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University Lutheran Church and Student Center

From Pastor Jay

It's a warm Christmas Eve.  Google tells me that the high today is 74 degrees.  I turned on the airconditioning for our 7pm Christmas Eve service tonight.  It's tough for a Floridian to celebrate Christmas with the rest of North America.  All of the songs about cold weather and snow just don't really make a whole lot of sense to us.  (That's why I prefer listening to Jimmy Buffett's Christmas album this time of year, a tradition that I started when I was in the cold midwest dreaming of a warm, sunny Christmas.)

However, we in Florida may have a better grip on what that first Christmas was actually like.  Using clues from Matthew and Luke's account of the Christmas stories, a rough estimation of what month Jesus was born in seems to show that Jesus was actually born around September. 

The weather has a lot to do with how we perceive our lives.  We think differently of the same event when it happen in different weather circumstances.  Today, you can walk around with relative assurance that this weather is a little bit more like what Mary, Joseph, and Jesus experienced on the first day of our Savior's life. (That is, if you live in Florida.)

There are many reasons that we celebrate Christmas on December 25th.  One of the most applicable to our community on the edge of the "Unconquered" FSU, is that Christians celebrated on the 25th because the Roman calendar called this date "The Celebration of the Unconquered Sun". 

In this Christmas season, we celebrate the Unconquered Son, the Son of God who conquered sin and death for us through the cross and the empty tomb.  As we celebrate His birth in whatever weather we're experiencing, let's look up into the sky and see the sun.  Let us remember that Jesus is always there, just like that unconquered sun, and that He rises in our lives daily.

 In Christ,
Pastor Jay

Clear Your Calendars!  New and Important Calendar Items!

December 24th - TONIGHT - Christmas Eve Worship - 7pm
Join us tonight for Christmas Eve worship at 7pm.

December 25th - Christmas Day - No worship at University Lutheran

December 26th - Memorial Service for Dr. Robert Culp at University Lutheran - 1:00pm

December 27th - Memorial Service for Dr. Robert Culp at Miracle Hill Nursing Home Chapel - 10:00am

December 28th - The First Sunday of Christmas
  • 10am - Bible Class - Stump the Pastor - Bring your questions about Christmas or whatever you've been pondering...like Melchizedek.
  • 10:15am - Choir - Join the choir!
  • 11am - Worship at University Lutheran - Join us as we worship Emmanuel, God with us!

Memorial Services for Dr. Robert Culp
Dr. Robert Culp passed away this past Saturday, December 20th.  We rejoice in the assurance that he rests with His Savior, Jesus Christ, and we weep with those who weep at his passing. 

Memorial services will be held in two locations:
  • University Lutheran - Friday, December 26th - 1pm
  • Miracle Hill Nursing Home (Sylvia Culp's current residence) - Saturday, 10am. 
We hope that you will be able to make one of these services to show Christian support for the family and friends of our beloved "Dr. Bob".  Click here to view Dr. Culp's obituary.
Thanks for the Christmas Party!
Thank you to our hosts, Catherine and Kal Knickerbocker who put together a wonderful time of fellowship and fun at their house on December 14th.  Thank you to everyone who attended, it was such a great joy to be able to hang out and talk with you all.
Lutheran Student Fellowship National Board Meeting
Pastor Jay was gone this past week in order to serve as pastoral adviser at the winter board meeting of Lutheran Student Fellowship, the national student campus ministry body of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.  We were able to determine improvements to the structure and function of this organization.  LSF says "thanks" for sharing PJ with them for the weekend.
Spring Break in New Orleans! - "Out of the Ashes"
Spring Break may seem like it's far away, but it's just around the corner.  This Spring Break (March 8-14) we will be leaving Tallahassee and working at Camp Restore in New Orleans, LA.  The theme for this service retreat will be "Out of the Ashes" as we will be considering how our lives come out of the ashes of Ash Wednesday, and focusing on helping New Orleans come out of the ashes of disaster.  For more information visit our facebook event or contact Pastor Jay.
Strategic Leadership Team - Your Books Are In
The Strategic Leadership Team is not meeting in December, but you have a reading assignment, "Simple Church" by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger.  The books have come in.  Stop by PJ's office and pick yours up.  These must be read by January 25th.
Leavin' again...
Pastor Jay will be out of town on vacation from January 1st through January 9th.  Please contact Elders Dale Landry or Paul Hoover in case of an emergency.
Advent and Christmas Schedule
Please join us for our Advent and Christmas midweek worship services:
  • December 24th - Christmas Eve - (Please do not bring food)
  • December 31st - New Year's Eve - (Please do not bring food)

This Week's "Pastor's Challenge"

I didn't preach this week, but I did write a series of blog postings on my blog about the tension that we have in the Lutheran church between reading things that we know we can trust from Lutheran sources and from the Bible and reading things that are outside of that scope. 

I would like to challenge you to consider this:  Where do you learn about the faith?  Do you need to learn more from Lutheran sources?  Do you just need to open your Bible a little more often?  What other resources could bolster your faith in Christ?  Most importantly, how can University Lutheran help you in this process of learning?

Send a Card

Consider sending a card or celebrating with the following people in some way this week:

  • December 22nd - Moodys - Anniversary
  • December 27th - Matt Bucior - Birthday
  • December 28th - Andrew Hautau - Birthday

Good Stuff

Santa who?  The original "Santa Claus" was actually a Turkish bishop named "Nicholas of Myra".  The day of his remembrance in the church is December 6th.  Besides being a good bishop, Nicholas was said to have rescued three girls from sexual slavery in prostitution by throwing three bags of gold into the window of their father who was going to sell them to a pimp.  He bought their freedom.  Now which version of Santa Claus do you think reflects the Gospel more clearly?  A works-righteousness based jolly old elf or someone who buys freedom for the oppressed?

                            

University
Lutheran Enews

December 24th

Faithful Members Serving at Worship for
  December 28th

Organist
Adam Brink

Choir Director
Bethany Kiral

Guitar Worship Team
Adam Douthwaite
Crystal Berner

Communion Setup
  Linda Andrews

Communion Assistant
Adam Douthwaite

 Acolyte
  Please Sign Up

Usher
Please Sign Up

Reader
Bob Wagner

 Refreshments
Betty Knickerbocker and Leah Paul

Sound System
Bill Lueck

Are you sure you read your Bible this week?  Then answer this question:
The line "To God a thousand years is like a day and a day is like a thousand years," comes from this book of the Bible:
a.) II Peter
b.) Habakkuk
c.) It doesn't come from the Bible at all
d.) Genesis

See below, under "Visit us on the web" for the answer.
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)

The friends and family of Dr. Robert Culp who passed away this past weekend.

All those who are traveling during this holiday season.

Lutheran Student Fellowship which recently completed its winter board meeting.

All those who deal with broken relationships because of sin, death, and the devil.

Ourselves, that we may be driven to the story of Christ's birth in Scripture this Christmas season.

...and that our prayers may be joined with the prayers of all God's saints here on earth.

Weekly Events

Sunday @ 10am - Bible Study - Formation

Sunday @ 10:15am - Choir

Sunday @ 11am - WORSHIP

Wednesday @ 6:30pm - Dinner at ULC

Wednesday @ 7pm -
Advent +Vespers+ A Blended Worship Event

Click here for ULC's Calendar of Events

Email Links:
 Pastor Jay Winters
ULC President
Newsletter Editor

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LutherNOLE T-Shirts

Peer Minister Corner

The Peer Ministry is our leadership team which meets every week to discuss the direction of our campus oriented events.

No meeting this week.

Your Peer Ministers are Adam Douthwaite, Randee Garrett, and Crystal Berner.

Last Sunday In Perspective

No records this week.

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
Bible Trivia Answer
The correct answer is "a", II Peter. Click here to read or listen to II Peter 3.


University Lutheran Church and Student Center
"A Jesus-Centered Community of Scripture, Faith, and Grace"
 925 W. Jefferson St.
Tallahassee, FL 32304
850 224 6059
pastor@universitylutheranchurch.org