PASTORS' MESSAGE

Dear partners in ministry,

Advent has begun, and if you didn't have the chance to get an Advent kit or Advent wreath, it's not too late!  We have a small number of kits left (both children's kits and household kits), so if you would like one, please call the church phone or email Caryn at office@goodshepherdcares.org and let us know.  One item in the household Advent kits was a small number of Christmas cards already addressed to the people of Good Shepherd.  Keep an eye on your mailbox!  If all the kits are taken, and everyone follows through on mailing out their cards, you should get a Christmas card from someone within the congregation.

Christmas will be here soon enough, but we are also looking ahead into early January.   Christmas is twelve days long, culminating in the Day of Epiphany on January 6th.  At Good Shepherd, we plan to celebrate Epiphany on Sunday January 3rd with our tradition of "star stories."  If you were in worship that Sunday last year, you had the chance to take a star with a word on it to serve as a guiding light for the year ahead.  Now, we would love to hear how that word may have guided you!  If you are willing to share a star story for our worship on Jan. 3rd, please be in touch with the pastors ASAP.  We even have a plan for getting new stars out to everyone.  Just as you may receive a Christmas card from someone in the congregation, you will receive an Epiphany card from Good Shepherd.  That card will include stars for each person in your household.  When that mailing is put together, the stars will be randomly chosen and added to the envelope.  If there are more than one in your household, you can choose how you want to distribute them.  We hope this will give everyone a chance to receive a star, and potentially share a story next year!

Advent blessings,

Pastor Jeff and Pastor Larson

For more detailed calendar, including events hosted by outside organizations 

IN OTHER NEWS

Indoor Worship Sign up

Signing up in advance is required to attend an indoor service!  Part of signing up includes an agreement that you are feeling well and have not been in contact with anyone with COVID-19 over the last 14 days.  Indoor worship will include masks and social distancing, a limit of 30 people, no singing, and a shorter time length (about 35 minutes).  There is A LOT more information included on our website, so please make sure to read that for all the details.  For now, if you would like to attend indoor worship on December 6th at 10:15, please sign up at this link.

Can we borrow your fire pit?

We are looking to borrow 5-10 fire pits for our Christmas Eve 3pm outdoor service. Do you have an easy-to-move specimen you'd be willing to lend us for the evening? Email office@goodshepherdcares.org...and thank you!!

Free Christmas Concert with Michael W. Smith 

December 11, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. ET

As Thrivent’s Christmas gift to you, they are excited to offer an uplifting Michael W. Smith Christian Christmas concert.  

Michael has been releasing new music regularly and performing around the world to sold-out crowds for the last 30+ years. During his storied career, he’s written 32 No. 1 singles, been honored with three Grammy Awards and 45 Dove Awards, was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and has sold more than 15 million albums. He’s also given back to the global community. Michael has raised funds to battle AIDS in Africa; started Rocketown, a safe haven for young people in Tennessee to meet and find hope; and has helped more than 70,000 children through Compassion International.  

Register at:  https://www.thriventfinancial.com/member-network/northeast/events/

Adult Forum: Daniel: Books of Faith - December 6th

Explore the stories of Daniel and his friends in this rich and inviting study. The course provides an opportunity to ponder our calling as faithful disciples in troubling times. Additionally, each session begins and ends with a devotional component inviting participants to reflect on what they hear in the text and what the message of the text means for us in our calling to discipleship.

Session 5 Neck in the Noose: Paying the Ultimate Cost of Faith.

We see how trust in God’s promised future empowers Daniel’s community to endure martyrdom rather than compromise their faith (Daniel 10: 1, 18-21; 11:1-35).  Breaking the apocalyptic code to reveal the call for persistent discipleship under pressure, we are challenged to reflect deeply on the kind of courage for which we pray in the petition, “Deliver us from evil.”

12/6/20 - Zoom Time at 11:15 a.m.

Attend the Zoom session to participate in our Bible study of Daniel.

Use the link below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89435659701?pwd=M2FXemMvanZmcFYyOUNVKzVPaFpjdz09

Or call         +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)

Meeting ID: 894 3565 9701  Passcode: 565162

You may email me mark.booher@verizon.net to receive handouts for class.

Mark Booher and Jochen Salfeld will facilitate. If you have questions, please call (508) 870-0364 or email me (mark.booher@verizon.net). We can even help you learn how to participate even if all you do is to call in with a regular phone!

Women of Advent: Podcast

Join Pastor Larson and Sam Menapace as they explore the women of Advent with a new PODCAST! You can listen to the podcast on our (very special!) podcast website: https://anchor.fm/women-of-advent.There is also a link to listen to the episode on Spotify on the anchor website. If you want to follow along, you can read Tamar’s story in Genesis 38. 

Tune in for four episodes, one for each woman mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy from the first chapter of Matthew. You’ll learn about the stories of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Mary through bible study, history, and pop culture!

If you want to share your ideas about these women and reflect on what you’ve learned, join us for a discussion about the podcast on Wednesday nights at 7pm during Advent. The first discussion will be about Tamar on Wednesday, December 2nd at 7pm via Zoom.  

Wednesdays in Advent

Advent is a special season of preparation for the coming of our Lord Jesus, and the perfect window to make room spiritual disciplines that help us engage more deeply in this holy time. We invite you to join us for the first three Wednesdays evenings in December for learning, prayer, and fellowship in the spirit of the season!

First of all, Pastor Larson and CED Sam Menapace are excited to introduce a PODCAST for the Advent season! Tune in for four episodes, one for each of the women mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy from the first chapter of Matthew. You’ll learn about the stories of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Mary through bible study, history, and pop culture! Then join us on Wednesday nights at 7pm for a 30 minutes discussion about the podcast.

Stay with us, then, for an evening prayer service at 7:30 called “Wait, Watch, and Wonder.” The stories of Advent and the poetry of Maya Angelou meet and mingle, inviting us more deeply into the Advent experience.

And finally, linger a little while longer for Jolly Hour (really a jolly 30 minutes) when different members of our staff will lead us through Advent and Christmas-themed games and challenges. For example, on December 2nd, Kirby will have us solving riddles whose answers are favorite Christmas carols!

We look forward to spending this time with you!

Wednesdays on December 2, 9, and 16

7pm—Women of Advent discussion

7:30pm—Advent midweek worship

8:00—Jolly Hour

ZOOM LINK

Meeting ID: 844 7142 3859

Passcode: 554125

Dial in: 646 558 8656 US (New York)

PRAYING TOGETHER 

O Lord of time and space, we thank you that you are faithful to your promise. Grant us faith to trust that your coming brings us new possibilities. Amen

From "O Lord, How Shall I Meet You?" from Luther Seminary 2020 Advent Devotional

In Our Prayers 

This week. . . 

Wendy Ying, Karen Peterson, Maria Steckley, Susan Rovaldi, Phyllis Taxiera, Kathy Allen, Jen Cinelli, Toby Cloutier, Beth Hamilton, Tarah Sproul, Layla Bair, Vila Makkray, Brian Mulvihill, Doug Holst, Cathy Dorey, Jimmy Pritchard, Kathryn Grassey, all those affected by addiction, all those affected by mental illness, all military personnel and first responders, for those who have contracted COVID-19.

If you or someone you know would like to be remembered in our prayers, call the church office or email prayercircle@goodshepherdcares.org. Names remain on this list for four weeks. Let us know if you’d like to renew, add, or remove a name.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Pastors Jeff Goodrich & Victoria Larson
183 W. Main St., Westborough, MA 01581 • (508) 366-7095
office@goodshepherdcares.org • www.goodshepherdcares.org

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