ST. PAUL'S LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL, MUNSTER, INDIANA
  • Home
  • Church
    • Discover >
      • Sunday School
      • Resources
    • Disciple >
      • VBS
    • Connect
    • Bluesheet
    • Youth
  • School/Preschool
    • Parents
    • Students
    • Preschool >
      • Summer Fun
      • TOT
    • Extra-curricular
    • Admissions >
      • FinancialAid
    • Faculty
    • Alumni
  • About
    • What We Believe
    • History >
      • Rededicated
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Church
    • Discover >
      • Sunday School
      • Resources
    • Disciple >
      • VBS
    • Connect
    • Bluesheet
    • Youth
  • School/Preschool
    • Parents
    • Students
    • Preschool >
      • Summer Fun
      • TOT
    • Extra-curricular
    • Admissions >
      • FinancialAid
    • Faculty
    • Alumni
  • About
    • What We Believe
    • History >
      • Rededicated
  • Contact

Rise and Shine!

1/4/2021

0 Comments

 
Arise, shine, for your light has come… Is. 60:1a

Rise and shine! Have there ever been more hated words? You’re all snuggled in and comfy, ready to burrow in for another round of sleep, and then some cheery, peppy person not only wants to drag you out of your warm bed but expects you to have a sunny attitude about it. Nevertheless, we Christians, at the beginning of a new day, a new year, and semester, will arise and shine. We arise like plants in spring, not by our own power but in response to the warmth and light of the sun. We will shine like ornaments on a Christmas tree, not by our own light but by the power of the light that shines on us. It is what we are called and empowered to do by God’s Word.

This week our staff will be “planning” for the coming year. I put planning in scare quotes because in reality everything will remain very tentative. But there are some good aspects to our situation if we reflect on the light that has come. We have opportunities we did not have in the past.

This verse from Isaiah begins the OT reading on Epiphany. You might have already noticed we didn’t do Epiphany this year. It is technically January 6, but many churches celebrate it on the closest Sunday. This year, however, Epiphany is on a Wednesday, so not really very close to any Sunday. So we decided not to move it but to go with Christmas 2 yesterday and Jesus in the temple, and to the first Sunday of the Epiphany season this coming Sunday, which is the baptism of Jesus. Does that mean we are skipping Epiphany itself? By no means!

Wednesdays we have school chapel. And we can livestream and record those services. So we’re going to celebrate Epiphany on the actual day of Epiphany. We’ll use the Epiphany readings for chapel and invite the whole congregation to participate in the service on Wednesday evening. Wednesday evening zoom Bible study will not resume on Epiphany, but will resume the next week.

The power of God’s Word makes a profound difference even to sluggish, sleepy souls. The Christ whose mission was to save you isn’t content to ignore you or be ignored by you. Please utilize every opportunity that comes your way to be in the Word this week. The hated words, “Rise and shine,” become the best Good News when He opens our eyes to the glory of God in action.

In Christ, Pastor Speckhard
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Rev. Peter Speckhard, Senior Pastor at St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church, Munster, Indiana

    Picture

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    March 2017
    October 2016
    June 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015

    Topics

    All
    Anchored
    Art & Music
    Authority
    Bible Study
    Budgets
    Callings
    Catechism
    Challenge
    Christian Living
    Church Building
    Citizenship
    Communion
    Congregation
    Connection
    Cycles
    Death
    Denominations
    Direction
    Disappointment
    Discipline
    Disruption
    Education
    Endurance
    Eternity
    Evangelism
    Evil
    Faith
    Fear
    Forgiveness
    Fruits Of The Spirit
    Frustration
    Future
    Generations
    Gratitude
    Growth
    Heaven
    History
    Identity
    Idols
    Injustice
    Inspiration
    Isolation
    Joy
    Kindness
    LCMS
    Legacy
    Lent
    Liturgy
    Luther
    Memory
    Milestones
    Passover
    Patience
    Peace
    Perfection
    Pilgrimage
    Prayer
    Priorities
    Promise
    Protection
    Reading
    Rededication
    Reformation
    Rest
    Resurrection
    Sacrifice
    Safety
    Salvation
    Scripture
    Self
    Self-destruction
    Serving
    Shepherding
    Sin
    Stewardship
    Strength
    Suffering
    Synod
    Technology
    The Word
    Trinity
    Trust
    Truth
    Unity
    Vigil
    Vocation
    Wisdom
    Worry

    RSS Feed

©2024, St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church & School
Munster, IN