N E X U S

PASTORAL REFLECTIONS…

“BECAUSE SOMETHING GREAT HAPPENED THERE!”

Do you know what a dreidel is? It’s a four-sided toy that’s a spinning top. The game is played by Jewish people the world over at this time of year as they celebrate the festival of Hanukkah. This festival commemorates an event in time between the Old Testament and New Testament. About 200 years before Jesus was born, a family and group of friends known as the Maccabees defeated an enemy that was trying to wipe out all the Jewish people. After the Maccabees were victorious, they went back to the temple in Jerusalem and found it desecrated. To purify it, they lit lamps with holy oil. Only enough oil was found for one day. Holy people were sent to get more oil. It took them eight days to return. Miraculously the one-day supply of oil never ran out during the eight days. So the temple was purified. The toy “Dreidel” reminds the players of this miracle. On each of the

four sides of the Dreidel are Hebrew letters: nun[ ב ], gimel[ ג ], hey[ ה,] shin[ ט.] Hebrew phase: Nes gadol heya sham. This means “Something great happened there!” As we get ready for Christmas and our minds turn to Bethlehem and celebrating Jesus’ birth, I want to point to THAT place and THAT event and loudly say:Nes Gadol Heya Sham! Something great happened there!

It was there God chose to be with us. It was there God chose to send His Son, born as one of us, to die for all of us. It was there God showed the supremacy and majesty of His love and grace in sending us a Savior.

DECEMBER 2020 JANUARY 2021

Pastoral Reflections...cont’d

Oh indeed! Nes gadol heya sham - - Something great happened there!

But consider this, celebrating Christmas is more than just a memorial birthday party for Jesus, it’s also meant to be a stirring-up inside of you. It’s meant to be a filling of your heart by our loving Father. It’s meant to ratify that Jesus is real, magnify the vision of God’s love for you, fortify your faith in Jesus and solidify your confidence in being redeemed and part of God’s family. It’s meant to fill your whole heart. As I point to the manger I say Nes gadol heya sham. (Something great happened there!) But as I point to my heart at Christmas, I also want to say Nes Gadol Heya Po! “Something great is happening here!”

Here are three encouragements to help fill your heart through this season.

1) Recognize the importance of Christmas. The Nativity account is not fable, fairy tale, fantasy or fiction. It’s fact! God becoming one of us is indeed the perfect substitute to take this punishment we deserved for our sins. Jesus’ sacrifice brings us forgiveness, newness and a welcome back into God’s family.

2) Rejoice in the importance of Christmas. The sacrifice Jesus made in both becoming one of us and then dying for all of us was not just a simple annoyance, an irritating agitation, a minor discomfort for Him. He took on the brutality of humanity, the cruelty of fallen creation and the humility of a hateful condition to free us to be the beloved and beneficiaries of God.

3) Remember through the year the importance of Christmas. Jesus did not just arrive on Christmas then 33 years later after His death and resurrection ascend into heaven abandoning us to our feeble attempts and efforts to handle our lives. In sending His Holy Spirit, we are empowered to live as the beloved and to live out our love for God and others all year long. We don’t pack up our faith and our charity and compassion and our commitment to Christ with our Christmas decorations. We display and utilize them all year long!

I can hardly wait to celebrate Jesus birth with you again this year. I love the true story of Jesus’ birth in the hamlet of Bethlehem where Mary and Joseph placed Him in a manger. Truly, Something great happened here!

I also eagerly look forward to Christmas-ing with you in worship, word, witness and wonderment of our great God’s love for each of us. I’m excited again for our hearts to be stirred again by the Christ-child’s birth. “Something great is happening here!”

May you and yours enjoy a time of hope, peace, love and assurance during this Christmas season of this most difficult year.

I am yours in Jesus, with much love,

Pastor William P. Yonker, Senior Pastor Immanuel Lutheran Church

Dear Friends,

If you're like me, you're ready to say "goodbye" to 2020 and "welcome!" to 2021! This year has certainly been one that we will look back upon with many stories and emotions. But I pray that we can also look back and see God's hand working throughout this unprecedented time. He has been faithful and His promises are sure. In Deuteronomy 31:6 we are assured, “...the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Our ministry, along with most aspects our lives, has had to change

with the times. We continue to carry on with your help. Your $10 donation to our first-ever photo calendar featuring Levi will help us carry on and care for Levi as we seek to be the hands and feet of Jesus in these stressful times. Your generous support and prayer partnership makes our ministry possible. You are all members of “Team Levi!” The theme of this calendar is "Beloved Hymns." I hope you enjoy it as much as we all enjoyed sharing our favorite hymns with you. Here's one more as we head into a new year, filled with the mercy, compassion, presence and proclamation of Jesus Christ. From LSB #733:

"O God, Our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home."

Looking forward to a blessed 2021!

Barb Christie, Top Dog

I will purchase _____________ Poinsettias at $16.00 each to be used in our church for Christmas. Please return this form with payment to the church office by 12/16/20.

Given in memory of:

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Given as a Thank Offering for:

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

________ I will ________ I will NOT Pick them up after Christmas Day service

Make checks payable to Immanuel Lutheran Church

Name: ___________________________________________________ Phone: ________________

310 East Main Street East Dundee, IL 60118

ALUMNI NEWS Please send your alumni news to swatzlawick@immanuel-ed.org

Nicole Prather performing at the Jazz Ensemble at Elgin

Community College on October 29th.

Check it out at https://www.facebook.com/ECCArtsCenter/

videos/1221183144919837/?fref=mentions

2013 Graduate

Our next Future Female Leader of Notre Dame is Kailey Connors! Kailey is a sophomore living in McGlinn Hall and she is majoring in Computer Science.

Kailey is a member of CS for Good, a club at ND that focuses on using students’ knowledge of computer science to help the South Bend community. The current project that Kailey is working on is for South Bend Data Analysis, where community partners coordinate lead test kits for people in South Bend. This semester, her project team is focusing on making a program to organize their data and promote efficiency in the process of distribution and collection.

Kailey is also a member of the Notre Dame Cheer team! This is her second year on the team and what she loves most about being a Notre Dame cheerleader is having the opportunity to be an ambassador for our University.

“The experiences and opportunities that we have are so special and I love being able to interact with fans and alumni on game day and at other events. I am so grateful to be surrounded by such supportive teammates who truly embody the Fighting Irish spirit.”

2015 Graduate

Judson University Announces the 2020 D. Ray Wilson and Bea Wilson Youth Volunteer Service Award Nominees

The Bea Wilson Youth Volunteer Service Award recognizes freshmen through juniors in high school for voluntarily performing community work that serves others’ physically, emotionally, intellectually or spiritually. The Bea Wilson Youth Volunteer Service Award winner will receive a $3,000 scholarship annually to attend Judson University. The 2020 Bea Wilson Youth Volunteer Service Award nominees are:

RJ GREEN of Carpentersville, Ill., is a junior at Westminster Christian School. At school, he

provided music for church services and helped create the bulletin and power points used for weekly

church services. RJ was an honor student, a Pep band student director and music arranger, section

leader for the Symphonic Winds and Percussion, writer of the month in February 2020, master

musician of the month in January 2020 and nominated by his peers to lead the sophomore class lip

sync competition. RJ also received the “Best of the Day” solo award at Roselle Fine Arts Festival.

2018 Graduate

SCHOOL NEWS

TEACHERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

On Sunday, October 25th at 1:00 p.m.,19 new confirmands celebrated the

ߙ RITE OF CONFIRMATION ߙ Please pray for these young men & women as they continue their journey of faith. Emily Elizabeth Albrecht Jacob Robert Guyon Timothy Dale Navarro Charles James Aversano Ethan Blake Hogue Hunter William Pate Abigail Rose Deacon Alana Marli Jonas Mary Elizabeth Pieper Alayna Diane Dieckman Magen Ann Elizabeth Laas Ethan Cole Robertson Hailey Marie Franczkowski Bethany Grace Lutsch Parker Joel Schiltz Nicholas Roy Freeman Karsten Juergen Moehler Bailey Grace Seegers Connor James Gavin

LIFE AT IMMANUEL

Warm Christian Greetings!

What a wonderful blessing it is to know the Christ of Christmas! While so many in the world move toward the statement “Happy Holidays”, we as Christians know that the Christmas Season is truly the time we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He has done so much for us, and while we could never repay Him, we do offer our lives as living sacrifices to be used for His glory.

Clearly God has blessed our church! He continues to bless us with the efforts of a very dedicated staff who serve as living sacrifices here at Immanuel. To carry out Christ’s mission, as our Savior’s birth approaches, we would like to recognize all of our staff through a special “Thank Offering” for the countless hours they contribute to care for the lambs of Jesus’ flock. This “Thank Offering” will be collected through Sunday, January 3rd and as in the past, will be distributed among the staff. Offerings can be mailed, brought into the church or school office, or placed in the offering plate.

As we celebrate the birth of a baby who has promised us eternal life with Him and continues to bless us every day with faithful shepherds, may the Father show you again the wonder of Christmas by seeing Jesus, His greatest gift.

In His Service

Brent Aversano, Chairman Standing Committee for Day School Education

We Invite You to Join Us in Worship Special worship & events for the seasons of Advent / Christmas…

Midweek Advent Worship… In our Advent midweek worship services, Pastor Yonker will be sharing the

messages - “EVIDENCE OF AN EVER-LOVING, GIFT SENDING GOD”. Worship Dates & Times:

- Wednesdays...Dec. 2nd, 9th, 16th & 23rd

- 10:00 am - (Mask Mandatory) / and 7:00 pm - The evening services will also be LiveStreamed (see our Immanuel website or Facebook page)

Weekend Services in Advent… the theme for those messages - “CELEBRATING CHRIST BC *” Worship Dates & Times:

- Saturdays and Sundays in December leading up to Christmas

- Saturday worship is at 5:00 pm - Mask Mandatory - Sunday services are at 8 am, 10 am, and 11:30 am. - Holy Communion is celebrated at the (Sat.) 5 pm,

and the (Sun.) 8 am, and 11:30 am.

Christmas Eve… Worship Date & Times: (Register by 1 pm on Tues., 12/22)

- Thursday (12/24) - 3 pm (LiveStreamed also) - 5 pm (Mask Mandatory)

- 7 pm (LiveStreamed also) - 11 pm - The 5, 7 and 11 pm services will be Lessons, Carols & Candlelight

Christmas Day… Worship Date & Time: (Register by 1 pm on Tues., 12/22)

- Friday (12/25) - ONE Service Only… 10 am (LiveStreamed also)

- Holy Communion will be served

New Year’s Eve… Worship Date & Time: (Register by 1 pm on Tues., 12/29)

- Thursday (12/31) - 6 pm (LiveStreamed also) - with Holy Communion and Mask Mandatory

- (NO service on New Year’s Day)

Sat. / Sun., Dec. 26+27 - Worship Dates & Times: - No Saturday service

- Only 1 Sunday service

@ 10 am

w/Holy Communion

Also LiveStreamed

Sat. / Sun., Jan. 2+3 - Worship Dates & Times: - No Saturday service

- 3 Sunday services

- 8 am / 10 am

- 11:30 am

- Holy Communion @ 8:00 + 11:30

For Midwk Worship Services

- Must pre-register for:

- Please do so by 1 pm on Monday of that wk.

See how we are doing Communion during this

time of SOCIAL DISTANCING

- Visit our church’s website -“Im. News”...Communion -

For wkend Worship Services

- Must pre-register for:

- Please do so by 1 pm on Thurs. of that wk.

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID

DUNDEE, ILLINOIS PERMIT NO. 27

Immanuel Lutheran Church

310 E. Main Street

East Dundee IL 60118

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Many thank to all the volunteers who helped to make our VETERANS DAY Dinner-To-Go a great success! We received many wonderful comments and an overall appreciation for remembering our Vets!