THE CLARION
Z i o n L u t h e r a n C h u r c h
December 2021
Volume , Issue
Inside this issue:
Birthdays 2
Families in
Faith 2
Parish Nurse 3
Streets of
Bethlehem 5
Family Ministry 7 Youth Ministry 8
Calendar 9
STREETS of BETHLEHEM
TIMELINE
December 3 Set Up - 9:00 am
December 4 Rehearsal - 2:00 pm
December 5 Streets of Bethlehem 1:00 - 4:00 pm
December 6 Tear Down
9:00 am
Christmas Eve Services
CONTEMPORARY FAMILY SERVICE - 4:00 pm
(with Jesus’ Birthday Cake)
CELEBRATION Candlelight
7:00 pm
Christmas Day
Communion Service 9:00 am
TRADITION COMMUNION
Candlelight
9:30 pm
THE CLARION Page 2
Dec 16 Logan Pusch Dec 17 Matthew Kludt Dec 19 Lonny Boehrns Dec 19 Kyle Boehrns Dec 19 Gloria Storm Dec 20 Jeannette Jensen Dec 21 Brad Clow Dec 21 Debbie Hepper Dec 21 Evie Meier Dec 22 Wayne Tanke Dec 23 Debra Green Dec 23 Philip Langner Dec 23 Brooks Pidde Dec 24 Chris Boettcher Dec 24 Roger Corkill Dec 24 Pam Strain
Dec 24 Elise Van Hove Dec 24 Heidi Vilhauer Dec 24 Chad Wall Dec 25 Inez Hayes Dec 26 Noble Kritzmire Dec 26 Joseph Maeschen Dec 27 Adam List
Dec 27 Dave Wright Dec 28 Carol Ekse Dec 28 Annie Farmer Dec 29 Precious Gaye Dec 29 Jetzen Kok Dec 30 Tammie Schultz Dec 30 Yvonne Van Wyhe Dec 31 Joseph Tisher
November Home Giving (3 weeks)
Envelopes and Electronic Givings... $41,357.32 Plate ... 1,084.25 Missions ... 150.00 Youth Missions ... 73.30 Flowers ... 269.00 Lutheran School ... 60.00 Treasure Chest ... 13.75 MSL/LHM/LK ... 100.00 Coffee/Donuts ... 130.00 Reimbursements/Shirts ... 10,627.00 Wednesday Suppers ... 295.82 Total Received ... $54,160.44 Monthly Need ... $60,500.00 Other Giving
Memorials ... $ Total Received ... $
Dec 10 Sharon Petheram Dec 11 Warren Eilertson Dec 11 Jody Huebert Dec 11 Scott Raabe Dec 11 Liz Ramert Dec 11 Tatum Thorpe Dec 11 Teagan Thorpe Dec 13 Suzi Fitterer Dec 13 Bruce Hamilton Dec 14 Kayleen Hoeck Dec 14 Cynthia Huntimer Dec 14 Betty Schultz Dec 14 Morgan Werner Dec 15 Emersyn Hagen Dec 15 Parker Strain Dec 16 JoAnne Baer Dec 16 Elijah Dressler Dec 16 Parker Pidde Dec 1 Meredith Ebert
Dec 2 Sharon Geister Dec 3 Amelia Ebert Dec 3 Steve Hendry Dec 4 Lenix Locke Dec 5 Harper Beaner Dec 6 Illa Biteler Dec 6 Ellie Boettcher Dec 6 Enid Farmer Dec 6 Alexander Helling Dec 6 Dennis Werner Dec 8 Irene Anderson Dec 8 Eric Boyce Dec 9 Kyle Stotts Dec 9 Roger Wagner Dec 10 Rachel Aamold Dec 10 Ashley Doerksen Dec 10 Trish Heng Dec 10 John Kritzmire
FAMILIES IN FAITH EVENT Gingerbread Houses
Sunday, December 19 - after Late Service Pizza will be provided
Gingerbread Houses—2 per family Please sign up by Sunday,
December 12 - either in the East Entryway or on Google Docs on the Families in Faith Facebook page.
If you have any questions, please contact Bridget Ebert at 605-951-1284.
NEW FLOWER CHART: The 2022 Flower Chart is posted in the back of the Sanctuary. Please take a few minutes when you’re in church, to sign-up to put flowers on the Altar in the New Year! Please include your phone number on the chart. Thank you!
ATTENTION LADIES: The LWML would like to invite you to their Christmas Party on Saturday, December 11 from 1:00-3:00 pm in the Atrium. Please bring a $10 gift exchange AND cookies to share.
Looking for the perfect gift this year?
Not looking to spend too much?
Consider donating blood!
In this season of giving consider giving blood.
Did you know someone needs blood every 3 seconds?
What a great way to show love to our community!
You will feel holiday cheer and you will be helping your neighbor!
Here are the requirements:
Must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be in good general health.
Where to donate?
Avera McKennan Donor Room (Avera McKennan Plaza 2, 1301 S.
Cliff Ave., 3rd floor, donor parking by valet area) Sioux Falls Monday – Thursday: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
PLEASE CALL 605-322-7111 OR http://cbblifeblood.org/donate/donation-locations/
Sanford USD Medical Center Donor Room (1305 W. 18th St. / Main
Hospital Locken Lobby, Donors are to use valet parking), Sioux Falls, Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, Thursday: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
PLEASE CALL 605-333-6444 OR http://cbblifeblood.org/donate/donation-locations/
Questions about donation?
Need a little encouragement?
Contact Nurse Rachel.
ZION LUTHERAN PARISH NURSING
Page 3
SUNDAY’S IN ADVENT THEME: “THE BIBLE, OUR BOOK OF ADVENTS”
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5: “Born, Born, Born, to Living Hope!”
Theme: When you understand the Bible as a Book of Advents, especially birth announcements leading to the incarnation of the Son of God in whom you have been given new birth in baptism, then you gain a greater sense of the presence of God for a life of living hope. (Genesis 12:1–3; 18:1–15; John 8:48–58)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12: “Surely the Lord Is in This Place”
Theme: When we think of Christ as God descending to us in our needs and ascending to lead us to the Father, we experience advents not only on Sunday but also during the week. (Genesis 28:10–17; John 1:43–51)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19: “The Goodly Land I See”
Theme: When we consider God’s promises about the promised land for Israel and our own inheritance in heaven, we will steward our most important faith with the greatest care and look forward with anticipation to the revealing of Jesus Christ in his final advent. (Joshua 1:1–6; 1 Peter 1:3–9; Hebrews 4:1–11)
SERIES OVERVIEW: Advent challenges us, but there is much in our surrounding culture that subtly wears down messages of Christ’s advents. One factor is omnipresent media and commerce that so focus society, parishioners included, on Christmas and gift giving that Advent gets reduced to getting ready to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus. Faithful people keep reminding us “Jesus is the reason for the season,” true enough… but Jesus has other seasons, now and coming, which easily get drowned out by societal noise.
So in an obviously imperfect attempt to reenergize the true themes of Advent and to try to raise awareness of God’s comings and saving presence in every day of life, Pastor Greg has turned to three familiar Old Testament texts as pre-figurations of the advents of Christ. On Sundays December 5, 12 and 19 the message and Atrium Bible Class will follow the theme “THE BIBLE, OUR BOOK OF ADVENTS”.
The Scriptures being the Scriptures of the church, we also want to understand Old Testament texts in the light of Christ. The Old Testament Scriptures present Christ prefigured under shadows and types as something to come.
Advent is about anticipation, less of the manger and more about the final revelation of Christ when He leads His ransomed to the inheritance reserved in heaven.
Pastor’s hope is that someone might ask, “Where else in the Old Testament can we find Christ?” Wouldn’t that be great?
MIDWEEK ADVENT SERVICES WHAT CHILD IS THIS?
“What Child Is This” is a Christian’s question that can have many answers. The lyrics to “What Child Is This” were written by Willian Dix and set to the tune “Greensleeves.” Dix was the manager of an Insurance Company when he was affected with an illness that left him bed ridden and in severe depression. This illness led to a spiritual renewal.
The context centers around the “Adoration of the Shepherds.” As the Shepherds visited the Christ Child no doubt they pondered the question “What Child Is This?”
We will do the same this Advent Season during our Wednesday Advent Services. The answers will be “The Messiah”, “The Lamb of God” and “Son of God and Son of Man.”
Please join us on December 1, 8 and 15 at either 10:00 am or 6:30 pm.
TOM and TAMMY ROBERTS will be our guests on Sunday, December 5. Tom will do the Children’s Message at both Services and they will have signed Books available
for sale in the morning and through the Streets of Bethlehem.
And if we have, do we believe them? The shepherds heard about the birth of Jesus, heard the angel choir and saw the baby in the manger.
After the shepherds had seen the Baby, the one whom they were told would be “wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger,” they had found it just as the angel told them they would. Luke records, “When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this Child and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” To put it another way, when they returned home, when they ran into the people of their town, when they gathered to talk as people do, they told what they had seen and heard, and the text says the people who heard them “were amazed.”
I believe the people were amazed because the shepherds, who were not men of position or standing, spoke with conviction … spoke in such a fashion that people listened.
I speculate they might have gone to the stable to see for themselves. If you have ever lived in a small town
Pastor’s Corner
you know this most likely would have happened. We don’t know if they did, but we find in the Gospels that people often went out to see this Jesus of whom something was uniquely different.We weren’t there, but we have the firsthand accounts of those who were. Accounts investigated by Luke, the physician, and recorded by and through the working of the Holy Spirit. Where the shepherds only heard part of the story, we have the whole story ... from birth, to death, to life again! Where they heard from an angel, we hear the very whispers of God when we read and listen to the firsthand accounts as recorded and collected in the Bible. We need to listen to the Christmas story with the ears of our heart and go and tell others with a renewed passion what has been revealed to us ... that God loves us and that He came down at Christmas. We need to invite others to come and see the Baby Jesus … the one the angel told us about.
Peace and Joy in Jesus!
Pastor Greg
"Go Tell it to Your Neighbors"
“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’” (Luke 2:15) Did you notice what happened? The shepherds didn’t say: “Let us go and see if this thing has happened.” No, they said, “Let us go and see this thing that has happened.” They heard the Christmas message, and they believed! Now a few people might say it was easier for them to believe because an angel appeared to them with the message along with a backup angelic choir. Some people might say,
“If I had seen something like that, then I too, would believe without a doubt.”
Well, few of us have had angels appear to us. A few of us may have seen firsthand what we believe are
“signs” from God, maybe even a
“wonder” or two, but I don’t know anyone who has seen an angel. But have we heard from those who have?
1400 S Duluth Ave Sioux Falls, SD 57105 605-338-5226
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Zion Lutheran Sioux Falls
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