There are certain seasons in the life of a pastor that are abundantly busy. We are in one such season now. The time from Thanksgiving to Advent to Christmas is busy for many of us. There is a lot of shopping to do, food to prepare, decorations to see, and so much more. At least here you don’t have to worry about shoveling snow.

For me, there are extra events, extra services, extra sermons, and in this first year of pastoral ministry just so much to learn about your traditions and customs here at First Lutheran. It can all be a bit overwhelming. And yet the very reason for the extra events and services and sermons draws my attention away from my to do list and back to Jesus.

Stanza six of the Advent classic, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel says,

O Come, Thou Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

This is what I long for in this season of busyness: that Jesus would cheer us all by drawing near to us. I pray that His Word and His presence would disperse the clouds and shadows that can cause us so much worry and frustration. I pray that His light will shine upon you and through you.

God’s blessings on your week.

Pastor Andy

As the holiday season comes nearer, I just wanted to send a few reminders. If you have adopted one of our preschool teachers, start thinking about how you might show your appreciation and thankfulness for them in the coming weeks. Send them a card. Buy them a gift. Perhaps you could invite them to your house for a meal. Perhaps you could take them out for a Caramel Brulée Latte. If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting your teacher, find time to introduce yourself. One option would be to join us for preschool chapel which happens every Thursday at 9:30 AM.

Also, Giving Thanks at Thanksgiving is nearly upon us. If you can find time to invite neighbors who may not have family in the area, they may really appreciate sharing a meal with our community. We will have a worship service at 10:30 AM on Thanksgiving morning in the sanctuary, and the doors open for the meal at 11:30 AM with food service running until 2:00 PM.

Finally, our next congregational meeting will be on Sunday, December 2. At this meeting we will elect the new church council for 2019. I hope you all have considered serving on the church council. If now is not the right time for you, or if you plan to serve and lead in other ways, that is okay. I hope you will pray that God will raise up leaders to fill the roles we need.

Thanks, and God’s richest blessings on your week.

Pastor Andy