News, service recordings, bulletins, and sermons from Christ and St. Paul's Lutheran Churches (LCMS) in Falls City, Nebraska. Christ Evangelical Lutheran: 2310 Barada St, 402-245-3324, christlutheran@sentco.net; St. Paul's Lutheran: 65103 712 Road, 402-245-4643, stpauls6n@sentco.net. Divine Service is held at 9 AM at Christ and 10:30 at St. Paul's
Sunday, December 31, 2023
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Christmas Service Schedule
Please join us for services this Christmas week at Christ & St. Paul's!
Wednesday, 12/20: Advent Midweek Vespers at Christ, 7 PM
Sunday, 12/24: Divine Service at St. Paul's, 10:30 AM; Christmas Eve Candlelight service at Christ, 5 PM; Children's Christmas program at St. Paul's, 7 PM
Monday, 12/25: Christmas Day Divine Service at Christ, 9 AM
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
What Christmas is All About
What Christmas is All About
You’ve probably seen the classic
cartoon A Charlie Brown Christmas many times over your life (in some cases,
many, many times). I’ve enjoyed
watching it as a kid and even still as an adult; it seems that my kids got as
much pleasure out of watching it as I did at their age. Although it’s just a
cartoon meant for children, there are some insights about Christmas that show real
thought. The most important one, in my mind, is near the end of the show when
Charlie Brown is distraught over the hustle and bustle of the holidays and its
commercialization (what would he say about our day and age?). Our hero goes to
the school auditorium, where the rest of the Peanuts gang is rehearsing a
Christmas play, and he shouts out “Can anyone tell me what Christmas is all
about?”
Linus van Pelt, the intellectual of
the group, responds with simple assurance: “Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you
what Christmas is about.” Linus then proceeds to recite part of the birth
narrative from St. Luke’s Gospel: "And
there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch
over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and
the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And
the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings
of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in
the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign
unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a
manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly
host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will toward men'" (Luke 2:8-14, KJV). Linus then turns back
to Charlie Brown and declares “That’s what Christmas is all about.”
It is as simple as that: the God of
the universe loved you, indeed, all mankind so much that He was not ashamed to
be born of a poor peasant girl in the humblest of surroundings. One thing that
Linus doesn’t mention is why this is
so. For that, let’s look at Luke 1:26-33: In
the sixth month [of Elizabeth’s pregnancy] the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named
Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of
David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said,
"Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly
troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might
be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found
favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and
you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of
the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father
David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom
there will be no end" (ESV). So now we know not only the “what,” but
also the “why” of Christmas—because God loves His creation and redeems it
through the Person and work of His only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
A blessed Adventide and Christmas to you all–
Pastor Ken Humphrey
Sunday, December 10, 2023
Thursday, December 7, 2023
Sunday, December 3, 2023
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