Southwood Lutheran Church

Gloria, Gloria, Gloria

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"(Luke 2:13-14 NRSV)

“Gloria, Gloria, Gloria” is a new hymn of praise from Argentina that we will begin singing in worship on December 2. It was written in 1979 for a Christmas pageant and was designed so that the entire congregation could join in the nativity drama at the time of the song of the angels. Pablo Sosa, the composer, is an Argentinean Methodist minister and one of the foremost South American authorities on religious music in the folkloristic tradition. Sosa chose to write it in the style of a cueca, the national dance of Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina. The cueca is a lively partner dance/song between a man and woman.

“Gloria, Gloria, Gloria” was written during the Pinochet regime in Chile when, as in Argentina, the government institutionalized violence against its own people resulting in los desaparecidos (the name given to people who “disappeared” at the hand of the government.) As a form of protest, Chilean women whose husbands or sons had disappeared would gather in a public plaza and dance a seemingly joyful dance alone, with their missing partner only in their imagination. The music is characterized by a lively 3/4 vs. 6/8 cross-rhythm creating a feeling of ambiguity in the music which is reflected in the text, “peace to the people in whom God is well pleased.” Who are these people—the powerful or the powerless?

(Information from “Many & Great” by John Bell)

Gloria, Gloria, Gloria.
Glory to God on high,
and on earth be peace to all people
with whom God is well pleased.

Common Sense Media

Just found this post on churchrelevance.com.  According to a survey by The Barna Group, Christian parents in the U.S. will spend about  $1 billion (that's a lot of zeros!) on media products for kids under 18 this Christmas. Unfortunately, many of them are concerned about the media content of the products they buy.

    * 70% of those who bought downloads for their kids’ mobile phones were concerned about the content
    * 46% of video game purchasers were concerned about the content
    * 33% of CD purchasers were concerned about the content
    * 31% of magazine purchasers were concerned about the content
    * 26% of DVD purchasers were concerned about the content
    * 24% of computer software purchasers were concerned about the content

Lack of knowledge and good information is a huge obstacle for me as a parent when I'm trying to make wise decisions about what music, DVDs, movies and video games to allow for my kids.  How can I know if I approve of the content without buying it or renting it or otherwise previewing it myself?  Rick and I have found www.commonsensemedia.org to be a great resource.  It provides detailed reviews on books, movies, DVDs, video games, music...even websites and books, along with information about content in categories like Sexual Content, Violence, Language, and Message.  I get the details I need to make my own decisions about whether the content is appropriate for my kids...along with other parents' and kids' opinions. Here's an example of a review for Enchanted. 

So...if you've got a wish list with media choices you're not sure about this Christmas, check out www.commonsensemedia.org and see if it helps.

Kim

An Invitation You Can't Refuse

Have you ever gotten an invitation you just couldn’t refuse? I got one from Judy Schaffer last year. Judy invited me to Clinic With A Heart, not just with a, “You should come,” but with a passionate recounting of her experiences. She talked about the needs that are being met, the fast pace, the smiles from patients, and how she grows in her faith every time she goes. She invited me by telling me all those things and then saying “You’ve just got to be a part of this.” It was an invitation I couldn’t refuse!

Southwood’s night at Clinic with a Heart is a rock in my schedule now – almost nothing gets in the way of my commitment to it. And it would never have gotten on my schedule at all without that enthusiastic invitation from Judy. Now I find myself issuing the same kind of invitation to all kinds of people – even my own doctor.

I hear the same kinds of stories all over Southwood. “I’m here because someone invited me!” Mission trips, Sunday School, choir, and youth group are just a few of the places that people are inviting others to explore the possibilities of a life of faith. After our Jazz Service in November we had a record number of people who identified themselves as “1st Time Guests” in worship. You are inviting people to come, and God is using those invitations to transform lives.

This Christmas Season is a perfect time to invite! Many people forget – or have never heard – that at the heart of Christmas is God, who comes from heaven to earth in order to bring salvation to all. Who will you invite this year to take a break from the chaos we create around Christmas and discover the heart of Christmas in a way that the busyness of the world can’t possibly deliver? The Christmas Craft Festival, Advent Worship Festival, Christmas Prayer & Communion Service, and four different Christmas Eve Services provide lots of different opportunities to invite. Make it an invitation they can’t refuse!

Pastor Sara

Tea Lovers Rejoice!

Those of you who drink Honduran, House Blend or Decaf every Sunday may not fully appreciate this. But for those of us who prefer tea, there will be WAY more options this Sunday! A giant box of Stash Tea arrived today. We have flavors like Moroccan Mint, Irish Breakfast, Mango Passionfruit, Sushi Bar Green, Licorice Spice, Blueberry, Apple Cinnamon, Chocolate Hazelnut, and my personal favorite, Chai....the list goes on. And there was a little surprise from the fine folks at Stash - a complimentary box of Merry Mint just for the holidays! (They always send us a little surprise. I just love that!) If you're a tea lover, anticipate being pleasantly overwhelmed with choices. And if you haven't tried our teas yet, maybe you should!

Kim

An Adventure of the Spirit

You are invited to take an Adventure of the Spirit!

When people think of Africa, they think of adventure. Our trips to Uswaa, our sister parish in Tanzania, are filled with adventure . . .

The roads can be steep and a little rough . . .

Trees and flowers are bigger . . .

And there are wild animals . . .

As you spend some time there, however, you find adventure in discovering how much we are like the people in our sister parish.

Kids like to go barefoot . . .

And sing in Sunday School . . .

Everyone likes watermelon . . .

And playing games . . .

But most of all, while we may be on opposite sides of the world . . .

The God we worship is bigger than the world and unites us in a common bond of faith.

The greatest adventure, is the adventure of the Spirit.

There is a team going to Tanzania June 23 – July 7. Deadline for scholarship application is December 1, 2007. Contact Jill Hurlbut if you would like to learn more about joining us on this adventure of the spirit!

Gifts of Love Christmas Store

The first time I met Brad Bryan I had a question – Why do parents pay for gifts at the Gifts of Love Christmas Store? Before we get to the answer, let me give you a little background.

In 1996, Brad and his wife Carma started City Impact, a ministry to Lincoln’s urban families and neighborhoods. The Gifts of Love Christmas Store is one of City Impact’s most significant programs. At the Gifts of Love Christmas Store, need qualified parents come and shop for Christmas presents for their kids. Gifts are donated or purchased by City Impact and are priced significantly lower than retail prices – 70% off retail on average. Parents may spend as much as $15 per child ($15 gets about $50 in gifts). So….are you asking the same question I was? Why do parents pay for gifts at the Gifts of Love Christmas Store?

In response to that question, Brad told me this story.

The first time we did Gifts of Love, it was only for a few families, and we gave the gifts away. Because there were so few families, we delivered the gifts in person. A few weeks after Christmas, I got a phone call from one of the mothers we helped with Gifts of Love. She said, “My son wants to come live with you because you give him presents.” That stopped me short and made me really evaluate what we were doing with Gifts of Love. We used that conversation to start a dialog with families in the neighborhood. What we learned was that they wanted to choose gifts for their children and have the dignity of paying for those gifts – without paying for the gifts parents didn’t feel like they were really the givers of the gifts. What they needed from City Impact wasn’t a handout – it was a hand up. The Gifts of Love Christmas Store was birthed out of those conversations with the parents City Impact was there to minister to.

I love that story. And I’m excited that this Christmas Southwood will be a part of City Impact’s ministry, offering a hand up to parents in our community to help them have a Christmas with dignity. Starting on Sunday, November 25th, look for the City Impact tags on trees in the narthex and in the education area. Return unwrapped gifts, with their tags, to the collection bins in the narthex by December 16th. And know that your gifts will help parents give Gifts of Love to their children this Christmas. Want to see how the Christmas Store works? Volunteer to help!

You can learn more in person soon! Brad will be at Southwood on December 9th to talk with our Sunday School students about how they can help with the Gifts of Love Kids’ Store this year. Watch for more information on this, and look for Brad in the Café area between services that day to learn more about how you can get involved in Gifts of Love and other City Impact ministries.

Kim

What is Advent?

In the hustle and bustle of Christmas, we often forget the hope and anticipation of Advent. Advent is the season that begins the liturgical year. It consists of four Sundays starting with the Sunday closest to November 30th. The word "advent" is derived from the Latin adventus, which means "coming" or "arrival." In the societies of the Roman empire, the word “adventus” referred to the arrival of a person of dignity and great power -- a king, emperor, or even one of the gods. For Christians, Advent is the time when the church patiently prepares for the coming of Jesus Christ. Blue is the traditional color for the season of Advent. Blue represents hope, expectation, and heaven.

The Advent wreath is one of the most popular symbols used by Christians during the season of Advent. These wreaths, consisting of a circle of evergreen branches set around four candles, are used in both churches and Christian homes. The evergreen circle stands for the eternal life that Christ has won for all believers. The burning candles represent the coming of Christ as the light of the world (John 1:4-9). Again the blue candles emphasize the hopeful anticipation of the season. A candle is lit on the first Sunday of Advent, with another one lit on each succeeding Sunday.

This year, the children in Southwood's Sunday School (3 year olds-5th graders) will bring home materials to make an advent wreath, which can help them take time with their families from the busy-ness of life to quietly reflect and enjoy the hopeful anticipation of the season.

Want to learn more about Advent? Check out Questions and Answers About Advent.

Thanksgiving Devotion: Thank You, God

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. Psalm 30:4<

About 400 years ago the first Thanksgiving took place. The pilgrims only ate the food that was around them. The more important people had the better food, and the less important people had very simple food. They could not pass food around the table, instead everybody just reached for what was around them. They didn’t have turkey like we do, instead they had duck, deer, cabbage, corn, squash, onions, and the children worked hard grinding corn to make porridge. The pilgrims and natives even ate seafood at the Thanksgiving feast.

On Thursday (Thanksgiving) around the table at our houses, you might have turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and probably for dessert pumpkin pie! Unlike how the pilgrims ate, we can pass food around the table and give thanks to the Lord our God who gave us this food. And after the feast you might play cards, board games, or any kind of games with your family.

We are thankful now because the pilgrims had to sail to America and some got sea sick and even died. When my grandma and grandpa come for Thanksgiving, they will fly and not sail, and I am thankful because they will be safe. When the pilgrims had visitors (the natives) they had to build their own shelter. I am thankful that when my grandma and grandpa come they will stay in the guest room and not go outside to build their own shelter.

Dear God, thank you for this day (Thanksgiving) because we have a chance to remember what you gave us and give thanks. Thank you, God, for family, friends, neighbors, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, and everyone in your family. On this day, we have good shelter and great food and we praise you for those things. Amen.

--by Arin Turnage (age 8)

Soon and Very Soon

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" (Rev. 21: 3-5 NIV)

As I write this, my husband is out of town on a work-related trip. Since he left a few days ago, my two children have asked me many times when he will return. I tell them each time when he is expected and they look forward to that time and they tell me they miss him. When he does return, they will run and hug him and excitedly dance around him and try to tell him everything he missed. Do you eagerly anticipate the return of Jesus? Do you look forward to the day when you will see Jesus' face to face? Will you leap and dance for joy, excited to be in his presence? The hymn tells us, “Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King,
No more crying there…..
No more dying there….”

Thanksgiving Devotion: For Blessings Great and Small

Talk with each other much about the Lord, quoting psalms and hymns and singing sacred songs, making music in your hearts to the Lord. Always give thanks for everything to our God and Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:19 - 20)

Thanksgiving is the day we set aside to specifically thank God for the blessings he has given to us. While these blessings may differ from year to year, we typically think of major events in our lives for which to give thanks - a new job, a successful outcome from surgery, or a new member of the family, just to name a few. It is the monumental occasions that often stick out to us and cause us to give thanks.

Yet God tells us to be thankful for much more than just the major blessings in our lives. Our God is generous to us with his blessings, not only in the major occasions in our lives, but also in our everyday needs. God provides for our physical needs by giving us shelter, food, and clothing. He provides for our emotional needs by surrounding us with caring friends, unexpected kindness from strangers, and glorious sunrises and sunsets. In all things, God will take care of us, and for all things, we should give him thanks.

We need to become more thankful moment to moment, rather than occasion to occasion. During this Thanksgiving season, we will all remember to give God thanks for the major and significant blessings we have received in the past year. We should also stop and specifically thank God for the smaller blessings that we often take for granted, but which He provides to us each and every day.

Dear Father in Heaven: You have graciously blessed us in ways both great and small. During this Thanksgiving season, we thank you for all the ways in which you provide for our needs, and may we remember throughout the year to always give thanks to you for everything. Amen

--by Carol Klaus