WELCOME TO FAITH LUTHERAN CHURCH

Inviting all people to faith . . . Come and Worship - Go and Work

Pastor - Lee Laaveg | Ministers - All

Phone 712-580-4316 2912 Highway Blvd, Spencer, Iowa 51301

December 8, 2019 Second Sunday in Advent

Email us at: faithlutheran@smunet.net

Catch us on the Web: www.faithlutheranspencer.com

Follow us: @flcspencer

Like us on Facebook! Faith Lutheran Church LCMC

Watch us on SMU: Mondays @ 8:30 p.m. and Tuesdays @ 11:00 a.m.

When The

King Moves In

Prelude

Opening Song - “Here Is Our King”

Welcome

Advent Reading and Prayer - The Joe Simington Family

Song - “I Wonder As I Wander”

*Invocation

We meet in the strong name of our God,

We praise you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

*Litany

Lord Jesus, when you came to the world you created;

The world did not know you.

You came to love and rescue your own people;

But your own people did not receive you.

You came to be our king;

But the people rejected you.

Forgive us, Lord, when we become focused on things that do not matter;

Forgive us, when we are too busy, and you are pushed to the edge of our lives.

Dearest Jesus, holy child, prepare a bed, soft, undefiled;

A holy place within our hearts, enthroned as king and never to part. Amen.

*Prayer of the Day

Lord God, in this wonderful season as we prepare to celebrate the birth of

Jesus our Savior, may our hearts be open to your Spirit. Cleanse us of all that

does not belong. Heal our broken lives. Transform our flawed attitudes and

behaviors. We worship you as our King! We welcome you to your rightful place

on the throne of our lives. In your holy name. Amen.

First Lesson - Isaiah 11:1-10

Second Lesson - Revelation 3:14-22

*Gospel - Luke 17:20-21

Children’s Message

Song - “Into My Heart”

Sermon - “When The King Moves In”

Offertory Song - “Make Room” (Offering will be received at this time)

*Offertory Response - “O Come Let Us Adore Him”

*Offertory Prayer:

Merciful Father, we offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us our

selves, our time, and our possessions, signs of your gracious love. Receive them for

the sake of him who offered himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

*Confession of Faith

Prayers of the Church

*Sharing of the Peace

*Lord’s Prayer

*Blessing

*Closing Song - “This Is Amazing Grace”

Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

*Please stand if you are able.

A SPECIAL WELCOME TO OUR GUESTS THIS MORNING!

Whether you are from across town or out-of-state, your presence is a blessing to

us. When the Friendship Pad is passed down the row, please let us know how we

may connect with you. Thank you for joining us today!

First Lesson - Isaiah 11:1-10 1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the

Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD - 3 and

he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or

decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,

with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with

the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness

will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. 6 The wolf will live with the

lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling

together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young

will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near

the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. 9 They will

neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the

knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the Root of Jesse will

stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will

be glorious.

Second Lesson - Revelation 3:14-22 14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the

faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are

neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are

lukewarm - neither hot nor cold - I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I

am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that

you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold

refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can

cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I

stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will

come in and eat with that person, and they with me. 21 To the one who is victorious, I

will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with

my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the

churches.”

Gospel - Luke 17:20-21 20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come,

Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be

observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of

God is in your midst.”

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Pastor’s Ponderings . . .

Christmas Schedule

Tuesday, December 24 Christmas Eve service

4:00 p.m.

Christmas Day and Thursday, December 25 and 26

Office closed New Year’s Day - January 1

Office Closed

1. Who is the most important person you have ever entertained in your

home?

2. If Jesus were coming to your home, is there anything you would do or

change before He arrived?

3. What do you think of the mystery of God becoming a human being?

Becoming a baby?

4. God is everywhere present. But, where is the one place He will not dwell

uninvited?

5. Why do you need a Savior?

6. Where do you need Jesus to heal your brokenness?

7. Why is Jesus’ birth good news?

Help Set The Stage! The Children’s Ministry Team needs your help to set

the stage for the Children’s Christmas Program,

Away In A Mango!

They would like donations of

white or tan bed sheets.

Please place the sheets in the

church office.

Thank you!

Dates To Remember! Saturday, Dec. 7

- Garage Clean Out Day

- Christmas program rehearsal

Saturday, Dec. 14

- Christmas program dress

rehearsal and pizza party

Sunday, Dec. 15

- “Away In A Mango” Sunday School

Christmas program

Grades 6-12 Youth are invited to Outreach Night TONIGHT!

Sunday, December 8:

“Silent” Night Games!

Cost is $4 for pizza meal

4:15 p.m. meet at Faith, carpool to Camp 8:30 p.m. Parent pick-up at Faith

Youth are encouraged to RSVP to Evan Nielsen

(402-510-6057) by 2:00 p.m.

Today at Faith

Sunday, December 8

10:30 a.m.

Sunday School Christmas Program Rehearsal

Rehearsal Today

@ 10:30 a.m.

Saturday, Dec. 14

Dress Rehearsal! - 3:00 p.m.

A festive holiday cruise to Christmas

Island turns perilous for nine passengers

when their boat, the SS Mango, is

caught in an unexpected storm and

washed ashore on a deserted island.

See the adventures next Sunday,

December 15, at 9:00 a.m.!

All-Day LifeKids!

Monday, December 9

7:40 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Grades: Kindergarten - 5th

Must be registered in the

LifeKids program.

Advent

Poinsettia! If you would like to help decorate

the altar area with poinsettias then

enjoy them at home for Christmas,

please fill out the order form below!

Leave the order form - with payment -

in the red Christmas box on the

Welcome Center.

Make checks payable to

Faith Lutheran Church and earmark them

“Poinsettia”

Orders need to be turned

in TODAY! - Thank you!

Name _______________________________

Phone _______________________________

8-inch Red Poinsettia in green foil is

$29.00 each. Number ordered: _______

Total $ ______________________________

In Memory of or in Honor of:

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

7 plants have been ordered to date! Be sure

to order your plants today!

Tuesday, December 10 | 1:30 p.m.

All women are invited!

Faith Lutheran

Church Council Meeting

Wednesday, December 11

7:00 p.m.

Discipleship Room

All church members are welcome

to attend Council meetings.

Topics may be shared with any

council member for discussion at

the council meeting.

Council Members!

Please submit all team reports to the

church office by Tuesday, Dec.10.

Worship on Wednesday!

December 11th

5:30 p.m. Advent potluck meal

6:30 p.m. Advent-style Worship: Christmas Characters -

Mary

LifeKids, Community

Meal, WoW! Worship,

Confirmation and Stephen

Ministry classes continue!

Christians Sheet Metal

finished installation of

heating/cooling ductwork

to the garage.

Faith hosted the

Grand Avenue Community

Outreach Community

Meeting on Tuesday.

Item of the Month

Receiving Blankets

Thank you for your generosity! Please place the items in the yellow Mission

box by the front doors!

This month, we remember Mary wrapped Jesus in swaddling cloths. Many new moms do not have that same

advantage. That is why receiving blankets are included in the baby care kits

Lutheran World Relief sends to those in need around the world.

December 10

Mallory Anderson

Reid Tigges

December 11

Troy Rosendahl

December 12

Isaac Brockshus

Jason Loring

Bruce Simons

Larry Wigen

December 13

Donna Frederick

December 14

Chloe Deike

Olivia Schuster

Being a part of Christian Woman Speaks is a fun experience and a great way to reach people with the good news of Jesus Christ.

If you would like to be a part of this ministry, please contact Alice Nielsen at 712-264-0727.

Christian Woman Speaks broadcasts over KICD-AM on Sunday, December 22 at

9:20 a.m. featuring Alice Nielsen!

TEAM Restoration Ministries

Lynne Gould of

TEAM Restoration Ministries, is

available, by appointment, to visit

with clients each Wednesday

in Faith’s Library.

Appointments are available from

11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

To schedule an appointment,

please call the TEAM Restoration Ministries office

at 515-238-9010.

(TEAM Restoration works with most insurance companies.)

2020 God’s

Creation Calendars

make a great

gift idea! Faith’s high school youth are selling 2020

calendars for $10.00 each. PLEASE FIND THEM

IN THE FELLOWSHIP AREA AFTER CHURCH TO

PURCHASE YOUR 2020 CALENDAR TODAY!

You and Me Forever

by Francis & Lisa Chan

Sunday, January 5

10:30 a.m.

Worship area

Participants in this adult

study will be challenged to

view their marriage like

never before. They will

watch seven videos then

dive into engaging

discussion.

With Christmas

Coming ...

Faith Lutheran prefers

to shop locally when at

all possible. Supporting our

neighbors is important to the

health of this community.

However, people also shop

online for various reasons. If

you happen to shop at Amazon,

consider using AmazonSmile

instead.

Customers enjoy the same wide

selection of products, low prices,

and convenient shopping

features as on Amazon.com.

The difference is that when

customers shop on

AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile

Foundation will donate 0.5

percent of the price of eligible

purchases to Faith Lutheran.

Go to: smile.amazon.com or

https://amzn.to/2MDLJJ6

Sign in with your credentials.

Choose Faith Lutheran as the

charity of your choice.

Each time you shop at

smile.amazon.com your

purchases

will benefit

Faith

Lutheran!

Faith Life Together

We are working on the January edition of

Faith Life Together, available to take home

the last Sunday of December.

If you have a “Thank You” or a “Way to Go!” or something you would like to share, please

submit it to the church office by Friday,

December 20

Items can be submitted to the church office by

either calling 712-580-4316 or by email -

office@faithlutheranspencer.com

Pastor: Lee Laaveg

pastor@faithlutheranspencer.com

Technology Director: Lori Krei

techdirector@faithlutheranspencer.com

Youth Director: Evan Nielsen

evan@faithlutheranspencer.com

Office Assistant: Cheryl Stueven

office@faithlutheranspencer.com

Worship Director: Denise Laaveg

worshipdirector@faithlutheranspencer.com

Church Administrator: Lori Krei

churchadmin@faithlutheranspencer.com

Evangelism and Stephen Ministry Director:

Eric Patten - eric@faithlutheranspencer.com

Custodian: Rich Stueven

custodian@faithlutheranspencer.com

Faith Lutheran Church Staff:

YEAR BALANCE

GIVING TO DATE REMAINING ATTENDANCE

OCTOBER $27,064.04 $256,217.54 $149,421.46 186

NOVEMBER $25,987.71 $282,205.25 $123,433.75 193

DEC. 1 $ 6,728.00 $282,296.42 $123,342.58 184

Thank you for generously supporting Faith Lutheran in 2019!

Sending your Tithes and Offerings to Faith Lutheran

is as easy as clicking your mouse!

Go to: http://bit.ly/33RXUbH and follow the instructions.

Questions? Contact the church office at 712.580.4316.

Looking for something to put in the offering plate?

“I Gave Online” cards are available at the Welcome Center.

Online giving provides the ability to donate on our

website. After creating an account, you’re able to give

a donation or schedule a series of donations directly

from your checking or savings account or by using

your debit or credit card.

2019 GENERAL OFFERING

AND ATTENDANCE

BUDGET: $405,639.00

Tithes and Offering

“...Walk in the way of love, just as Christ

loved us and gave himself up for us as a

fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Ephesians 5:2

Thank you to today’s . . .

Worship Leader Barb Solberg

Instrumentalists Denise Laaveg, Kevin Skadeland, Jared Hansen,

Conner Essick, Bill McCarroll

Vocalists Sophie Behrens, Courtney and Mia Schwartz

Advent Reading & Prayer Joe, Rachel, Levi, Lucy, Annabelle, Silas Simington

Scripture Reader Matt Essick

Children’s Message Radina Jansen

Prayers of the Church LaVonne Clark

Nursery Michael and Sarah Ruhs

Altar Prep Pam Harris, Pam Englin

Camera Cheryl Stueven

Computer Becky Simons

Sound Del Christman

Lead Tech Lori Krei

Fellowship Hosts Troy and Anne Rosendahl, Stan and Jodene Jongma

Set up: Jodene Jongma

Greeters/Ushers Paul and Kris Behrens, Justin and Brittany Spieker

Offering Counters Barb Solberg, Greg Lear, Lori Krei

Next Sunday, December 15

Worship Leader Evan Nielsen

Instrumentalists Denise Laaveg, Kevin Skadeland, Jared Hansen,

Conner Essick, Bill McCarroll

Advent Reading & Prayer Todd, Shanna, Chase, Blake and Zach Kooker

Scripture Reader Karol Gafkjen

Children’s Message Children’s Christmas Program:

“Away In A Mango”

Prayers of the Church Randy Enge

Nursery Ashley Vreeman, Annabelle Simington

Altar Prep Denise Lovitt, Nancy Petersen McCarroll

Camera Cindy Tigges

Computer Cheryl Stueven

Sound Kristine Christianson

Lead Tech Lori Krei

Fellowship Hosts Larry and Shirley Nelson, Patricia Rohmiller, Kevin Swancutt

Set up: Shirley Nelson

Greeters/Ushers Steve and Jean Oleson, Cole and Hannah Milbrath

Offering Counters Nancy Newgard, Wayne Burnham, Larry Wigen

THIS WEEK AT FAITH

Sunday, December 8 - 2nd Sunday of Advent

8:00 a.m. Worship Vocalist and Musician Rehearsal

8:15 a.m. Prayer Time - All are welcome!

9:00 a.m. Worship

Fellowship - Immediately following Worship

10:30 a.m. Sunday School - Christmas Program Rehearsal

4:15 p.m. IOLBC Outreach Night

Monday, December 9

7:40 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. All-day LifeKids

Tuesday, December 10

1:00 - 3:30 p.m. Homeschool Association Christmas Party

1:30 p.m. Women’s Small Group Bible Study - All Women are Invited!

Wednesday, December 11

11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Christian Counseling - Make appointments at 515-238-9010

12:00 p.m. Staff meeting

3:30 p.m. LifeKids

5:30 p.m. Advent Potluck

6:30 p.m. Confirmation

WoW! Worship: Special Advent Style

7:00 p.m. Worship Vocalist Rehearsal

Council meeting

High School Youth Group

Thursday, December 12

8:30 a.m. Coffee Group

1:30 & 6:15 p.m. Stephen Minister Training

Saturday, December 14

7:30 a.m. Men’s Bible Study

3:00 p.m. Children Christmas Program Dress Rehearsal

Sunday, December 15 - 3rd Sunday of Advent & Children’s Christmas Program

8:00 a.m. Worship Vocalist and Musician Rehearsal

8:15 a.m. Prayer Time - All are welcome!

9:00 a.m. Worship with Children’s Christmas Program

Fellowship - Immediately following Worship