Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
On this last day of 2024, we thank God for His goodness to us at Messiah and to all His people in the year behind, and we humbly ask His blessing on the year to come. The latest info about upcoming worship, education, fellowship and service activities follows below.
WORSHIP AND CLASS SCHEDULE
Our annual New Year's Day Divine Service will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, January 1st at 10:00 am
Our Epiphany Divine Service will be held Monday, January 6th, at 7:00 pm. This will be a joint service held at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Rockford, with Pastor Eric preaching. A meal will precede the service at 6:00 pm - chili and soup will be provided; bring a side dish or dessert.
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.
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) will resume their weekly sessions on Wednesday, January 8th 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.
Watch for details on the next LifeLight class, a 9-week survey of the Biblical book of Judges, coming soon!
2025 SPIRITUAL GROWTH SEMINAR
God fills your life with multiple callings – whether you’re a student, a recent graduate, an adult with an established career or a retiree. These callings are found in the faces of people God puts in your life, in the places He’s gifted to you, and in the spaces where you fulfill the roles and responsibilities He gives. In all of these, God is at work in you and through you, His beloved, redeemed, precious child – not because of who you are, but because of who you are in Him!
Messiah will present its annual Spiritual Growth Seminar on Saturday, February 8th from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm. Make plans now to join us as we welcome Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Leininger to explore the topic Callings for Life; God’s Plan, Your Purpose. Pastor Leininger will bring insights from Scripture, prayer, song and church history, plus decades of experience in congregational life and campus ministry to bear on this deeply personal topic. You’ll leave this seminar more fully grounded in Jesus’ teachings and better equipped to live out your callings every day!
There will be no charge for this Seminar, and continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. In addition, Pastor Leininger will have copies of his Concordia Publishing House book Callings for Life available for purchase.
Registration for the Spiritual Growth Seminar will begin on next Sunday, January 5th; look for sign-ups at the Welcome Center and in Bible classes! Online and phone registration will open on Monday, January 6th; you and your friends will be able to RSVP online at www.messiahgr.org or by calling 616-363-2553 during office hours.
JANUARY NEWSLETTER + WHAT'S NEW AND NEXT
Our January newsletter is now online! Click here to view or download it in its entirety. We also post the newsletter (including monthly calendars) and our weekly announcements online at www.messiahgr.org/news; calendars are also online separately at www.messiahgr.org/calendar. Be sure to check the newsletter and our weekly announcements for more info on the events listed below:
Lutheran Confessions Study Thursday, January 9th at 10:00 am, beginning with Matins in the sanctuary.
Parish Service Guild Thursday, January 9th at 12:00 noon, a rescheduled Christmas Party with potluck luncheon, The Game, and a brief business meeting. Please bring a dish to pass and a used or new gift wrapped for The Game.
Sandy's Tradition Thursday, January 16th at 11:30 am at Applebee’s on the East Beltline. Contact Judy Gerke so reservations can be made.
Urdu Worship Service Saturday, January 18th 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!
Watch for information on our annual Parish Leadership Workshop coming soon!
Yours in Him,
Rick Krueger, Parish Assistant
FROM PASTOR ERIC (in the January Newsletter)
Our greatest challenges are sometimes never voiced or written amongst our New Year's resolutions, or anywhere for that matter. Wars we wage within, and keep secret, hidden from all others. Doubts, anger, depression and despair, temptations of all sorts, weaknesses we seek to keep hidden, burdensome secrets, and so much more. But remember Paul’s encouragement:
"I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:22-25_
The war goes on, on this side of heaven, but we have the victory. We have the victory, not because we kept our resolutions, not because of our will or strength, but because of the love of God, through our Savior Jesus Christ. Because Christ became man, was born, died, and rose from the dead for us, all our struggles, our warfare, our sin, even death itself, will all come to an end. We will be delivered to our perfect home, our perfect life, all in God’s perfect time.
The war goes on, and even as we battle, we must remember we do not struggle alone, but we have the Holy Spirit ever working on our behalf, bolstering us in the faith. Our Heavenly Father sends angels to watch over us, and has adopted us into His family, surrounding us with brothers and sisters in the faith. And at the head of the church is Christ, who has made us more than conquerors, who has resolved to bring us into His kingdom, and what He wills, He does. Amen.
P.S. Please enjoy this preview of January's Hymn of the Month, Brightest and Best of the Stars of the Morning, number 400 in Lutheran Service Book.
