Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand!" (Philippians 4:4-5) 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
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.
Note that on Sunday, December 22nd, Seminarian Gavin Johnson (grandson of Richard & Ann Tank) will serve as our guest preacher!
Livestreams of all 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
ADVENT & CHRISTMAS WORSHIP SCHEDULE
MIdweek Advent Services conclude on this Wednesday, December 18th at 11:00 am.
Christmas Reflections (Lessons and Carols) will be held this Wednesday, December 18th at 7:00 pm. Cookies & beverages courtesy of our Parish Services Guild will follow the service.
Special services for the Christmas season 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.
Invitations for our Christmas Reflections and Christmas Eve services are available at the Welcome Center. Please 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, there's also a two-sided flyer version with website information included.
"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 ourPreschool Christmas Service, held last Wednesday night; thanks to everyone who braved the winter weather to take part! Click here for the service folder.
