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______December 2020

THE LORD IS ON THE WAY “The Lord is near” Philippians 4:5 I love . I love Advent because it is the beginning of a new church year. I am really looking forward to Advent this year because this is the season when I will be returning to my passion -- the preaching of the Gospel of our Lord, Je- sus Christ. I love Advent because it is a time of preparation – a time to prepare to celebrate the birth of the Savior and a time to prepare for His return. It is a time of renewal and expectation. Advent is God sending word ahead that He is com- ing. When I was a boy the best part of came in the days just before the big day arrived – the anticipation, the hope, the little lists, the catalogues, and the waiting. Granted, we didn’t start in the middle of October the way stores do today but that concentration into three weeks plus in December was almost as good as Christmas Day itself. Advent an- ticipation and preparation are important ingredients in this season of expectation of the Lord’s coming. I know there is a lot in Advent that speaks of repentance and “make straight the way.” But even on our knees, heads all bowed down and saying “father, forgive me,” the excitement is there. is coming! If we ever let ourselves go, we will discover that Advent has more than one foot on the Gospel side, and the announcement that Christ is coming, not just for a visit as He passes through but to stay and take over with “glad tidings of great joy.” So, when Advent comes go ahead and laugh. It certainly won’t disturb any pious pretense in me. I’ll understand perfectly. Jesus is coming. Our Savior is on the way. Again, this year we will have several opportunities to help us in our preparation and anticipation for the Lord’s arrival: The first is Advent by Candlelight (ABC). ABC is a ladies’ devotional service. The theme this year is “Fear Not” and includes the ’s messages to Mary, Joseph, Zechariah and the Shepherds. The service this year will be held on Saturday, December 5th, at 2:00 pm. Registration is requested to plan for safe seating and there will be overflow seat- ing in Disciples Hall with live stream provided on a large screen. The second opportunity for Advent and Christmas preparation will be found in our Advent mid-week series entitled: “Prepare Ye.” We will come together at noon or 7:00 pm on December 2nd, 9th, and 16th to contemplate the many ways we prepare ourselves for the coming of the on Christmas, taking cues from the of old and from those whom God chose to play a part in the story of our Lord’s birth. As we draw near to the bed of our Savior from sin and death, our hearts prepare Him room for His everlasting love. These services will culminate in our amazing and Christmas Day services of praise and worship to the Word made flesh who has come to dwell among us. If COVID-19 has you feeling down, come and worship in person or via live stream. Advent and Christmas are times of renewal and expectation. It is a new season. Come and be re- freshed by Jesus.

Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance (Jude v.2)

Pastor Dana Allen Brones

______Bethlehem Lutheran Church 1423 8th Avenue N. Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250 . (904) 249-5418 or 249-1204 Preschool Pastor Dana Allen Brones, Senior Pastor . [email protected] Pastor Nathan McCarty, Associate Pastor . [email protected] Vicar Andrew Simpson . [email protected] www.blcjaxbeach.org December Birthdays Stewardship

Oct 2019 Oct 2020 & Anniversaries Monthly Totals: $64,034.54 $61,870.52 2 Cheri Greene & Kevin 18 Helen Peterson Restricted: 6.094.16 13,391.00 2 Roy and Jean Shimp 19 Rusty Huseman YTD Totals: $564,028.90 $547,890.17 2 Sylvia Singleton 19 Mackenzie O'Reilly $52,339.56 $51,381.77 2 Diane Wortelboer 20 Michael Headley 3 Cameron Hardy 21 Howard & Melissa Estervig 3 Kathy Lease 21 Annabelle & H Usher 4 Carol Carroll 22 Valerie Cardona October Attendance 4 Rusty & Cindy Stafford 22 Paul Greene Date 8 am 9:30 am 11am Total 5 Karen Bessemer 23 Margaret Ford 5 Aubrey Costescu 24 Matthew Tate Oct 6, 2019 74 110 105 289 5 Matthew LaForty 25 Jacquelyn Thiemann Oct 4, 2020 28 50 53 131 5 Liliana Mack 25 Jesus Oct 13, 2019 83 80 75 238 5 Joan Richards 26 Christian Dellinger Oct 11, 2020 46 61 63 170 6 Daniel Junk 26 Kegan Dellinger Oct 20, 2019 57 86 88 221 7 Jeffrey Swatkowski 26 Bob & Marianne Johnson Oct 18, 2020 32 46 47 125 9 Chad Troester 27 Grace Elvers 10 Leonard Lucas 27 Terry Parker Oct 27, 2019 74 81 75 230 10 Kelly Sly 27 George Parnaby Oct 25, 2020 44 57 48 149 11 Jacob Kempf 27 Eunice Schauer 12 Nancy Brewer 28 Melissa Cadet 13 Becky Bicknase 28 Brandi Harrison 13 Rusty Stafford 28 Eric Toney 15 John & Joy Helberg 29 Howard Estervig 15 Kathy Orr 29 Wayne & Arlene Lorenz Like us on Facebook and Instagram 17 Lois Ambrose 30 Cindy Huber 17 Marge Cirillo 30 Nathan Wilhelm for the latest in news, 17 Erik & Karen Wilhelm 31 Dee Parker 18 Joy Helberg photos and fun! If your birthday or anniversary has been missed, please contact the office at 249-5418.

Altar Flowers Schedule for December Screens Altar You can remember or mark a special occasion Dec. 2 with Altar Flowers? Each of the beautiful arrange- 12 pm Tami/Jen 7 pm Val ments are $30 per vase and a sign-up sheet for Dec. 6 8 am Sam Jenn Val each Sunday of the year is in the Narthex. This is a 9:30 am Candice Barbara great way to acknowledge a birthday, anniversary, 11 am Carol Diana and to remember a loved one who has gone be- Dec. 9 Altar fore. You can choose to take them home with you 12 pm Tami/Jen 7 pm Barbara after the 11 am service or mark for them to be de- Dec. 13 8 am Val Anna Susan livered to a homebound congregant or someone in 9:30 am Brenda Brenda the hospital. Please put your donation in the offer- 11 am Gina Beth Dec. 20 Altar 12 pm Tami/Jen 7 pm Beth Dec. 24 6 pm Carol Brenda If you would like to 8 pm Kristine Diana 10 pm Susan Val volunteer: Dec. 25 Altar 10 am Susan H Screens—Romaine Moore @ 422-2881 Dec. 27 8 am Pat Carol Susan Altar—Val Gruhn @ 536-2912 9:30 am Tami Tami 8 am greeters—Anna Arno @ 223-1766 11 am Carol Bonnie 9:30 greeters—Joan Richards @ 463-6703 Dec. 31 7 pm Val Susan 11 am greeters—Jean Shimp @ 249-2040 BFF—Holly Dellinger @ 349-6059 Thank you for your service Home for the Holy Days

“While Jesus was still speaking to the people, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to Him. But He replied to the man who told Him, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ And stretching out His hand to- ward His disciples, He said, ‘Here are my mother and brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.’” ~ :46-50 I bet you didn’t know this passage of Scripture was a Christmas themed passage! But it is. At least for me. I’ve had a couple years now to get used to being a pastor. It’s still weird. It is a calling with some aspects that are ab- solute blessings and joys. And some aspects that are more challenging. And some that are both. The holidays are part of that “both” category. Why? Well, once you enter the Pastoral Office, you are (at least 95% of the time) saying “adios” to being present for many of the normal family functions at the normal family times. At least, if your congregation resides outside Mom and Dad’s hometown! Usually it does. Oh, of course we can still get home for vis- its, just not on December 24th and 25th! And if your parent’s Christmas cooking and Christmas candy are anything like my parent’s, you will understand why this is a tough thing for my tummy and taste buds to miss! Of course, we can always Facetime with the nieces and nephews while they open their presents… but it’s just not the same as being there, in the moment, on that special holiday. But this challenge is a great blessing, too. Because once you’ve adjusted to the new “pastoral reality,” Jesus’ words about a true, even deeper, family centered around our Heavenly Father – well, they start ringing true. And I get to live it! Experience it. While I miss my family at times, I can honestly say that there is no place I would rather be, and no people I would rather share this time with, than you. God has placed me here. You are my family. Who better to marvel at God’s love with than with you? You - who have shown my family and I such love. Who better to shout “Rejoice! Rejoice!” with than with you? You - who have been rejoicing with me over God’s goodness each and every Lord’s Day for the past year. Thank you, family. Your presence - in worship together, in life together, in service together – it sustains me and encour- ages me. You remind me that wherever I am, if I’m where you are, I am home. Home for the Holy Days. Yours in Christ, Pastor Nathan

P.S. That reminds me…. My absolute favorite service during this month is not the midweek Advent services or even the candlelight Christmas Eve service. No, it’s the Christmas Day service. It’s the single most “family-feeling” service of the year. There’s just something about it. Less flashy, maybe. More laid back in a way, but still intentional. Like a family with full stomachs who nonetheless can’t help but gather around the table for one more cookie. Laughing and sharing stories and rejoicing. Rejoicing just to be together in that moment... I dunno. I can’t describe it totally... Anyway, Christmas Day service is the best. If you can, try it out this year. Your family will be there!

SENIOR GAME DAY and Christmas Gathering

Monday, December 7

Hand and Foot Disciples Hall at 9:15 am Bring a dish to share and a White Elephant Gift to our Potluck at 12:00

Everyone is welcome! Please wear your mask What is the Angel Tree Program? Talk with MaryAnn Lawrence 708-9492 The Salvation Army Angel Tree program is a holiday program designed to raise in-kind gifts to assist fami- lies who are in crisis as a result of medical issues, un- Merry Christmas employment, homelessness, medical issues or other difficult circumstances and who otherwise wouldn't have the resources to celebrate Christmas. Flannery O’Connor and the Unholy Trinity Flannery O’Connor was an American author, writing short stories, novels, and essays who lived in the middle of the twentieth century. Her stories are often gritty; she wrote characters prone to racism and violence. The characters are deeply flawed because people are deeply flawed. After reading several of her short stories, I picked up a prayer journal that she authored. What I found was a woman who was keenly aware of her own sinfulness with a sincere desire to know and love God better. On one occasion, wrote about the beauty of the moon and how its beauty is obscured by the earth that we live on. She found this to represent well her relationship with God: What stood in the way of seeing the beauty of God, knowing him, and serving him? The answer was found in the unholy Trinity of “Me, Myself, and I.” In other words, she was her own worst enemy when it came to her relationship with God. I think that’s a huge temptation for all of us. We become preoccu- pied with the things of this world. I was thinking about this while walking early one morning. It was dark out. The moon was still in the sky, a small cres- cent in the sky. I found myself looking up again and again at this sliver of moon and how we are prone to blocking God out of our lives. As I was walking, I passed by a church, and I looked up and saw a cross at the top of the church building, right next to the moon. We are the ones who stand in the way of our relationship with God. If we were left to ourselves, we wouldn’t seek out God on our own. But Jesus has broken into history and came to this earth so we could know the heart of our heavenly Father. Jesus coming to this earth is the core of our Advent and Christmas celebrations. “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1). Jesus is still breaking into history. He is at work in the lives of his people to do his will. We receive forgiveness by re- ceiving his true body and blood in communion. Where two or three are gathered in his name, he is there in the midst of them. Though we’re prone to stand in the way of our relationship, he still comes to us and gives us new hearts by coming to us in Word and Sacrament. Vicar Andrew Simpson

Worship Services Christmas Outreach

with Holy Communion December 2nd, 12 noon & 7 pm November 22-December 20 December 9th, 12 noon & 7 pm December 16th, 12 noon & 7 pm BLC is collecting for Christmas baskets or our needy friends and neighbors: Christmas Eve Worship Services Children and Family Christmas Eve Donate what you can to the baskets in the Narthex: December 24th, 6 pm

Candlelight Service with Holy Communion Packages of rice, th mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese or pasta mixes December 24 , 8 pm and 10 pm

Any canned vegetable and/or fruit

Christmas Day Worship Service Cereals, any breakfast bars or mixes with Holy Communion December 25th, 10 am Peanut butter and/or jelly

Soups New Year’s Eve Worship Service with Holy Communion Bread mixes December 31st, 7 pm Packs of cookies or dessert mix

$15-20 gift card to purchase meat/fresh produce

If you are aware of a family in need, please call the office @ 249-5418 and we will tag a basket for you to pick up.

Merry Christmas, God is Good! So many things have become “new”. How many times have you had to go back to the car for your mask? Where did we put that hand sanitizer? But the ordinary stuff of life is still there. Our favor- ite mugs are in the same spot every morning. So much wonderful normal stuff has not changed. We can decry the big lifestyle chang- es, the things we cannot, dare not do, the places we cannot go and especially the people we cannot see. But really, so much of our or- dinary day is still comfortable for us at least, living here in this portable box. If you need to isolate yourself, take on life in an RV and live in campgrounds. If you are an introvert who likes to avoid the crowds you are all set. However, if you en- joy all kinds of people and that energizes you, it makes for some tough changes, especially if you miss all the people you used to work with at the job you use to have. Far too many are in that leaky boat. So many things have been lost. Which takes us directly into things that never change yet are always new. The times we are having are not so different from the times of the ‘lost sheep of the house of Israel’ into which our Lord came to become the true King of Israel by his life, death and resurrection, and as it turns out, the true King of this whole world. “We have no king but Caesar!”, said the shepherds of Israel, electing to go with the power that comes from this world instead. Caesar was happy to oblige. But to no avail: “All authority in heaven and on earth”, said the King. Peri- od. So what we have here is yet another opportunity to leap into and become part of the Lord’s Prayer. (Why was it not called ‘the King’s Prayer?’) Have you noticed how often we pray that prayer backwards and hardly ever get to the first bit? But that first part – first priority? – “May your kingdom come, (namely) may your will be done on earth as it is in heav- en.” And after that comes “I know you need stuff to live. I will provide, as you go about my business. I forgave you, now forgive each other, for that is the engine of my kingdom. As my emissaries you will go to hard places, but I will be with you and carry you through. In the end, whatever comes, I will deliver you to be with me where I am. For indeed, I AM.” Or words to that effect. Apart from Him we can do nothing, but behold, we are not apart from Him. As we head into the holiday season, it will be good to enjoy the traditions that have not changed. The favorite dishes that remind you of seasons past (Dave is thinking ‘pie’), the decorations, the love even if for this year it may be from a distance. And we would do well to remember that we are still in this world to reflect the love of the servant-king into this world and each one in it. For the true Lord of this world did not keep himself at a distance, but came and pitched the tab- ernacle of his human body right in the middle of things. All the things, both good and bad. We are giving thanks for all those ordinary things that have remained brilliantly new for his sake in this extraordinary year. Dave and Sobra

Who Can Help You at BLC Online Worship-Live Stream

Altar Guild Val Gruhn 904-536-2912 We are live streaming our traditional Worship Service at 11 am eve- Baptism Church Office 904-249-5418 ry Sunday on the BLC Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ Study Rev. Keith Bicknase 904-249-5418 BethlehemLutheranChurchandPreschool ) and our 9:30 Family Ser- Alex Limbaugh 904-219-5044 Carol Pietrasiuk 904-536-2871 vice on the BLC Periscope site https://www.periscope.tv Coffee Fellowship Carol Pietrasiuk 904-536-2871 Columbarium Val Gruhn 904-536-2912 Sunday services will still be available later on YouTube Constant Contact Carol Pietrasiuk 904-536-2871 www.YouTube.com Search for; Elders Gordon Gruhn 904-838-6585 Bethlehem Lutheran Church Jax Beach Facebook Office 904-249-5418 Fellowship Brenda Murray 904-220-0447 Funerals Church Office 904-249-5418 To reach new BLC Services on Periscope; 8:00 Greeters Anna Arno 904-223-1766 Download the app or go on desktop to https:// 9:30 Greeters Joan Richards 904-463-6703 www.periscope.tv Select Sign Up to create a free account, Search 11:00 Greeters Jean Shimp 904-249-2040 for Bethlehem Lutheran Church Jax Beach. Join us! Hand bells Kristine Perryman 904-536-0826 Kitchen cleanup Carol Pietrasiuk 904-536-2871 Mail Ministry Office 904-249-5418 Mission House Brenda Murray 904-220-0447 Newsletter Articles Church Office 904-249-5418 Outreach Holly Dellinger 904-349-6059 Prayer Ministry Church Office 904-249-5418 Preschool Pat May 904-249-1204 Women’s Bible Study Property Brian Kientz 904-616-3361 Screen Operators Romaine Moore 904-422-2881 Senior Card Day MaryAnn Lawrence 904-246-3279 If you are interested in meeting with Sunday School Deb Donnelly 904-241-4062 8:00 Ushers Susan Heimbach 904-307-1917 other women for a short Bible Study, 9:30 Ushers Donny Barley 904-955-3838 please sign up in the Narthex. 11:00 Ushers Allan Werner 904-223-0939 VBS Darlene Maxwell 904-307-9078 Weddings Church Office 904-249-5418