TRINITY TIDINGS
January 24th, 2021
ANNOUNCEMENTS
First Communion Class will be offered in-person on Sunday, January 31st at 6pm for youth in 3rd 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 21st at 9am worship.
2020 Annual Meeting is on Sunday, February 7th, 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 3rd. 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!”