Disciple = Student
Beyond Peter and John, all Twelve learned and used what Jesus had taught them.
The pictures and speaker notes are from Wednesday, when our Confirmation Disciples researched, got into costume, and shared what they had learned about all of them If you want to learn more, feel free to check out the Worship Service, which is posted on the South Santiago Lutheran Facebook Page.
It was a great experience to learn and grow!
It was a great experience to learn and grow!
CHRISTMAS: HOPE
The psalmist sang, "What then, can I hope for, Lord? I put my hope in you."
What is hope?
The dictionary defines it as "a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen."
How does that fit what we read of hope in the Scriptures?
The Apostle Paul, "Everything written in the Scriptures was written to teach us, in order that we might have hope through the patience and encouragement which the Scriptures give us."
Hope for what? What do we Christians desire?
Well … God's mercy. God's love. Life eternal with God.
Here is where the difference between hoping and merely wanting:
We have Christ's promise that if we believe in Him, we will have all these things, and even more. Christ promised that "whatever you ask in my name, you shall receive."
Our needs, the needs of others, our hearts' desires; all these we can confidently anticipate receiving.
No wonder Paul wrote, "Let your hope keep you joyful."
May God, the source of hope, give us all hope for a better world and hope to those in our world who are hungry, homeless, in anguish and despair. Amen.
What is hope?
The dictionary defines it as "a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen."
How does that fit what we read of hope in the Scriptures?
The Apostle Paul, "Everything written in the Scriptures was written to teach us, in order that we might have hope through the patience and encouragement which the Scriptures give us."
Hope for what? What do we Christians desire?
Well … God's mercy. God's love. Life eternal with God.
Here is where the difference between hoping and merely wanting:
We have Christ's promise that if we believe in Him, we will have all these things, and even more. Christ promised that "whatever you ask in my name, you shall receive."
Our needs, the needs of others, our hearts' desires; all these we can confidently anticipate receiving.
No wonder Paul wrote, "Let your hope keep you joyful."
May God, the source of hope, give us all hope for a better world and hope to those in our world who are hungry, homeless, in anguish and despair. Amen.
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Christmas: Peace |
Christmas: Joy |
Christmas: Love |
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Peace is "freedom from strife and controversy, tranquility, mental calm, serenity of mind."
Is there even one of us who does not sincerely want that? War is bad. The hostility seen in public life today at all levels is scary. It’s like the nation and the world are stepping closer to some cliff - crime rates are rising, community involvement is shrinking and cable and network news organizations ratchet up anxiety by sharing stories specifically written for their target audiences, more often than not in the most salacious ways they can think of. All of this has emboldened racists and whack jobs to crawl out from under their rocks and share their distorted truths with the world – which only starts a new cycle downward. Into this God speaks: Peace must begin with individuals. Most everything we’ve done as a society is merely a Band-Aid that will only temporarily cover the real source of trouble; need of individuals for what they do not have, peace within themselves. And the only way to achieve that is through God. “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," wrote Paul, explaining that we are “to be controlled by the Spirit: And the result of this is life and peace." May we turn to God and follow Christ, seek and obey Spirit's guidance, and do God's will at all times in all things, and then claim Christ's promise, "Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you." May God the source of peace, give us all peace; in our families, our church, our communities, between nations, races and generations; within ourselves. Amen. |
Who doesn’t like Joy?
I’m talking "great pleasure, gladness, delight, rejoicing." I’ve never been able to understand those who would make the Christian religion a grim, stoic existence; believers who condemn enjoyment as sinful and unChristian. Sinful? Well, we all are, aren't we? We are, after all, human. But unChristian? How can one be Christian and not be joyful? Whatever sorrows or troubles we have, God will care for us, comfort us, support us, help us. And God sent Jesus Christ to save us from the consequences of our own sinfulness. Not rejoice? Why? Both the Old and New Testaments are full of injunctions to "dance with joy," "rejoice," "rejoice and sing," rejoice in the Lord." I aspire to become a joy-filled person, so much so that my joy spills over into the lives all around me. This is a way of sharing Jesus. May God, the source of joy, give joy to our hearts and our lives so that we may share that joy with others. Amen. |
If you open a thesaurus to ‘love’ you’ll be amazed by the sheer number of synonyms: One online resource had 173!
So let’s just go straight to the Bible to reference this week’s word. "We love because God first loved us." "Love one another as I have loved you." "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind." "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." God's love is both a blessing and an obligation. It cannot be grasped and held; it must be passed on and shared. As followers of Christ and servants of God, we must love everyone. The Bible makes that unmistakably clear. And loving means caring for. As John wrote, "Our love should not be just words and talk, it must be true love, which shows itself in action." May the God who loves His creation so much that he would die to save it use you and me as Lights into the darkness: Bless us to share your love into the world through the work of the Holy Spirit. Amen |
WORSHIP TIMES:
8 AM IN SANCTUARY 10 AM IN SANCTUARY WEDNESDAYS: 7:30 PM The SUNDAY 10 AM SERVICE AND THE WEDNESDAY 7:30 PM SERVICE ARE STREAMED LIVE ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE! IMPORTANT COVID-19 INFORMATION
We are currently in Phase 3
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| Four-Phase COVID Response Plan |
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MISSION SUPPORT OPTIONS
| A message on continued giving |
| Simply Giving Form |
| Online Giving Instructions |
You can Support the Ministries of South Santiago through a secure PayPal donation.
Thank you for your gifts.
Thank you for your gifts.
Learn more about us:
| December 2021 Newsletter |
| 2020 Annual Report |
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Church Office Hours
Monday: 8:30 am to 3 pm
Tuesday 8:30 am to 3 pm
Wednesday 8:30 am to 8 pm
Thursday 9 am to Noon
Tuesday 8:30 am to 3 pm
Wednesday 8:30 am to 8 pm
Thursday 9 am to Noon
SCAM ALERT
Someone has been using Pastor Thul's name in text messages and emails asking for gift cards - and then they will instruct the person to scratch off the number area and send the numbers to them.
This is not Pastor Thul, nor is he sending these.
At least two of our members were fooled by the individual or group and on Sunday we will talk about what happened and how we can protect our members from this sort of thing.
Please know we are not alone in this happening: there are many churches in the area that were targeted also. The Sherburne County Sheriff's Office has been notified and we will work to remove any phone numbers on our website.
If you happened to receive one of these texts, please take a screenshot of it (with the originating phone number) and text the picture to Number 7726. It's the scam message response center for most major cell phone carriers. Please also let Pastor or Shelly know.
This is not Pastor Thul, nor is he sending these.
At least two of our members were fooled by the individual or group and on Sunday we will talk about what happened and how we can protect our members from this sort of thing.
Please know we are not alone in this happening: there are many churches in the area that were targeted also. The Sherburne County Sheriff's Office has been notified and we will work to remove any phone numbers on our website.
If you happened to receive one of these texts, please take a screenshot of it (with the originating phone number) and text the picture to Number 7726. It's the scam message response center for most major cell phone carriers. Please also let Pastor or Shelly know.
SOME OF OUR MONTHLY
STEWARDSHIP PRACTICES
Stewardship--the spiritual faith practice of applying our time, talent, and treasures toward God's mission of love and mercy in this world--is a SIGNIFICANT theme here at SSLC. Here are a couple of ways that we, for the sake of the world, practice good stewardship of what God has given us:
1st Sunday Food Pantry Offering
On the 1st Sunday of every month, we set out our Food Shelf collection box to receive the gifts from any and all who are willing and able to give.
4th Sunday Noisy Offering
Our 4th Sunday Noisy Offerings, something that you would have to experience to truly appreciate. Try to imagine, though, what a hundred dollars or more in change might SOUND like hitting the bottom of a metal paint can!! It is music to generous ears, and we believe it is music to God's ears too!!
Our Noisy Offerings are applied to other missions and ministries apart from South Santiago locally (within the Sherburne-Wright-Benton-Stearns County area), state- or nation-wide, and globally. Past recipients have included Minnesota Food Share, Lutheran Disaster Relief, and Becker Backpack Buddies.
Join us in constructing your own Noisy Offering box in whatever creative way you can dream up. Use it to collect your daily change. And because of God's overwhelming love revealed in the resurrection of Jesus, help us be CHANGE in our world!
Our Noisy Offerings are applied to other missions and ministries apart from South Santiago locally (within the Sherburne-Wright-Benton-Stearns County area), state- or nation-wide, and globally. Past recipients have included Minnesota Food Share, Lutheran Disaster Relief, and Becker Backpack Buddies.
Join us in constructing your own Noisy Offering box in whatever creative way you can dream up. Use it to collect your daily change. And because of God's overwhelming love revealed in the resurrection of Jesus, help us be CHANGE in our world!