Dear Brothers and Sisters at Messiah,
Halfway into November, opportunities for worship, education, fellowship and service are mounting up. Details below!
WEEKLY WORSHIP AND CLASS SCHEDULE
The Divine Service continues weekly at 10:00 am on Sundays. Sunday School & Bible Class are held beforehand at 9:00 am, beginning with a joint opening in the Fellowship Hall.
Please plan to be with us on Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, November 27th at 7:00 pm. We will welcome our brothers & sisters in Christ from St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Rockford for this joint Divine Service, held at Messiah. Rev. Jason Peterson will preach and a joint choir will provide musical leadership.
Livestreams of our 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) continue their weekly sessions on Wednesdays at 9:45 am. Click here for a sample of this year's CARES book Unfailing: God's Assurance for Times of Change by Rev. Christopher Kennedy.
ADVENT & CHRISTMAS WORSHIP SCHEDULE
MIdweek Advent Services begin on Wednesday, December 4th.
Services of Prayer & Preaching will be offered at 11:00 am on December 4th, 11th and 18th, as well as at 7:00 pm on December 4th.
Wednesday evening Advent services will also include:
Our Preschool Christmas Service on December 11th at 6:30 pm.
Christmas Reflections (Lessons and Carols) on December 18th at 7:00 pm.
Special services for the Christmas season will include:
Christmas Eve Family Candlelight Service, Tuesday, December 24th at 7:00 pm.
Christmas Day Divine Service, Wednesday, December 25th at 10:00 am.
New Year's Day Divine Service, Wednesday, January 1st, 2025 at 10:00 am
Epiphany Divine Service, Monday, January 6th, 2025 at 7:00 pm. This will be a joint service held at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Rockford.
See the online November newsletterfor full details on our Advent & Christmas services.
WHAT'S NEW AND NEXT
We post our newsletter (including monthly calendars) and our weekly announcements online at www.messiahgr.org/news; calendars are also online separately at www.messiahgr.org/calendar. Check the newsletter and announcements regularly for information on the events listed below:
Urdu Worship Service Saturday, November 16th at 5:00 pm. Led by Pastor Afzal Masih, this service will be held in the fellowship hall, with a Pakistani meal following. Urdu services are held on the third Saturday of each month; Messiah members and friends are welcome to attend!
NEW! Holiday Basket Collection is happening now through Sunday, December 15th. Gift card or monetary donations are welcome for church and community families in need. Donation envelopes are available at the Welcome Center; contact Joe & Becky Buss for more information.
NEW! A Preschool Fundraiser is happening now through Tuesday, December 3rd. Grand Rapids Coupon Books are available, with samples and details at the Welcome Center. Contact our Preschool director Vonda Smestad for more information.
Annual Voters’ Meeting Sunday, November 24th following the Divine Service. We’ll gather to hear reports and updates, elect officers and board members, and consider the 2025 congregational budget. A potluck will be held between the service and the meeting.
Christmas Bazaar Saturday, December 7th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, sponsored by our Parish Services Guild. If you'd like to help with prep work, volunteer staffing, clean-up, donating items for the Bazaar's Country Store, baking cookies or frosting cookies, talk to a Guild member. Proceeds support congregational projects and LCMS missions!
NEW! Christmas Caroling Saturday, December 14th from 3:00 to 6:00 pm. We'll carol to homebound members and senior living residents; a pizza party at church will follow. Contact Rick Krueger for more information.
NEW! Our 2025 Spiritual Growth Seminar is set for Saturday, February 8th. Rev. Jeffrey Leininger, former campus pastor at Concordia University-Chicago, will be our featured presenter, focusing on the theme Callings for Life: God's Plan, Your Purpose. Watch for more details in the December newsletter and early next year!
Yours in Christ,
Rick Krueger, Parish Assistant
FROM LC-MS PRESIDENT MATT HARRISON
When was the last time you felt like rejoicing? In society today, we don’t always feel like we have a lot to celebrate. Our newsfeeds are constantly filled with stories of wars, disasters, strife in our neighborhoods, illness among our loved ones. Most of us carry this conduit of “bad news” around in our pocket all day every day, and we’re quick to look every time our phone dings. We even invented a new word, “doomscroll,” to describe how it feels to spend a lot of time scrolling through social media. It’s no wonder that rates of anxiety and depression are skyrocketing, especially among young people.
Things were not perfect during the apostle Paul’s time, either. Writing to the Christians in Corinth, Paul wrote of “a thorn … given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me” (2 Corinthians 12:7). Later, he would be martyred for the faith in Rome. Even so, he wrote to the Christians in Philippi: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. … The Lord is at hand” (Philippians 4:4–5).
This Advent season, we rejoice because the Lord is at hand — even for us today. Jesus Christ came to earth as a baby born to the Virgin Mary some 2,000 years ago. Even though He was the Son of God, He took on human flesh and blood in order to also take on the sins of every person who would ever be born. By dying on the cross on Good Friday and rising again on Easter Sunday, He conquered sin, death and the devil — for us.
That’s something truly worth celebrating! Because Jesus came, we have the assurance that God loves us and keeps us in the palm of His hand, no matter what may come. That’s also why we take time during the busy month of December to study God’s Word in the Bible. Take a break from doomscrolling and join in reflecting on the enormity of what it means that God sent His Son to earth — for us. We call the Gospel message of salvation in Jesus Christ the “Good News,” but it’s really the best news in the world, and it’s worth sharing with everyone.
I invite you to continue faithfully in worship, Bible study and prayer this Advent and Christmas -- and invite others to join you! You’ll hear the truth about God and His Son, Jesus Christ. You will also learn about why Christians can rejoice, even amid trial and hardship. “The Lord is at hand” for us today, tomorrow and always.
In Christ Jesus,
Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, President
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
