This Week’s Memory Verse
As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him. ~Luke 3:4
· This Sunday: In each sermon of our Advent series, a voice from the edge reorients our way of life in the world. This week we focus upon the strange figure of the prophet Zephaniah. His vision at the end of his book introduces us to a peculiar kind of joy: Advent joy. This is not joy without sorrow but joy in the presence of one who comes to us in the midst of our sorrow. This voice and this vision invite us to experience the paradox of Advent joy as we prepare for our Lord’s coming.
· Zephaniah 3:14-20
· Philippians 4:4-8
· Luke 6:17-26
· Service of Lessons and Carols: Wednesday’s Advent service (December 17) which will be led by our Sanctuary Choir, consists of alternating scripture readings, and hymns and anthems, sung by both the choir and the congregation. The readings and carol texts highlight the anticipation and coming of the Messiah.
· Christmas Services: Come celebrate the birth of the Savior. There will be three services on Christmas Eve and one on Christmas Day.
4:00 PM: Children and Family Service
7:00 PM: Communion Service with music led by the Worship Band
9:00 PM: Traditional Communion Service
December 25, 9:30 AM: Traditional Communion Service
· Hauch Invitational Tournament: In just a few weeks the St. John’s Lutheran School Athletic Department will host the twenty-sixth annual Bob Hauch Invitational, named for our athletic director and teacher here at St. John’s for thirty years and who began this tournament in 1989. Our girls and boys teams will compete with teams from Napa, St. Helena, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, and Anaheim in tournament play from January 15 – 18, 2015. If you would like an ad in the program please see attached form. Hope to see you all there. Go Eagles!
· CERT Training: The Church will be offering Community Emergency Response Training (CERT), which is a nationally recognized emergency training course that teaches essential emergency response skills. The training is available free of charge to Church members and will be offered:
Jan 8th
6:00pm – 9:00pm
Emergency Response & Preparedness
Jan 10th
8:00am – 5:00pm
Disaster First Aid
Jan 15th
6:00 – 9:00pm
Response to Unusual Situations & Managing an Emergency
Jan 17th
8:00am – 5:00pm
Responding to Fires & Search and Rescue Disaster Exercise
Enrollment is limited to 24 people, so you must be able to attend all four sessions. For more information or to enroll, please contact: Ken Arnold – napacert@aol.com
· Lutheran World Relief Giving Tree: Please check out the Giving Tree in the Church entryway and be a blessing this Christmas! Please click here for more information.
· 2015 Offering Envelopes: Please pick up your offering envelopes on the table in the Narthex. Dispose of your 2014 when the year ends as your number might change each year.
· Second Sunday Potluck: We will have a potluck at 11:30 AM on December 14th. The theme is Advent / Christmas and all those yummy foods that the season brings. We’ll meet in the Parish Hall. As always, if you forget to bring a dish please come anyway! God provides an abundance of food. For questions, please see Pam Foottit, Marie Hoemke, Lori Hardin, or Pam Barker.
· Thank you to all veterans who filled out our survey form. Please also consider filling out a form for fathers, brothers, etc. who were once our members. Return forms to the box in the Narthex.
· Abide Daily Devotion: How do I let Scripture guide my prayer life? How can I let Jesus direct what I pray for each day? The Abide Devotion, written by Pastor Mike, is a daily devotion designed to address these concerns. You can click here for more information and here to subscribe to receive the devotion in your email each morning.
· Usher Teams are REALLY needed: We are in need of ushers for the 10:15 AM service. Usher teams serve approximately once a month, making this a convenient way to serve our Lord and His people. Please contact Gary Virkus or the church office if you can help with this ministry.