Lutheran Church of Providence
December, 2019 Newsletter
Pastor’s Corner
The Lord is coming ― Christmas is almost here. The excitement builds as we look forward to the holidays. People will panic as December 25 comes and aren’t ready yet. There’s all the big things that haven’t been completed as well as a lot of little things that need to be done. One question always looms for us ― how do we prepare spiritually for the coming of Jesus?
John the Baptist tells us to repent ― change our sinful ways ― walk in the light of Christ. It’s hard to repent, however, because much of what we do has become habit and we’re not even aware of how and why we sin. This means that we have to examine ourselves and look at the negative and not the good parts of ourselves. However, Christ came to save sinful people and we are all sinners in one way or another. Often we want to see our good side and not our sinful side.
When Jesus gave us His body and blood in Holy Communion, He instructed us to examine ourselves so we are truly prepared to have our sins forgiven. This ought to be a weekly assurance but one that we often neglect. John the Baptist also told us to be baptized. How many people do you know who aren’t baptized? How many people have you asked to find out if they’re baptized? Many people neglect baptism when their children are young and say they want their
children to decide for themselves when they get older. Unless they ask about it, it may not seem to be that important. That is why we need to ask and offer to help them join the family of God.
Christmas also reminds us that Christ will come to earth again for the second time. Each year we are closer to Him returning. Are we ready at any second to meet Him? How are we living our lives? How are we obeying the commands He has given us? Are there areas of our faith that need strengthening?
Because Christ hasn’t returned yet we assume it won’t happen in our lifetime but it could happen at any time. All the signs that the Bible tells us about have been or are being fulfilled. We are told that His coming will be like a thief in the night. Many people were surprised when Christ first came as a baby and many will be surprised and shocked when He comes again.
Time is short and we have a lot to do to be prepared for Christ’s coming. Let’s focus this year on our spiritual preparation as we prepare to worship God on Christmas Eve at 7:00 PM and Christmas Day at 10:00 AM. May God Bless Us, Have mercy on us and keep us in His care.
Pastor Weikart
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Merry Christmas!
Every time you say, “born of the Virgin Mary” in the Apostle’s Creed, words that can easily flow from the lips, do you give pause and truly marvel at that statement? Jesus being born of a virgin is miraculous enough but being born at all even more so! God the Son, born! The One eternally being Begotten of the Father is conceived by God the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary and is BORN. God born! The only greater moments in history that literally shook creation itself and caused heaven to marvel was when God made flesh Jesus died on the cross and then rose from the tomb.
We find ourselves in the Advent season, looking forward to celebrating God’s incredible gift to us of sending His only Begotten Son into our very flesh to be our substitute – the One Who would fulfill the Law we could never follow, and pay the Life we could never offer to remove the debt of our sinfulness.
But we know that in the person of Jesus, God has become like us so that we can once again be made like Him and live with Him, as we were designed. How humbled and awe struck we should be at this truth! God enable us these Advent and Christmas seasons to truly marvel at His love for us – that we indeed marvel at Emmanuel, that God is with us in the flesh that we can be with Him for eternity. God grant that we NEVER take this miraculous and most incredible truth for granted.
On behalf of my family and myself I want to wish each of you a Very Merry Christmas! I also want to thank the congregation for allowing me to be your Council President these past two years. I look forward to 2020 as another year of growth at the Lutheran Church of Providence and I know our new Council President, Grady Gresham, will keep us on the right path.
A very special thank you and well done to Pastor Weikart for his guidance and understanding during this past year. We are very blessed to have him as our Pastor!
A Child of God, Remembering the Price God Paid to Save Me from My Sin,
Roy Armstrong , Council President
LCP’S MAILBOX
My family, friends and I would like to thank all of you who participated in my daughter Stephanie’s memorial service on October 12th. The cards, gifts, phone calls, prayers, words of kindness and the entire afternoon of the service and the food and fellowship were more than expected from any of us. We are so truly blessed to have you in our lives and for you to have been there for us in this time of grief.
I, personally, will never forget what each of you did and how you made Stephanie’s day so special. I am still in so much pain and grieving for her that I sometimes think I will never continue living a normal life. But with your help and God’s love I know that I will be okay.
Again, from my family to yours, thank you all so very much.
God Bless each and every one of you,
Nina Roof and family