Serving at Zion:

Organist Karen Kahl

Elders December 26 6:30 Butch Miller, Dick Erickson

December 27 8:00 Jim Asmus

10:30 Terry Blunk

December 31 6:30 Marc Gosch, Terry Blunk

January 2 6:30 Dick Erickson

January 3 8:00 Jim Asmus, Marc Gosch

10:30 Kieth Osborn, Dave Nemitz

Acolytes

December 26 6:30 Jacob Schroeder

December 27 8:00 Teryn Fink

10:30 Avery Zenk

December 31 6:30 Jack Vazquez

January 2 6:30 Lexi Neumann

January 3 8:00 Grace Asmus

Elizabeth Christensen

10:30 Morgan Kahl Projector

December 26 6:30 Kaitlyn Pieper

December 27 8:00 Devin & Bryce Fink

10:30 Omaha & Goanar Biliew

January 2 6:30 Gus & Anna Boettger

January 3 8:00 Austin Wessel

10:30 Raine Meneough

Greeters December 26 6:30 Roger & Shari Bailey

December 27 8:00 Ron & Donna Preul

Darline Henkel

10:30 Brad McCollough Family

December 31 6:30 Volunteers Needed

January 2 6:30 Diane Ettleman

Amy Ettleman

January 3 8:00 Chuck & Roxana Duncan

Sharon Gosch

10:30 Cindy Mengwasser

Brenda Prussing Ushers - January

6:30 Chuck Ettleman, Gage Miller

8:00 David Gosch, Chris Gosch, Joel Gustafson,

Kim Gustafson

10:30 Marc Meyer, Holly Meyer, Jeff Mengwasser,

Dave Hidding, Marlyn Wiedmann

This Week at Zion:

Sunday - December 27

Monday - December 28

No School

Tuesday - December 29

No School

1:00 pm Newsletter Assembly

Wednesday - December 30

No School

6:30 am Women’s Bible Class @ Cronks

Thursday - December 31

No School - Office Closed

Friday - January 1 - Happy New Year

No School - Office Closed

Saturday - January 2

Sunday - January 3

Hymns:

6:30 - 389, 383, 388, 358, 357, 364

8:00 & 10:30 - 389, 383, 388, 364

Diving Service, Setting 3 - Pg. 184

Regular Worship Schedule:

Saturday 6:30 p.m. Traditional Worship

Sunday 8:00 a.m. Traditional Worship

Sunday 9:15 a.m. Bible Class

Sunday 9:15 a.m. Sunday School

Sunday 10:30 a.m. Contemporary Worship

Sunday 12:45 p.m. Hispanic Worship

1:30 p.m. Hispanic Sunday School Communion on Dec. 26 and 31

December 26 and 27, 2015

First Sunday after Christmas

Rev. Kurt Kaiser-269-8452 Principal-Tammy Langfield

1004 First Avenue South, Denison, Iowa 51442

Church: 712-263-2235 School: 712-263-4766

email: info@ziondenison.org Fax: 712-263-6010

website: www.ziondenison.org

As We Gather... The Gospel of Luke tells us that as a

boy, Jesus grew wiser, stronger and more pleasing to

God and to other people. In spending time at the temple,

Jesus showed His desire to grow spiritually. What steps

are you taking to grow as a Christian?

Stewardship Corner... Wisdom is a gift from God,

and, when we receive it, it offers us peace, joy and

contentment. “For wisdom is better than jewels, and all

that you may desire cannot compare with her”

(Proverbs 8:11).

Scrip Program Thank you for your continued support!

Next order will be placed January 11th.

Please continue to pray for Rev. Gregory Snow. Pastor

Snow has been extended the Call as senior pastor at

Zion. Please pray for him as he considers this important

Call to be our shepherd.

Thrivent Choice Dollars Please choose Zion to direct

your Choice Dollars. Zion has received over $21,500

because of those designating Zion. Thank you!

Free Throw Competition Sunday, January 10th with

registration at noon and competition at 1:00pm at the

Denison Middle School gym. For all boys and girls ages

9-14. Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.

All offerings for 2015 need to be postmarked (or

placed in the New Year’s Eve offering) by

December 31st in order to be posted to your offerings

for the 2015 year.

Newsletter Assembly Tuesday at 1:00pm. Everyone

welcome!

New Year’s Eve Worship Service December 31st at

6:30pm with communion.

Pancake Supper Thursday, January 21 from 4:30-

7:30pm. Serving pancakes, sausage, juice, milk and

coffee. $5 for adults, $3 ages 5-10. Sponsored by Zion

teachers.

No Tuesdays at Two Bible Study Tuesday, December

28th. Study will resume on Tuesday, January 5th.

Share your email with us! We would like to be able to

send more monthly newsletters via email. If you would

like to receive yours electronically, please call the

office or email us at info@ziondenison.org.

Needed... If you are recycling your Christmas cards,

please bring to Zion for mission booklets. Especially

needed are shepherds, nativity scenes and angels. There

is a box in the narthex. Thank you!

Found... a camera after the Sunday School Christmas

service. Please come to the Zion office to claim.

Pray for those with health concerns: Lilith Kruse,

Todd Martens, Lodean Schmidt, Marion Petersen, Jerry

Malone, Virgene Ahrenholtz, Esther McConnell,

Annette Kruger, Fred Klink, Roger Peters, Sherri

Schurke, Bev Fink and Lexi Schroeder. *Names will be

carried on the list for three weeks. If you would like to keep a

prayer request listed after three weeks, contact the Zion office.

Due to privacy issues, direct permission must be received for

names to be listed.*

Pray for blessings for all families and Zion staff:

Especially remember these members: Marlys Groth,

Donavon and Donna Sonnichsen, Clint, Nikki, Ava and

Eli Winey, Junior, Melissa, Sicara, Mileyna and Kevin

Arevalo and Michelle and Dylan Friedrichsen.

Congratulations to Nathan and Kensey Gosch on the

birth of their daughter, Everly Grace Gosch.

Thank You to everyone who served Zion in 2015 with

their time and talent! If you would like to serve in 2016,

please call the office.

Blessings to you and the gifts received that have totaled

over $32,700. Our hope would be that we could double

this amount and with this amount those matching these

gifts, would allow us to pay the 2015 commitments of

Zion congregation. This would include the paying off of

the bank loan. Wishing all a very Merry and Blessed

Christmas as we give "Joy to the World as we Rejoice

in the Birth of the Newborn King!"

Iowa Lutheran School Tuition Organization (ILSTO) Your donation needs to be postmarked no

later than Dec. 31. Please call to make sure tax

credits are still available. Call Dewey Torkelson at

712-260-2991 or visit www.iowalutheransto.org.

Building Healthy Families: As you continue to

celebrate Jesus’ birth, please also remember those who

are struggling at this time of year. Lutheran Family

Service is here to help as an extension of our church’s

ministry. Gifts of all sizes are needed. Secure gifts can

be made online at www.LFSiowa.org or mailed to Lu-

theran Family Service, 409 Kenyon Road, Suite C, Fort

Dodge, IA 50501. Lutheran Family Service of Iowa -

Lynnette Aschinger (712-276-9000).

Channel 13– Call the church office for sponsorship

opportunities. Airs at 4:30 p.m. on Sundays.

Thy Strong Word- Listen to KDSN for these 3-4

minute devotions (Monday-Saturday) at 6:25am. This

week’s speaker is Rev. Richard Merrill of St. John,

Charter Oak.

Old Testament Reading Exodus 13:1-3a, 11-15

The LORD said to Moses, “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the

people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.” Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which

you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the LORD brought you out from this

place. When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall

give it to you, you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that

are males shall be the LORD’s. Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not

redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. And when in time

to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the LORD brought us

out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all

the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to

the LORD all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.”

Epistle Reading Colossians 3:12-17

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has for-

given you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect

harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be

thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing

psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or

deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Holy Gospel Reading Luke 2:22-40

When the time came for their purification to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him

to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to

the Lord’) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two

young pigeons.” Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and

devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him

by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into

the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he

took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, ac-

cording to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” And his father and his mother marveled

at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is ap-

pointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through

your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” And there was a prophetess, Anna, the

daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years

from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple,

worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to

God and to speak of him to all who were wait-

ing for the redemption of Jerusalem. And when

they had performed everything according to the

Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to

their own town of Nazareth. And the child

grew and became strong, filled with wisdom.

And the favor of God was upon him.

Daily Bible Readings

Sunday Luke 2:41-52 The boy Jesus at the temple

Monday 1 Samuel 1:20-28 Samuel presented at the Lord’s house

Tuesday 1 Samuel 3:1-19 The boy Samuel in the Lord’s house

Wednesday Luke 2:21-40 Jesus presented at the temple

Thursday Mark 11:15-18 Jesus clears the temple

Friday Luke 20:1-8 Jesus teaches at the temple

Saturday Psalm 122 Let us go to the Lord’s house

Sunday Matthew 2:1-12 Wise men come to worship Jesus