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Give Thanks!

By Vicar Lisa

Thanksgiving is a holiday (my favorite!), which we will celebrate Nov. 24 along with the rest of our country.  It is a beautiful tradition and having a National Day of Thanksgiving gives us the opportunity to consider the blessings we share.  

We give thanks for the fertile soil, flowing water, and fresh air that sustain us.  We give thanks for the farmers that planted the seeds and the hands of many that harvested the fields giving us fresh produce.  We thank the farmers and ranchers that produced the livestock and those that were involved in its safe preparation for consumption.  

We give thanks for the hands that lovingly prepared the sumptuous feast that we soon have on our tables before us as well as for the people who clean up afterwards!  But, most of all, we give thanks to the one who generously provides all the persons, places, and things that we are thankful for. 

It is God who gives all these good gifts! There would be no gifts without the giver, no blessings without the one “whose steadfast love is everlasting, whose faithfulness endures from age to age” (Ps. 100:5).

Giving thanks is a primary expression of faith, expanding our sense of connection and community to the abundant reach of God’s grace.  And, at the heart of Christian worship is holy communion, also called the eucharist, a Greek word meaning “thanksgiving.” The gospel tells how God the giver moves even closer, becoming the gift itself. Embodied in Jesus, God nurtures and fulfills people with the bread of God’s own life. We experience this in our church thanksgiving meal.  We “come as we are” to sit at a table with God and find that God’s generosity provides blessings for all.

Throughout the Bible, we are encouraged to lift our voices in thanks to all creation. Below is a verse that I thought was a beautiful message to share with you beautiful people of God as we approach our time of Thanksgiving. 

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

 (Colossians 3:15-17)

 

Announcements:

Zion’s Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner Schedule

Continuing our 30-year tradition, dinner will be served on Thanksgiving Day and all are welcome!  The menu includes a traditional Thanksgiving feast with turkey, ham, dressing, potatoes, vegetables/salad, rolls, and dessert.   In person dining will be served from noon to 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. You may also pick up meals to go (pick-up begins at 11 a.m.). It is so awesome to continue this wonderful time of caring and sharing!

Sunday November 27, 2022, The First Sunday of Advent

8:30 a.m. Sunday Morning Bible study
Bible study has been concluded for the calendar year. Our next study will resume in January.

10 a.m. Worship with Holy Communion
Please join us, either in person OR via ZOOM ('hybrid' worship). If you will be worshiping via Zoom, log on or call in using these links: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81535174862?pwd=MnVLL3FSZGJWdGsxRmhBUWhBWFRHZz09, Meeting ID: 815 3517 4862, Passcode: 155280 or dial +1 719 359 4580 US.

Fellowship time at approximately 11:15 a.m. Please join us for coffee, tea and chatter! 

Coats, Blankets, Socks, and Mittens Collection

Everyone needs to stay warm this winter, but some people need a little extra help, so during November, Zion’s will collect coats, blankets, socks, and gloves or mittens. We will then donate these items to members of our community who are in need, including the people served by Pastor Clay and the Way Ministry. Our collection runs Nov. 1 to 20. If you can donate, bring your items to the Fellowship Hall. And, if you know someone in need, call or email the church and leave a message with the person's name, address, phone number, and need(s).    

Blue Christmas

At 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday Dec. 13, Zion's will offer a special Blue Christmas service in our church sanctuary. A Blue Christmas service provides a quiet and contemplative worship service as an alternative to more traditional gatherings.  This is in honor of those who are experiencing grief and struggling with loss.  All are welcome. Invite your family and friends.

Other Information:

  • The Flower Chart has been replaced by the Flower Book.  This will be located in the back of the sanctuary on the bulletin table.  There are several weeks still available this year.  If you wish to sign up, you can use an envelope in the book and place it into the offering plate.
  • Women’s Bible Study has concluded for the calendar year.

E-formation

This coming Sunday is the first week of Advent, the beginning of a liturgical year during which we will hear from the gospel of Matthew. In Sunday’s readings, the coming of Christ means the hope of justice, peace, and honorable living. Come to worship, to pray for such a world as this.

Matthew 24:36-44

Advent begins the liturgical year, and in this Year A, the gospel readings from Matthew complement the festival gospels taken from John. At this beginning we contemplate the end: the arrival of the divine judge means the end of the earth as we know it. In Advent, we are called to ready our lives to receive our disorienting God. The arrival of God, like a flood, always surprises us.

Isaiah 2:1-5

In Advent the church both anticipates and celebrates the presence of God in Jesus Christ, who is himself, like Jerusalem in the oracle, the locus of divine justice and peace for the world.

Romans 13:11-14

At the start of Advent the church hears Paul’s wake-up call, to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. In the darkness of winter, we awake to the light of Christ. God is like the coming dawn.

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Zion's Lutheran Church

zionsluth@gmail.com

719-846-7785