You are receiving this email because of your association with University Lutheran Church and Student Center. If there is something wrong with your subscription, please inform us by sending an email to editor @ universitylutheranchurch.org
Having trouble reading this email?
Go to www.universitylutheranchurch.us
Want to subscribe?
Send an email to editor @ universitylutheranchurch.org
 |
|
|
From Pastor Jay If you have been to Starbucks and you've gotten the oatmeal, you've found that this is not home-made oatmeal. It's not even made before you order it --- it is instant oatmeal, poured into a container, into which your friendly Starbucks barista pours hot water and before you can say "macchiato", you have oatmeal....well...."oatmeal." I think Starbucks oatmeal is intensely interesting. You may think it's horrifically boring, but I think it says something about who we are - especially around this time of year. Now that the weather has gotten chilly and we dragged that coat out of the closet, our minds have finally given us permission to think about the wintery holidays approaching. I thought that it was interesting that the first day of our cold spell here in Tallahassee was the first day I heard Christmas music pumped into hospitals and nursing homes that I visited. Thanksgiving and Christmas are now, finally, "real" to us. But in other ways, our Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations are about as real as Starbucks oatmeal. In many ways these celebrations have become dried, processed, repacked, and ready-to-rehydrate just like that powdery instant oatmeal. There's nothing authentic about it. There's little that's real about it. It's a shadow of a dish that very few people know how to make anymore. As I've grown up and I've seen Christmases come and go, I've found myself yearning more and more for a 'real Christmas'. Maybe you have too. I remember about this time when I was a kid, I got to get out a special toy --- my own personal nativity set. It was made out of plastic, so I could play with it. I could arrange Mary and Joseph and the wisemen and the shepherds in different ways. I could knock over the camel with the donkey, and imagine the baby Jesus laughing at the whole scene. I had lots of fun with that plastic nativity set. Maybe my nativity set was plastic. Maybe plastic is the "element" of inauthenticity --- but to me, having that plastic nativity set out to play with made Christmas real to me. It reminded me of the reality of Christmas. I'll take a plastic nativity set over an instant commercial Christmas this year. I'm looking forward to seeing Jesus. I hope you are too. In Christ, Pastor Jay Clear
Your Calendars! New and
Important
Calendar Items! November 22nd - Crystal Berner's Senior Recital Join us as we go to Crystal's Senior Recital from 5pm-6pm at Lindsay Recital Hall (LRH) at the Kuersteiner Music Building (KMU) at Florida State University (FSU). Click here for the facebook event. November 23rd - Christ the King - The Last Sunday of the Church Year!!!
Join us at University Lutheran on Monday, Nov. 24th at 7pm for SHOESGIVING!!! We will be having an early Thanksgiving meal and party before break. Admission price - one or two pairs of *gently used* shoes to go to Soles4Souls, a non-profit that sends shoes to developing countries. Click here for the facebook event. November 26th - Thanksgiving Eve Service Give thanks to the Lord your God at our Thanksgiving Eve worship service before Thanksgiving Day. We begin worship at 7pm. You are encouraged to bring light snacks (cheese/wine/etc) for fellowship after worship. (see below for the rest of the Advent/Christmas schedule). Shoesgiving before Thanksgiving!!! (Mon., Nov. 24th) The mystery has been lifted. Join us at University Lutheran on Monday, Nov. 24th at 7pm for SHOESGIVING!!! We will be having an early Thanksgiving meal and party before break. Admission price - one or two pairs of *gently used* shoes to go to Soles4Souls, a non-profit that sends shoes to developing countries. German Service is December 3rd!!! Start telling your friends and family about the upcoming German Christmas Service at University Lutheran on December 3rd. You can view this year's printable flyer by clicking this link (color copies will be available at ULC). Additionally this year, you will be able to direct your friends to www.universitylutheranchurch.org/germanchristmas for information about this annual service. Women's Small Group A handful of women have signed up for the women's small group. It is not too late to be in on the planning stages of this group. Contact Debbie Buenrostro for details. Advent and Christmas Schedule Please join us for our Advent and Christmas midweek worship services:
This Week's
"Pastor's Challenge" Every week, I try to live out my sermon in my life in some way. (I hear it's good to try to practice what you preach.) This week's sermon was about taking a risk, and how Jesus took the ultimate risk in dying on the cross for us. I am "taking a risk" this week by following up with some of my evangelism work in person (which scares me to death, to knock on a strange door). How can you take a risk this week? Send
a Card Consider sending a
card or celebrating with the following people in some way this week:
Good
Stuff The grandson did this religiously to the age of 103. When he died, he left 14 children, 30 grand-children, 45 great grandchildren, 25 great-great grand children, and a 15 foot hole where the crematorium used to be.
|
University
Forget Your Checkbook Last Sunday? Send in your offering via University Lutheran's web site. Prayer List (Please consider including the following in your
prayer life this week) All those who struggle with relationships with family and friends. Every week we be pray for a few students. This week we pray for: Amy D., Samantha M., Amanda D., Michael B., Jenna K., Keith L., Logan D., Christian B., Christina P., Caitlyn C., Carolyn S., and Breanna H. We also begin to pray for those whom we are reaching out to in our community: Susan P., Marlan R., Salwa H., Marlene J., Mary W., Betty T., Laura M., Karol S., Robert C., and Verlie R. ...and that our prayers may be joined with the prayers of all God's saints here on earth. Weekly
Events Sunday @ 10:15am - Choir Sunday @ 11am -
WORSHIP Wednesday @ 6:30pm
- Dinner at ULC Wednesday @ 7pm
- Click
here for ULC's Calendar of Events Email
Links: Get This
In Your Email Box! LutherNOLE T-Shirts Peer
Minister Corner We wrapped up our planning for the
Shoesgiving party this coming Monday. We began to talk about a new member
of the PM Team with Crystal departing for student teaching (sniffle,
sniffle). Your Peer
Ministers are Adam
Douthwaite, Randee
Garrett,
and Crystal
Berner.
Last
Sunday In Perspective
Do you have a special event, concert, game, birthday, Something to say? Email the Editor Visit us on the web ULC Web Site ULC Calendar ULC E-News Archives |
"A Jesus-Centered Community of Scripture, Faith, and Grace"
925 W. Jefferson St.
Tallahassee, FL 32304
850 224 6059
pastor@universitylutheranchurch.org