Trinity Lutheran Church

ANNOUNCEMENTS

First Communion Class will be offered in-person on Sunday, January 31^st at 6pm for youth in 3^rd grade and above. If you are uncomfortable attending class or you can’t make that day, please contact Pastor Brad at 715-702-2755 to schedule an individual class. 

First Communion Sunday is Sunday, February 21^st at 9am worship.

2020 Annual Meeting is on Sunday, February 7^th, after the 9 am worship.  It will be held in the parking lot.  You can access the 2020 Annual Report with this link: 2020-ANNUAL-REPORT.pdf (trinityboyceville.com)

Wednesday worship moves to in person on February 3^rd.  It will continue to be live streamed as well at 6 pm.

Lent Worship begins on February 17^th.   Worship will move to 7 pm.  There will NOT be any Lent meals. 

2020 Giving Statements have been mailed to your house.  If you have any questions, please contact Becky Nyhus.

2021 Offering Envelopes are available. You can pick them up on the table in the Narthex or have an usher grab them for you. 

Volunteers needed to remove snow from the church sidewalks. A snowblower is provided by the church. Sign up sheet in the Narthex or follow the link below to sign up.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E49AEA62FA2FB6-snow

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the GivePlus app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there! 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  I have a fascination with cooking shows.  I love to watch the “Great British Baking Show,” “Top Chef,” “Chopped,” “Sugar Rush,” and more.  Of course, as a man who loves to eat (I mean, look at my waistline.  It’s obvious), I think the reason I love to watch these shows as I’m in awe of the artistry.  I think it is crazy how people can take things, even random things, and in a time crunch make delicious food.  My wife Amy can do this.  She can take all sorts of things and make something delicious from it.  I think I’m in awe of it because I can’t do things like that.  I have to follow a recipe and I don’t have the confidence to toss things together to make something delicious.  I think cooking is an art and since I’m not artist, I’m envious of those that have the vision and the ability to do amazing things with food. 

   I think of God as an artist.  When we stare out at the creation, even here in the depths of winter, there is such beauty in the world.  The way snow can glisten, the evergreen trees draped in snow, the colors of the sunrise and the sunset.  Then you take a wider look at creation, the bright colors of animals and plants and the sheer variety of human beings and the beauty that is found within and without.  You also look at all that humanity has created, from music to literature to art to the sheer scope of technology and more, and the artistry of God is evident. Throughout the world, there is art everywhere.  There is beauty everywhere, beauty that moves us, inspires us, challenges us, and humbles us. 

   I may be humbled by the art created by the chefs I see on TV and the one that lives in my own house, but I’m also humbled every day by the beauty given and created by our God and God’s creations.  But I’m also reminded that though I’m not a culinary artist, nor a fine artist, nor not much of an artist in almost any other sense other than being loud, because I’m created and loved by my God means that I bring some beauty into the world.  And so do you.  You are a work of art and a sign to the world of the majesty and creativity of our Creator God.  You are a work of art that has been freed from sin and death through Jesus and through that freedom you bring your own art and creativity to bear. 

   Everywhere we look we see the artistry of God.  And the first place we can see it is in ourselves.  God has created you and you are God’s amazing work of art.  The skills and talents you have, no matter what they are, brings beauty to the world.  Take a moment today to remember that you are God’s wonderful creation and take a moment to appreciate not only the artistry of God that can be found all around you, but how you bring some of that artistry in the world.  And then, if you would be so kind, watch a cooking show and bring me some delicious food!  May the Lord bless you today and fill you with awe, wonder, and appreciation for the beauty that is you and is found all around you. 

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

TRINITY TIDINGS

January 24^th, 2021

ANNOUNCEMENTS

First Communion Class will be offered in-person on Sunday, January 31^st at 6pm for youth in 3^rd grade and above. If you are uncomfortable attending class or you can’t make that day, please contact Pastor Brad at 715-702-2755 to schedule an individual class. 

First Communion Sunday is Sunday, February 21^st at 9am worship.

2020 Annual Meeting is on Sunday, February 7^th, after the 9 am worship.  It will be held in the parking lot.  You can access the 2020 Annual Report with this link: 2020-ANNUAL-REPORT.pdf (trinityboyceville.com)

Wednesday worship moves to in person on February 3^rd.  It will continue to be live streamed as well at 6 pm.

2020 Giving Statements have been mailed to your house.  If you have any questions, please contact Becky Nyhus.

2021 Offering Envelopes are available. You can pick them up on the table in the Narthex or have an usher grab them for you. 

Volunteers needed to remove snow from the church sidewalks. A snowblower is provided by the church. Sign up sheet in the Narthex or follow the link below to sign up.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E49AEA62FA2FB6-snow

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the GivePlus app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there! 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  Amy and I were snowshoeing the other day at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation despite some chilly temperatures.  But when we are snowshoeing, I always have to maintain a delicate balance.  In order to not fall, (which has happened more than once), I have to focus on what is right in front of me as we walk along.  But at the same time, I also want to enjoy the scenery around me, to take in the valleys, the woods, and all the cool things that are surrounding us at the Arboretum. Because what is the point of going if you aren’t going to enjoy all the cool things around you?  (Side note: If you would have told me five years ago that not only would I go snowshoeing multiple times a year AND enjoy it AND even encourage it, I would have told you that you are crazy or that the world has turned upside down and the Bears have a capable QB). 

   It is a delicate balance.  Keep focus on what is right ahead of me but also take the time to look around and enjoy the view. I think that there is something there about how we lead our lives.  Sometimes we can focus so much on the stuff in front of us, both the good and the bad, that we miss out on the bigger picture around us.  We forget we are part of a world that is so much larger than ourselves.  We miss seeing our neighbors, our communities, and their needs and joys.  We miss out on things that can lift us up, enrich our lives, and help us grow.  We miss out on the squirrel that is scampering through the woods, the way the trees have a coating of ice on them that makes them shine, the vista of a valley that can take your breath away. 

  At the same time, if we only look to the horizon all the time, we miss the things in front of us.  We miss our purpose and mission. We miss the immediate needs of our neighbors.  We neglect ourselves to the point where we can’t help anyone else.  We stumble and fall and damage ourselves and those who we are close to.  We trip over our snowshoes and faceplant right into the snow (true story, by the way).   It can be tricky to find the right balance and, if you are like me, you often go from one to other a lot, often overcorrecting from one side to the other.

   But what we must remember in all of it, as we try to live with the balance of focusing on ourselves and our own well being as well as seeing the bigger picture of life and the needs of our neighbor that the Lord is guiding us.  Our Savior is reminding us to “be still and know” that he is God as well as reminding us to care for the orphan, the widow, and the stranger right in front us.  Our Savior is there for us, leading us and guiding us to remind us to live as fully as we can but also to live for our neighbor and our God. 

   As I snowshoe, I give thanks for the fact that the Lord is there guiding my steps, keeping me focused on the task at hand and keeping me safe.  And I give thanks for those times the Lord reminds me to look around and take it all in, to see all the glory and majesty that is around me.  Today, my friends, notice that the Lord is there to guide you, the Lord is there to help you on what is right now and also what is all around you.  For that we can say, “Thanks be to God!” 

TRINITY TIDINGS

January 17^th, 2021

ANNOUNCEMENTS

First Communion Class will be offered in-person on Sunday, January 31^st at 6pm for youth in 3^rd grade and above. If you are uncomfortable attending class or you can’t make that day, please contact Pastor Brad at 715-702-2755 to schedule an individual class. 

First Communion Sunday is Sunday, February 21^st at 9am worship.

Volunteers needed to remove snow from the church sidewalks. A snowblower is provided by the church. Sign up sheet in the Narthex or follow the link below to sign up.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E49AEA62FA2FB6-snow

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the GivePlus app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there! 

Wednesday worship moves to in person on February 3^rd.  It will continue to be live streamed as well at 6 pm.

2020 Giving Statements have been mailed to your house.  If you have any questions, please contact Becky Nyhus.

2021 Offering Envelopes are available. You can pick them up on the table in the Narthex or have an usher grab them for you. 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  On Friday, which is my day off, I sat down to eat lunch after finishing my house cleaning and my workout.  As I flipped through the channels, I came upon TCM and one of my favorite musicals of all time, “Kiss Me Kate.”  I was in “Kiss Me” Kate” my junior year of high school and it was my favorite musical I was in, even though I wasn’t the lead.  As I was watching it on my TV, mouthing the dialogue and singing the song, it brought back a warm and joyful feeling.  I remembered late nights building sets, working on the dance numbers (I got to choregraph some of my dances and I used the movie as reference), and the fun we had doing the show. 

  And yet, as I thought about it, I’m not really sure why I have such fond memories of that show.  As I thought about what was going on in my life during that show, which occurred in late March of 1993, my life wasn’t going really well. Not well at all.  My girlfriend and I had broken up and she was in the show as well, which made for some awkward moments.  Even worse, I was flirting with one of my friend’s ex-girlfriends (with his permission) which made the situation worse.  All my friends knew that my ex-girlfriend and I would get back together but that didn’t make things great.  Along with that, I was struggling in an advanced English class (term paper) and arguing with the teacher.  I was trying to earn a starting spot on the varsity baseball team so I was stressed about that.  Worst of all, we had just found out my Dad had cancer and as we got ready for opening night, he had just come home from the hospital. I was relieved that he was going to be there to watch my sister and I in the show but there had been a lot of sleepless nights worrying about him, praying that he would be ok, and that we would be ok. 

   As I sat in the chair watching the movie, thinking about all these things, I had a realization.  The reason I looked upon that time with such fondness was because not too long after that, my life would change forever.  My girlfriend and I got back together (at the wrap party, of course). I earned a starting spot in baseball.  I got the grade up in English.  But six weeks after the show, my Dad died.  My life was forever altered and so I look back at that time BEFORE then with rose colored glasses, a time when my biggest worry was girls and grades and sports.  Life was simpler, easier, and comfortable.

   I know I think the same way when I look back to early March of 2020.  Amy and I were on vacation in Disney World and having a great time.  Then the world shut down and it hasn’t been the same since.  Maybe you are like me and you look back at that time wistfully.  Maybe you wish you could return to that time.  Maybe you have used the term “I can’t wait till we can get back to normal.”  But there is something I learned in back in 1993: we can’t go back.  We aren’t Doctor Strange with the Time Stone and can turn back time.  The things we experience in life change us and we are changed.  We might see our lives get back to “normal” but we won’t be the same.  And that’s ok. 

   We go forward into life knowing that the Lord is with us.  And we can look back at our life and fondly remember those times before our lives changed.  There is nothing wrong with looking back.  But we can’t live in the past.  We live with hope and with the future always before us.  And though we will remember much of the horrible things that have happened since March 2020, over time we might also remember the good things that occurred as well.  And we will remember fondly a time before our lives were turned upside down but hopefully take the lessons we learned from this time to help us succeed and grow in the future. 

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

TRINITY TIDINGS

January 10^th, 2021

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Confirmation is online January 13 (8^th grade).  Confirmation moves to in person starting on January 20^th (7^th grade)

ALL reports for the ‘Annual Report’ are due Wed., January 13^th so the ‘Report’ can be distributed two weeks before the Annual Meeting which is Sunday, February 7, 2021. The annual meeting will take place in the parking lot following worship.

First Communion Class will be offered in-person on Sunday, January 31^st at 6pm for youth in 3^rd grade and above. If you are uncomfortable attending class or you can’t make that day, please contact Pastor Brad at 715-702-2755 to schedule an individual class. 

First Communion Sunday is Sunday, February 21^st at 9am worship.

Volunteers needed to remove snow from the church sidewalks. A snowblower is provided by the church. Sign up sheet in the Narthex or follow the link below to sign up.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E49AEA62FA2FB6-snow

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the GivePlus app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there! 

2021 Offering Envelopes are available. You can pick them up on the table in the Narthex or have an usher grab them for you. 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  On Wednesday, January 6^th, as blood gushed from my nose due to a nosebleed, I saw the news of the United States Capitol under siege.  As I tried to stop the bleeding in my nose, I watched video of people scaling walls, smashing windows, overrunning police and trashing the seat of our democracy.  As I watched the violence and destruction, my heart hurt, just as it had earlier in the year as I watched the destruction of businesses and the looting during the George Floyd riots.  But, I must admit, as tears came down my cheeks, that this was something more.  This was the center of our democracy.  This was happening while our elected leaders were doing their constitutional duty.  At that moment, I felt like I was watching the death of our nation and the democracy we all hold dear.  And so I wept.  And I grieved.

   I’m used to grief.  As a pastor, I have to deal with grief on a very regular basis, not only being there for people in the midst of their loss but also having to deal with that same loss for myself.  I’ve grieved the loss of my Dad at 16 and my mother at 30.  I’ve grieved the loss of relationships and personal disappointments.  And I’ve learned one thing for all of it: grief doesn’t ever really end.  The losses in life, the profound ones, stay with you for the rest of your life.  It has been 26 years since my Dad died, yet I still find times where I grieve that loss.  The pain of grief stays with you.  One of the fallacy’s we tell ourselves, and sometimes others, is that we will “eventually get over it.”  When you love something with everything you have and it goes away, you don’t “get over it.”  Rather, you learn to live with it, to cope with it, to understand it, at least in my opinion.  Frankly, to me, the feeling of grief that sticks around even years or decades later reminds me of how important that thing was in my life and that it meant something.  I have a feeling that the events of January 6^th, 2021, are going to stay with me forever.

   But the other thing I have learned is that what, in the end, is most important is what you do with your grief.  Do you allow it to consume you to the point where you are in a black hole of despair and never get out of it?  Does it make you look at your life and the world differently?  Does it change your perspective on what is important?  Does it move you in a new direction that makes a positive difference in your life or the lives of others?  When my Dad died, it showed me the importance of appreciating things in life and drove me to see that there is nothing more important than the love of God in Jesus Christ.  Other losses have helped me to make positive changes in my life and to see the simple pleasures of life.  And in every case, while I grieved I ended up seeing that I was not alone.  God was there.  My friends and family were there.  I never would have recovered from the loss of my Mom if it hadn’t been for Amy’s love and support.  The losses in life often show us just how much we are loved and how much we have in life. 

   As I woke up on January 7^th, I had the same feeling in my heart as I did on September 12^th, 2001.  I had the feeling that our country will never be the same.  The question now is what we do.  Will we continue to look at each other with such hatred?  Will we continue to not listen to each other? Will we continue to work so hard to prove our side is “right” that we keep our eyes closed to what is happening around us?  Will we work so hard to “win” that we destroy the very fiber of this country?  Or ourselves? 

   It starts with us.  It doesn’t start with our elected leaders or the leaders of the various political parties.  It doesn’t start with news networks, social media platforms, or celebrities.  It starts with you.  It starts with me.  It starts with us remembering the commandment to love one another.  It starts with small things, like conversations with those that we disagree with.  It starts with thinking before posting and looking with compassion upon all we meet.  It starts with reminding each other that we all suffer loss in life, loss that devastates us, loss that changes us, loss that can threaten to consume us in anger and hatred and pain.  It starts with us being there for each other and lifting the other up. 

   Though I have grieved mightily in my life, I have never given up hope, even in the worst of times.  I have hope because Jesus is with me.  I have hope because I have seen in other people the incredible capacity to lift me up when I couldn’t lift myself up.  I have hope because I believe in love over hate, compassion over anger, and mercy over judgement.  I have hope in you.  I have hope that our country will rise above what occurred on January 6^th, 2021.  And I have hope because the light of the world, Jesus Christ, shines even in the blackest of darkness.  We grief, but we do not give up.  May the Lord be with us, with our country, and with the entire world. Amen.

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

TRINITY TIDINGS

January 6^th, 2021

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Confirmation is online January 6 (7^th grade) & 13 (8^th grade). Please check your email and the TLC Confirmation Facebook page for updates on classes after that.

All January Wednesday worship services will be on Facebook at 6pm.

ALL reports for the ‘Annual Report’ are due Wed., January 13^th so the ‘Report’ can be distributed two weeks before the Annual Meeting which is Sunday, February 7, 2021. The annual meeting will take place in the parking lot following worship.

First Communion Class will be offered in-person on Sunday, January 31^st at 6pm for youth in 3^rd grade and above. If you are uncomfortable attending class or you can’t make that day, please contact Pastor Brad at 715-702-2755 to schedule an individual class. 

First Communion Sunday is Sunday, February 21^st at 9am worship.

Volunteers needed to remove snow from the church sidewalks. A snow blower is provided by the church. Sign up sheet in the Narthex or follow the link below to sign up.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E49AEA62FA2FB6-snow

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the GivePlus app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there! 

2021 Offering Envelopes are available. You can pick them up on the table in the Narthex or have an usher grab them for you. 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  A few years ago, Amy and I went to Lucette’s in Menomonie to get some pizza.  There was one hiccup: I couldn’t eat our normal pizza order.  I was in the midst of one of our Mission Madness challenges and couldn’t eat meat, which took out our normal pizza order.  So we decided to try their meatless pizza, the Bianca.  Let’s just say I wasn’t excited about eating a “no meat” pizza.  Yet, as I took that first bite, it was a revelation.  My senses exploded in joy as I tasted that absolutely delicious pizza.  It was so good!  My eyes were opened to something new and wonderful. I had experienced something amazing and since then, the Bianca is on the top of our order list.

   Today is Epiphany, the day in which Jesus is revealed to the nations through the visit of the Magi who arrive from the East bringing gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The divine is made manifest in Jesus and the wise men witness as they come to worship and give gifts to this newborn king.  For us, Jesus is made manifest to us, is made known to us, through the preaching and hearing of the Word, whether that be in worship, devotion, study, or through the means of grace of baptism and communion.  At the same time, the Holy Spirit makes Christ known in our daily lives, showing us that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is with us always.

   We often think that we can only see Christ in church or in “churchy” things.  We think like me, that I could only enjoy a pizza with meat on it.  We often keep our eyes closed to the ways in which the Lord is being made manifest in front of us.  The Lord shows us in every part of our lives and when we let ourselves be open, to be willing to experience something new, we might see the Lord in the strangest of places but also in places that will inspire us.  I know that I’ve seen the Lord in all sorts of places and situations and I bet that many of you have as well. 

   On this Epiphany day, we give thanks for the ways the Lord is made manifest to us.  We give thanks for the unexpected and unpredictable joys of life.  And we give thanks that God in Jesus Christ shows up for us, saving us from our sins and bringing us to eternal life.  For that we can say, “Thanks be to God!”  Amen

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville