December 16th Update
Dear Brothers and Sisters of Messiah,
With just over a week before we celebrate the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, our life together at Messiah comes into focus around the heart of our faith.
The Great O Antiphons of the Middle Ages (the roots of the hymn "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel") express our deepest needs as we complete our Advent preparations, asking Jesus for wisdom, redemption, deliverance, rescue, enlightenment and salvation through His Word and Sacraments. (You can find both the prayers and the hymn at number 357 in Lutheran Service Book - or posted on our Facebook page, one day at a time, starting tomorrow.) The coming opportunities for you and those you know to receive God's great gifts are listed below:
WORSHIP AND CLASS SCHEDULE
We continue with Divine Service at 10:00 am on Sundays. Bible Class continues beforehand at 9:00 am. Sunday School for children PreK and up is held after worship, starting about 11:15 am.
Livestreams of our Sunday services can be found at
Our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/messiahgr
The most recent livestreamed service is viewable on our website's front page, www.messiahgr.org
CARES (Caring, Active, Reaching, Encouraging Sisters in Christ) will break for Christmas Eve & New Year's Eve, resuming on Wednesday, January 7th at 9:45 am. This women’s book discussion group continues reading Leaning on Jesus: A Study of God’s Strength by Deb Burma; click here for a sample.
NEW! LifeLight: Law & Gospel begins in January. This 9-session Tuesday morning study will be led by Shirley Hoese. Watch for further details coming soon!
ADVENT & CHRISTMAS WORSHIP
Our final Midweek Advent Prayer Service will be held Wednesday, December 3rd at 11:00 am.
Christmas Reflections (Lessons and Carols) will be held Wednesday, December 17th at 7:00 pm.
Our Christmas service schedule is as follows:
Christmas Eve Family Candlelight Service, Wednesday, December 24th at 7:00 pm
Christmas Day Divine Service, Thursday, December 25th at 10:00 am
NEW! Urdu Worship Service Saturday, December 27th at 5:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall, with a dinner following. Please RSVP for the meal by calling the church office by December 26th.
New Year's Day Divine Service, Thursday, January 1st at 10:00 am
Epiphany Divine Service at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Rockford, Tuesday, January 6th at 7:00 pm. This will be a joint service with St. Peter's.
Invitations for Christmas Reflections and Christmas Eve services are available at the Welcome Center. Use them to invite friends, relatives, neighbors and colleagues to rejoice with us that the Lord Jesus is at hand! Invitations for each service come in greeting card and business card formats.
"Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!" (LSB 357) “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15) May we rejoice, and turn, and believe, renewing and strengthening our faith in our Savior in this last week of Advent & the 12 days of Christmas that follow.
Yours in Him,
Pastor Eric Black & Rick Krueger, Parish Assistant
P.S. Please enjoy this video of our Preschool Christmas Service, held last Wednesday night; thanks to everyone who braved the winter weather to take part! Click here for the service folder.