NEWS OF WARTBURG PARISH

303 N. Mulberry St., Steeleville, IL

2015

A Word From Pastor Carla Rush 25“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. 28Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:25-28

Advent is one of my favorite times in the church year. It is a time to slow down and focus. That is the purpose of the Advent season, to slow down, to prepare our hearts and minds for the advent, the incarnation of the Word made flesh, to watch and wait in expectant anticipation. As we come to Advent this year, our readings come from the Gospel of Luke. These readings take on a more eschatological, that is more of an “end time” feeling. The words from this reading of Luke 21 reminds me of a beautiful Advent hymn, Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending (ELW #435). “…they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory.” I can see how a cosmic entry by the Son of Man on a cloud could certainly wreck havoc within all of creation causing people to faint or even die from fear. However, Jesus reminds us as believers and followers that our response should not be a response of fear, rather a response of confidence. Stand up, raise your heads, and be assured that the Day of the Lord is for us believers a day of redemption. Following this passage is a parable about the fig tree. It is Jesus’ pastoral advice to his followers and to us in how to live and prepare for the final day. Since no one knows the exact day or hour of that final day, we must live in a state of constant readiness. One way to live in constant readiness is through prayer, praying constantly without ceasing. It is also helpful to be aware of the signs and to take appropriate action. Even if the end time has been delayed, it has not been delayed indefinitely. As

followers, of Jesus we may be tempted to faithlessness and business-as-usual but must remain steadfast in our faithful lifestyle to remain ready for Jesus’ return. This Advent season, I invite you to take some time to slow down and join your brothers and sisters in Christ around the Wartburg Parish. Take some time and reenergize your prayer life. Learn something new about prayer. Prayer is the focus of the Parish Advent Worship this year. We will also be singing The Holden Evening Prayer Service, a liturgy filled with rich scripture texts, which is a beautiful, peaceful way to end a busy day. As the Advent season leads us through the month of December to the much awaited Christmas Eve and Christmas Day worship services and celebrations of the incarnation of the Word made flesh, let me wish you and your families a most joyous and Merry Christmas. In the name of the incarnate Lord, Pastor Carla Rush

Wartburg Parish Advent Services

Prayer This year during the season of Advent the Wartburg Parish will

offer a series of Advent services on Wednesday evenings at 7:00. We will be using the Holden Evening Prayer. This year our Advent services will focus on prayer.

Wed. December 2 – at St. John, Post Oak: Embodied Prayer

Wed. December 9 – at Peace, Chester: Neighborhood Prayer

Wed. December 16 – at Peace, Steeleville: Praying the Hours

A time of refreshments and fellowship will follow each service.

A time of refreshments and fellowship

will follow each service.

Thanksgiving Eve Service

Wednesday, November 25 7:00 PM

St. John, Bremen This service of Holy

Communion will include favorite traditional Thanksgiving hymns,

Marc Kiehna will direct a joint choir, Time of fellowship will follow the service.

COME SING WITH US - Marc

Kiehna will direct the combined choir

of the Wartburg Parish for the

Thanksgiving service on November 25. The choir

will meet to rehearse for the Thanksgiving on the

18th at 7:15 and then an hour before the 7:00

service on the 25th, at Bremen. Please join us.

Parish Confirmation We have been using the new curriculum from Augsburg/Fortress called

"Collaborate" since September and we have enjoyed it very much. The 8th Grade will soon complete the first book, entitled "Lutheran History and Catechism," and the 7th Grade are close to completing "The Old Testament." Confirmation classes will continue as they have all fall through Wednesday, December 16. Both classes will have a break from class for December 23 and 30 and then confirmation classes will resume on January 6. But when classes meet in January the 7th grade will now go to St. Luke in Campbell Hill, and the 8th grade will meet at Peace, Steeleville in the Fellowship Hall.

Women of the ELCA

The next meeting of the Wartburg Parish Women of the ELCA will be Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015 at

7:00pm at Bremen. Pastor Laura Kamprath will give the devotions. Pastor Carla Rush will be the hostess. Our Service Project will be for members to make donations to their local food pantries. This will be an important meeting because we will be making plans for the Christmas Party to be held Jan. 7, 2016 at Peace, Steeleville. We will also be making plans for the March and May meetings.

SOUP AND SANDWICH LUNCHEON, CHRISTMAS SHOP AND NATIVITY DISPLAY TO BE HELD AT

PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH DURING THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS WALK IN CHESTER

Peace Lutheran Church of Chester will be taking part in the annual Christmas Walk celebration held in Chester, Illinois the weekend of December 4-6, 2015. On Saturday, December 5, 2015, Peace Lutheran opens their doors and invites you to stop by and view their display of nativities and Christmas trees near the altar. The ladies of the church will also be serving 6 - 8 different soups for the luncheon which includes sandwiches, a drink and dessert. Free will offerings are accepted for the lunch. The church's Christmas shop will also be open for your shopping pleasure. The shop features a selection of gently used holiday decorations, clothes, toys, and other holiday items. Also available for your shopping enjoyment is the large selection of books. The church will be open from 10AM to 4PM on Saturday, December 5, 2015. Be sure to stop by and say hello.

Bible Study –

The Wednesday Morning Bible

Study will be on break until after the

Christmas holidays. We will resume the Bible study

on Wednesday morning January 6, at 9:30 AM in

the Peace Library, we will begin a study of the

Gospel of Luke. Please plan to join us! All are

welcome!

Christmas In the Parish

St. John's - Bremen

December 24th – Children’s Christmas Eve program, 6:30pm December 25th – Christmas Day Worship with Holy Communion, 8:45am

St. John, Post Oak December 24th – a Children’s Christmas Eve Program with Holy Communion, 6:00pm December 25th – Christmas Morning worship with Holy Communion, 8:30am

St. Peter’s – Wine Hill December 24th – Children’s Christmas Eve Program, 6:00pm December 25th – Christmas Morning Worship with Holy Communion, 10:00am

Peace - Chester

December 24th - Christmas Eve Worship Service with Holy Communion, 5:00pm

Peace - Steeleville

December 13th – Christmas Chorale at 7:00 PM featuring Peace Adult Choir and children of the Wednesday All Stars. This year we will have a Service of Lessons and Carols. December 24th - at 6:30 PM - Our Annual Christmas Pageant will be “The Surprising Christmas Pageant”. The show will combine the Christmas Story with a bit of western comedy. December 24th- at 11:00 PM - The annual Christmas Candlelight service of Holy Communion. December 25th - at 9:00 AM - Christmas morning service of Holy Communion