christmas 2015
TRANSCRIPT
Happenings 2
Kids/Youth 3
Other
Things,
4
Calendar 5
F I R S T L U T H E R A N
C H U R C H O F
H O O P L E , N D Christmas 2015 2 0 1 5
Pizza and Ad-
vent worship
Wednesday De-
cember 2nd,
9th, and 16th
starting at
6:15pm
Sunday
School Christ-
mas Program,
Potluck on Sun-
day December
20th
Christmas Eve
Candlelight
Worship Thurs-
day December
24th at 5pm
SANTA AND God at the mall
There I was, the day before
thanksgiving, eating lunch at
Rising Bread Company at the
West Acres Mall in Fargo.
Which by the way, a quick plug,
I love this place. I know I’m
not Marilyn Hagerty but if you
haven’t eaten there, I recom-
mend it. Ok back to the story.
There I was, eating lunch with
the family when all of a sud-
den the guy who was eating
his lunch two chairs down
from me turned to me and
said the following out of the
blue “It is because of God’s
patience that Jesus hasn’t re-
turned yet.” I was taken off
guard as I looked at the middle
aged man who had a scruffy
stubble kind of beard, who was
eating from the same place I
was, who had apparently just
purchased a new apple laptop
and who was holding a yellow
colored legal pad of paper that
had all kinds of notes written in
pencil on it.
I’m not sure why, but I have a
track record for random people
wanting to engage with me
about religious/spiritual matters
at malls. And to be honest, I’d
kind of rather not have these
conversations. In this instance
I didn’t really want to respond
to the man and I didn’t really
know how to respond to the
man. There’s a lot of debate
over the end times and many
people are passionate, even
hostile I’d say, when it comes
to what is the right thing to
believe. Even though I would
have rather not had the con-
versation, I responded to him
the best I knew how. We then
went on to have a little chat
about God, the end times,
heaven, Christians, Muslims,
and other religions. Then his
phone rang (thank God?) and I
was off the hook.
In a couple of weeks we will
again celebrate the birth of Je-
sus and in doing so we will read
again the story of the virgin
Mary, the carpenter Joseph, the
angels, the shepherds, the ma-
gi, the feeding trough, Bethle-
hem and the inn. I know it has
become a “normal story”, and
perhaps this is because we
have heard it so many times.
But the more you think about
it, or at least the more I think
about, it’s really a crazy story.
It’s a story that for me doesn’t
make all that much sense. I
mean what’s up with God de-
ciding to enter the world as a
person? How did God decide
this? Where was Jesus from
the beginning of time? Just
hanging out waiting for the op-
portune time? And why in the
Middle East two thousand years
ago? And what about the
whole virgin birth thing? It’s a
crazy story, an unbelievable
story, and a story that I don’t
necessarily always really get.
But maybe that’s the point.
For those of us who are crazy
and daring enough to believe
that there is a God, maybe the
Christmas story invites us to
believe that this God works in
ways that are surprising, if not
unbelievable. That what we
have in mind and that what
God has is mind are not always
the same thing. Maybe the
Christmas story then is this
caution against believing that
we have it all figured out, this
caution against being too cer-
tain as to what places and peo-
ple are godforsaken. Maybe
the Christmas story invites us/
challenges us/dares us to keep
our eyes, hearts, and minds
open, lest God shows up in a
small town, through an insignif-
icant person, or in a feeding
trough and we miss it.
I don’t believe that God is a
puppeteer and makes every-
thing happen. I don’t neces-
sarily believe God placed me or
my friend at West Acres Mall to
have a conversation with one
another on the day before
Thanksgiving. But what I do
believe is that perhaps in that
random and by chance conver-
sation, God was there and
maybe even invited me (and
him?) to grow and learn in it in
an unexpected way.
“‘Look the virgin shall conceive
and bear a son, and they shall
name him Emmanuel,’ which
means, ‘God is with us.’” – Mat-
thew 1:23
Merry Christmas,
Patrick
P a g e 2
This Advent we are using the Jesse Tree. The Jesse tree is a medieval Christmas tradi-
tion that has people look at Jesus’ family tree and God’s faithfulness throughout the
whole story of the bible. Each Wednesday night we will hang an ornament on the Jesse
Tree to remember God’s love for God’s people throughout history as we prepare to cele-
brate the night love came down and took flesh in the birth of Jesus. There is a corre-
sponding Jesse Tree book available for purchase ($15) in the entrance area. Pizza is at
6:15pm and Holden Evening Prayer at 7pm on Wednesday nights (December 2nd, 9th,
and 16th).
Wednesday Night Pizza and Advent Worship
This Christmas you are invited to give alternative gifts to your friends and family.
Here’s how it works: Go to the table in the entrance area. Browse through the alterna-
tive gifts binder. Choose an alternative gift. Pay by cash or check (written to First Lu-
theran). Take a matching card that says “A gift has been given in your honor”. Write in
the card and give it to someone this Christmas.
Here’s what’s at stake: There’s a kids/youth team and an adult team. When you buy an
alternative gift, indicate which team you would like your gift to go to. A person from the
losing team gets a pie in the face at the end of the Christmas program on December
20th.
Alternative Gifts
P a g e 3
Sunday School Christmas Program - Sunday December 20st at 9:30am
This year’s Sunday School Christmas program will be held on Sunday December 20th at
9:30am. After the program you are invited to bring something to share for a potluck
meal.
The Leagues will be Christmas Caroling on Sunday December 13th at the Borg Home in
Mountain. We’ll leave church around 1pm and carol from 1:30-2:30pm. We’ll then gather
in Crystal for some more Christmas fun and should end around 4pm.
Sunday School Christmas Program - December 20th
Jr./sr. league Christmas Caroling - December 13th
9th grade confirmation meets on the first Sunday of the month at 4pm!
7th/8th Grade Confirmation resumes Wednesday January 6th at 4pm!
Confirmation
P a g e 4
C h r i s t m a s 2 0 1 5
Anniversaries
Brian & Stacey Reilly December 21
Birthdays
On Wednesday December 23rd at 7pm there will be a Christmas Edition of “Hop and
Hymns” at Duffy’s Hoople Bar. All are welcome to join in sharing some Christmas
cheer!
“Hops and Hymns” Christmas Edition
December 2 Loren Gullickson
December 4 Dylan Feltman
December 6 Richard Brown
December 6 Rodger Hall
December 9 Linda Duff
December 9 Austin Markel
December 12 Lisa Oberg
December 12 Matthew Berg
December 13 David Fedje
December 13 Claire Braathen
December 13 Kadee Gullickson
December 13 Kari Olson
December 13 David Fedje
December 14 Val Gullickson
December 14 Everett Fedje
December 16 Dan Holt
December 21 Kinley Torbit
December 21 Sara McCollum
December 22 Grant Nupdal
December 24 Dylan Nupdal
December 25 Linda Fagerholt
December 27 Mila Fagerholt
December 27 Joe Gullickson
December 30 Tom Rinde
December 31 Tom Nilson
December 31 Kristie Gullickson
Together we’ll celebrate by candlelight the birth of our teacher, our savior, and our
hope, Jesus.
Christmas Eve worship - Thursday December 24th at 5pm
P a g e 5
Dec
emb
er 2
01
5
SU
N
MO
N
TU
E
WED
T
HU
FR
I SA
T
1
27
30
am -
Men
’s b
reak
fast
9:3
0am
- W
om
en’s
Bib
le S
tud
y
6:1
5p
m -
Piz
za
7p
m -
Ad
ven
t W
ors
hip
3
4
5
6 9:30
am -
Wor
ship
10:3
0am
- S
und
ay S
choo
l/
Cof
fee
7 8
9 9:3
0am
- P
ray
er C
off
ee
6:1
5p
m -
Piz
za
7p
m -
Ad
ven
t W
ors
hip
10
11
12
3-5
pm -
Nor
thla
nds
/
Gra
nd F
orks
13
9:30
am -
Wor
ship
10:3
0am
- S
unda
y Sc
hool
/C
offe
e
1pm
- J
r/Sr
Lea
gue
Car
olin
g
14
15
16
9:3
0am
- P
ray
er C
off
ee
6:1
5p
m -
Piz
za
7p
m -
Ad
ven
t W
ors
hip
17
18
19
20
9:30
am -
Su
nday
Sch
ool
Chr
istm
as P
rogr
am
10:3
0am
- P
otlu
ck
21
22
23
7pm
- “
Hop
s an
d H
ymns
”
Chr
istm
as E
diti
on
at
Duf
fy’s
24
5pm
- C
hris
tmas
Eve
Wor
-
ship
25
26
27
No
wor
ship
at
Firs
t L
u-
ther
an
28
29
30
31
3030 Glendale Avenue
701.894.6404
www.1luthoop.com
First Lutheran Church
PO Box 110
Hoople, ND 58243
We’re on
facebook!
“to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is
the Messiah, the Lord”.
- Luke 2:11