March 6, 2023
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Lent Wednesday Worship, 6:30 pm. Service is Holden Evening Prayer. Topic: “Walking with the Shepherd: Restoration”
Baked Potato Meal served by Confirmation Youth, Wednesday, March 8, 5:30 pm.
Crew is on March 15 at 3:30 pm for all for all 3rd-6th graders!
Come join us to help clean the brass and the sacristy on Wednesday, March 29th, starting at 9:00 a.m.
Luther Park is looking for summer staff! They are looking for college age youth to serve as counselors and other staff. Go to www.lutherpark.org for an application and more information.
Butter Braid Sales February 22nd through March 22nd. Help support our youth by purchasing a Butter Braid! Confirmation youth will have forms that you can sign or you can go online. Click the link, select a seller, and go from there! https://store.myfundraisingplace.com/e857f260-55a0-4175-8e04-b606cc82ec5e
Lagers with the Lord Monday, March 13th, 6:00 pm at Buckshot’s. Join us for some time of Bible study and faith conversation. All are welcome!
High School Lock-In March 17, 6 pm till March 18 at 7 am. Friends welcome. Bring a snack to share. Need parent help for the Scavenger Hunt for Hunger to drive from 6:30 pm till 7:30 pm. See sign-up in the Narthex or talk to Pastor Brad
Bring your household items and clothes to Trinity in April Every Saturday in April, from 9 am till Noon, we are collecting items as a fundraiser for the Women of Trinity. All items should be clean and in good condition. Place clothes and shoes in a trash bag and all other items in boxes. Thank you for supporting the Women of Trinity!
Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the Vanco 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
When we do a Children’s Sermon, we have a tradition at the end that the kids give me a high five and each youth gets two pieces of candy, one to keep and one to share. I stole the candy thing from Pastor Heather Kistner and it has been our tradition for many years. The kids are usually very good about taking their two, even if they rifle through the entire candy box looking their favorite pieces.
Recently, we have had a new youth that comes up for the children’s sermon, an incredibly cute and very young girl. She comes up with her brother and is just one of the most adorable things ever. But when it comes time to get her two pieces of candy, let’s say that she often does NOT stop at two. She might grab five, or six, or ten, or as many as she can fit into her little hands.
Now, mind you, I have tried to limit the number of candy that she takes. Her brother tries to stop her. Her parents talk with her before the service and before the children’s sermon about only taking two. They say she understands. But then she just completely ignores them (and me) and takes what she wants. I don’t have the heart to really stop her and I figure she doesn’t quite understand but will eventually.
Or maybe she does understand. Because as I start the sermon, I see her, walking around the back of the church, handing out candy. I’m not even sure she keeps anything for herself (I assume she does), but it looks to me like she hands out more than she keeps. It is so incredibly cute that I can’t help but chuckle when I see it. But it also means that she understands the lesson we are trying to teach the kids with the handing out of the candy: that is not just about receiving, it is about giving.
Everything we have in this life is a gift from God. And God calls us to take those gifts and not only use them for our own needs but for the sake of our neighbor and God’s ministry in the world. Our ministry does not exist without you taking the gifts of time, talents, and financial resources and giving them in faithful response to what God in Christ Jesus has done for you. At the same time, we give of those gifts to our partner organizations to serve the poor and support other ministries, like Luther Park. We receive and we give. Our cute girl that takes too much candy does the same and teaches us all a lesson about generosity. She gives with joy.
My hope is that we would have similar joyful hearts as we give of what we have been given for the sake of the Lord. Using our gifts and resources to help those in need, to keep our ministry strong and vibrant. Lent is a time when we remember to be generous as an act of faith for the salvation we have received in Jesus Christ.
I look forward to seeing that little girl, collecting candy during the children’s sermon and handing it out to people in the church. And I look forward to seeing the fruits your generosity produces in our ministry and in the lives of others. May you be blessed with cheerful and generous hearts and give thanks for all that God has blessed you with.
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