Trinity Lutheran Church

March 1^st, 2026

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Lent Worship with Holden Evening Prayer this Wednesday 6:30 pm.  Our verse is John3:16.  Meal prior at 5:30 pm till 6:30 pm.  Meal is Homemade Soup and Garlic Bread served by Mission Trip Youth. Our Lent Theme this year is “Your Favorite Bible Verse.”

Blood Mobile this Tuesday from 12 pm till 6:00 pm in honor of Kasen Iverson.  Go to www.redcross.org to sign-up to donate.

The United Lutheran Church of Prairie Farm Youth in Christ will be here on Sunday, March 8^th to lead us in worship.

THE YOUTH SERVICE HAS MOVED FROM MARCH 8^TH TO APRIL 12^TH

Support our Youth going to Luther Park this summer by ordering a Butter Braid!  Deadline is March 29^th.  Use this link to order by picking any youth or see any Confirmation youth or the order form on the table in the Narthex. 

https://store.myfundraisingplace.com/96847e08-b3b0-4a14-842e-e40506620f84

Order your Easter Lillies today!  Order Deadline is Wednesday, March 18^th.  Form is available on main page or in Narthex.  Cost is $16 per plant. 

The Crew is Wednesday, March 11^th, ^th  3:30 pm till 5 pm for all 3^rd-6^th graders. 

As part of our Lent theme, PB is looking for your favorite scriptures to be part of our Facebook devotions!  Email him your favorite scripture readings to pastorbradtrinity@gmail.com 

Have you made your Foundation gift yet?  Help start our Parsonage project with a strong foundation with an initial gift.  Letters have been mailed out and you should receive one in the mail.  You can give through check, online, or using Venmo.  Put “Foundation” or “Parsonage” on your gift and help us to start to build our parsonage project to a great start.

Raise the Roof Fundraiser Saturday, April 11^th, 11 am till 4pm, Boyceville Fire Hall.  This fundraiser for our new parsonage will feature a silent auction, raffles, games, “flip-flop” chicken, and more.  If you would like to donate items, you can drop them off at the church.  Contact the church office for more information. 

You can use Venmo to make your gift to Trinity!  You can find us using: @TrinityLutheranBoyceville. If it asks you for a phone number, use 1349

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

 I sat down earlier this week and did something I do every year at the end of February and the beginning of March that I have done for over 20 years now: I took some tests.  Specifically, I took my baseball and softball umpiring tests.  I need to take these tests to keep my licenses to umpire these two fine sports at the high school level and I take them seriously.  I want to do well and I have to admit, they kind of suck.  What I mean by that is that most of the time when I read the question, I can envision the play out on the field and the call really isn’t that difficult.  I could make the call, know the rule, without really looking at the rule book that much unless it is a new rule.  BUT, these tests are meant to trick you.  They are meant to mess you up.  And so the answer, which would be pretty obvious in a real world situation, might not be correct on paper because a word could be different in the question or one thing could be slightly off that could cause you to get the question wrong. 

  It is maddening.  They love to hide answers in footnotes and in exceptions and those kind of things.  I want to do well and I have to do well to maintain my levels.  I’m a Master level official for softball and a L5 for baseball, the only reason I’m not Master level is I get dinged for not doing enough varsity games at times (I don’t have a regular partner and I take more JV games to stay closer to home and because I do both sports it can be hard to get all the required games, especially with rainouts, etc).  Also, I don’t care about my levels overall.  I do it for the fun of it mostly and to be involved in the sports. 

  This year I felt really confident when I got done with the baseball one and it was reflected in my score with only missing two questions total, and one of those was because I got a bit cocky and just didn’t read the question closely enough.  Knew the rule, assumed the answer, and didn’t take the moment to review the rule fully and got tripped up by the one-word thing.  But softball was a doozy.  There were a lot of questions that could have had, at least to me, 50-50 interpretations on paper (not really on the field), and I was not confident I was going to be above 90% on the test, which is always my goal. 

  And so, imagine my shock when I submitted my test and I again only missed two!  Even worse, one of them I missed I had changed my answer last minute from the correct one (always, always go with your first instinct!)  The other one I missed was one in which I misinterpreted the rule and after reviewing it I saw my mistake (we are sinners after all).  I was pretty pleased with myself in the end.

  The lesson I think is that we can surprise ourselves.  We often sell ourselves short, thinking we can’t do this and that.  And it stops us from trying new things, putting ourselves out there.  We just assume failure or that we will fall short.  God knows (and boy, does God KNOW) that I do that all the time.  But you have gifts and talents given to by the Lord and the Lord is with you.  Trust in yourself and trust that the Lord is with you.  You can do more than you know and that you think you can because Jesus Christ is with you.  You just have to take that step and do it.  Because when you do, you just might surprise yourself.  

  So take a risk, take a chance, put yourself out there.  Use your gifts in a way you haven’t before.  Do that thing you have always talked about but haven’t.  Say yes to that thing you often said no too.  Maybe take the extra step you have always stepped back from.  Trust that the Lord is with you and has given you the gifts you need.  For in the end, no matter what, you will still be loved and cared for and if nothing else, you will learn from the attempt. 

  Now, I got to go start looking for new umpiring pants.  Why?  Because starting in 2027, I can’t wear the color of pants I have for all of my pants for softball because they are banning them.  Why?  Who knows. I don’t make the rules. But I have to follow them.  May God bless you today and always! 

February 22^nd, 2026

ANNOUNCEMENTS

THE YOUTH SERVICE HAS MOVED FROM MARCH 8^TH TO APRIL 12^TH

Lagers with the Lord February 23 at 6 pm at Buckshot’s.

Lent Worship with Holden Evening Prayer this Wednesday 6:30 pm.  Our verse is John3:16.  Meal prior at 5:30 pm till 6:30 pm.  Meal is Soup and Stews served by the Women of Trinity. Our Lent Theme this year is “Your Favorite Bible Verse.”

The Crew is Wednesday, February 25^th  3:30 pm till 5 pm for all 3^rd-6^th graders. 

The United Lutheran Church of Prairie Farm Youth in Christ will be here on Sunday, March 8^th to lead us in worship.

As part of our Lent theme, PB is looking for your favorite scriptures to be part of our Facebook devotions!  Email him your favorite scripture readings to pastorbradtrinity@gmail.com 

Have you made your Foundation gift yet?  Help start our Parsonage project with a strong foundation with an initial gift.  Letters have been mailed out and you should receive one in the mail.  You can give through check, online, or using Venmo.  Put “Foundation” or “Parsonage” on your gift and help us to start to build our parsonage project to a great start.

Raise the Roof Fundraiser Saturday, April 11^th, 11 am till 4pm, Boyceville Fire Hall.  This fundraiser for our new parsonage will feature a silent auction, raffles, games, “flip-flop” chicken, and more.  If you would like to donate items, you can drop them off at the church.  Contact the church office for more information. 

There is a new way to give at Trinity: Venmo!  You can find us using: @TrinityLutheranBoyceville. If it asks you for a phone number, use 1349

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  Today is the last day of the Winter Olympics and as I have written before, I love the Olympics.  Though the Summer Olympics are my favorite, I have a soft spot for the Winter Olympics because there are so many strange and weird sports.  I have written before of my joy of watching curling, which is mesmerizing to watch and something I feel like I could do and just absolutely fail at.  Plus, they have stuff like the new sport of ski mountaineering which looks like a sport made to torture people.  Did you watch this?  It is so cool and so painful at the same time and I couldn’t look away.  They were literally running up steps in ski boots and someone lost a medal because they couldn’t transition from one type of ski’s to another type of ski’s.  It was nuts and glorious at the same time.  And, as someone pointed out, the Winter Olympics are filled with a majority of sports that could literally kill you, which the Summer Olympics can’t really say, which gives it another layer of wonderment.  Yes, let’s fly through the air on ski’s with no poles and see if we can land safely.  Sounds like a GREAT idea! 

  But what I love about the Olympics is just the story of people doing this absolutely crazy sports because they love it.  They will never really win a medal or gain any money from these sports but they love them and just getting there, to participate in the Olympics, is the dream.  I saw an American skier who finished like 12^th in a race and it was going to be his last race.  He was just so happy that he felt like he raced his best and then he broke down talking about what it meant to race in front of his wife and young son and to feel like he did his best.  It wasn’t about the medal or any glory, just doing his best on the biggest stage in front of the people he loved the most and who loved him.  I loved seeing the sportsmanship between a lot of the athletes (see the female figure skaters as an example or anyone who does the cross-country skiing) and am reminded what pure sport looks like.  I love the open honesty of the athletes on a whole range of topics, especially mental health, and also how sometimes the joy of just being there is victory enough. 

  We can be real cynical about sports these days, even Olympic sports.  I understand and sometimes share in that cynicism.  But sports can also still be a place where people can come together and be united in joy, where barriers can be broken down.  We can sometimes just enjoy seeing people doing amazing things and give thanks for watching it and experiencing it.  We can marvel at a Norwegian cross-country skier winning six gold medals and an American figure skater coming out of retirement winning gold and her teammate who didn’t but showed amazing resilience in the attempt. We can rejoice in the bobsled Mom with deaf kids winning gold and the biathlete who finished way outside the medals but it was the best finish ever for their country. Now, if I could only figure out how to be a world class skeleton slider without dying, that would be great, because that looks super fun!

  May God bless you today and always! 

February 15^th, 2026

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Winterfest for Sunday has been cancelled.

Ash Wednesday Worship is on February 18^th at Noon and 6:30 pm  Baked Potato Bar served by the Confirmation Youth at 5:30 pm.

Lagers with the Lord February 23 at 6 pm at Buckshot’s.

Lent Worship with Holden Evening Prayer starts on February 25^th, 6:30 pm. Meal prior at 5:30 pm till 6:30 pm.  Our Lent Theme this year is “Your Favorite Bible Verse.”

The Crew is Wednesday, February 25^th  3:30 pm till 5 pm for all 3^rd-6^th graders. 

Youth Service March 8^th, 9 am.

There is a new way to give at Trinity: Venmo!  You can find us using: @TrinityLutheranBoyceville. If it asks you for a phone number, use 1349

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  Yesterday was Valentine’s Day and it got me to thinking about holidays in general and I realized something: I have a beef with every major holiday.  There is something about every major holiday, a grievance if you will, that bugs me.  That sticks in my craw.  That annoys me.  And so, I’m going to share that grievance with you at this time.  Please note that I do not include Memorial Day or Labor Day in this list. They are more like long weekends to me and don’t really fall under the holiday category in my eye or, maybe just maybe, could just be perfect.  We are going to start with our most recent holiday, Valentine’s Day, and go in chronological order from there through the year.

·        Valentine’s Day: If the biggest gift you give someone on this day is something that inevitably dies, flowers, that really isn’t a good look.  Here, what a lovely gift to show you my love, flowers, which will die, which means my love might die.  Just seems dumb to me.  Also, half of the people seem to hate this holiday or are miserable on this day.  If you need a holiday to tell the person you love them that you love them, that is NOT a good look. Finally, I’m married to a diabetic, so giving candy on this day could be really bad, but at the same time, when she has low blood sugar, could also save her life.  To a 50-50 situation there for me.  (Side note:  Amy and I went out for the first time in forever on Valentine’s Day this year to a new favorite restaurant.  Why?  A Baby Yoda Valentine’s Day mug.  See picture at the end of this email). 

·        St. Patrick’s Day: Yes, let’s have a holiday that promotes physical violence if you aren’t wearing a particular color.  Also, no one ever talks about the snakes.  Sure, St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland.  But in the marketing and on the shirts, there are never pictures of snakes.  Half the reason he is a saint is that he supposedly got rid of all the snakes in Ireland (mostly a myth, but still).  I’m going to be in the drunkest Disney park during this holiday this year and I have no doubt it is going to get INTERESTING. 

·        Easter:  You know where I’m going here.  THE EASTER BUNNY.  An abomination in every way.  I don’t have to say anything else.  Just awful.  Also, and I am part of this problem too, we all need to start getting empty tomb scenes in our homes like we have nativity scenes in our homes for Christmas.  This is the most important Christian holiday and hardly have the most important scene displayed in our houses.  Having the cross is important but we have to have the other part too. I have got to correct this.  Destroy your Easter bunnies.  Burn them to the ground. 

·        Fourth of the July:   Lot to love here.  Hot dogs.  Baseball.  Hanging out at the lake on the boat.  Fireworks.  Independence.  But here is the thing: that stuff is ON THE 4^TH.  For the love of God, can you keep the fireworks to only on the 4^th?  Some of us have dogs that get really scared of those fireworks.  Do we have to shoot them off on the 2^nd, 3^rd, 5^th, and 6^th?  I think you should be thrown in jail for three years if you shoot Fourth of July fireworks on any day other than the Fourth of July.  It is like six days of trauma for our poor dogs.  Keep it on one day.  We can handle one day.  Thank you.

·        Halloween: An introverts nightmare, to talk to strangers in costume.  Plus, can we have it without the eggings, toilet paperings, and the smashing of pumpkins?  Does every costume ever made have to have a slutty version?  Slutty cop, slutty nurse, slutty monk, slutty couch, slutty firetruck, etc?  Can we just have normal costumes?  We also need to remember the rules of Halloween.  Porch light off means don’t come knock on the door. Respect the rules. 

·        Thanksgiving:  Why turkey again?  Turkey is essential for good stuffing but is otherwise useless.  Why cranberry sauce?  Who decided this?  Again, pretty useless.  I think we need to introduce other meats into Thanksgiving.  Maybe some BBQ ribs?  Steak?  Also, if you need one day to decide to be thankful for stuff than we need to figure some other things out.

·        Christmas:  Here is the thing about Christmas: we put too much pressure on it.  We try to make it perfect.  Relax.  It doesn’t have to be perfect.  It’s ok.  Don’t worry so much about it.  It is an important day but it isn’t the be all end all.  If we took a little less pressure off of it, it would go much better.  Don’t worry about everything being just right.  Let it breathe a little more.  Relax.  That would make it better for everyone.  Parents, kids, extended family.  Instead of forcing a magical moment, let the magic of Christmas just be.  Also, can we every year just give Joseph a little love?  Maybe a little?  The forgotten character of Christmas. 

·        New Year’s Eve: Once you get over the age of 30, it is impossible to stay up that late and have real fun.  It really is.  Maybe even 25.  I think the ball should drop at 8 pm.  Then we could all really enjoy it. 

And that’s it.  My holiday grievance list.  Have a great week and may God bless you today and always!

PICTURE OF THE WEEK

Me with the Baby Yoda Valentine’s mug

February 9^th, 2026

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Pastor Brad has a new email address: pastorbradtrinity@gmail.com

The Crew is Wednesday, February 11^th  3:30 pm till 5 pm for all 3^rd-6^th graders.  It will be snow day so bring your snow gear!

Winterfest, February 15^th, 1 pm till 3 pm. Sledding, food, games.  All are welcome! PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS WEATHER PERMITTING AND IF WE GET MORE SNOW MELT THIS WILL BE CANCELLED.  CHECK FACEBOOK FOR UPDATES

Ash Wednesday Worship is on February 18^th at Noon and 6:30 pm  Baked Potato Bar served by the Confirmation Youth at 5:30 pm.

Lagers with the Lord February 23 at 6 pm at Buckshot’s.

Lent Worship with Holden Evening Prayer starts on February 25^th, 6:30 pm. Meal prior at 5:30 pm till 6:30 pm.  Our Lent Theme this year is “Your Favorite Bible Verse.”

Youth Service March 8^th, 9 am.

There is a new way to give at Trinity: Venmo!  You can find us using: @TrinityLutheranBoyceville. If it asks you for a phone number, use 1349

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

 Isaiah 58:1-12

Shout out; do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. ² Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they want God on their side. ³ “Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day and oppress all your workers. ⁴ You fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. ⁵ Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? ⁶ Is not this the fast that I choose :to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? ⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them and not to hide yourself from your own kin? ⁸ Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. ⁹ Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, “Here I am.” If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, ¹⁰ if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. ¹¹ The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your needs in parched places and make your bones strong, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters never fail. ¹² Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen

God is ticked off.  I don’t know how you can hear our reading from Isaiah and not come away with the sense that God is anything other than a pretty angry God.  “Announce to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins,” God says through the prophet Isaiah.  Oh, you know something is coming.  It is coming and it is coming bad. God is not going to hold back.  But why is God so angry?  What sins have the people committed?  It is this: the people are showing their faith, but they are not living it.  In other words, they are being hypocrites.

  They are worshipping God, and they want God to notice their worship.  Look at our fasting!  Look at us putting on sackcloth and showing our humbleness!  But they are doing this as an act of self-exaltation and self-centeredness.  But that is not true worship.  True worship means a focus outward, first on God, and then, if we are truly following the Lord, on the neighbor.  And that is God’s point.  You talk about fasting, and yet you abandon the poor?  You talk about sacrifice and yet oppress others?    Then you are not being true to me or true to worship.  Notice what God really wants.  He doesn’t want their fast or their fake works.  He wants them to loose the bonds of injustice.  He wants them to share their bread with the hungry, to break the yoke, to fight for the oppressed, to clothe the naked and to care for the homeless.  This is a recurring theme across all of the Old Testament.  Worship is great, but worshipping the Lord without having that worship mean something in our lives outside of trying to curry favor with God is worthless and meaningless.  Following this God means that our focus is not on lifting ourselves up and making ourselves holy.  It means knowing that we are sinners in need of redemption, and inspired by the salvation we receive, seeing the world with compassion and empathy because of the compassion we have received.  It means taking seriously God’s call to love our neighbor and to let our light shine like the dawn.

  The fact of the matter is these words from Isaiah should bother us today.  For what made God angry back in Isaiah’s time would make God angry now.  We give praises to God and yet ignore the poor and hungry.  We demonize the other and turn our back on the oppressed or gleefully join in on the oppression.  Jesus tells us that we are the light of the world.  We are to be the light so that others might give glory to our Father in heaven.  That means that worship is never about us but always about God, and that means our lives as followers of Jesus Christ is always about neighbor.  And this Jesus, and this God, always has His eye on the other: the poor, the orphan, the widow, the stranger, the hungry, the homeless, the oppressed. 

  Let us take a good look at ourselves and who we are: as individuals, as a church, and the people of God.  Are we serving ourselves, or are we serving who God calls us and wants us to serve: everyone else?  After all, our God sent his only Son to die for us and rise from the grave for us and saves us by grace through faith.  In response, may our worship be about him and not us, and may our purpose be about our neighbor and not about lifting ourselves up.  For that we can say, “Thanks be to God!”  Amen

TRINITY TIDINGS

February 1^st, 2026

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Pastor Brad has a new email address: pastorbradtrinity@gmail.com

Annual Meeting is Sunday, February 1^st at 10 am

Sunday School will be singing on Sunday, February 1^st at 9 am

Super Bowl Pizza Orders are due on February 1^st and can be picked up next Sunday, Feb 8.

The Crew is Wednesday, February 11^th  3:30 pm till 5 pm for all 3^rd-6^th graders.  It will be snow day so bring your snow gear!

Winterfest, February 15^th, 1 pm till 3 pm. Sledding, food, games.  All are welcome!

Ash Wednesday Worship is on February 18^th at Noon and 6:30 pm  Baked Potato Bar served by the Confirmation Youth at 5:30 pm.

There is a new way to give at Trinity: Venmo!  You can find us using: @TrinityLutheranBoyceville. If it asks you for a phone number, use 1349

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  On the way home from our little vacation to Walt Disney World, I had downloaded a very special program I wanted to watch.  I had saved it for a few weeks for that specific day, Monday, January 26^th.  What was this very special program and why did I save it for this very special date?  Well, the program was called “The Shuffle,” a documentary on HBO Max.  And what was this documentary about?  The making of the Super Bowl Shuffle by the 1985 Chicago Bears.  And the date?  It was the 40^th anniversary of the Bears winning Super Bowl 20. It was fun to see the making of the song and the iconic video and relive all the glory of that season and to take myself back to my nine-year old self.  I still have the VHS tape in a box and I had the cassette.  The song was everywhere and I still remember every part of the video. When you are 9 years old, this kind of stuff leaves an impression.

  But 2026 isn’t just the 40^th anniversary of the Bears winning the Super Bowl.  It is also the 10^th anniversary of the Cubs winning the World Series.  So it is the year of me remembering the two greatest sports events in my lifetime.  And it is good to remember, to look back, to celebrate those kind of things.  They can be a lot of fun.  But, there is a danger there.

  If we spend all of our time looking back, it means we can be stuck only in the past.  It means we never look forward, to see the new things in front of us.  Also, it means that miss the new directions that we can go and we can romanticize the past and see only the good things.  We forget the difficult things, like in Super Bowl 20 how the Bears were losing early or in the World Series the Cubs were down 3-1 at one point. 

  The church is susceptible to that, to look back at the good ol’ days and resist change, thinking that the way we have always done it is the only way to do it. Tradition is important and the past is something to honor, but it is not something to be a slave too.  For when we are only looking behind us, we miss what God is doing in front of us.  There always needs to be a balance, of honoring the past but striving towards and being open to the future. 

  That is why it has been a fun sports year for me.  As I celebrate the two greatest events in my sports lifetime, I have also enjoyed resurgent Bears and Cubs teams and the future looks like a lot of fun.  I’ve tried to enjoy it more so I don’t take it for granted and to be open to the future.  As someone who has been at the same place for a long time, I’m constantly asking myself if there is a new way to do something so that I don’t just do things the same way because it has always been done that way. 

  May we be true to who we are and our past while being open to the way the Spirit is leading us into the future.  May God continue to bless you and be with you!

January 21, 2026

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Pastor Brad has a new email address: pastorbradtrinity@gmail.com

Annual Meeting is Sunday, February 1^st at 10 am

Sunday School will be singing on Sunday, February 1^st at 9 am

Super Bowl Pizza Orders are due on February 1^st.  See the attached form.

The Crew is Wednesday, January 28^th, 3:30 pm till 5 pm for all 3^rd-6^th graders.

Winterfest, February 15^th, 1 pm till 3 pm. Sledding, food, games.  All are welcome!

Ash Wednesday Worship is on February 18^th at Noon and 6:30 pm  Baked Potato Bar served by the Confirmation Youth at 5:30 pm.

There is a new way to give at Trinity: Venmo!  You can find us using: @TrinityLutheranBoyceville. If it asks you for a phone number, use 1349

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?”  John 1:38

  I think a day doesn’t go by that I’m not trying to find something.  Maybe I can’t find my keys or wallet.  Maybe I’m looking for a scripture for a devotion or something like this.  Maybe I’m searching for the perfect opening for a sermon or a good idea for a children’s sermon.  Maybe I’m looking in Dollar General or Walmart for something on the list Amy gave me.  I might be looking on the guide on the TV for something to watch or in my closet for the perfect Star Wars t-shirt to wear.  But every day I’m looking for something. 

  That’s why I find Jesus’ question to those disciples of John the Baptist who followed so fascinating.  “What are you looking for?” Jesus says to them.  And the question is relevant to us as well.  What are you looking for from Jesus?

  Are you looking for forgiveness?  Are you looking for comfort?  Are you looking for direction in your life?  Are you looking for hope in the midst of despair?  Are you looking for purpose and acceptance?  Are you looking for validation?  Are you looking for inspiration?  What are you looking for from Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world?  Because here is the thing: whatever you may be looking for, this Jesus, this Messiah, is ready to provide it for you.

  This Jesus provides us grace and forgiveness of our sins.  This Jesus shows us that we are loved and redeemed and called children of God, not because we are perfect but because God has said that we are.  This Jesus shows us that we have a purpose in this life, to care and love our neighbors and sends us out to be servants in the world.  This Jesus inspires us to look at the world with new eyes and hearts, to love our neighbors as ourselves.  This Jesus shows us that we have a place prepared for us in glory, the promise of eternal life, won not by our own hands but through his death and resurrection.  This Jesus shows us that we never alone and that he is with us always.

  So what are you looking for today?  No matter what it is, look to Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of your faith. You will find it.

  May God bless you today and always!

January 11, 2026

ANNOUNCEMENTS

First Communion Class Sunday, January 11, 6 pm.  Class is open to all youth 3^rd grade and above.  Parents should attend with their you and bring a Bible.  If you can’t make it, there is a make up class on Sunday, January 18^th at 10:30 am.

Sunday School returns this week, January 11^th, at 9:45 am!

Lagers with the Lord Monday, January 12^th, 6 pm at Buckshot’s

Crew returns this Wednesday, January 14^th, at 3:30 pm till 5 pm for all 3^rd-6^th grade youth!

Annual Meeting is Sunday, February 1^st at 10 am  Annual Reports should be out on Sunday, January 18^th.

There is a new way to give at Trinity: Venmo!  You can find us using: @TrinityLutheranBoyceville. If it asks you for a phone number, use 1349

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  My Dad taught me many things.  But one of the things that has endured is how to appreciate someone who cheers for a team that is different than your own.  I’m writing this a few hours after my beloved Chicago Bears shockingly defeated the Green Bay Packers 31-27 in the NFL playoffs, coming back from 18 points down in the second half to win.  I am not ashamed to say the following two things.  1.  I predicted the Bears would lose 30-17, I would make that prediction again.  2. I almost wept when the game ended.  I did.  I was smart enough to not scream like when the Bears beat the Packers in overtime in the regular season, a move that almost cost me my voice for Christmas Eve services.  It was a thrilling and exciting game and one that will live in the lore of this storied rivalry forever.

  But, as I sit here, still happy in my team’s victory, I can’t help but feel empathy for those I care about who are hurting.  I know that pain.  I still remember when the Packers beat the Bears in the NFC Championship Game.  I’m still haunted by the Randall Cobb touchdown that kept the Bears out of the playoffs in 2013.  These losses hurt and they hurt bad.  When you love a team, like Packers fans and Bears fans do, these kinds of games bring great joy and great sorrow.

  I am not one of these people who take great delight in the misery of others, even when it is your rival that loses.  I learned that from my Dad.  Some of his closest friends were Packer fans.  They had a lot of fun going back and forth about that, just as I do.  And even though, in my 24 years of living in a Packer community I have experienced my fair share of abuse and a lot of inappropriate and over the line, that doesn’t mean it is right to revel in others pain.  We have enough hate in the world to shower hate on others.  After all, it is only a game.  I try to put myself in their shoes.  And so, though I am so very happy, I also feel a touch of sadness for my friends who hurt.

  That might be the lesson for all of us.  To put ourselves in someone else’s shoes.  Before we vilify or hate on someone that is on the other side of anything, whether it be sports or politics or anything else, to put ourselves in their shoes.  To remember that they are human beings too with feelings and emotions.  To not be gleeful about their pain and suffering, because it is still pain and suffering.  We can dislike without hate, root against without demonizing, and root for our side without making the other side out to be the Antichrist.

  Now, I hope soon I can fall asleep, because I have to preach in a few hours and minister to a church full of Packer fans, and a few Bears fans and some Vikings fans, and a smattering of fans of other teams as well.  But no matter what sports team we cheer on, we are all part of the same team of humanity who need love, compassion, and empathy every single day.  My Dad taught me that.  And I’m glad for it. 

  May God bless you today and always. 

December 21, 2025

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Christmas Eve Worship Services: 2 pm, 4:30 pm, 9:00 pm.  All services have special music, Holy Communion, and a candlelight portion.  2 pm and 4:30 pm have a children’s sermon.  Come worship the newborn king!

No Bible Study December 22^nd or 29^th

Office Closed December 25^th & 26^th

Blood Mobile December 29^th, Noon till 6 pm.   Sign-up at www.redcross.org 

No Worship on Wednesday, December 31^st,

There is a new way to give at Trinity: Venmo!  You can find us using: @TrinityLutheranBoyceville. If it asks you for a phone number, use 1349

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  Christmas is a time in which we give gifts to others, but also a time in which we receive gifts.  And sometimes those gifts are things (like bacon!) and sometimes those gifts are not material possessions.  I was reminded of this last night as I couldn’t sleep, first because I had to get my heart rate down after a thrilling Bears victory over the Packers, and then because my brain wouldn’t start working. 

  Often at night when my brain won’t start working, it is because I’m thinking about work.  Running sermons in my head, going through lists of things to do, thinking about where the church is going.  The other thing I’m often thinking about is the state of the world or myself, and those thoughts are much worse and often negative (kind of how I often feel about the Bears).  In those darkened hours, I often see my own failings and failures and beat myself up on how I could be better in every aspect of my existence, and at the same time I start to despair about the world.  The devil loves to hit me at these times and take away my positivity and rip away my believe that people will rise above hatred and violence and bigotry and their own self-interest for the greater good. 

  But last night, as I tossed and turned and couldn’t get to sleep, the Lord gave me the gift in reminding me of the gifts of life that weren’t the physical gifts of the world, though at one point I did think about the deliciousness of the Peanut Butter Blossom cookies Amy made and almost got up and had one at 2:30 am.  I thought of the little gifts I had throughout the weeks, little gifts that remind me of the joy of life.

  I thought of finally have a night home with Amy, the first in awhile, of having meats and cheeses and watching some Disney YouTube with a drink and how just fun that is, giving the dogs treats and then having them lay between us on the crowd as we relax together.  I thought of the little kid who ran up to me and gave me a big hug when I walked into the ELC room at Tiffany Creek Elementary School dressed as Santa on Wednesday.  I thought of the joy of great conversation with a close friend at our annual Christmas lunch on Monday.  I thought of the privilege of being in a living room of a church member who needed some comfort and asked me to provide it, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them.  I thought of the joy of another member who is a shut-in who was excited for my visit with them and took me all around their nursing home introducing me to all of the workers.  I thought of a short nap I got the other day with both of the dogs snuggling on me. I thought of the joy of watching two people in love exchanging vows on Saturday at the wedding I got to do. I thought of all the great talents and dedication of our church staff that put in so much work this time of year and how they make everything happen behind the scenes that not a lot of people see.  I thought of Amy who let me sit in her chair last night so I could watch the Bears. So many gifts.

  Life can be rough and is rough.  It is easy to despair.  One of the things I beat myself up at night, and the devil likes to exploit, is that I despair so much more easily now than I used to.  But there are so many moments of joy too, so many gifts.  God put those gifts in front of us to remind us that we are blessed, loved, and valued.  After all, we have the greatest gift of all: salvation in Jesus Christ.  The babe born in Bethlehem was sent to bring us to eternal life, give us hope, and shine light on us every day.  May you feel that light today, may you see the gifts in your life, and may you know that you are loved every day.  Have a very Merry Christmas and may God bless you!

December 16, 2025

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Crew Wednesday, December 17^th,   from 3:30-5:00pm, for all 3rd-6th graders!

Sunday School Christmas Program, Sunday, December 21^st, 9 am

Christmas Eve Worship Services: 2 pm, 4:30 pm, 9:00 pm.  All services have special music, Holy Communion, and a candlelight portion.  2 pm and 4:30 pm have a children’s sermon.  Come worship the newborn king!

There is a new way to give at Trinity: Venmo!  You can find us using: @TrinityLutheranBoyceville. If it asks you for a phone number, use 1349

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  “Restore us, O God;  let your face shine, that we may be saved.”  Psalm 80:3

After all the activities of Spirit of Christmas, I came home Saturday night pretty beat.  It was a long but fulfilling week of activity.  Fun activity.  Amazing experiences of ministry and seeing God at work in so many ways, but also, just a lot of work and a lot of hours (and about 28.9 miles on feet from Wednesday through Friday.  Couldn’t count Saturday due to no pockets on my Elf costume), and I was one tired Brad.  Spent.  Exhausted.

  But sometimes it doesn’t take a Spirit of Christmas and all of its activities to make us exhausted and feel spent.  Life can just do that.  Stresses of work and family life.  Things like the violence we see in the world like the horrific shooting in Australia this week.  Dealing with grief and loss.  Anxiety over providing for our family or how our kids are doing.  Things that just break us down, empty us out, make us feel less than whole. Even in this holiday season, we can feel empty and alone and spent.

   But that is why God comes in Jesus Christ, in that babe born in Bethlehem.  The light of the world shines on us so that we can be saved, restored, renewed. Through God’s grace, our brokenness can be restored, our suffering soothed, our sickness healed, our grieving comforted.  Restoration happens because the Son of God, Emmanuel, is with us.  Is with you.  Every single day.  The light of God’s love and grace in Jesus Christ shines on you and restores you.

  On Saturday night, I laid down in bed, exhausted and spent.  But I woke up Sunday, renewed and ready to go.  We get renewal every day in Jesus Christ.  May you feel that renewal today and if you feel spent, exhausted, emptied out, place your faith and hope on Jesus.  Let the light of the world shine on you, restore you, give you strength and hope, for he is your salvation, your life, your renewal, and your hope.  May God bless you today and always!   

December 7, 2025

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Lefse making is THIS WEEK!  Come join us for this Trinity tradition!  Wednesday, December 10^th and Thursday, December 11^th.  We begin at 7 am both days, have a potluck lunch at 11:30 am, and then go in the afternoon until we are done.  Bring your potato peelers on Wednesday morning.  We have a job for every kind of person, can train you to do anything, and appreciate every minute you can volunteer!  Sign-up in the Narthex or just show on up!  Bring friends! 

We are looking for items for the Spirit of Christmas Silent Auction! The Silent Auction is our main fundraiser for the Mission Trip to Denver, CO in June 2026 for our High School Youth!  New items or craft items only please.  Items should be at the church by Thursday, December 11^th.  Contact PB if you have questions. 

Pre-order your lefse!  $5 per package (three pieces).  See sign-up in Narthex or call the church at 715-702-2755 

Sunday School Christmas Program Practices will be on Sunday, December 7^th & 14^th at 9 am till 11 am!  PLEASE NOTE THE START TIME IS AT 9 AM!!  Please have your child at both practices. 

Men’s Band Christmas Concert Sunday, December 14^th, 6:30 pm

Lagers with the Lord on Monday, December 15th, 6 pm at Buckshot’s.

Crew Wednesday, December 17^th,   from 3:30-5:00pm, for all 3rd-6th graders!

Annual Mitten Tree is up!  Bring in hats, mittens, scarves, and gloves to decorate the tree.  We are also collecting items for the Coat Closet as well, like boots, snowpants, and winter coats, which you can put in the box by the Mitten Tree. 

Sunday School Christmas Program, Sunday, December 21^st, 9 am

Christmas Eve Worship Services: 2 pm, 4:30 pm, 9:00 pm.  All services have special music, Holy Communion, and a candlelight portion.  2 pm and 4:30 pm have a children’s sermon.  Come worship the newborn king!

There is a new way to give at Trinity: Venmo!  You can find us using: @TrinityLutheranBoyceville. If it asks you for a confirmation number, use 1349

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

   Our dog Baxter does something a little strange (to be honest, Baxter does a lot of things strange).  One of his favorite places to lay is on the chair in between someone’s legs.  Doesn’t matter if it is Amy’s legs or my legs, if someone is in the chair with the leg stand up, Baxter is on that chair, laying between our legs.  He will paw to get up there and if Daphene dares to lay in that spot, he will get upset until we clear it so he can lay there or wedge himself back into that spot. And Baxter can lay in that spot for a long time, every now and then jumping down to make sure he has his Lamby with him (sometimes he uses it as a pillow) or maybe a bone or another toy to play with. 

  But he also does something a little strange while he is hanging out in his favorite spot.  Out of the blue, without a single prompt or stimulus, he will get up and just crawl up our body and put his face right front your face.  He might even give you a little kiss.  It is incredibly sweet and I always think of it as him saying, “Hi.  I love you.  Just wanted to remind you.”  And then he crawls right back down and goes right back into his spot like nothing ever happened.  Sometimes Amy tries to cajole him to do that and he won’t budge.  He does it on his own time and own accord.  But he does it and it is so cool and makes you feel so special. 

  I’m convinced that the Lord does that to us on a daily basis.  That every day, the Lord just pops up in an unexpected way to remind us that we are loved.  It comes out of the blue at times to remind us that we are loved, that we matter, and that we are not alone.  Sometimes we might not even fully perceive it was the Lord because it comes so far out of the blue.  But it is a moment that we need.  It could be a moment of peace in the midst of chaos and busyness.  It could be a moment of strength when we feel weak.  I can be a moment of thankfulness and gratitude.  But I think God is so often working it the small moments of our day to remind us that we are not forgotten, that God is active and working, and showing us that we matter and we are loved.

  So look for those small moments, those moments that at the time might not seem like a big deal but mean something.  Those moments might be your Lord reaching out to you, reminding you that your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is there for you, loving you and caring for you and that you are not alone as you go through this life.  And take that moment to give thanks for this God who loves you and for those things in life like a small dog that crawls up your body to give a moment of love.

  May God bless you today and always!

PICTURES OF THE DAY

Baxter in his spot