An Absurdly Amazing Love

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in

Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David,

because he belonged to the house and line of David.

He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged

to be married to him and was expecting a child.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to

be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She

wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger,

because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields

nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An

angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of

the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring

you good news of great joy that will be for all the

people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been

born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to

you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying

in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the

heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God

and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on

earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.”

Luke 2:4-14

At this time of year, it’s safe to say that most

Americans have at least heard excerpts of the

account of Christ’s birth from somewhere. It could

come from Linus in the closing scene of the Charlie

Brown Christmas special, or they may read about in

Family Circus in the comics section of the local

newspaper. While I’m certain there are more and

more Americans who have yet to hear in its entirety

the amazing message of Christ’s first arrival, it would

be tough to convince me that most haven’t at

least heard some part of the Christmas story. That

said…it does make me wonder. For the first-time

hearer, I wonder if any part of the account of

Christ’s birth seems at all…well…a bit absurd.

In his book titled “God Came Near,” Christian

author, Max Lucado, shared a time when the

question of the absurdity of Christmas was first

brought to his attention by a man who was bold

enough to ask questions that, at first, almost

seemed too heretical and disrespectful to ask out

loud.

For Lucado, it happened at a conference where,

after hearing the account of Jesus’ birth, life, and

crucifixion, a visitor boldly began to speak in what

appeared to be a challenging manner by posing

the following questions. “You mean to tell me that

God became a baby, was born in a sheep’s

stable…was raised in a blue-collar home…never

wrote any books or held any offices, yet he called

Himself the Son of God…and asked to be regarded

as the Creator of the Universe?”

“And this crucifixion story…he was betrayed by his

own people…and was executed like a common

junkyard thief?”

“And according to what’s written, after three days

in the grave he was resurrected and made

appearances to over five hundred people?” “And

all this was to show that God loves His people,

forgives their sins, and provides the way to

heaven?”

“Doesn’t that all sound rather….absurd?”

Wow! Questions like these not only sound

challenging, but they sound a little “unholy”, don’t

they? And yet the questions are real, and who

knows how many of the people we run into might

be wondering the same. But…to suggest that

anything that has to do with the history,

background, and reason for Jesus’ first arrival could

“absurd”?!?! Come on!

Of course, when you stop to really look at it from

the perspective of a first time hearer, it does sound

a bit absurd, doesn’t it? And the reason lies behind

the question of why God would do such a thing in

the manner that He chose to do it?

Think about this for a moment. Understanding what

God did on that first Christmas when He sent His

only Son to become one of us in order to redeem

us is one thing. Just as is the case when it comes to

understanding the reason for Jesus’ crucifixion and

resurrection. For those of us who have been

Christians since the time we were claimed by Christ

in Holy Baptism, we can understand the purpose for

His sacrifice in order to take our sins to the Cross

and give His life as a ransom for ours. But why He

did it is hard to take in. In fact, (forgive me for my

bluntness) but why God did what He did is

something that’s hard to fully grasp and, yes, for

people like us, it can even sound a little absurd.

It simply goes beyond human reason to fully

understand and comprehend why God would

enter into this world – while knowing that He would

be rejected and despised just as He still is today. In

fact, it’s difficult to truly comprehend why He would

still choose to save a man like me – people like us –

when He could see each and every one of us for

who we really are – sins and all.

LIVING TOGETHER

Continued on next page

Vicar Ben will be preaching for the first time

on Wednesday, December 11 @ 7:00pm

The true message of Christmas (the Son of God

entered into a world that He created - knowing

that the world would reject Him) doesn’t always

make sense, and sometimes it’s difficult to

comprehend. The perfect, holy, and righteous One

of heaven leaving His rightful throne in order to

rescue us from death, the devil, and the self-

destruction of our sins can even sound a little

“absurd”. And the reason? Well…who can

comprehend the kind of love that would purposely

and intentionally set into motion a rescue mission

like this? Who can comprehend the enormity and

immensity of a love for us that would have God

take on flesh like ours in order to save people like

us?

It simply doesn’t always make sense; and, yes…it

can even sound a little “absurd” to people who

have a hard time understanding the fullness of

God’s sacrificial and never-ending love. But…the

truth remains that, whether or not it always makes

sense to us, He still did it. No matter how absurd His

plan seems to our feeble ability to reason and

make sense of it all, thank God that He did it…and

thank God that we get to once again see the

fullness of His love in the meekness of a manger in a

smelly stable in a remote place outside of

Bethlehem. And while we’re at it, let’s also thank

God that He did this for you and for me out of a

love that is absurdly amazing.

Have a blessed Christmas as you rejoice in the fact

that the King of kings and Lord of lords has

arrived…for you.

Pastor Kurt

Every One His Witness Bible Study

Begins January 12, 2020

Every One His Witness is a Lutheran evangelism

program that teaches you to witness to your

friends, coworkers, and any other nonchurched

people you may know. Using the LASSIE approach

to witnessing (listen, ask, seek, share, invite, and

encourage), you will learn how to naturally share

the Good News of Jesus Christ through relational,

contextual witnessing. Pastor Cate will be leading

this adult Bible study beginning Sunday, January 12,

2020 in the gym.

Additional Sunday Morning Bible Studies

During the 9:30 Bible Study Time

Pastor Kurt - Philippians (Gym) through December

22; Vicar Ben Bosch - Augsburg Confession (5th/6th

classroom); Sunday School for ages 3yr old - 5th

grade (7th grade classroom and the school

conference room); Junior/Senior Youth (church

basement). December 29 & January 5: No Bible Study

An Update from Vicar Ben

As I write this update, I am entering the final weeks

of my first class through the seminary. My studies

have gone well, and I am really enjoying the

materials and my professor. I have forged many

new lifelong friendships already with my fellow

brothers who are in pastoral formation with me. I

continue to be strengthened by your prayers and

through your ongoing support—both financially

and by words of encouragement. I ask that you

keep all the students at both the St. Louis and Fort

Wayne Seminaries in your prayers as we continue

to not only focus on our studies but more

importantly as we continue to keep our eyes fixed

on Jesus and His flock—those whom we are called

to serve and love. St. Paul wrote in Philippians 1:3-6,

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all

my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy

because of your partnership in the gospel from the

day until now, being confident of this, that he who

began a good work in you will carry it on to

completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” What a

joy and blessing it is to be involved in ministry with

you already. As we continue to look forward to the

future, I do indeed continue to give thanks for you

all! A blessed Advent, Merry Christmas, and joyous

New Year!

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your

spirit, Vicar Ben

Financial Peace University

Begins January 23, 2020

Are you tired of money stress? Then you’re ready to

join more than five million people whose lives have

been changed by Financial Peace University (FPU)!

This nine-lesson course taught by Dave Ramsey,

Chris Hogan and Rachel Cruze helps you work a

plan to nail a budget, defeat debt, and free

yourself from money worries! You’ll join a small

group for discussions and lessons—all rooted in

biblical wisdom and common sense. FPU includes

your member workbook and a free year of

Financial Peace Membership, with online tools

created to support your journey. Pastor Bill Cate is

offering FPU at St. John's Lutheran Church starting

on Thursday, January 23, 2020. For more info,

contact Pastor Bill Cate at (616) 710-1745 or Debt-free@mail.com.

LEARNING TOGETHER

“May you pursue Jesus with all your heart. May God use you to do mighty things for his kingdom, and after all is said and done in this world, may you hear God say to you, well done, my good and faithful servant.” ~ Zach Zehnder, Red Letter Challenge

St. John’s Jamaica Mission Team

God used the unique skills and personality traits of

each of us to work together as a team. We

celebrated as ONE in each completed project and

gave thanks to God for all that we were able to

accomplish for our brothers and sisters in Christ in

Jamaica. Thank you for the generosity that

completely funded this mission and for the much

needed prayers. The “J” Team

SERVING TOGETHER

Special Thanks to All of our Trunkers

St. John's School greeted around 150 excited

children at their first Trunk or Treat event held in the

church parking lot. We had 14 decorated trunks

there for the children. Thanks to everyone who

participated, especially those who donated all of

the candy!

Congrats to Arna Robinson for winning the best

presenter award!

Grief Support Group

January 12 – March 29, 2020

On Sunday, January 12, our St. John's Grief Support

team will begin to offer a weekly grief support

group that will meet in the 7th & 8th grade

classroom at 9:30am. Each week will be centered

around a DVD-led discussion for those who are

grieving the death of someone close.

We realize that, no matter how long it has been

since your loved one died, grief is still very real for

many people. Each week, we'll focus on a topic

that has all to do with rediscovering joy while going

through the grieving process. Likewise, on each

video segment, you'll also hear practical advice

and guidance offered by professionals.

If you're grieving or you simply feel that this could

be helpful to you or someone you know, please

plan to join us and encourage them to do the

same. For more information, contact the church

office at (616) 842-4510 or office@sjlcs.org.

Lutherans For Life

Lutherans for Life is a life affirming, pro-family

ministry that serves to educate and equip

Lutherans to be Gospel-motivated voices to speak

for Life in their churches and communities. Life

Teams work within congregations to communicate

and share the love of Christ in life issues. They also

serve the surrounding community in ministry

outreach to all of God’s children from the pre-born

to the disabled to the elderly sharing Christ’s love in

practical ways.

Watch for information and an invitation in January

to explore beginning a Life Team ministry here at St.

John’s! There will also be an opportunity to hear

Rev. Michael Salemink, the National Director of

Lutherans for Life on January 11 and 12 at St. Mark’s

Lutheran in Muskegon.

Matching Gift Challenge

As you may already be

aware, weekly general

fund gifts are short of the

estimated amounts

needed to meet our

general fund expenses.

We have already

borrowed $25,000 (as of 9/30/19) from Church

Extension Fund to balance our general fund.

I am happy to report that St. John’s has received a

matching gift of $37,467 from a small group of our

members! We’re asking you to prayerfully consider

matching this gift to make our congregation debt

free. While some of you may have already

increased your giving for the coming year, this

matching gift challenge would be in addition to

your weekly tithe.

If we match this gift, we will be able to pay off our

line of credit loan, and add a reserve to our bank

general fund balance. We did well last year with

our tithes and gifts; but our fiscal year, starting

6/1/2019 began with a reduction of gifts and tithes

for the months of June and July 2019. To meet our

general fund expenses we need $21,516/week.

Always keep St. John’s Church & School in your

prayers, and prayerfully consider helping our

congregation get out of debt.

To give toward this campaign simply note

Matching Gift on your check/envelope, and put it

in the offering plate. Also, gifts from an IRA or

appreciated stock can be made to this campaign.

Thank you, and to God be the glory!

Harry Schmidt, Executive Director

Join Us on Christmas Eve!

December 24

St. John’s members and friends are invited to

attend our 4:00pm Interactive Family Christmas Eve

Worship Service. This service is especially suited for

families with children and grandchildren (or anyone

who remembers being a child at Christmas time).

Portions of the Christmas story will be interspersed

with familiar Christmas carols. This family-friendly

service will last less than one hour.

Our traditional Candlelight Christmas Eve Worship

Service will be offered at 7:00pm on December 24.

Please join us!

Our Christmas worship celebration continues with

our Christmas Day Worship Service on Christmas

morning at 9:00am.

Advent Devotional Booklets

Please help yourself to the Advent Devotional

Booklets located in the church narthex. These are

provided for you to enjoy during your personal or

family devotion time. These booklets, entitled

BEHOLD the CHILD, are a gift from St. John’s

Lutheran Church & School. A blessed Advent and

Christmas to you all!

J2B is back!

Journey to Bethlehem will once again take place

right here in Grand Haven! Tickets are $5 each and

are available only online at

www.journey2bethlehem.com. They are sold based

on day and time and there are multiple times

available each day. Proceeds of ticket sales will go

to pay the necessary expenses required to

produce the event. After expenses, any remaining

proceeds will be used by Love in Action to support

their mission. This is the natural outworking of Jesus

Christ, the hands and feet of Jesus to our

communities.

Essay Competition

A huge congratulations to St. John’s student,

Grace Benway! The local VFW selected her Patriots

Pen essay as 1 of 8 to move onto the state level of

their Voice of Democracy & Patriots Pen Program

essay competition!

We Need Cookies Attention Bakers……..We NEED your BEST recipes

and your fancy decorated cookies for our

Christmas Cookie Walk Fundraiser on Saturday,

December 7. (No Chocolate chip or other ordinary

cookies please.) Please bring your cookies

packaged in disposable containers labeled

“Cookie Walk” to the school kitchen or office on

Thursday, December 5 or Friday, December 6

during the school day. Thank you for helping to

support our class trip to Washington DC. Cookies

will be sold for $8 per pound.

Holiday Shopping With SCRIP

Don’t worry about any

hard to shop for friend or

relative. SCRIP makes gift

shopping easy– Easy Gift

Card Shopping! We

have a variety of cards

in stock (or you can

order many that aren’t

on hand) to pay for

items in stores where

your friends and family

shop. We even have gift

cards to buy gas for the

car.

Stop by the SCRIP table on Sunday mornings or in

the School office during normal school hours!

ST. JOHN’S SCHOOL NEWS

St. John’s Lutheran School’s Advent

Program

December 18 at 7:00pm

Please join St. John’s Lutheran School on

December 18 at 7:00pm for their Advent Program,

entitled Isaiah’s Surprise, written by Nancy Steltz.

This program asks the question, “What might have

happened had the Prophet Isaiah been able to

transport himself, through time, to the date of

Jesus' birth? The result is this delightful Advent

Worship Service where Isaiah, wide-eyed and

unsure of how his prophecies are coming to

fruition, punctuates the dialog and action.

Gingerbread Houses

December 15 at 9:30am

The Sunday School children will be making

Gingerbread Houses on Sunday, December 15, at

9:30am in the church basement. All children at St.

John’s are welcome and prior sign-up is not

required. Youth helpers are needed. For more info,

contact Cheryl Thomas at Twirlygirl78@Charter.net

or (616) 844-7052.

Holiday Office Hours

As we quickly approach Thanksgiving and the

Christmas season, the church office will be closed

on the following dates:

Thursday, November 28, and Friday, November 29

(Thanksgiving)

Monday, December 23 through Wednesday,

December 25 (Christmas)

Tuesday, December 31 and Wednesday, January 1

(New Years)

If you have a pastoral need when the office is

closed, call Pastor Kurt at (414) 736-1772 or Craig

Kaschube at (616) 405-5514.

Lessons and Carols Services

December 21 & 22

Looking for an opportunity to invite someone to

church? Why not encourage your friends and

neighbors to come to St. John’s Lessons and Carols

worship services the weekend of December

21/22? At 10:30am, we will sing everyone's favorite

Christmas carols adding fresh and contemporary

touches to them. At our 5:00pm and 8:15am

services, we’ll sing well known Christmas hymns.

Come celebrate the sounds of the

Advent/Christmas season!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Thank you for saving your

receipts when you shop at

Family Fare & D&W! Bring your

receipts into St. John’s (leave in

the 3 drawer plastic cabinet in

the entryway). Once we’ve

collected $150,000 in receipts,

we can turn them into a $1,000

check for St. John’s! [Current

balance is $78,841.49!]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ladies Aid are collecting clean

plastic caps: milk jugs, peanut

butter, water or soda bottles,

etc.; cancelled stamps; and

new or gently used large or x-

large T-Shirts of 50-100% cotton.

These will be made into diapers

and sent with mission efforts

around the world. If you would

like to make some diapers at

home, directions are available

or attend a sewing bee at

church early 2020. You can

leave all of these items in the 3

drawer plastic cabinet in the

entryway.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Four Pointes Center for

Successful Aging is offering

individual appointments to

compare and review your

options to make sure your

current prescription insurance or

advantage plan continues to be

the best plan for you. Must be a

resident of North Ottawa County

and 60 years or older. Call the

Four Pointes office to schedule

an appointment at (616) 842-

9210, now through December 7.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Youth Family Fun Night at Craig's

Cruisers! Join us on Friday,

December 6 for a night of family

fun at Craig's Cruisers in Grand

Rapids. Cost per person is $19.99

includes pizza buffet and 4

attraction tickets. We will car

pool from St. John's at 4:00pm

and return at 8:00pm. RSVP to

Craig Kaschube at

ckaschube@sjlcs.org.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Free Electric Dryer: One of our

members has a Frigidaire Dryer

that will be available for the

taking by January 1. If you or

someone you know has a need

and can use it, please contact

the church office at (616) 842-

4510 or office@sjlcs.org.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Save and Serve the Lord: Church

Extension Fund offers something

other investment institutions do

not; a ministry dividend. While

earning competitive interest,

your investments are used to

further the expansion of God's

Kingdom through loans to new

missions, childcare centers,

schools, and local

congregations. For more info,

call (800) 242-3944.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The board of trustees are looking

for volunteers to shovel and salt

sidewalks before each service.

Training will be provided. There

will be a signup sheet in the

Social Hall (you can also sign up

on the back of your Connect

Card). We are also in need of a

small snow blower (the one

donated last year didn’t work

out). For more info or to

volunteer, contact Larry Thomas

at larryt7052@charter.net.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

God's Pantry/Social Ministry:

Contact Marlene Guske (616)

842-6879 for food pantry and

meals; Monica Boeve (616) 846-

5588 for all other financial

assistance. Contact Monica

Boeve by December 6 to

receive Angel Tree gifts.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jr./Sr. Youth Christmas Party:

Don’t miss fun games and lunch

on Sunday, December 15 at

11:30am at Holy Grounds! Please

bring a used (not new) "White

Elephant" gift valued at $5 or

less! Please RSVP to

ckaschube@sjlcs.org.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Free Thanksgiving Dinner: All are

welcome to the Community

Thanksgiving Feast on Thursday,

November 28, at St. Mary’s

Catholic Church (406 E. Savidge

St., Spring Lake). This home-

cooked, traditional “family style”

Thanksgiving dinner is served

12:00-3:00pm. (Meal deliveries

are 12:00-1:00pm.) For meal

deliveries: call (616) 842-1702 by

4:00pm, Wednesday, November

27.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sanctuary Decorating will take

place on Saturday, December 7,

9:00am-noon and your help is

needed. Come help prepare

our church for the Christmas

holiday as many hands make

light work.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Altar Guild: If you would like to

order flowers for the Altar in

2020, the new calendar is now

posted on the bulletin board in

the Narthex. Please provide your

name, phone number, and who

the flowers are in honor or

memory of. Payment for the

flowers is $50, and can be made

with the envelopes provided by

the sign up sheet. Your

completed envelope can then

be dropped in the offering plate

during worship. Thanks to

everyone who purchased

flowers in 2019.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Celebration Choir is

beginning to practice for the

Advent/Christmas Season. All

are welcome to join the Choir

during this time. Check the

weekly bulletin or the church's

calendar at

http://stjohnsgrandhaven.com under the News and Events tab

for time/day of practices during

the month of December. As

always, you can contact Priscilla

Isabel at pisabel@sjlcs.org.

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For more information on any of the events on our calendar, please visit our website at www.stjohnsgrandhaven.com.

Plan to join us during our Sunday morning Bible Study hour!

See your church bulletin and/or our website for more details.

NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID Grand Haven, MI Permit No. 157

St. John’s Lutheran Church & School

Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod

God’s Blessings To:

Invite someone to church…

You and your family!

527 Taylor, Grand Haven, MI 49417 Check out our new website: www.stjohnsgrandhaven.com

Church: (616) 842-4510 School: (616) 842-0260 Pastor Kurt Wenzelburger Vicar Benjamin Bosch Youth & Family Life Director Craig Kaschube Administrator/Business Manager Laura Harvey Early Childhood Education Director Heidi Bohn

Return Services Requested

Worship Times: Saturdays at 5:00pm Sundays at 8:15 & 10:30am