Rev. Franke's Theme Thoughts for This Sunday

Second Sunday in Advent, Series C December 6, 2009

Lessons for The Second Sunday in Advent (Lutheran Service Book)

Malachi 3:1–7b ~ God's messenger will prepare for the Lord’s coming.
Psalm 66:1–12 (Antiphon: Psalm 66:12b)
Philippians 1:2–11 ~ God is completing the good work of His righteousness in believers.
Luke 3:1–14 (15–20) ~ God sent John to prepare the way for Jesus’ arrival.

GATHERING THE TEXTS: Hope in the Face of Reality
Malachi brought the welcome message that God would come to His people, but he also warned them that their eyes would be opened to the reality of their sin! Because God does not change, His people must straighten up their lives! John’s message in the wilderness was much the same: “let your lives show the hope you have placed in God by turning from your wicked ways!” St. Paul gave thanks for the fulfilment of this hope through the redeeming life of Jesus Christ, as God works in His people.

PRAYER BEFORE THE SERVICE: Lord God, we have placed our hopes in You to right the wrongs in our world, but we realize there is much wrong in our own lives, too. Prepare us for the day of Christ by filling us with Your love and righteousness. Amen.

STEWARDSHIP THOUGHT: We look in hope for Christ’s return, but in our waiting, we often take advantage of those around us who are vulnerable. When we see Christ already among us in the weak and helpless, we will be quick to lift up their hopes by sharing coat and food.

OFFERING PRAYER: When empty hopes desert our hearts, and we have lost our way,
Direct us, Lord, to place our trust in You, our coming King;
And in these gifts we bring to You, and all we do and say,
May hollow hearts be filled with hope and joyful songs to sing.

CONVICTION AND COMFORT: The “hopes and fears of all the years” are often co-mingled in our hearts because those things for which we hope will bring us up short against realities we’d rather not face. God’s coming confronts us with the distance we have placed between ourselves and God! That distance is clearly seen in the waywardness of our lives. But in His grace, God overcomes that distance by uniting us to Himself through the righteousness that comes in Jesus Christ. Christ is our Hope; in Him our hearts are united in God’s love.

This Week at Mt. Olive

Good evening, fellow redeemed!

We live in THOSE days! That was the message from Jeremiah 33 this morning - we live in THOSE days, the days in which God's promises proclaimed by the prophets have been fulfilled in Christ! Yet, as great as THESE days are, we live in a continual Advent season, a continual season of waiting, and waiting, and waiting - waiting for the day when our Lord appears in glory, the Last Day. We long to see THOSE days, days when Advent is fulfilled, when days are ended and we are in the presence for all eternity.

Advent Midweek services begin this week on Wednesday. At 12:15 p.m., there is Prayer at Midday. This is a short prayer service that includes a reading, a meditation, and a hymn or two. At 7:15 p.m., it is Advent Vespers. This is an evening order of service with music, hymns, readings, and meditations.

Today was a successful Christmas Program practice from 2 - 3:30 p.m. We will continue these practices over the next few Sundays. Good job! By the way, if you weren't in attendance this week but are planning to be here next week and wish to participate, please send a reply and let me know which children, ages, grades, that sort of thing.

This is a good time to give a reminder of December 13. This is the date of our fourth quarter Voters Meeting. That means a changed schedule: 9:30 a.m. Divine Service, 10:30 a.m. Sunday School and Voters meeting. This meeting is particularly important because of the need to work through and approve the budget.

It's time to decorate Mt. Olive in preparation for the Christmas season! Decorating begins this coming Saturday, December 5, at 9 a.m. Also, an insert will be included this coming Sunday for the purchase of Christmas poinsettias ($7 each).

After my email of last week, I thought I'd give an update of my family situation. As many of you read, my dad's sister died last Tuesday morning. Aunt Betty was one who often hosted my brother and me for a week during the summers of our younger days. She was my dad's last surviving sibling. She will be missed. Services are pending. I'll keep the Board of Elders posted. My mother's sister was hospitalized again on Friday and is probably going to stay a few days longer than her last trip there, undergoing medication therapy of different types.

Many of you expressed your sympathies and condolences to my family over the past days. I can't tell you how much that has meant to my family and me, to hear our brothers and sisters in Christ sharing our sorrow. You all have been a great blessing to us!

Prayer Concerns:
Those who serve in our armed forces: Andrew Epley (awaiting deployment), Michael Baker (returned home!), Edwin Rodriguez and Richard Rhode (North Carolina), Ryan Radtke, John Sorensen, Dru Blanc (NAS Corpus Christi).
The Church throughout the world as it celebrates Advent and begins the walk to the manger in Bethlehem
The sick, especially Barbara Williams and Vickey Bott
Those who mourn, especially my family, and especially my dad and mom, at the death of my Aunt Betty
Public servants and emergency workers (police officers, firefighters, nurses, EMTs, doctors, etc.) whose duties seem to be multiplied during this season
The teachers in our Sunday School as they teach the old, old story of God's plan of salvation in Christ

God bless!
Pastor Kevin Jennings

This Week at Mt. Olive:
Monday, November 30
Girl Scouts, 6:30 p.m.
Zumba Aerobics, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, December 2
School Chapel, 8:30 a.m.
Bible Study, 9:30 a.m.
Advent Prayer at Midday, 12:15 p.m.
Choir Rehearsal, 6 p.m.
Advent Vespers, 7:15 p.m.

Thursday, December 3
Cub Scout Den Meetings, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, December 5
Christmas Decorating, 9 a.m.

Sunday, December 6
8 and 10:30 a.m. Divine Service
9:15 a.m. Sunday School and Adult Bible Class
12:30 p.m. Confirmation Class
2 p.m. Christmas Program practice

This Week at Mt. Olive

Good afternoon, fellow redeemed!

Many of you have expressed your heartfelt sympathies on the death of my aunt. It's my opportunity to say thanks. Please know that I'll be forwarding that message to my parents in Austin. It's one more indication of the generosity of God's people at Mt. Olive!

Tomorrow begins Advent, the four Sundays selected to prepare for the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus. As seasons go in the ancient Church calendar, Advent is the latest seasonal development. At the beginning of the season's development, Advent lasted forty days, mirroring the season of Lent, the forty day penitential fast leading up to Holy Week and Easter. Beginning on November 11, the feast day of St. Martin of Tours, the season was sometimes called St. Martin's Lent. After some time, the season was shortened to four seasons. The first Sunday of Advent is always the Sunday closest to St. Andrew's Day, November 30. In it, we hear of four distinct themes: the King's approach and arrival to take His throne (Advent 1), John the Baptist and his proclamation (Advent 2), the prophetic preparations (Advent 3), the blessed virgin Mary (Advent 4).

Advent is also a season that gives us the opportunity to focus on the prophecies of the prophets, God's ancient preachers to His people Israel. Tomorrow, the sermon text will be Jeremiah 33:14-16.

The Christmas program this year follows a pattern of prophecy and fulfillment, focusing on the meaning of the Lamb. Christmas program rehearsal begins Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. and will last 90 minutes. Any parents who are available will be gladly appreciated!

Advent, being a preparatory season like Lent, also observes midweek services. Each Wednesday (December 2, 9, and 16), there will be services: Prayer at Midday (12:15 p.m.), and Advent Vespers (7:15 p.m.). The readings and meditations of these services will center our attention on the stories of prominent characters in the Christmas accounts.

Finally, Adult Bible Class continues its study of the relationship between Church and State. Tomorrow, we take up the important topic of what to do when the voice of the State and the voice of God are at odds. I also want to address a current events subject I brought up last week and reached what I have come to believe was a mistaken conclusion.

God bless!
PKJ

This Week at Mt. Olive

Good afternoon, fellow redeemed!

I apologize for not having an update to you sooner - we decided to take a few days off. I'll pick up the regular updates next week. Here are a couple of important notes:

Thanksgiving Service on Thursday at 9:30 a.m.

Regular Confirmation Instruction will resume on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

Christmas program rehearsal will begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

On a more personal note, I ask that you keep my family in your prayers. When arriving in Austin Sunday evening, an ambulance was taking my mother's sister to the hospital. She is slated to return home tomorrow. This morning, my dad's sister died rather suddenly.

God bless!
PKJ

The Rev. John Diaz Installation

The Rev. John Diaz was installed as pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in George West, Texas on Christ the King Sunday, 2009. Participating clergy were: Gentet, Brynestead, Biar, Autry, Diaz, Eckert, Wagstaff, and Doria.

Great Resource from LCMS Commission on Worship!

Maybe you saw this on the LCMS Let Us Pray E-news, but it is worth noting again.
–Gil

Check out the new lectionary summaries for Advent Series C and One-Year Series lectionaries available at:

http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=16073

These Lectionary Summaries are designed to be included in Sunday bulletins for worshippers to read prior to the service. As such, they provide a thematic summary of the readings for each Sunday and festival, as well as a description of how the readings fit into the particular season of the Church Year, where appropriate.

These summaries are provided free of charge and may be edited as needed for local use. They will normally be posted two to four weeks in advance.

First Sunday in Advent

First Sunday in Advent

Lessons for The First Sunday in Advent (Lutheran Service Book) November 29, 2009

Jeremiah 33:14-16 – God promised safety for His people through the righteous branch of David.
Psalm 25:1-10 (antiphon: v. 6)
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 – God’s faithful will be kept holy by the righteousness of Christ until His return.
Luke 21:25-36 – The fig tree is a symbol of God's protection and His enduring word of promise.

GATHERING THE TEXTS: Promise of Peace
In Jeremiah’s day, God promised to set things right once again, through the promised Branch from King David’s family tree. Jerusalem will be kept in safety and all of God’s people made holy through the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the Branch of David, when He comes again at the end of days. Jesus pointed to a fig tree as a sign that even in the distress of these latter days, we may expect our redemption in the Person of Christ Himself, just as surely as summer follows the leaves of spring.

PRAYER BEFORE THE SERVICE: Lord Jesus, help me watch faithfully for Your return just as Your people of old awaited Your birth so many years ago. Help me hold firmly to Your promises and share that faith joyfully with others. Amen.

STEWARDSHIP THOUGHT: When the distress of troubled times disrupts the peace of our lives, we often seek stability in the comforts of life; we find refuge in recreation or solace in shopping! God offers a better branch to pin our hopes of peace on: The Son of David who has come to set things right in our lives once again.

OFFERING PRAYER: We bring these gifts, Lord, not to buy Your favor,
Because we know, in love You sent our Savior;
So now we pray Your blessing on these offerings,
And also for our lives, Your peace in sufferings.

CONVICTION AND COMFORT: The things that disrupt our peace are not only nations in anguish and apprehensions of what may come. Our hearts are weighed down with anxieties that we bring upon ourselves by our sinful living. We need something solid to cling to – or some peace-maker to cling to us! Christ Jesus is the strong Branch of David’s line, King of God’s realm of peace, who has strengthened our troubled hearts and made us blameless and holy by righteous sacrifice.