Happy New Year

Happy New Year again. The church year begins with Advent & the anticipation and preparing for the Savior's birth.

This year the Gospel reading are mainly from Luke.

Happy New Year!

Unity

This past week, we had a Bilingual service with our sister congregation Sagrado Corazon. It was great to have all of us together. Sagrado has a much younger group of people including numerous children; whereas, our population is much older.

It was amazing hearing both languages singing the same song. The Sagrado choir sang part of there anthem in English & TULC's choir sang the refrain from their song in Spanish.

The sermon was started by Pastor Grudt & translated by Pastor Lebron as he went along.

We filled the church for the first time in a while.

It was a great show of unity between the two congregations.

Welcome Pastor Grudt Again!

TULC's congregation has extended a call to Pastor Rich Grudt to become our permanent pastor.

Pastor Grudt has accepted.

We are blessed as a congregation to be able to get such a wonderful person to lead us!

Jesus's Parents

The Gospel reading for this Sunday is Luke 1:26-38 where the Angel Gabriel visits Mary to tell her she will "conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus"(Luke 1:31 NASB) . She is taken aback but eventually says : "may it be done to me according to your word"(Luke 1:38 NASB).

A young girl visited by an Angel & she submits to God's will.

Joseph also had to bear the possible shame of marrying a non-virgin & raise a child not his own. He did it, think of the enormity of the responsibility of raising the Messiah, "Son of the Most High; and the Lord God" (Luke 1:32 NASB).

He was a blue collar worker, a simple carpenter. He had no special abilities or training yet he did it!

So can we do what God wants us to do, he will not give us more than we can handle. "To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability"(Matt 25:15 NASB)

Would John be welcome?

Would John the Baptist be welcome in our churches today? 

"John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey"

"John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." (Mark 1 NASB)

Here is a very strange person, unconventional, outspoken.  Telling us to repent, do we have time for this?

Advent is the time! As we prepare for the true meaning of Christmas, it is not the gifts or the Christmas (Winter Festival) trees.  It is the birth of a Savior.  

As we prepare, it is time to welcome all as we :'MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD,

MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.'"(Mark 1 NASB, Isaiah 40:3).

Let us welcome ALL even the John the Baptist types!

Happy New Year!

Advent starts the Church year.  This year the gospel readings come mainly from Mark with a few John lessons thrown in.

So HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Lord, when did we...

The Gospel for this week is Matt 25:31-46, talking about the End Times.  The sheep are to the right & goats are to the left.

Both ask "Lord, when did we" when the Son of Man blesses the sheep for 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' and the goats damned for the reverse.

This implies that we all get the same chances to serve.  It is up to us to choose our path.  We know what we should do (WWJD).