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Advent is about the “coming days.” God’s people have always lived in great expectation, but that expectation finds specific, repeated enunciation in the texts appointed for these four weeks. The ancients anticipated a “righteous Branch to spring up for David.” The Thessalonians awaited “the coming of our Lord Jesus with all the saints.” Our Lord’s contemporaries hoped for the time “to stand before the Son of Man.” With them we eagerly await the coming days: another Christmas celebration, a second coming, and the advent of our Lord in word and supper.
See you Sunday, + Pastor Michael
The visual prayer included here, Christ with Sun, Moon, and Stars, is a 12th century icon from Palermo, Italy.
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Reading the Scriptures:
The First Sunday of Advent
Jeremiah 33:14-16 Psalm 25:1-10
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Luke 21:25-36
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Morning Prayer:
God of justice and peace, from the heavens you rain down mercy and kindness, that all on earth may stand in awe and wonder before your marvelous deeds. Raise our heads in expectation, that we may yearn for the coming day of the Lord and stand without blame before your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.
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Evening Prayer:
O God of all the prophets, you herald the coming of the Son of Man by wondrous signs in the heavens and on the earth. Guard our hearts from despair so that we, in the company of the faithful and by the power of your Holy Spirit, may be found ready to raise our heads at the coming near of our redemption, the day of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
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Prayer with Children: Dear God, you are always there to offer a second chance, and to help us grow and learn. When we do something we wish we could take back, help us to be genuinely sorry. And when we are asked to accept an apology, help us to listen and try, knowing that you forgive even before we can. Thank you Jesus! Amen.
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Those for whom we pray:
Randy,
Bea,
Mike,
Ahmed,
Maita,
Gary and Nancy,
John,
Lili,
John,
Theresa,
Connie,
Jimmy,
Alex and Andy,
Ione,
Gene,
Paula,
Tom,
Jamie,
Steve,
Don,
June,
Ashley,
Ron,
Tierney.
We also pray for our Bishops, Elizabeth and Wayne.
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Generous Lives... Living Stewardship
The Stewardship Committee has been asked,
"I know that we turn our pledge forms in soon. Can you tell us how our offerings are used?" Yes, we can.
For this year, all of us in the congregation pledged almost exactly $250,000. We expected almost $100,00 from building use agreements, and a $37,000 transfer from our endowment (the gifts to the congregation over its history). This is how Ebenezer "stewards" that total of $394,000.
- Just over half (52%) goes to personnel: salaries, benefits, insurance and taxes. We see this in our pastoral ministers, in an open office and an open building, in clean bathrooms and lights that work.
- Another quarter (28%) goes to our big, old, welcoming buildings. This is the place where we do our ministries, educate our community, celebrate our relationships, nurture the community, and gather some income.
- We spend 5% for operations and supplies, and have small budget lines for liturgy and music, education, outreach, social justice, the archives, and stewardship (this letter!)
We talked at our
Sunday sessions on Stewardship about how Ebenezer itself (that's us) tithes. We budget 10% of member giving (7% of our budget) to "Benevolence," which is our term for giving to
the local organization of the church and
the national church. When you hear about the ELCA responding to an international crisis or creating materials for us to use or taking a stand on a justice issue, that your benevolence dollars. I hope you'll look into these links. Some of the things we do together are amazing.
I hope this is a helpful answer. We approaching stewardship as a different way of thinking about how we gather and use resources together. Thanks for your thoughtful and prayerful response.
If you don't have your forms,
they are available here. You can turn in your forms at church anytime in December, but we'll be blessing the pedges at worship on
December 6, the second
Sunday in Advent.
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Welcome to Ebenezer: Sundays Dec. 6 and 13 at 11:45 a.m.
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Gather with others interested in membership at Ebenezer. Attending both sessions is recommended. We'll explore together the opportunities to live, grow, and serve as part of the Ebenezer community. Contact
Pastor Michael if you have questions or have interest but difficulty attending the sessions.
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Christmas Cookies Needed!
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On Sunday, Dec. 6, we will be collecting cookies to put together tins of cookies to be delivered to some of our homebound members. If you would like to donate cookies bring them to church that Sunday. Questions, contact Michelle Knapp-Parish Nurse at (773) 743-1831.
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Advent Begins November 29, Evening Prayer Begins Dec. 2
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Advent begins and a new year in the church's life is born. Look for details in the
Ebenezer Messenger Newsletter about special, centering Advent services on Wednesdays during December, and how we can honor Christmas with an intentional, peaceful Advent. Come and See!
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Glögg and Carols at Simon's Tavern Dec. 8, 7 p.m.
Christmas Caroling Sunday, Dec. 13, at Noon
December is for singing at Ebenezer!
Gather with neighborhood friends at Simon's Tavern on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. for Glögg and Carols. Enjoy a beverage of your choice, and sing in the Christmas season.
On December 13 following the 10:30 a.m. service, meet in the sanctuary for an early afternoon of caroling in the neighborhood and to some of our homebound members. All are welcome!
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Faith Formation: Sundays in December at 9:15 a.m.
Join us for the 9:15 am Adult Faith Formation time on Sundays in December. We will be studying the lectionary Scripture selections for each Sunday and discuss how they apply to the Season of Advent. Pastor Michael will lead the discussion on Dec. 6, Pastor Emily on Dec. 13, and Ralph Conrad on Dec. Dec. 20. There will be no Faith Formation events on Dec. 27. These discussions will be in the Education Center below the Sanctuary.
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Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton:
ELCA statement on U.S. response to refugee resettlement
Click here to read the full statement from our Presiding Bishop.
"I urge the members of our church to call upon our elected officials to be leaders in speaking up for refugees already persecuted and traumatized and ensuring that our country continues to reflect the principles and values of a nation committed to freedom."
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Community and Announcments
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Transitions, Reflections, Transformations:
An interfaith service welcoming in new beginnings
Saturday, December 5, 2015, 5:00 pm
Ebenezer Lutheran Church 1650 W. Foster Ave., Chicago, IL 60640
Please join Reverend Michael Fick, Rabbi Tom Samuels & Reverend Barbara Zeman for a community celebration of Havadalah, the Jewish ritual that distinguishes between the sacred time of the Shabbat and call for hallowing the everyday.
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ELCA Good Gifts are a great way to make a difference and honor Advent
Visit
ELCA Good Gifts, a way to make a difference in the lives of others while transforming the power of shopping in our consumer culture. Who wouldn't want to know someone who needs it has received a life-transforming animal in their name?
Give with Goodshop
Shopping online at
goodshop.org allows you to do the shopping you'd do anyway at your favorite sites, while supporting the ministry at Ebenezer! Simply register and then select Ebenezer Lutheran Church, Chicago, as the beneficiary of the donation Goodshop makes when you shop through their site. Check it out today!
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Office Hours
Regular Hours
Monday-Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Friday 9:00 a.m. to noon.
The office remains closed on
Friday, Nov. 27.
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Our Mission:
God calls Ebenezer to be a Christian home for all who seek the sustaining nature of the Holy Spirit, to demonstrate faith and trust in God through the ministry of its people, and to let Christ's model of service, justice and love give expression to how we share God's gift with the world.
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