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Epiphany Season Celebrates Bright and Splendid Midwinter Festival Volume 89, No. 1 - January 19, 2020 Epiphany Season celebrates Bright and Splendid Midwinter Festival Morning Star © 2010 James Fissel | Eyekons Epiphany is the bright and splendid midwinter festival that celebrates the wedding feast of heaven to the great earth beyond Israel. It celebrates how we are the recipients of God’s promise and gifts and how we now dwell in God’s own light. Our Epiphany mandate is clear. We are invited to be light for the world. The initial singularity of Christmas explodes outward in a great burst of light. Epiphany, the feast of lights, signals the end of the Christmas season, but not the end of the celebration. (Excerpt of article by John Paradowski; see full article on page 4.) Page 2 Nadia Bolz-Weber, an ELCA pastor, writer and theologian says, “There is no resolution, if kept, that will make you more worthy of love.” Our Pastor’s Voice And those are words I need to hear since in the time between this writing and the publication All Things Made New date I will, no doubt, have broken at least Pastor Ann Williams one of my own resolutions. The truth is that January 1st is an arbitrary date and you and I can begin (again) on any old day of the year. So as contradictory as this might sound, I think my resolution at the beginning of this new year and this new decade will be to start over every day. Not just on New Year’s Day, but everyday New Year’s Day dawned with a fresh blanket of because that is the gift and grace of baptism. snow. It looked like a literal clean slate out of my And before I start over with my resolutions to kitchen window. There is something motivating about be more generous, more fit, to slow down and a crisp, clean calendar with no scratch marks on it— breathe and feed my children fewer processed the whole year laid out before any mistakes or regrets foods— before all of that— I will start over or failures have left their stain. There’s a reason everyday by remembering that I am loved and fitness centers, AA meetings and college classrooms claimed as a child of God. are full in January, and there’s a reason New Year’s resolutions exist— it is a powerful thing to wipe that slate clean, to put the past year behind you and look ahead filled with hope and a sense of possibility. “This year I will be different.” St. Matthew’s Mission Statement You Are Beloved Called to fulfill the Great Commission, St. Matthew’s Welcomes all to faith in Jesus Christ, Nurtures our faith journey, Equips us to serve others, and Sends us into Martin Luther says it best in the Large the world to make a difference in Jesus’ name. Catechism, “…a Christian life is nothing else The Voice of St. Matthew’s than a daily Baptism, once begun and ever The newsletter of St. Matthew’s Ev. Lutheran Church continued… thus, when we find ourselves Christopher Manke, Matthew Schlake-Kruse spiritually weak, having fallen into sin, or and Ann Williams, Pastors 1615 Wauwatosa Avenue, Wauwatosa, WI 53213 having pangs of conscience, we simply need to 414-774-0441; E-mail: [email protected] ‘draw strength and comfort from’ our baptism.” Visit our website: www.StMattsLutheran.org It is my deepest wish that all of you may draw Sunday worship at 7:30, 8:30, 11:00 a.m. strength and comfort from your baptism every USPS 662-800 -- Published Monthly - Twice monthly in March, July, October and December by St. Matthew’s day of this New Year. Find some water— even Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1615 N. Wauwatosa Ave., some of that fresh snow, make the sign of the Wauwatosa, WI 53213 (phone 774-0441) Periodicals cross on your forehead and say out loud, “I am postage paid at Milwaukee, WI. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Voice of St. Matthew’s, St. beloved.” Matthew’s Ev. Lutheran Church, 1615 Wauwatosa Avenue, Pastor Ann Williams Wauwatosa, WI 53213. Submit articles to the church office in care of Sonja Mohr, Newsletter Editor, or [email protected] Page 3 Upcoming Events Now’s the time to sign Men’s Breakfast to feature Pardeep up for the Blood Drive - It Kaleka speaking about healing and makes a world of difference transformation in a time of division to those who need blood The Men’s Breakfast will be held on Saturday, Gia Danninger is a fighter. When she Janury 25 from 7:30-9:00am. We begin with devotions was 5 years old, she was diagnosed followed by a full breakfast with bacon, eggs, sausage, with aplastic anemia, a rare disease hash browns, fruit, coffee and juice. After the meal, that occurs when the body stops pro- we will welcome our speaker Pardeep Kaleka, who is ducing enough new blood cells. Doctors told her and her the new executive director of the Interfaith Conference family that she would need a bone marrow transplant to of Milwaukee, who has a story to tell about his survive. transformation after being part of a violent act eight To prepare her body for the transplant, Gia received years ago. His talk will be titled: numerous blood transfusions as she anxiously awaited a “How can we embrace one another life-saving marrow match. The search took less than three in the growing landscape of division?” weeks, thanks in part to HLA testing provided by Versiti. Pardeep will talk about his journey as a first In 2017, Gia underwent the bone marrow transplant and generation immigrant in America and the role of the soon recovered and returned to a happy and healthy child- deadly shooting on August 5, 2012 committed by the hood. Now, Gia and her family are thankful for both blood hands of an affiliated white supremacist that took the and marrow donors that gave her – and other patients in lives of six immigrants, one of those being his father need – a second chance at life. Blood donations can totally and temple change someone’s world,” says Gia’s mom, Jenna. president, The Be The Match marrow donor registry is operated by Satwant Singh the National Marrow Donor Program and has been help- Kaleka. The ing patients receive life-saving bone marrow transplants conversation for nearly 30 years. Learn more about marrow donation will explore and join the Be The Match registry. (go to join.bethematch.org) the role of both communal and individual trauma and healing. He will Gia Danninger focus on our own personal journeys and why we not Pardeep Kaleka Choir? Me? only have a Yes, you! St. Matthew’s Senior Choir for responsibility to adults has started its spring season rehearsals commit to actions that address our own personal pains on Thursday evenings at 7:30pm until 9pm. but also the biases, dialogue, and policies that justify Being a part of choir is a great way to meet the status quo of exclusion in our society. people, learn interesting and diverse music, Executive Director of Interfaith Conference of Greater serve your church and to be part of a fun-loving Milwaukee, Founder of Serve2Unite, published group. author of “The Gifts of Our Wounds,” and clinician Research at the University of Sussex in specializing in utilizing a trauma-informed approach England studying more than 300,000 people to treat survivors and perpetrators of assault, abuse over seven years found that people with com- plex social connections, such as belonging to a and acts of violence. A native of Punjab, India, Pardeep choir or being part of a team, lived 50% longer Singh Kaleka grew up in Milwaukee, WI. As a former than those that didn’t. That is the same health benefit of choos- Police Officer and Educator in the city of Milwaukee ing not to smoke so the health implications are real and hugely Pardeep understands the difficulty facing our significant. This has demonstrated the powerful impact sing- communities locally and abroad. Both in his practice ing and, in particular, participating in singing groups can have and out, Pardeep’s passion remains one of healing and on people’s wellbeing. transformation. If you’d like to try choir, then come to any Thursday Men of St. Matthew’s, please plan to attend this night rehearsal and we’ll set you up with a folder of music. special event; friends are welcome. Questions may be directed to Dave Mohr, choir director, at 414- 774-1775, or the church office, 774-0441. Page 4 Season of Epiphany & Upcoming Events Season of Epiphany New Member Classes ‘We are the people who begin February 2! God has given us the gift of dwell in God’s own light’ Christian community. It provides The First Sunday after the Epiphany is for two of our most basic needs. the festival of the Baptism of Our Lord. The The church can be a place to Gospel for the day concludes with the voice belong and a place to become. If from heaven saying, you have had an opportunity to “This is my Son, the worship with us and would like Beloved, with whom to learn more about St. Matthew’s I am well pleased.” please consider attending our The Last Sunday membership classes in September and October. after the Epiphany Classes will be held on Sunday mornings from 9:45-10:45. Dates is the festival of are February 2, 9 and 16th. New Members will be received on the Transfiguration Sunday, February 23rd at the 8:30 service.
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