Trinity Lutheran Church

July 14, 2025

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Lagers with the Lord, Monday, July 14^th, 6 pm at Buckshot’s!

Congregational Meeting, Sunday, July 27^th, 10 am to authorize the Church Council to sell the existing parsonage and to borrow up to $100,000 to build a new parsonage on church property next to Trinity Lutheran Church. 

Summer Fellowship Servers needed!  Sign-up in the Narthex or call the church office if you are willing to serve fellowship on any Sunday June through August.

Luther Park Golf Outing, Thursday, August 7^th, 9 am.  $50 per person, includes cart.  At Sioux Creek Golf Course in Chetek.  9 holes.  Prizes, Raffle, and fun to help Luther Park Bible Camp!  To register, email at info@lutherpark.org or talk to Pastor Brad. 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

Indeed, the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  Hebrews 4:12

  Tonight we have Lagers with the Lord, one of my favorite things every month, and not just because I get to drink an expertly made Old Fashioned by Ding.  It’s because I get to dive into God’s Word with other people and we get to explore scripture.  I love the insights people give, the questions they ask, and the conversation afterwards.  I also love the opportunity to share some of the insights I have or I have read and give people a chance to learn a little more about scripture, or at least think about it in a new way.

  See, the thing about God’s Word is that it is a living and active thing, as it says in Hebrews.  And with this living and active thing is that we are constantly learning and growing as we explore it.  It is why I am constantly surprised by it.  Just this past week, as I prepared for my Sunday sermon, my eyes were opened to a fresh way to view a very familiar passage of scripture that gave it a new and powerful meaning.  I will never forget being a camp counselor and hearing the same parable of Jesus over and over again in the Christ Walk play, having no clue what it meant, until suddenly I got it.  Because that is the thing about the Holy Spirit and God’s Word.  It is always active and always working.

  For as we grow and change in the world, as we have experiences in the world, we hear scripture and the Holy Spirit works on us and sometimes those scriptures have deeper meanings.  Words we have heard time and time again now come at us with fresh expressions.  Sometimes the insight of someone else changes how we might see it.  And that is the joy of scripture.  That is the joy of hearing it, reading it, studying it with people of all ages.  For what a child gets out of it compared to an 80 year old can be completely different but also completely valid and amazing. 

  I encourage you to take some time with God’s Word, whether it is attending something like Lagers with the Lord (tonight at 6 pm.  We are going to be looking at the story of Mary & Martha) or Bible Study on Monday mornings at 10 am or maybe it is watching our devotions on Facebook or doing your own five minute reading of scripture every day.  For God’s Word is living and active and it moves us, creates us faith, inspires us, challenges us, and makes us think.  And these are things we need in life, every day.  May God bless you and be with you always! 

July 6, 2025

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Vacation Bible School, July 14-18, 9 am till 2 pm for all 4 year olds through 6^th grade youth.  Led by Luther Park Bible Camp.  No Cost.  Games, Crafts, Music, Food, and more!  Friends welcome!  We appreciate your registering in advance!  See the attached form.  STARTS IN ONE WEEK! 

VBS Snacks, Snack helpers needed!  See the sign-up in the Narthex or call the office if you would like to help!

Lagers with the Lord, Monday, July 14^th, 6 pm at Buckshot’s!

Congregational Meeting, Sunday, July 27^th, 10 am to authorize the Church Council to sell the existing parsonage and to borrow up to $100,000 to build a new parsonage on church property next to Trinity Lutheran Church. 

Summer Fellowship Servers needed!  Sign-up in the Narthex or call the church office if you are willing to serve fellowship on any Sunday June through August.

Luther Park Golf Outing, Thursday, August 7^th, 9 am.  $50 per person, includes cart.  At Sioux Creek Golf Course in Chetek.  9 holes.  Prizes, Raffle, and fun to help Luther Park Bible Camp!  To register, email at info@lutherpark.org or talk to Pastor Brad. 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

Come and see what God has done: Psalm 66:1a

  When you read the verse above, what do you think of? Do you think of creation, of the beauty of the world around you?  I bet that is the first thing we think of. Maybe you spent the July 4^th weekend at a lake or your cabin, enjoying time on the water and you think of the beauty of a sunrise or sunset on that lake.  Maybe you thought of fireworks in the sky or the beauty of a campfire.  Maybe you were traveling and you thought of the vista’s you encountered or something incredible you saw.  I was recently back at Walt Disney World for the first time in three years and it was great to see the majestic Cinderella’s castle towering in the sky.  When we think of God’s works, we so often think of those kinds of things.

  But have you thought of the fact that, and your fellow human beings, are also God’s works?  There is great beauty there.  Think of the smile of a child, or the laugh of a loved one, or the twinkle in the eyes of our wisdom elderly.  These are the works of this same God who created the mountains, the lakes, the rivers, the oceans.  We are also the created works of the Lord.  And there is beauty there, in our diversity of pigments, of heights and weights, talents and gifts, languages and accents. It is one of the things I love about travel. Not only seeing the diversity of landscapes and vistas, but the diversity of humanity.  God paints with a glorious brush and there is beauty in all of it.

  Take being in Walt Disney World for example.  It was not uncommon as we walked from one thing to another to hear four or five different languages, see everything from Bachelorette parties to families celebrating graduations to anniversaries or weddings to school groups to everything in between, all in one place. 

  This verse in Psalm 66 is an invitation to see all of God’s splendor, to see the richness of God’s creation in all of its forms.  For God is at work in this world, in the trees and mountains and lakes and deserts and in every form of living thing.  And as it says in Genesis 1:31, “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.”  This God loves this creation so much God sent Jesus, God’s only Son, to save and redeem it and promises to be with it always.  You are a part of this creation, as is every other living thing.  May we look at each other, and all of creation as God does: as something precious.  May we take God’s invitation to come and see what God has done, to see God’s loving work and hand in all that is around us, to appreciate it, treasure it, savor it, and value it.  And may we always remember that God loves this creation, and loves us so much that God sent Jesus to it, and us, to redeem and save it. 

  May God be with you today and always. 

June 11, 2025

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Summer Fellowship Servers needed!  Sign-up in the Narthex or call the church office if you are willing to serve fellowship on any Sunday June through August.

Lagers with the Lord, Monday, June 16^th, 6 pm at Buckshot’s!

Vacation Bible School, July 14-18, 9 am till 2 pm for all 4 year olds through 6^th grade youth.  Led by Luther Park Bible Camp.  No Cost.  Games, Crafts, Music, Food, and more!  Friends welcome!  We appreciate your registering in advance!  See the attached form. 

VBS Snacks, Snack helpers needed!  See the sign-up in the Narthex or call the office if you would like to help!

Baby Care Kits:  The Women of Trinity are collecting items for Baby Care Kits through June.  We are looking for, in sizes 6-24 months, sleepers or gowns, cotton t-shirts, light jackets, sweaters or hooded sweatshirts.  Receive blankets, dark colored hand towels, and baby socks.  We can also use onesies.  Items can be placed in the bins underneath the altar in the Narthex. 

Congregational Meeting, Sunday, July 27^th, 10 am to vote on the building of a new parsonage.

Luther Park Golf Outing, Thursday, August 7^th, 9 am.  $50 per person, includes cart.  At Sioux Creek Golf Course in Chetek.  9 holes.  Prizes, Raffle, and fun to help Luther Park Bible Camp!  To register, email at info@lutherpark.org or talk to Pastor Brad. 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  For the 22^nd time, I am sleeping in the same room in the Shalom Center at Luther Park Bible Camp as I spend this past week up there with some of our kids who are attending camp this summer (we have kids going other weeks as well this summer, though I can’t be there all week for them).  Actually, I’ve been in this room more than twenty-two times, but of my twenty-three years of ministry, I have stayed in the same room twenty-two of them.  The only year I did not stay in “my” room was last year when I was on sabbatical and did not come up to camp with our youth.  It was sad.  My room missed me.

  I’ve probably been in this room close to forty times between recharges, multiple stays at camp during the summer, and I even stayed in the room for other retreats.  The room is the room right next to the Men’s bathroom.  It is one of the smallest rooms in the Shalom Center and some say it is the warmest.  I picked it my very first visit to Luther Park in June of 2002, about five weeks before I became a pastor when I went up for three days with a group of kids in my first act as pastor of Trinity, even though I wasn’t yet a pastor.  I picked the room because it was so small, figuring that way no other person would try to room with me and I could have it by myself.  And the rest is history. 

  The room has changed over these twenty-three years.  It used to have two beds and now has one.  Those beds were twin beds and now it has a queen-sized bed (yeah me!).  Fun fact: this room is used as a bride’s room, and a few years ago I stayed in this room for a week of camp, moved out, and a bride moved in and I did that wedding that weekend!  It has many different end tables over the years, but the towel rack on the back of the door is the same.  Both windows used to open but now only one does.  It used to have brown colored paneling but now it is painted white and there are new pictures on the wall.  And every year I walk into this room, I swear the bed is in a different place in the room.

  Despite the changes, it is still my room.  It still has the same magic.  Camp has of course changed in the twenty-three years since I started going with our kids, and yet there is still the same magic.  The same Spirit permeates through everything.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is still being proclaimed through holy play: in songs, skits, games, crafts, and more.  I see that faith being proclaimed through the counselors, year-round staff, and youth of all ages. And the kids that come are the same.  They still sing and dance (mostly).  They still are always hungry and love the food and complain about the food at the same time.  They engage with their counselors and meet new people and deal with people snoring in their cabins and the inconvenience of rain and get challenged in their faith. The programs change, new buildings are built, new stuff is there, but yet, the magic and joy of camp still endures.  Seeds of faith are planted in all who experience what camp has to offer.

  I was talking to a counselor earlier today who said they remembered me from a few years ago.  She remembered me playing my uke in worship and interacting with the kids and then coming into her high school Bible Study to do a Q&A with them.  She said it was a powerful experience and she remembered the tears that many shed has they shared their questions and heard me answer them and the faith conversations they had with me and then their counselor afterwards.  She said it was that experience that convinced her she would come back to camp as much as she could and here she was, serving on staff for the first time.  And I shared with her that being on staff was what was the catalyst for me becoming a pastor and even now renews me in faith, which is why I keep coming back.  Because camp plants seeds of faith in all of us. 

  You know, things change.  They don’t stay the same.  But the things that have true power, true meaning, keep that power and meaning despite the changes.  You can feel it.  I see it at Luther Park, I see it here at Trinity, and I bet you see it too at places in your life.  Places where love and faith are proclaimed, nurtured, valued, and cherished.  Take a moment to give thanks for those places in your life and to see God at work in them.  And take a moment to give thanks for places like Luther Park and Trinity, where we plant seeds of faith and where we nurture and support each other in faith even as we grow and change. 

  May God bless you today and always! 

June 3, 2025

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Women of Trinity Summer Gathering, June 5^th, 5:30 pm.  All women are welcome! 

Loading up the Savers U-Haul, Thursday, June 5^th, 9 am

Summer Fellowship Servers needed!  Sign-up in the Narthex or call the church office if you are willing to serve fellowship on any Sunday June through August. WE CURRENTLY DO NOT HAVE FELLOWSHIP SERVERS FOR JUNE 15, & 22,

Vacation Bible School, July 14-18, 9 am till 2 pm for all 4 year olds through 6^th grade youth.  Led by Luther Park Bible Camp.  No Cost.  Games, Crafts, Music, Food, and more!  Friends welcome!  We appreciate your registering in advance!  See the attached form. 

VBS Snacks, Snack helpers needed!  See the sign-up in the Narthex or call the office if you would like to help!

Trinity Summer Office Hours begin in June!  Office will be open Monday – Thursday, 9 am till 1 pm.  Closed Fridays.

Baby Care Kits:  The Women of Trinity are collecting items for Baby Care Kits through June.  We are looking for, in sizes 6-24 months, sleepers or gowns, cotton t-shirts, light jackets, sweaters or hooded sweatshirts.  Receive blankets, dark colored hand towels, and baby socks.  We can also use onesies.  Items can be placed in the bins underneath the altar in the Narthex. 

We are collecting Cereal for the West CAP food pantry!  Bring your boxes and place them by the altar in the Narthex. Please make sure the cereal is not expired. 

Voices of Praise is taking a break until September  We will see you then!

Congregational Meeting, Sunday, July 27^th, 10 am to vote on the building of a new parsonage.

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

Today is our dog Baxter’s 3^rd birthday (he is so cute), and it kicks off a month of celebrations for us in the Peterson household.  Well, we actually started celebrating on May 30^th with the end of school for Amy.  But the celebrations continue with my birthday on June 21^st, our 20^th anniversary on June 25^th (can you believe we have been married 20 years and that Amy has survived me that long?), and Amy’s birthday on June 28^th.  It is always a fun month (that also includes a much needed vacation for me!)

   But we need celebrations.  To be honest, we often spend a lot of time dealing the difficulties of life that we forget to celebrate things in life.  And it can be easy to celebrate the big things, like birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings (I had one of those this past week too!), and such, but we also need to take a moment to celebrate the other joys of life.  Because there is a lot to celebrate.  Like when we can take a nap.  Or when we get to have dinner with friends or a visit with a family member.  Or time at the lake or cabin or sitting down to watch our favorite team play or listening to our favorite band play a concert.  Maybe it is just a beautiful sunset or a good book being read.  It can be a million different things. 

  The Lord puts little joys, little things we can celebrate in our lives every day.  We just have to stop and see them, realize them, open your eyes to notice them around you.  For those little celebrations, those little joys, sustain us.  They are gifts to us.  Like how our birthday boy Baxter sometimes just crawls up our chest to say hi, just giving a little bit of love before he goes back to playing with his lamby toy or attacking his sister.  Those little moments are little gifts I believe from the Lord to remind us that we are loved and to brighten our spirits.

  So appreciate the celebrations of life, the big and the small.  See the joys that are all around you.  Most of all, celebrate the love of God in Jesus Christ that is for you every day!  May God be with you today and always!

May 27, 2025

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Women of Trinity Summer Gathering, June 5^th, 5:30 pm.  All women are welcome! 

SAVERS FUN DRIVE-Bring your household items and clothes to Trinity in May. LAST SATURDAY THIS SATURDAY, MAY 31^ST!  Every Saturday in May, 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 white kitchen trash bags and all other items in boxes. Thank you for supporting the Women of Trinity!

Summer Fellowship Servers needed!  Sign-up in the Narthex or call the church office if you are willing to serve fellowship on any Sunday June through August. WE CURRENTLY DO NOT HAVE FELLOWSHIP SERVERS FOR JUNE 8, 15, 22nd!

Vacation Bible School, July 14-18, 9 am till 2 pm for all 4 year olds through 6^th grade youth.  Led by Luther Park Bible Camp.  No Cost.  Games, Crafts, Music, Food, and more!  Friends welcome!  We appreciate your registering in advance!  See the attached form. 

VBS Snacks, Snack helpers needed!  See the sign-up in the Narthex or call the office if you would like to help!

Trinity Summer Office Hours begin in June!  Office will be open Monday – Thursday, 9 am till 1 pm.  Closed Fridays.

Baby Care Kits:  The Women of Trinity are collecting items for Baby Care Kits through June.  We are looking for, in sizes 6-24 months, sleepers or gowns, cotton t-shirts, light jackets, sweaters or hooded sweatshirts.  Receive blankets, dark colored hand towels, and baby socks.  We can also use onsies.  Items can be placed in the bins underneath the altar in the Narthex. 

We are collecting Cereal for the WestCAP food pantry!  Bring your boxes and place them by the altar in the Narthex. Please make sure the cereal is not expired. 

Voices of Praise is taking a break until September  We will see you then!

Congregational Meeting, Sunday, July 27^th, 10 am to vote on the building of a new parsonage.

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

Since we had sound issues on Sunday, below is the written version of the sermon I gave on Sunday that, if you watched online, you couldn’t hear.  Yes, this does prove that I do actually write my sermons, despite rumors of the contrary.  No, it does not mean that I stick to said written word.  😊

  John 14:23-29 ^: Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.“I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate,ⁱ the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.”

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

Have you ever heard the phrase “easier said than done?”  You know, you can say something and it seems pretty easy, and then you have to do it, and it isn’t so easy? Like, running a mile doesn’t seem so hard until you actually have to do it.  Or sewing on a button seems easy, until you have to actually try to do it.  There are many things that could fall into that category.  And Jesus says something in our reading today that I think falls into that phrase, “easier said than done.”

  Jesus says to the disciples “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”  Actually, this is the second time he says it in chapter 14, which tells you that the disciples had troubled hearts.  He of course, follows it up with “do not let them be afraid.”  Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Umm, that is easier said than done, because I don’t know about you, but it is pretty easy to let my heart be troubled.  All I gotta do is turn on the news to get my heart into a troubled state.  All I gotta do is talk to some of my friends or family and hear what is going on in their lives to get my heart to be troubled.  All I gotta do is let my own weaknesses, insecurities, and doubts creep into my head in the middle of the night to let my heart be troubled.  It is easier said than done, to not let our heats be troubled or to not be afraid.

  And I think that Jesus knows it.  Which is why Jesus is telling the disciples, and us, that he is not leaving us alone.  Not only is he promising to be with us, reminding us that he and the Father are one, but telling us two other things.  One, that he is gifting us with his peace, a peace that is different than the world’s peace.  This is a peace that comes from his salvation, of knowing that sin and death have been defeated and we have the promise of eternal life.  When you know you have the promise of eternal life, you can rest a little easier and live with hope, for you have that assurance of heaven.  We are saved, not by our works, but by what Christ has does for us, and that is a peace the world cannot give.  It is a peace that only Christ can give. 

  The other thing that Jesus is telling us is that we are not alone.  Christ is giving us an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to be with us.  And this Advocate, this Spirit, is there to remind us of all that Christ has done for us.  This Spirit is there to create faith in our hearts, sustain us in faith, and to remind us.  to remind us that we are loved.  To remind us that we are saved.  To remind us that we are not alone.  To remind us of everything that Jesus has taught us.  So that in those moments when our hearts our troubled, when we feel overwhelmed with sadness and grief and doubt and anxiety, we can remember Christ’s promises for us.  That we are forgiven.  That we are loved.  That we have eternal life.  That we have a peace that passes all understanding.  That it will be ok because Christ is with us.

  Do not let your hearts be troubled is easier said than done because we do need constant reminding.  It is easy to forget all that Jesus has done for us and that Jesus is with us.  But that is why Christ sends the Advocate, the Spirit, to us.  To remind us.  To remind you.  That we do not need to be afraid.  That it will be ok.  Jesus has us.  Jesus has you.  Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid, for the peace of Christ is with you.  For that we can say, “Thanks be to God!”  Amen

May 20, 2025

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Office Closed Monday, May 26th.  No Bible Study

Memorial Day Prayer Service, Monday May 26^th, 11:45 am, Tiffany Creek Cemetery

SAVERS FUN DRIVE-Bring your household items and clothes to Trinity in May. Every Saturday in May, 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 white kitchen trash bags and all other items in boxes. Thank you for supporting the Women of Trinity!

Summer Fellowship Servers needed!  Sign-up in the Narthex or call the church office if you are willing to serve fellowship on any Sunday June through August. 

Vacation Bible School, July 14-18, 9 am till 2 pm for all 4 year olds through 6^th grade youth.  Led by Luther Park Bible Camp.  No Cost.  Games, Crafts, Music, Food, and more!  Friends welcome!  We appreciate your registering in advance!  See the attached form. 

VBS Snacks, Snack helpers needed!  See the sign-up in the Narthex or call the office if you would like to help!

Trinity Summer Office Hours begin in June!  Office will be open Monday – Thursday, 9 am till 1 pm.  Closed Fridays.

Baby Care Kits:  The Women of Trinity are collecting items for Baby Care Kits through June.  We are looking for, in sizes 6-24 months, sleepers or gowns, cotton t-shirts, light jackets, sweaters or hooded sweatshirts.  Receive blankets, dark colored hand towels, and baby socks.  We can also use onesies.  Items can be placed in the bins underneath the altar in the Narthex. 

We are collecting Cereal for the WestCAP food pantry!  Bring your boxes and place them by the altar in the Narthex. Please make sure the cereal is not expired. 

Voices of Praise is taking a break until September  We will see you then!

Congregational Meeting, Sunday, July 27^th, 10 am to vote on the building of a new parsonage.

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  One of my favorite things to be a part of is when our seniors give the sermon in worship.  For at least the past 15 years or so now (maybe longer), we have had at least one senior, often two, preach on a Sunday morning, often at our youth service and at our Graduate Recognition Sunday.  To be honest, I’m always shocked when they say yes.  You know, when I was a senior in high school I was asked to preach at our Graduate Recognition Sunday and I said no, which I regretted.  I would preach my first sermon a year later, after my freshmen year in college, and I can tell you right now that many of our seniors have done a much better job than I did then (and probably than what I do now!)

  To give you a little insight to what happens, I ask them to preach, and after they say yes, and then give them the assigned scripture for that Sunday, and if they don’t like that scripture, I let them pick their own OR I ask them what they want to talk about and help them find a scripture that can fit the theme they want.  Sometimes I give them some scriptures in advance that I think they might like.  Often they might even pick the scripture they picked as their confirmation verse back when they were confirmed.  I’ll help them with the background of the scripture, but after that, everything they do is completely on their own.  Every word they write is their own words.  I’m there to help them if they need it, and sometimes, they might ask me for a way to start, and sometimes they need help ending, because a sermon is a little different than a speech they might give in school.  But every sermon is completely theirs and I’m always blown away by their faith and the things that they share. 

  It is a blessing we have that we have students that are willing to share their faith.  It is nerve racking and scary to stand before the congregation to give a sermon, plus to do so in front of family and classmates.  But I think that is what makes it all the more special.  This year was especially fun as when I asked the two senior’s to preach, Delaney and Brooklynn, thinking one would do it at the youth service and one at Graduate Recognition, they came back to me asking if they could do it together.  It was especially fun since they go to different schools and the assigned scripture for this past Sunday on Graduate Recognition Sunday set up perfectly for their experiences they have had and they knocked it out of the park.  I encourage you, if you weren’t there, to watch it, either by going to our Facebook page or the Trinity Boyceville YouTube channel. 

  I want to thank all of you for the way that you embrace our youth here at Trinity.  I always tell our youth that the church is a place where they can be themselves and that they will be loved for just being them.  You allow that to happen and share the love of Jesus Christ with them by embracing them for who they are.  They face challenges that we cannot possibly fathom or understand.  They are pulled in so many directions and have so many pressures and expectations that it makes my head spin.  Yet, when they come in the doors of Trinity, they are embraced.  They are welcomed.  They are encouraged as people and as children of God.  You set that tone and thank you for doing that.  My hope is that we will continue to love these young people as they are, remind them that Jesus Christ loves them as they are and is with them always, and that Trinity will always be a place where they can be reminded that they are loved and hear of God’s grace in Jesus Christ for them and lift them up.  May the Lord bless our young people and guide them in all that they do, and may the Lord bless you today and always!

May 11, 2025

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Parsonage Committee Update Sunday, May 18^th, 10 am  Join us immediately after worship to hear an update from the parsonage committee. 

SAVERS FUN DRIVE-Bring your household items and clothes to Trinity in May. Every Saturday in May, 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 white kitchen trash bags and all other items in boxes. Thank you for supporting the Women of Trinity!

Lagers with the Lord Monday, May 19^th, 6 pm at Buckshot’s.

Graduate Recognition Sunday, May 18^th, 9 am.

Boyceville Baccalaureate Sunday, May 18^th, 6 pm at the Boyceville Gymnatorium.

Voices of Praise every Wednesday night at 7 pm!  Come join us for a time of song.  A great time to sing with others and have some fun!

Vacation Bible School, July 14-18, 9 am till 2 pm for all 4 year olds through 6^th grade youth.  Led by Luther Park Bible Camp.  No Cost.  Games, Crafts, Music, Food, and more!  Friends welcome!  We appreciate your registering in advance!  See the attached form. 

Summer Fellowship Servers needed!  Sign-up in the Narthex or call the church office if you are willing to serve fellowship on any Sunday June through August. 

We are collecting Cereal for the WestCAP food pantry!  Bring your boxes and place them by the altar in the Narthex. Please make sure the cereal is not expired. 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

“My sheep hear my voice.” John 10:27a

  I think a lot about voice.  After all, I kind of make my living with my voice and many of the things I do happen because of my voice.  And I have many voices.  I have my regular, every day voice.  I have my preaching voice, which I can change based on what I’m preaching and how I’m preaching in the moment. I have my teaching voice.  I have my announcing voice, and there are different voices for that.  There is football announcing voice, prom announcing voice, general announcement voice.  I have “yelling at confirmation kids/yelling at the dogs” voice.  There is pastoral care voice.  There is my singing voice (probably the worst voice).  There are a myriad of funny voices that I do (at least I find them funny).  There is a voice for every occasion it seems. 

  At the same time, I have learned to listen to a myriad of voices.  In the band, I can pick out everyone’s voices for our harmonies and where we are.  I know all of Amy’s voices (especially the “I’m really annoyed at you Brad” voice, which is most common, because I’m really annoying).  I know the voices of many of you, not only your speaking voices but also singing voices as I hear you from the pews.  I can still, in the back of my mind, hear the voices of my parents (especially my Dad).  And I’m always trying to hear the voice of the Lord.

  I love this verse from John that is listed above.  My sheep hear my voice.  The thing is, I think that the Lord often uses different voices to reach us, kind of how we have different voices for different occasions.  Sometimes that voice is loud and clear and easy to understand and get.  Sometimes it is harsh and bold. Sometimes it is soothing and calm.  Sometimes it is funny and playful.  Sometimes it is thought provoking and needling.  Sometimes it is quiet.  But I firmly believe that the Lord is speaking to us, all the time, letting that voice ring out in ways that we often miss or don’t totally understand.  We just have to be willing to listen or have our hearts open to listen. 

  And this where I continue to grow.  Not only in the listening (as Amy would say, I suck at listening), but in being open to the new ways the voice of the Lord might be speaking to me.  As I have gotten older (and possibly more mature?  That’s debatable), I’ve started to hear the voice of the Lord in unexpected ways and surprising places.  But that is the fun of the Lord.  God will not be boxed in by us and the Holy Spirit moves where it will.  We just have to be willing to hear it. 

  So today, my friends, open your heart and your ears to the voice of the Lord.  We are sheep, after all, and the shepherd is speaking.  The voice of the Lord is out there and is talking to you and might be talking to you in ways you do not expect.  May you hear that voice and hear that promise that you are loved, forgiven, saved, and redeemed. May you hear that voice that comforts and challenges, guides and pushes, corrects and makes alive.  For that voice is out there and that voice is for you. 

  May God bless you today and always!

May 4, 2025

ANNOUNCEMENTS

SAVERS FUN DRIVE-Bring your household items and clothes to Trinity in May. Every Saturday in May, 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 white kitchen trash bags and all other items in boxes. Thank you for supporting the Women of Trinity!

Lagers with the Lord Monday, May 19^th, 6 pm at Buckshot’s.

Graduate Recognition Sunday, May 18^th, 9 am.

Boyceville Baccalaureate Sunday, May 18^th, 6 pm at the Boyceville Gymnatorium.

Voices of Praise every Wednesday night at 7 pm!  Come join us for a time of song.  A great time to sing with others and have some fun!

Vacation Bible School, July 14-18, 9 am till 2 pm for all 4 year olds through 6^th grade youth.  Led by Luther Park Bible Camp.  No Cost.  Games, Crafts, Music, Food, and more!  Friends welcome!  We appreciate your registering in advance!  See the attached form. 

We are collecting Cereal for the WestCAP food pantry!  Bring your boxes and place them by the altar in the Narthex. Please make sure the cereal is not expired. 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  “We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul . . .” Hebrews 6:19a

  Today is May 4^th, otherwise known as Star Wars Day.  Why is it called Star Wars Day?  May the 4^th be with you, a take off of the famous phrase, “may the force be with you.”  Of course, as Lutherans, we want to all respond with, “And also with you.”  For me, this is an important holiday and it has given me great joy over the years to see this day become a bigger deal.  I will have a wicked cool new Star Wars shirt on for the Men’s Band concert, I’ll be watching some Star Wars content at home, and I will revel in the joy of something I truly love.

  One of the reasons why I love the Star Wars Universe so much (and it is a universe, spanning movies, tv shows, books, comics, toys, games, and more), is that Star Wars, in its essence, is a story about hope.  It is about people fighting against evil, often at extraordinary odds, and holding onto hope in the midst of crazy odds.  They have hope, whether it be in the Force, in each other, or even in the premise of good winning out over evil in the end.  No one in the universe is perfect, not even the heroes. They make stupid decisions and yet they cling to hope above all things and keep going. 

  As followers of Jesus Christ, we are people of hope.  Our hope comes from our Savior Jesus Christ, who has defeated sin and death for us on the cross and risen from the grave to bring us to eternal life.  This hope is our anchor as it says in Hebrews and this hope sustains us in the midst of a world that is so often full of suffering, hate, and evil.  This hope in keeps us going, reminds us of the goodness of God, and helps us trust that despite the darkness of the world, the light of God in Jesus Christ wins the ultimate victory.  This hope helps us to trust others, to have faith in even when it we have no reason too, and to remember that we have a God and Savior who walks with us.  Hope is the most powerful thing of all and we have it because we have Jesus, the Savior of the world, who promises to be with us always.  To be with you always.  For the salvation we receive in Christ Jesus is a story of hope, just as Star Wars is also a story of hope.

  We need hope every single day.  It is why I love Jesus, and why I love Star Wars.  Now, Star Wars does not give me eternal life.  Only Jesus does that and this Jesus soothes my soul, calms my fears, forgives my sin, and brings me to eternal life.  But Star Wars brings me joy, beyond the awesome lightsaber fights and space battles and the rest.  It reminds me of hope, of the joy of friendship, and the power of hope, an anchor to our soul.  May you feel that hope today, a hope that comes from a Savior who loves you, saves you, and brings you to eternal life.  And may the Force, and the Lord, be with you always!

April 28, 2025

ANNOUNCEMENTS

FREE FOOD, FREE STUFF, FOR ALL Saturday, May 3, 8 am till 10 am.  Free breakfast and personal care item distribution for those in need.  All are welcome.  We are looking for help with this event.  See the sign-up in the Narthex or contact the office if you would like to help.   

Men’s Band Worship, Sunday, May 4^th, 9 am.

Smelt Feed, Sunday, May 4^th, 10 am till 11:30 am.  Smelt, Meatballs, Tater Tots, Cole Slaw, Garlic Bread, Chips, Baked Beans, Dessert.  Free-will offering taken to benefit Trinity Missions.  Served by the Trinity Men.  Help needed!  Sign-up in the Narthex or just come!  Help is very much appreciated! 

Voices of Praise every Wednesday night at 7 pm!  Come join us for a time of song.  A great time to sing with others and have some fun!

We are collecting Cereal for the WestCAP food pantry!  Bring your boxes and place them by the altar in the Narthex. Please make sure the cereal is not expired. 

SAVERS FUN DRIVE-Bring your household items and clothes to Trinity in May. Every Saturday in May, 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 white kitchen trash bags and all other items in boxes. Thank you for supporting the Women of Trinity!

Lagers with the Lord Monday, May 19^th, 6 pm at Buckshot’s.

Last week was our last week of Sunday School. Thank you to everyone who helped with Sunday School this year!

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  Look, I have to stand in front of people all the time and do all sorts of things, and sometimes I get a little nervous.  I think a little nervousness is good no matter what.  Performing with the Men’s Band on Saturday in front of the entire Synod, with all my colleagues silently judging me?  Somewhat nervous, but not as nervous as the times I have had to speak in front of them (I did have to pray in front of them and that was nothing).  I get nervous before big crowds of Easter and Christmas or huge funerals, just wanting to do well and feeling the pressure of saying the right words that people need, but that nervous level maybe gets to about a 75 out of a 100.  High, but not crippling.  But on Saturday night, I was at a nervous level of 500 out of 100.  Why?  I was about to do something I had never done before: I was going to DJ prom.

  Now look.  Let’s be real.  I knew I was being asked for two reasons.  The first: I was cheap.  The kids knew I would do it for free (they did give me a little something).  I come every year and announce and never ask for a thing.  And they know I’m a sucker who has a hard time saying no to them.  So that was the first reason.

  And the second?  This one was even expressly said to me and I agreed.  They knew that if they asked me to play something, I would play it.  For prom the kids make a play list and submit it for approval from the school and then that approved play list is given to me.  So if I played something and they didn’t want it, they knew I would pass it by.  If they wanted something to be played at a certain time,  I would play it, unlike their DJ’s in the past who would often fight them on stuff.  What do I care?  I want the kids to have fun so I’ll play stuff when they want.  So I was under no illusion that I was asked because of my great skills at picking songs at football or basketball games.  Heck, they give me so much grief for what I play in the van on the mission trips. 

  But here is the thing my friends.  I used to do this all the time.  I played the tunes at tons of parties in college and seminary, hooking up two five disc changers and rocking it out for multiple hours.  And look, to be honest, I was pretty good.  I knew how to build the party, when to make it jump, how to bring it down, and then blow the roof off.  But that was in the MID 1990’S.  The last time I truly did it was probably Halloween 1997, senior year of Seminary.  The last time I put together a playlist that was meant to be used for anything close to a prom was for Amy and I’s wedding, which we did the music ourselves, but I wasn’t behind the controls for that. 

  But it is 2025.  Half the playlist I didn’t even KNOW.  Sure I listened to it twice, but it is not like a lot of the music is stuff I listen to daily.  I try to get a little current, but I’m a 48 year old, soon to be 49 year old man.  I’m not hip.  I’m not with it.  Just saying those words shows that.  And I’ve never done a prom, which is a whole different animal.  I was nervous as all get out.  I did NOT want to ruin this for the kids and I was trusting that if I made wrong choices, the kids would tell me, and we would move on. 

  At this point you are now wondering how it went.  And, to be honest, it went really well.  Really well.  One of the great feelings in life is when you pick a song and the whole room goes nuts.  And that happened.  Multiple times.  Even better, every time my song guru, the one I trusted to tell me when I needed to play something or when I might need to skip something, came over to tell me they wanted something next, I had that exact thing cued up next (thanks Zoey, you rule).  It was a heck of a lot of fun and I think the kids had a lot of fun too.  And that was the greatest joy.  Watching them have a good time. 

  In the end, that is what it is always about.  It is what I love about announcing and playing music at games.  It is why I say yes to these things.  Watching the kids, or the crowd, have a great time just brings me a lot of joy.  It is why I started playing music at parties back in college for my friends.  Getting them hyped, helping them have fun, was just as much fun for me as being out on the dance floor with them (don’t worry, I stayed behind my table where I belonged).  I may never get the opportunity to do this again, and I might have been freaking out about it before it began, but I’m glad I took a risk and said yes.  I hope the kids had fun, it seemed they did.  And if nothing else, I got to pretend I was in my early 20’s again, playing tunes and making a room bounce.  And that was pretty fun.

  May God bless you today and always. 

April 13, 2025

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Maundy Thursday worship Thursday, April 17, 6:30 pm

Good Friday worship Friday, April 18^th, Noon & 6:30 pm

Easter Sunday Worship, Sunday, April 20^th,  6:30 am and 9:00 am

Easter Breakfast, Sunday, April 20^th, 7:30 am.  Biscuits and Gravy, Scrambled Eggs, Fruit, Beverage.  Free-will offering to support our youth going to camp.  Served by Confirmation Youth.

NO WORSHIP THIS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16^TH

Brass Cleaning on Wednesday, April 16^th, 9 am.

Lagers with the Lord April 21^st  at 6 pm at Buckshot’s.

Crew is on Wednesday, April 23th, at 3:30 pm till 5 pm for all 3rd-6th grade youth. LAST ONE TILL SEPTEMBER!

We are collecting items for our FREE FOOD, FREE STUFF, FOR ALL. This event will be on May 3rd and will be open to our community to help those in need. We are collecting the following items: soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, dish soap, laundry detergent, underwear (men’s & women’s), socks. Please bring those items to the church and place them in the bins in the Narthex.

FREE FOOD, FREE STUFF, FOR ALL Saturday, May 3, 8 am till 10 am.  Free breakfast and personal care item distribution for those in need.  All are welcome.  We are looking for help with this event.  See the sign-up in the Narthex or contact the office if you would like to help.   

Men’s Band Worship, Sunday, May 4^th, 9 am.

Smelt Feed, Sunday, May 4^th, 10 am till 11:30 am.  Smelt, Meatballs, Tater Tots, Cole Slaw, Garlic Bread, Chips, Baked Beans, Dessert.  Free-will offering taken to benefit Trinity Missions.  Served by the Trinity Men.  Help needed!  Sign-up in the Narthex

Voices of Praise every Wednesday night at 7 pm!  Come join us for a time of song.  A great time to sing with others and have some fun!

We are collecting Cereal for the WestCAP food pantry!  Bring your boxes and place them by the altar in the Narthex. Please make sure the cereal is not expired. 

SAVERS FUN DRIVE-Bring your household items and clothes to Trinity in May. Every Saturday in May, 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 white kitchen trash bags and all other items in boxes. Thank you for supporting the Women of Trinity!

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  This week is Holy Week, as we journey with Jesus to the cross, his death, and then his resurrection on Easter Sunday.  I hope you will join us on this journey through our worship services on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, whether that be in person or online. 

  In preparation for that, I share with you one of my favorite stories.  Here is “The Ragman,” by Walter Wangerin Jr. 

I saw a strange sight. I stumbled upon a story most strange, like nothing in my life, my street sense, my sly tongue had ever prepared me for. Hush, child. hush now, and I will tell it to you.

Even before the dawn one Friday morning I noticed a young man, handsome and strong, walking the alleys of our City. He was pulling an old cart filled with clothes both bright and new, and he was calling in a clear tenor voice: ‘Rags!’ Ah, the air was foul and the first light filthy to be crossed by such sweet music.

‘Rags! New rags for old! I take your tired rags! Rags!’

‘Now this is a wonder,’ I thought to myself, for the man stood six-feet-four, and his arms were like tree limbs, hard and muscular, and his eyes flashed intelligence. Could he find no better job than this, to be a ragman in the inner city?

I followed him. My curiosity drove me. And I wasn’t disappointed.

Soon the ragman saw a woman sitting on her back porch. She was sobbing into a handkerchief, signing, and shedding a thousand tears. Her knees and elbows made a sad X. Her shoulders shook. Her heart was breaking.

The Ragman stopped his cart. Quietly, he walked to the woman, stepping round tin cans, dead toys, and Pampers.

‘Give me your rag,’ he said gently. ‘and I’ll give you another.’

He slipped the handkerchief from her eyes. She looked up, and he laid across her palm a linen cloth so clean and new that it shined. She blinked from the gift to the giver.

Then, as he began to pull his cart again, the Ragman did a strange thing: he put her stained handkerchief to his own face; and then he began to weep, to sob as grievously as she had done, his shoulders shaking. Yet she was left without a tear.

‘This is a wonder,’ I breathed to myself, and I followed the sobbing Ragman like a child who cannot turn away from mystery.

‘Rags! Rags! New Rags for old!”

In a little while, when the sky showed grey behind the rooftops and I could see the shredded curtains hanging out black windows, the Ragman came upon a girl whose head was wrapped in a bandage, whose eyes were empty. Blood soaked her bandage. A single line of blood ran down her cheek.

Now the tall Ragman looked upon this child with pity, and he drew a lovely yellow bonnet from his cart.

‘Give me your rag,’ he said, tracing his own line on her cheek, ‘and I’ll give you mine.’

The child could only gaze at him while he loosened the bandage, removed it, and tied it to his own head. The bonnet he set on hers. And I gasped at what I saw: for with the bandage went the wound! Against his brow it ran a darker, more substantial blood — his own!

‘Rags! Rags! I take old rags!’ cried the sobbing, bleeding, strong, intelligent Ragman.

The sun hurt both the sky, now, and my eyes; the Ragman seemed more and more to hurry.

‘Are you going to work?’ he asked a man who leaned against a telephone pole. The man shook his head. The Ragman pressed him: ‘Do you have a job?”

‘Are you crazy?’ sneered the other. He pulled away from the pole, revealing the right sleeve of his jacket — flat, the cuff stuffed into the pocket. He had no arm.

‘So,’ said the Ragman. ‘Give me your jacket, and I’ll give you mine.’

So much quiet authority in his voice!

The one-armed man took off his jacket. So did the Ragman — and I trembled at what I saw: for the Ragman’s arm stayed in its sleeve, and when the other put it on, he had two good arms, thick as tree limbs; but the Ragman had only one.

‘Go to work,’ he said.

After that he found a drunk, lying unconscious beneath an army blanket, an old man, hunched, wizened, and sick. He took that blanket and wrapped it round himself, but for the drunk he left new clothes.

And now I had to run to keep up with the Ragman. Though he was weeping uncontrollably, and bleeding freely at the forehead, pulling his cart with one arm, stumbling for drunkenness, falling again and again, exhausted, old, old, and sick, yet he went with terrible speed. On spider’s legs he skittered through the alleys of the City, this mile and the next, until he came to its limits, and then he rushed beyond.

I wept to see the change in this man. I hurt to see his sorrow. And yet I need to see where he was going in such haste, perhaps to know what drove him so.

The little old Ragman — he came to a landfill. He came to the garbage pits. And I waited to help him in what he did but I hung back, hiding. He climbed a hill. With tormented labor he cleared a little space on that hill. Then he signed. He lay down. He pillowed his head on a handkerchief and a jacket. He covered his bones with an army blanket. And he died.

Oh how I cried to witness that death! I slumped in a junked car and wailed and mourned as one who has no hope — because I had come to love the Ragman. Every other face had faded in the wonder of this man, and I cherished him; but he died. I sobbed myself to sleep.

I did not know — how could I know? — that I slept through Friday night and Saturday and its night too.

But then, on Sunday morning, I was wakened by a violence.

Light — pure, hard, demanding light — slammed against my sour face, and I blinked, and I looked, and I saw the first wonder of all. There was the Ragman, folding the blanket most carefully, a scar on his forehead, but alive! And, besides that, healthy! There was no sign of sorrow or age, and all the rags that he had gathered shined for cleanliness.

Well, then I lowered my head and, trembling for all that I had seen, I myself walked up to the Ragman. I told him my name with shame, for I was a sorry figure next to him. Then I took off all my clothes in that place, and I said to him with dear yearning in my voice: ‘Dress me.”

He dressed me. My Lord, he put new rags on me, and I am a wonder beside him. The Ragman, the Ragman, the Christ!