threet (sister of Wanda Long); Irene Wattjes; Lynn & Jane Whitson (parents of Mark Whitson); Brett Willoughby (friend of Matthew Waldrop); Dennis Wiltzius (father of Michelle Stumeier).

SEMINARY STUDENT: Gunnar Campbell; Logan Smith.

DEACONESS STUDENT: Elizabeth Fodor.

MISSIONARIES: The Jastram Family; The McDermott Family, Julie Lutz

HOMEBOUND: Bernita Ashwill; Janet Pollock; Ruth Rentschler; Ruth Sims; Glen Stumeier; Irene Wattjes.

MILITARY: Carl Crawford; Josh Dyer; Jeremy Gordon; Jack Leonard; Jake Lindgren; Raymond Longtin; Joey Pollock; Blake Stokes; Scott Walter; Ruben Wilson.

THE ANNOUNCEMENTS

NEXT WEEK’S READINGS . . . Malachi 4:1–6; Romans 15:4–13; Luke 21:25–36.

ABOUT THIS WEEK’S READINGS . . . The new Church Year begins by focusing on the humble coming of our Lord. “Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey” (Matt. 21:5). Even as He was born in a lowly manger, so Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a beast of burden. For He bears the sin of the world. He is the Son of David riding to His enthronement on the cross, where He shows Himself to be “The LORD is our Righteousness” (Jer. 23:5–6). Our Lord still comes in great humility to deliver His righteousness to us in the Word and Sacraments. Before receiving Christ’s body and blood, we also sing, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matt. 21:9) And as we receive the Sacrament, we set our hearts on His return in glory, for “our salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed” (Rom. 13:11).

THOUGHTS ABOUT STEWARDSHIP . . . Jeremiah 23:6 “And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’” Jesus is our righteousness, our justification, our all. In Jesus we are forgiven and free. This knowledge sets us free to live as children of the Heavenly Father without fear. Freed from the supposed need to justify ourselves, good works can be done by us for the right reason: to thank God and to serve our neighbor.

REMINDER: ANGEL TREE . . . offering envelopes are due Sunday, December 5. An envelope designated for Angel Tree has been placed in your mailbox. You can give cash or a check, payable to Immanuel. Use the envelope to return your gift in the offering on December 5. Or you may return it to the church office. Thank you for your generosity in helping area children receive a few gifts under the Christmas Tree.

REMINDER: IMMANUEL BOARDS MEET . . . on Monday, December 13. If you have not done so already, please submit your 2020 budget request to the church office as soon as possible following your board meeting.

THE SUNDAY SCHOOL CHRISTMAS SERVICE . . . will be Sunday, December 12. The service is at 6:00 pm, followed by refreshments hosted by the Board of Education. Join us for a Christmas Service where our children will remind us of the real reason for the season with all your favorite Christmas hymns and then food and fellowship.

MONTHLY BIBLE CHALLENGE . . . The November reading list is now available in the Narthex and online!

WHY? . . . Why do we sing responsively the Thanksgiving after the Nunc Dimittis? The responsive chanting of “Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good,” with “And His mercy endureth forever,” is the oldest responsorial in our liturgy, coming from the Psalms, especially Psalm 136,which employs the response “For His mercy endureth forever” at each verse. Its usage here, at the completion of the Distribution and Nunc Dimittis, is not only a fitting reminder of the goodness of God given in the Sacrament, but a liturgical mark and indication that all of the goodness and mercy of God may be found in the Sacrament, and even that every other reference to the goodness of God is fulfilled in the Sacrament. This is the final—the perpetually final—expression of thanks to God for His goodness, now that we have come to the pinnacle of everything that can rightly be called good. God not only made the world and called it good in the beginning, but now, in the end, joins Himself and His eternal goodness to us fallen creatures, to return to us fall eternity the dignity of His goodness.

POINSETTIA ORDER FORMS . . . are included in this weekend’s bulletins. Please complete and return them by Sunday, December 12. Poinsettias are $13.00 this year and can be taken and enjoyed at home immediately following the Christmas Day service.

UPCOMING SPECIAL SERVICES AND EVENTS

  •       Wednesday, December 1             7:00 pm            Advent Midweek Service
  •       Sunday, December 5                    5:00 pm            Live Nativity (Ervin Park)
  •       Wednesday, December 8             7:00 pm            Advent Midweek Service
  •       Sunday, December 12                  6:00 pm            Sunday School Christmas Service
  •       Wednesday, December 15           7:00 pm            Advent Midweek Service
  •       Monday, December 20                 7:30 pm            Voter’s Budget Meeting
  •       Friday, December 24                   7:00 pm            Christmas Eve Service
  •       *Saturday, December 25             9:00 am            Christmas Day Service
  •       Friday, December 31                   7:00 pm            New Year’s Eve Service

* The Saturday night service is canceled on Christmas Day

IMMANUEL’S 125TH ANNIVERSARY COOKBOOK . . . The Board of Mission and Evangelism have prepared a cookbook for Immanuel’s 125th anniversary, which is next July. The cookbooks will be available in early December and cost $15.00. You may pr-order using the order form. They make great gifts for Christmas.

SERVICES ONLINE . . . A copy of the service bulletin, which includes all the responses and the hymns, is available at Immanuel’s website under the Sermons tab by clicking on the button labeled PDF. This video option will continue to be made available until our usual service times resume. You can access these online services in three places:

  1. On Immanuel’s Facebook page
  2. On Immanuel’s Website under the Sermons tab
  3. On Immanuel’s YouTube channel

CHURCH MEMBER INFORMATION UPDATE


PRAYER REQUESTS


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