“So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
(Romans 6:11 ESV)
Dear Friends,
Christmas greetings!
We may be tempted to make grace an invitation to sin. Because God will forgive me, why can’t I do what I want? This immature attitude misses this point: Christ unites Himself to us. In His death and resurrection, we receive forgiveness and life. He calls us to live in His life, not to turn back to a life dominated by sin. He enables us to live in the freedom of His grace. (from The Lutheran Study Bible, CPH)
In this new year of our Lord, let us not use forgiveness as an excuse for selfish living, but rather to joyfully live in service to Him.
The Lord be with you!
Coming Up at Prince of Peace this weekend…
Sunday, January 8
9:00 Sunday School & Adult Bible Class (Begin together in the sanctuary)
9:00 Early Service
10:30 Worship Service
Sermon: “Following Him in Baptism” based on Matthew 3:13-17
PoP News …
Sunday School and the early service option will resume this Sunday, January 8 at 9:00 a.m.
Busy Bees will meet on Tuesday, January 10, at 9:30am.
Joyful Seniors will be meeting on Wednesday, January 11, at 1:00pm. Bring some of your Christmas cookies to share and a game to play. We’ll have coffee, cookies and conversation over some play time. Friends are also welcome!
Service note: There will be one service only on Sunday, January 29. Pastor and Carol will be away that day.
Urban Outreach — Let’s Work Together: Christ Our King (Mississauga) is planning a one day conference on February 11th to bring urban churches together to share ideas on how to reach big-city populations where we seldom really know our neighbours, we speak different languages, we have different cultures, and we are busy with so many distractions. Come and share ideas, discuss successes (and failures that you’ve learned from), and help form a network of people to develop effective programs together. For more information, check out the insert in this Sunday’s bulletin.
Facebook Christmas Advertising: Our Christmas services were promoted in our community this season via a Facebook ad that covered a 5 mile radius around the church (from the lake to Waterdown). The cost was $46.22. I hear that at least a couple of households were in attendance Christmas Eve due to our online presence.
Men’s Breakfast: The first men’s breakfast of 2017 will be held on January 14th at 8:00 am at Pilgrim Lutheran Church, 1054 Upper Sherman Ave., Hamilton. Their generous welcome continues in this new year of our Lord 2017.
Haiti Lutheran Mission Society will hold its Annual General Meeting on February 5, 2017 @ 3:00 pm at Christ Lutheran Church, St. Catharines. A soup supper will follow.
Also, HLMS has produced a PowerPoint Presentation outlining their activities in Haiti. You can download it – click here.
The Epiphany Season 2017 …
Sermon Series for Epiphany 2017, Following Jesus
Our Epiphany series is on discipleship. A disciple is one who follows. Christians follow Christ who said, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” This is our Epiphany theme verse for January and February.
“Following Jesus into Baptism” The Baptism of Our Lord
“Following Jesus and Staying” 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany
“Following Jesus and Bringing Others” 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany
“Following Jesus and Getting Hurt Along the Way” 4th Sunday after the Epiphany
“Following Jesus into the Spotlight” 5th Sunday after the Epiphany
“Following Jesus into Reconciliation” 6th Sunday after the Epiphany
“Following Jesus into Perfection” 7th Sunday after the Epiphany
“Following Him into Humble Service” Transfiguration of Our Lord
Our Lord Jesus is saying, “Come follow Me!” See you on Sunday.
Reformation 500 News …
This new section of my email to you will have information on the year-long celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the Wittenberg church doors inviting scholars to debate the practice of selling indulgences which ultimately led to a more clearly proclaimed Gospel of forgiveness through the grace of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.
LCC Reformation Resource Website: Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC) has launched a new website www.reformation2017.ca to share information and resources related to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, which will be celebrated in 2017.
Reading the Book of Concord: As we enter 2017 and the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, now is the perfect time to read the Book of Concord if you haven’t before. The Book of Concord is a collection of confessions written in the sixteenth century. They define what it means to be a Lutheran to this day. Grounded in the Scriptures and faithful to the ancient creeds of the Church, this book is a treasure for all Christians. Click here to access a plan for reading the Book of Concord.
Online News …
Sacred Music for the Christmas Season you can still hear online at Lutheran Public Radio. Simply click here and then click play.
“Right on Time, Just When We Need His Grace” presented on The Lutheran Hour on January 1, 2017, by Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz, Lutheran Hour Speaker, followed by Q&A Topic: How Can I Have Hope in the New Year?. Click here to listen and/or read. It’s a great listen as we enter the new year!
Restructuring Update – December 2016: Stage Four of the restructuring process is now complete, and the CCMS has sketched out its new recommendations, based on feedback from circuit discussions held all across Canada. READ MORE
LCC Joins Call for Improved Palliative Care in Canada: Lutheran Church-Canada has joined an Interfaith Statement on Palliative Care, calling on all levels of government to dedicate themselves to improving palliative and end-of-life care in Canada. READ MORE
RSVP Revisited: LCC is relaunching the RSVP initiative, a church worker recruitment program that successfully identified a number of prospective pastors and deacons throughout the 1990s and 2000s, with hopes that LCC congregations will observe a Recruitment Sunday on January 22, 2017. READ MORE
In your prayers, please remember:
- Those recovering from surgery
- Those in Hospital
- Those under doctor’s care
- Those in mourning
The Lord be with you.
Yours in Christ Jesus,
Pastor Kevin Walrath
