St. Paul's
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A Note from Vicar Michelle:
Grace and peace to you from our Savior Jesus Christ!
Before completing erasing 2020 from all my memories and concluding it the worst year ever, I took time to pause and reflect on the places where Jesus showed up in the middle of the mess, the darkest nights, and unlikely places. After all, that is theme behind Epiphany.
The wise men were some of the first people to worship Jesus as Lord. Journeying perhaps 500 miles or more, the wise men sought after the Christ child, following the prophecies from Hebrew Scripture, specifically those from the book of Micah (Micah 5:2). When the magi saw Jesus, they fell down and worshiped Him. They had brought precious gifts with them for the child, who they recognized as a king appointed not by people or family name, but by God. They had an epiphany, or a sudden insight into the true nature of something. They realized that they were in the presence of God. When you look at something that you may have known about for a long time, and suddenly you realize that it is very special, much more meaningful than you’ve ever acknowledged; then at that moment, you’ve had an epiphany. You’ve uncovered something that was there all along, but was hiding, in a sense, just below the surface. It wasn’t so obvious.
With open hearts and expectant outlooks, we can have epiphany moments any day Be open to experience God in the ordinary, in the now, in the least expected places.
As a faith community, we have showed up for each other, bearing the light for one another when things seemed dark. I have been blessed to witness it. You certainly held the light for me. Together, we worshipped the Triune God beyond the church walls – in the park and in our homes, shared Holy Communion with an extended online congregation, fed the hungry, dwelled in God’s creation, studied scripture, prayed, lit Advent candles, brought hope to women in recovery, and held space for one another while we grieved death, loss, and change.
So, before you run head long into 2021, pause any rushing ahead and allow a moment to reflect on what’s been, and how the Holy Spirit is guiding you.
Take some quiet time in prayer and reflection - even a few minutes every day to think about the past year and also think about life so far – what’s working? What’s not? What are you proud of? What would you like more of? What would you like less of? How have you grown in the past year? Where have you been able to use your spiritual gifts and talents the most?
Reflect on gratitude – one of my favorite ways to change life’s focus – what were you grateful for in 2020? Where have you experienced God’s grace? How can you bring this through into your year ahead?
For me, this new year is filled with hope, expectant hope that God will continue to show up in the ordinary, messy, and unlikely places in my life. In our lives, together, as the Body of Christ.
We are also called to be an epiphany of God in our world. How do we do that? By following the example of the person this little child would become, a person of selfless love who makes goodness, peace and justice more visible in our world.
As we look upon the manger cradling our precious Savior, we cannot stay there. Like the shepherds and the magi, we too are called to move away and take the light of Jesus with us. We are asked not only to admire the light, but to be people of light. As Jesus himself tells us, ‘you are the light of the world and your light must shine.’ The light of the Epiphany is given to us as a gift, but we cannot keep it to or for ourselves. Through the quality of our daily lives and how we treat each other, we are called to make our families, homes, faith community and the wider world a better and brighter place for all people, especially the poor and the marginalized.
May Christ the Light and the Light of Christ fill all our homes, families and our faith community this day and always. May we be a people of hope, joy, peace, and love sent out to share the good news of our Savior, Jesus Christ caring for one another and the whole world in need. Amen.
God loves you and so do I,
Vicar Michelle
Before completing erasing 2020 from all my memories and concluding it the worst year ever, I took time to pause and reflect on the places where Jesus showed up in the middle of the mess, the darkest nights, and unlikely places. After all, that is theme behind Epiphany.
The wise men were some of the first people to worship Jesus as Lord. Journeying perhaps 500 miles or more, the wise men sought after the Christ child, following the prophecies from Hebrew Scripture, specifically those from the book of Micah (Micah 5:2). When the magi saw Jesus, they fell down and worshiped Him. They had brought precious gifts with them for the child, who they recognized as a king appointed not by people or family name, but by God. They had an epiphany, or a sudden insight into the true nature of something. They realized that they were in the presence of God. When you look at something that you may have known about for a long time, and suddenly you realize that it is very special, much more meaningful than you’ve ever acknowledged; then at that moment, you’ve had an epiphany. You’ve uncovered something that was there all along, but was hiding, in a sense, just below the surface. It wasn’t so obvious.
With open hearts and expectant outlooks, we can have epiphany moments any day Be open to experience God in the ordinary, in the now, in the least expected places.
As a faith community, we have showed up for each other, bearing the light for one another when things seemed dark. I have been blessed to witness it. You certainly held the light for me. Together, we worshipped the Triune God beyond the church walls – in the park and in our homes, shared Holy Communion with an extended online congregation, fed the hungry, dwelled in God’s creation, studied scripture, prayed, lit Advent candles, brought hope to women in recovery, and held space for one another while we grieved death, loss, and change.
So, before you run head long into 2021, pause any rushing ahead and allow a moment to reflect on what’s been, and how the Holy Spirit is guiding you.
Take some quiet time in prayer and reflection - even a few minutes every day to think about the past year and also think about life so far – what’s working? What’s not? What are you proud of? What would you like more of? What would you like less of? How have you grown in the past year? Where have you been able to use your spiritual gifts and talents the most?
Reflect on gratitude – one of my favorite ways to change life’s focus – what were you grateful for in 2020? Where have you experienced God’s grace? How can you bring this through into your year ahead?
For me, this new year is filled with hope, expectant hope that God will continue to show up in the ordinary, messy, and unlikely places in my life. In our lives, together, as the Body of Christ.
We are also called to be an epiphany of God in our world. How do we do that? By following the example of the person this little child would become, a person of selfless love who makes goodness, peace and justice more visible in our world.
As we look upon the manger cradling our precious Savior, we cannot stay there. Like the shepherds and the magi, we too are called to move away and take the light of Jesus with us. We are asked not only to admire the light, but to be people of light. As Jesus himself tells us, ‘you are the light of the world and your light must shine.’ The light of the Epiphany is given to us as a gift, but we cannot keep it to or for ourselves. Through the quality of our daily lives and how we treat each other, we are called to make our families, homes, faith community and the wider world a better and brighter place for all people, especially the poor and the marginalized.
May Christ the Light and the Light of Christ fill all our homes, families and our faith community this day and always. May we be a people of hope, joy, peace, and love sent out to share the good news of our Savior, Jesus Christ caring for one another and the whole world in need. Amen.
God loves you and so do I,
Vicar Michelle
Church Council
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President - Kathy McKee
Vice President - Danica Skattum Council Secretary - Anita Fry Treasurer - Carrie Harris Financial Secretary - Roger Kent |
Parish Education - Danica Skattum
Properties - Daylon Nieman Stewardship - Worship/Evangelism - Linda Balbac Vicar - Michelle Knight |
Contact InformationE-Mail:Telephone: 815-745-3444
Postal Address: 209 Clinton St. P.O. Box 445 Warren, IL 61087 |
Click to visit the website to see the work and resources of the ELCA.
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"We, the people of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, are members of Christ's family called by Grace, the cornerstone of faith. Our 100 plus years of community presence provides us with a strong foundation rooted in the Holy Spirit. Our ministry is to to bring the message of God's good news to all, now and in the future."