Trinity Lutheran Church

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Mission Trip Silent Auction Begins online on May 9^th.  You can go to www.hansenauctiongroup.com/auctions/detail/bw63343  Auction runs till May 19^th at 6 pm.

Adopt-A-Highway May 15 at 8 am.  All are welcome as we do our part to clean up Hwy 170. Please wear pants and bring work gloves. 

Graduate Recognition Sunday is Sunday, May 23rd, at the 9 am worship service.

Ultimate Crew!  Wednesday, May 26th, 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm for all 3rd-6th graders.  Snacks, games, music, and more!  All your favorite things about the Crew! 

Wednesday Worship moves to 6:30 pm starting in June.

Vacation Bible School June 14-18.  You can register for Vacation Bible School now online at: https://lutherparksummer.campbrainregistration.com   Please put in TrinityDayCamp.

Sign up for VBS snacks!  You can sign-up in the Narthex or email PB if you are willing to provide snacks for VBS.  You can donate whatever you want for 50 kids. 

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the GivePlus app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there! 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  Today is Mother’s Day, a day in which we celebrate our mothers or mother like figures in our lives. It is a day in which families get together, loving kids go to church with their Mom, where wonderful buffets are consumed, flowers and cards are given, and the mother and mother-like figures in our lives are rightly honored, celebrated, and appreciated. 

  I must admit, however, that Mother’s Day is not necessarily a day of joy for me.  It isn’t because I didn’t love my Mom.  My Mom was awesome and she did has an impact on me daily.  Same is true for my mother-in-law Carol, who was the best mother-in-law a guy could ask for.  One of the reasons Mother’s Day isn’t as joyful as it could be is because these two amazing women are no longer here and Mother’s Day reminds me how much I miss them.  I always think of those I know who have lost their Mom and how this holiday can be difficult.  But if I’m being honest, for the past 28 years, which is much longer than my Mom has been gone, Mother’s Day has always had a veneer of sadness.

   May 8^th, 1993 was the day before Mother’s Day.  It also happened to be the day of my junior prom.  That morning, I headed to the hospital to see my Dad who was there having received a terminal cancer diagnosis.  I came to spend a few hours with him, talk sports, tell him about the baseball game from the night before, and then go home and get ready for prom.  It had been a couple of days since I had seen him and I was not prepared for what I would encounter.  My Dad was yellow.  Yellow, due to the jaundice that was setting in as the cancer had spread to his liver from his pancreas.  He was incredibly weak.  I mean, weak.  I had never really seen my Dad weak, this tower of strength I had known my whole life, and it really shook me.  Even worse, he couldn’t really talk or make sense.  There was already fluid coming to his lungs from the cancer and he was breathing heavy and not making much sense.  After about 20 minutes or so, I just couldn’t take it.  I was going to lose it and I didn’t want to cry in front of my Dad, so I said by and left the room.

  As I walked down the hall, I could hear him trying to call to me, and to my shame I was ignoring it.  I was almost at the elevator when I nurse grabbed me and told me to go back in there.  At that time, tears were already coming for while in that room I finally knew the truth: my Dad wasn’t coming back from this.  He was going to die.  I composed myself and went back into the room.  My Dad looked at me in the eye and with a lot of effort, got out the following words: “Did you get your Mom a Mother’s Day card?”  That is what he urgently wanted to tell me.  Did I get my Mom a Mother’s Day card.  I said I had and he relaxed and I left.  48 hours he would be dead.

   So the last words my Dad ever said to me what whether I got my Mom a Mother’s Day card.  We would find in his drawer after he died Mother’s Day and birthday cards for my Mom (whose birthday was on May 5^th).  Ever since then, I can’t separate that moment from Mother’s Day.  It will always have a twinge of sadness.  It will always be difficult, even when my Mom was alive.  Yet, in that moment, I realized that my Dad was giving me my last lesson, teaching me one last thing.  Life is about caring for the people you love.  It is about putting them first and not yourself.  I believe that my Dad knew his time was very short.  Even though he fought to the end, I think he knew.  And he wanted to make sure to remind me that you need to care for the others in your life.  That they come first. 

   So Mother’s Day always has sadness attached to it for me.  I hope on Mother’s Day you will do two things.  I hope that you will give thanks for your mother and for the mother like figures in your life, past and present.  I will remember my Mom, my mother-in-law, my grandmothers, the Mom’s I’ve had in the congregation that have passed like Lois Oakland and Mary Slind and those who still take care of me.  I also hope that you will send a prayer for those who will be hurting on this day.  For those that are grieving or who maybe didn’t have positive mother figures in their lives.  Most importantly, I hope that you will remember to care for those you love, not just on the holidays, but every day, and living as best you can to our Savior’s command to love one another.  May God bless you today and always.   

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Mission Trip Silent Auction Begins online on May 9^th.  You can go to www.hansenauctiongroup.com There will be a specific link that will come out closer to the date.  Auction runs till May 19th

Adopt-A-Highway May 15 at 8 am.  All are welcome as we do our part to clean up Hwy 170. Please wear pants and bring work gloves. 

Graduate Recognition Sunday is Sunday, May 23rd, at the 9 am worship service.

Ultimate Crew!  Wednesday, May 26th, 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm for all 3rd-6th graders.  Snacks, games, music, and more!  All your favorite things about the Crew! 

Vacation Bible School June 14-18.  You can register for Vacation Bible School now online at: https://lutherparksummer.campbrainregistration.com   Please put in TrinityDayCamp.

Sign up for VBS snacks!  You can sign-up in the Narthex or email PB if you are willing to provide snacks for VBS.  You can donate whatever you want for 50 kids. 

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the GivePlus app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there! 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

Psalm 139.14: “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

  One of the things that Amy and I enjoy when we visit the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in the spring are all the tulips.  Invariably, in a tulip bed that all has one color, there will be a an outlier, like in the picture above, that is different then all the rest.  I think it is a beautiful sight to see that one, lone, different tulip amongst all the others.

  So often we work so hard to try to fit in.  This is ingrained in us in elementary school as we deal with the social and peer pressure to look like and be like everyone else.  That feeling never really goes away.  We are sometimes ashamed or afraid of our uniqueness.  It might be how we look or dress.  It might be how we talk.  It could be the things we are interested in, our hobbies and passions.  It could be a hundred thousand things, but so often the world tells us that different is bad.  That it is bad to be that lone, different tulip in the sea of all the others. 

   But as it says in Psalm 139, we are fearfully and wonderfully made.  We are each a unique creation of God.  Instead of hiding our uniqueness, we should celebrate it.  Instead of working hard to suppress those who are different than us, we should appreciate it and learn from it.  We all are unique and wonderful creatures of God.  We all bear fruit off the vine of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who died and rose from the dead to give us eternal life.  Our fruit is unique, just as we are unique. 

   It is ok to be that lone pink tulip in the sea of red tulips.  It is ok to be yourself in every way possible, even if it is different than your neighbors.  Celebrate your uniqueness.  Remember that you are fearfully and wonderfully made and that the Lord loves you.  For that we can say, “Thanks be to God!” 

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

TRINITY TIDINGS

April 26, 2021

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Men’s Band Worship Sunday, May 2^nd, 9 am in the parking lot.  There will NOT be 8 am worship that day. 

Mission Trip Silent Auction Begins online on May 9^th.  You can go to www.hansenauctiongroup.com There will be a specific link that will come out closer to the date.  Auction runs till May 23^rd.

Adopt-A-Highway May 15 at 8 am.  All are welcome as we do our part to clean up Hwy 170. Please wear pants and bring work gloves. 

Register for Luther Park Summer Camp!  Go to www.lutherpark.org to see all the awesome programs for people of all ages.  Put in code TrinB21 when you register. EARLY BIRD DEADLINE ENDS ON APRIL 30^TH!

Vacation Bible School June 14-18.  You can register for Vacation Bible School now online at: https://lutherparksummer.campbrainregistration.com   Please put in TrinityDayCamp.

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the GivePlus app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there! 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  I always enjoy when our young people preach.  In all the years now that I have asked one or two seniors to preach, I always come away incredibly impressed.  I’m impressed by their faith, they way they connect it to their lives, and the openness they have in often talking about difficult things.  It can be hard and daunting to stand up and give a sermon in front of family, classmates, and people who have known you your whole life.  It is why I’m always so impressed.

   It also takes me back to my first sermon, which I gave in the summer of my freshmen year of college in my home congregation.  I was serving as an interim youth director and we had a youth service but couldn’t get any of the youth to preach, so I did.  When I look back on that sermon, the thing that surprises me the most is that it was one of the first times I ever talked about the death of my Dad publicly.  I had shared about it senior year of high school in a retreat setting, but not like I did in that sermon, nor in something was going to be broadcast on the radio.  As I look back, I’m surprised I was willing to talk about such a difficult thing but my pastor told me to preach what meant the most to me, in how faith had helped me, and I have passed that wisdom down to our current high school preachers. 

   In fact, I’m not sure that wisdom has ever left me.  If I can’t find myself in the sermon, then I don’t believe it will connect with you.  So often sharing our faith is about relationship, about connecting what is going on in our lives with what the Lord is doing in our lives.  Yet, unlike our high school preachers, we so often are not willing to talk about our faith.  Connect our faith with what is going on around us and in the lives of the people around us.  Share that connect with others.  But when we do, we make a positive impact on the lives of others.  We let the Spirit do its work to create and sustain faith.  

   One of the reasons that we are so moved by the sermons of our young people or whenever our young people share their faith, is that it is unexpected.  It isn’t often given with polish or perfection, it is often raw and real, and the authentic way they share their faith moves us.  It is something I strive to do every Sunday.  It is something you can do every day.  Talk about your faith with others.  Connect your faith with what is going on around you.  And encourage others, especially our young people, to continue to share and live out their faith.  May the Lord bless us and be with us today and always. 

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Easter Sunday Worship  7:30 am & 9 am.  7:30 am worship is inside and requires a reservation.  9 am will be in the parking lot.  Both worship services will be live streamed on Facebook.  To make your reservation for the service, please go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E49AEA62FA2FB6-730 CURRENTLY FULL

Register for Luther Park Summer Camp!  Go to www.lutherpark.org to see all the awesome programs for people of all ages.  Put in code TrinB21 when you register.

Butter Braid Sale: Help our youth go to Luther Park this summer!  Click on the link and then on a seller and order your Butter Braids!  Delivery is April 28th.  https://store.myfundraisingplace.com/e86c34d2-6233-4e9d-935c-d80370a08f19

Trinity Activities Returning: Quilting April 6^th, Card Club April 8^th, Bible Study April 12th. Masks are still required to be worn for these activities.

Mission Trip Youth Looking for Items!  We are holding an online Silent Auction to help our Mission Trip Youth go to South Dakota this summer.  Looking for all sorts of items for the auction.  Drop them off at the church by April 18th.

Clean Out Your Closest for the Women of Trinity! We are collecting gently used household items, clothes, textiles, bath linens on every Saturday in April from 9 am to Noon.  The more we collect, the more money we raise!  Please put clothes and textiles in bags and everything else in boxes.  Questions?  Contact Peggy Schutz

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the GivePlus app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there! 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

 Happy Easter!  Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and in doing so, we celebrate our own salvation for Jesus died and rose to bring us to eternal life!  It is a day of joy, of hope, of celebration, and of thanksgiving.  Jesus is Risen!  Sin and death are defeated!  We are saved!  Alleluia!

   I see resurrection all around us.  I see it in nature as spring comes forth as buds are on trees, flowers are peaking out of the ground, the grass is turning green.  I see it as my beloved Chicago Cubs are playing baseball once again and fans, though small, are in attendance (like I will be on Tuesday!).  I see it as people get vaccinated and get a chance to reunite with people they haven’t seen in over a year.  Not only will I get to experience this on Tuesday, but I experienced it this past week in my first visit to Glenhaven since February of 2020.

   It was very emotional to see our residents for the first time face to face.  I had done video visits with them but it just isn’t the same.  Even though we were masked and kept distance, to sit and talk with them and not worry about a camera or if they could hear me clearly or not, was really awesome.  I was very moved to talk with them, share scripture with them, pray with them.  And to top it off, as I left my last visit, as I was walking out the door, the resident said, “I really missed you Pastor.”  I missed them too.  And so I cried in my car, tears of joy that I could visit with them again.

  There is resurrection all around us.  It can be seen in every aspect of our lives.  Though we will still need to do be safe, to keep masked and distant when appropriate, we are coming out of this year of pandemic.  We are getting a chance to reconnect with each other.  We are watching the renewal of the earth.  There is resurrection because there is Jesus, the Son of God who defeated sin, death, and the devil through his resurrection and will bring us with him to eternal life.  Every day you are renewed in Christ.  Every day you rise because Jesus has risen.  May you have a blessed and happy Easter and may you see and feel the power of the resurrection in every aspect of your life.  Christ is Risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Maundy Thursday worship, April 1, 7 pm. In person and online.

Good Friday worship, April 2, 7 pm. In person and online.

Easter Sunday Worship  7:30 am & 9 am.  7:30 am worship is inside and requires a reservation.  9 am will be in the parking lot.  Both worship services will be live streamed on Facebook.  To make your reservation for the service, please go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E49AEA62FA2FB6-730 CURRENTLY FULL

Register for Luther Park Summer Camp!  Go to www.lutherpark.org to see all the awesome programs for people of all ages.  Put in code TrinB21 when you register.

Butter Braid Sale: Help our youth go to Luther Park this summer!  Click on the link and then on a seller and order your Butter Braids!  Delivery is April 28th.  https://store.myfundraisingplace.com/e86c34d2-6233-4e9d-935c-d80370a08f19

Trinity Activities Returning: Quilting April 6^th, Card Club April 8^th, Bible Study April 12th. Masks are still required to be worn for these activities.

Mission Trip Youth Looking for Items!  We are holding an online Silent Auction to help our Mission Trip Youth go to South Dakota this summer.  Looking for all sorts of items for the auction.  Drop them off at the church by April 18th.

Clean Out Your Closest for the Women of Trinity! We are collecting gently used household items, clothes, textiles, bath linens on every Saturday in April from 9 am to Noon.  The more we collect, the more money we raise!  Please put clothes and textiles in bags and everything else in boxes.  Questions?  Contact Peggy Schutz

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the GivePlus app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there! 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

 Last week during worship I mentioned my hatred of the Easter Bunny.  For some of you, this is nothing new.  But for others, this might have come as a shock.  So let me take a few moments to explain my take that the Easter Bunny is an abomination. 

   Now, first off, if you love the Easter Bunny, if it brings you joy, if you think it is cute and cuddly and harmless, then God bless you.  We can still be friends and yet disagree.  But to me, I have always disliked the Easter Bunny and that dislike has only grown over the years.  In the list of things I dislike the most in life, it would be something like this: 1. Peas.  2. Aaron Rodgers.  3. The Easter Bunny 4. Ryan Braun 5. Chicago White Sox fans as a general rule 6. The bacon tray being empty in a breakfast buffet.  7. The lack of connection between Padme & Anakin in Attack of the Clones.  8. Lima Beans. 9. Country Music.  10. Did I mention Ryan Braun? Of all these choices, I fully understand that my dislike of the Easter Bunny could be the most irrational. 

   There are many things I love about the secular (ie, outside of Jesus) trappings of Easter.  The candy.  Easter eggs.  Naps. Easter baskets.  But I have never liked the Easter Bunny, even as a kid.  First, what sense does it make to have a bunny that delivers eggs?  Makes no sense.  Easter chicken?  Sure.  Easter platypus?  Super awesome.  Easter Bunny?  Dumb.  Love Easter Baskets but why is it delivered by a bunny?  Never made sense to me.

   Plus, have you looked at Easter Bunnies?  Have you seen the costumes?  Heck, I’ve worn one of the costumes.  Creepy.  Like killer clown creepy.  The only thing scarier than seeing someone in an Easter Bunny costume is watching the Bears quarterbacks trying to play football.  It is scary.  Nightmarish.  Why should something that creepy be so front and center at Easter? 

  Also, I’m not a big fan of rabbits in general.  Delicious to eat, sure.  But also a scourge on many a garden and flower bed.  They have weird eyes that just creep me out. Whenever I see one on a walk I think it might attack me in some way.  They cannot be trusted.

  Finally, the Easter Bunny really has nothing to do with the resurrection of Jesus in any logical way.  You can make a case for Easter eggs and they can be an interesting symbol.  But the Easter Bunny?  Nope.  Don’t even bring your Santa arguments at me.  After all, Santa is based on the Christian saint St. Nicholas and in many homes at Christmas there is a Nativity scene right next to Santa.  I don’t see a lot of empty tomb scenes in people’s homes next to the Easter Bunny. 

  If the Easter Bunny brings you joy, may God bless you.  As for me, I will continue to pray that we can find an adequate replacement.  Like the platypus.  Easter Platypus.  Has a nice ring to it!

   Have a blessed Easter everyone and may you know the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ in your life every day.    

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Lent 2021: “Healer of our Every Ill:  The Healing Stories of Jesus” Holden Evening Prayer worship at 7 pm in person and online

March 24   Topic:  Jesus Raises Lazarus           Scripture:  John 11:38-44

Register for Luther Park Summer Camp!  Go to www.lutherpark.org to see all the awesome programs for people of all ages.  Put in code TrinB21 when you register.

Butter Braid Sale: Help our youth go to Luther Park this summer!  Click on the link and then on a seller and order your Butter Braids!  Delivery is April 28th.  https://store.myfundraisingplace.com/e86c34d2-6233-4e9d-935c-d80370a08f19

Maundy Thursday worship, April 1, 7 pm. In person and online.

Good Friday worship, April 2, 7 pm. In person and online.

Easter Sunday Worship  7:30 am & 9 am.  7:30 am worship is inside and requires a reservation.  9 am will be in the parking lot.  Both worship services will be live streamed on Facebook.  To make your reservation for the service, please go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E49AEA62FA2FB6-730 CURRENTLY FULL

Trinity Activities Returning: Quilting April 6^th, Card Club April 8^th, Bible Study April 12th. Masks are still required to be worn for these activities.

Mission Trip Youth Looking for Items!  We are holding an online Silent Auction to help our Mission Trip Youth go to South Dakota this summer.  Looking for all sorts of items for the auction.  Drop them off at the church by April 18th.

Clean Out Your Closest for the Women of Trinity! We are collecting gently used household items, clothes, textiles, bath linens on every Saturday in April from 9 am to Noon.  The more we collect, the more money we raise!  Please put clothes and textiles in bags and everything else in boxes.  Questions?  Contact Peggy Schutz

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the GivePlus app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there! 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

     I was driving the other day and on the radio came the song “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You,” sung by Michael Buble (though made famous by Dean Martin.  Both versions are great).  As I heard the song, I understood the sentiment of the lyrics, that you might have all the worldly possessions at your disposal but if you don’t have love, you are a nobody. 

  But here is the thing: there are many people out there who already feel like a nobody.  They feel invisible.  They feel unloved.  They feel alone.  They might be surrounded by all sorts of people but yet feel unloved, unwanted, and forgotten.  Maybe you are feeling that way today.

   But you are somebody and you are loved.  You are loved by God.  No matter what.  You are loved so much that God sent his Son Jesus to die for you sins.  Nothing and no one can ever take away the love that God has for you in Jesus Christ.  As it says in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

  You are not nobody.  Not to the Lord.  Not to the Lord who gave his life for you.  Not to the God who created you. Not to the Holy Spirit that sustains you in life.  You are somebody to the Lord.  Don’t ever let the world tell you that you aren’t anyone.  You are loved.  You are saved.  You are somebody.  Always.  May you feel and know the love of the Lord every single day. 

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Lent 2021: “Healer of our Every Ill:  The Healing Stories of Jesus” Holden Evening Prayer worship at 7 pm in person and online

March 17    Topic:  Jesus Heals a Woman         Scripture:  Luke 8:40-48

March 24   Topic:  Jesus Raises Lazarus           Scripture:  John 11:38-44

Register for Luther Park Summer Camp!  Go to www.lutherpark.org to see all the awesome programs for people of all ages.  Put in code TrinB21 when you register.

Butter Braid Sale: Help our youth go to Luther Park this summer!  Click on the link and then on a seller and order your Butter Braids!  Delivery is in May.  https://store.myfundraisingplace.com/e86c34d2-6233-4e9d-935c-d80370a08f19

Easter Lily and Tulips:  You can order flowers to be part of the Easter service using the form provided in the bulletin or that is on the church website.  Order deadline is March 21st.  Make checks payable to Trinity and put “flowers” in the memo line. Tulip-Lily-Order-Form-2021.pdf (trinityboyceville.com)

Join us for worship on March 21^st as Luther Park Executive Director Keith Newman and Program Director Rebekah Defoe will be visiting us.  Also, there will be a special announcement from Pastor Brad!

Maundy Thursday worship, April 1, 7 pm. In person and online.

Good Friday worship, April 2, 7 pm. In person and online.

Easter Sunday Worship  7:30 am & 9 am.  7:30 am worship is inside and requires a reservation.  9 am will be in the parking lot.  Both worship services will be live streamed on Facebook.  To make your reservation for the service, please go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E49AEA62FA2FB6-730

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the GivePlus app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there! 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

   A year ago I was sitting on a plane and I have to admit I was kind of freaking out.  I was coming back as the was world was in chaos and everything was shutting down due to COVID.  I was thinking about the council meeting we were about to have after worship, the fact that the Bishop was coming to the church that Sunday, what steps we needed to due in worship that day to keep everyone safe, and then all the other things that would need to happen regarding confirmation, activities, and more.  It was a lot to process and, at the time, I had no idea just what was in store for all of us.

   Now, one year later, as we start to open up again and see the light at the end of the tunnel, there is a part of me that doesn’t want to forget that feeling on the plane and those first few days of a new normal.  I want to remember the heartache, the pain, the fear, and all that came with it.  I want to remember what we all had to give up in this past year.  I want to especially remember the almost 525,000 of our fellow Americans who lost their lives to this terrible virus.  Why?  Because I want to make sure to appreciate things more as we get back to normal.  I don’t want to take for granted a handshake or a hug.  I don’t want to take for granted seeing family and friends.  I don’t want to take for granted the experience of hearing a congregation sing or handing out communion to people up front in the church.  I don’t want to take for granted visiting the nursing home and leading worship for the residents.  I don’t want to take any of the things that we haven’t been able to do ever again.

   Throughout the year, I have been thankful for the grace of God that has gotten us through so much.  I’m thankful for the people of Trinity and their patience, perseverance, and faithfulness during this time.  I’m thankful for the love of my family and friends.  As we begin to turn a corner and see the end of this thing, may we continue to trust in God and to never forget the past year so that we might appreciate the future. 

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Lent 2021: “Healer of our Every Ill:  The Healing Stories of Jesus” Holden Evening Prayer worship at 7 pm in person and online

March 10    Topic:  The Man With a Withered Hand  Scripture:  Mark 3:1-6

March 17    Topic:  Jesus Heals a Woman         Scripture:  Luke 8:40-48

March 24   Topic:  Jesus Raises Lazarus           Scripture:  John 11:38-44

Register for Luther Park Summer Camp!  Go to www.lutherpark.org to see all the awesome programs for people of all ages.  Put in code TrinB21 when you register.

Butter Braid Sale: Help our youth go to Luther Park this summer!  Click on the link and then on a seller and order your Butter Braids!  Delivery is in May. 

Easter Lily and Tulips:  You can order flowers to be part of the Easter service using the form provided in the bulletin or that is on the church website.  Order deadline is March 21st.  Make checks payable to Trinity and put “flowers” in the memo line. Tulip-Lily-Order-Form-2021.pdf (trinityboyceville.com)

Maundy Thursday worship, April 1, 7 pm. In person and online.

Good Friday worship, April 2, 7 pm. In person and online.

Easter Sunday Worship  7:30 am & 9 am.  7:30 am worship is inside and requires a reservation.  9 am will be in the parking lot.  Both worship services will be live streamed on Facebook.  To make your reservation for the service, please go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E49AEA62FA2FB6-730

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the GivePlus app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there! 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

   Today is the NBA All-Star Game and I have a hot take for you.  I don’t care.  Not at all.  But that isn’t because it is the NBA All-Star Game, even though I watch about six total hours of NBA basketball all year.  It is because I don’t care about All-Star games at all.  I think they are useless, pointless, and a waste of time. 

  This wasn’t always the case in my life.  As a kid, I loved the baseball All-Star game, especially since it was the only time outside of the World Series that you got to see American League and National League players face off against one another.  I also loved the Home Run Derby.  I used to take pride when players from my favorite teams were selected to an All-Star game, no matter the sport.  But now?  I could care less. 

   Why is that?  Well, no one really tries in an All-Star game or the rules are so changed it doesn’t really look like the sport.  I also realized to pick someone to be an all star in the middle of the season is really dumb.  Finally, the debate over who gets picked and who doesn’t and all the rules around that is just exhausting.  I think they should select the All Star teams at the end of the year, give them a little plaque or something, and be done with it.  Maybe do a fun skills competition or something after the season is over and make it for charity or something like that.  Otherwise, to All-Star games I say: bye-bye.

  Yesterday I completed a 1000 piece Star Wars puzzle and is the third puzzle I’ve helped put together in the past 9 months or so and the first one I did mostly on my own (Amy helped with the border at the start).  This is three more puzzles that I had done in past 43 years.  One of the things I’ve learned doing these puzzles is to have more patience.  It can be frustrating as things aren’t coming together as fast as you want or that you are sure something goes in a particular place but it doesn’t fit.  It has helped me not get so frustrated, to look at things from multiple angles, to consider different possibilities, and to sometimes to just stop and come back to it another time.  I’ve also been surprised at the feeling of satisfaction that comes when it is all completed, no matter how long it took.  I often would work on it for a little bit each day and over time to see it come together, to take shape, was really gratifying.  

    The lesson for me here is this: take some time to look at life from different angles, to think of different possibilities from what you think something is.  To be patient and to take everything a little bit at a time. And lastly, always wear a long-sleeved shirt so that the pieces don’t stick to your skin when you are hunched over the puzzle!

   Have a great week and may you know the love and grace of God in Jesus Christ! 

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Lent 2021: “Healer of our Every Ill:  The Healing Stories of Jesus” Holden Evening Prayer worship at 7 pm in person and online

March 3     Topic:  Jesus Heals a Paralytic        Scripture:  Luke 5:17-26

March 10    Topic:  The Man With a Withered Hand  Scripture:  Mark 3:1-6

March 17    Topic:  Jesus Heals a Woman         Scripture:  Luke 8:40-48

March 24   Topic:  Jesus Raises Lazarus           Scripture:  John 11:38-44

2020 Giving Statements have been mailed to your house.  If you have any questions, please contact Becky Nyhus.

Register for Luther Park Summer Camp!  Go to www.lutherpark.org to see all the awesome programs for people of all ages.  Put in code TrinB21 when you register.

Easter Lily and Tulips:  You can order flowers to be part of the Easter service using the form provided in the bulletin or that is on the church website.  Order deadline is March 21st.  Make checks payable to Trinity and put “flowers” in the memo line. Tulip-Lily-Order-Form-2021.pdf (trinityboyceville.com)

Maundy Thursday worship, April 1, 7 pm.

Good Friday worship, April 2, 7 pm.

Easter Sunday Worship  7:30 am & 9 am.  7:30 am worship is inside and requires a reservation.  9 am will be in the parking lot.  Both worship services will be live streamed on Facebook.  To make your reservation for the service, please go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E49AEA62FA2FB6-730

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the GivePlus app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there! 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  “Hoping against hope . . .” Romans 4:18a

  This phrase from Romans is in the context of talking about Abraham and his faith, of trusting in the Lord that he would be the “father of many nations” despite his advanced age, and of how his faith, of not just hoping but like hoping in a supersized sense, hoping against all sense, all knowledge, all expectation, in trusting that God would come through with God’s promises.  Which, of course, God did.

 I’m feeling this phrase today.  I hope against hope every day in the grace of God which saves me and will bring me to eternal life through the death and resurrection of Jesus.  I’m hoping against hope as the snow starts to melt and the temperatures warm for time on the golf course, walks with Amy without four layers on, and time spent in the backyard with the dog on a warm sunny day.  I’m hoping against hope as more and more people get vaccinated of when we can return to normal activities and see people’s faces again instead of masks.  I’m hoping against hope that we might spend more time listening to each other than attacking each other.  I’m hoping against hope that Cubs will finish with a winning record this spring and that the Bears will finally get a real quarterback.  I’m hoping against hope that those who are suffering find peace and comfort.

   We can have a supersized hope because we have a faithful and loving Savior who gives us that hope.  We can have faith because we have been given that faith by a merciful and gracious God who is with us.  We need this hope every single day.  Don’t be afraid of hope.  Embrace it.  Drink thirstily from it.  You can be hoping against hope because of the faith given you in Jesus Christ.  Hang onto that hope. Today and every day. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Lent Worship begins on February 17^th with Ash Wednesday. Worship will move to 7 pm.  There will NOT be any Lent meals.  Worship will be inside and live streamed.

If you would like ashes for in home worship, you can pick some up on Wednesday from 7 am till 11 am and 5 pm till 6:30 pm

Lent 2021: “Healer of our Every Ill:  The Healing Stories of Jesus” Holden Evening Prayer worship at 7 pm

February 24 Topic:  Jesus Cleanses a Leper      Scripture:  Matthew 8:1-4

March 3     Topic:  Jesus Heals a Paralytic        Scripture:  Luke 5:17-26

March 10    Topic:  The Man With a Withered Hand  Scripture:  Mark 3:1-6

March 17    Topic:  Jesus Heals a Woman         Scripture:  Luke 8:40-48

March 24   Topic:  Jesus Raises Lazarus           Scripture:  John 11:38-44

Mission Trip Meeting February 21^st  at 6:30 pm.

Blood Mobile on March 2^nd from Noon till 6 pm.

Church Directory Pictures have been moved to November 3^rd – 6^th, 2021.  Look for more information in the late summer.

2020 Giving Statements have been mailed to your house.  If you have any questions, please contact Becky Nyhus.

Register for Luther Park Summer Camp!  Go to www.lutherpark.org to see all the awesome programs for people of all ages.  Put in code TrinB21 when you register.

Volunteers needed to remove snow from the church sidewalks. A snowblower is provided by the church. Sign up sheet in the Narthex or follow the link below to sign up.

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the GivePlus app OR using the donate form on our website.  Download the free app, search for Trinity Lutheran Boyceville, and go from there! 

MUSINGS FROM PASTOR BRAD

  I like to go to sleep listening to something, often music, and I have playlists with select songs to help me do that.  The other night, as I started to drift off to sleep, I heard the following line being song from Eric Clapton. “Lately I’ve been running on faith, what else can a poor boy do.”  The song is from his “Unplugged” album, one of my favorite albums from when I was younger that I used to listen to obsessively.  I was a huge Clapton fan and this was my favorite album of his.  I listened to the CD so much I wore it out. 

   I think that we all have, at one time or another, just been running on faith.  Sometimes we are so spent from grief, from hurt, from injustice, from suffering, that we barely have any gas in the tank.  It is like we are stuck with no way to get out, get moving. We feel the disappointments and grieves of the world, both the big and small.  Things at our job aren’t going well, strive in the family, seeing the hurt of the world, relationships that wound and injure.  They pile up into a heap of pain so big it threatens to crush us.  To destroy us.  It takes everything to get up in the morning and get through the day.  Sure, we put on a brave face and show the world that we are ok when we aren’t.  Not by a long shot.  We are running on faith.  Faith that it, at least for a moment or for a day, might just be a little better.  Faith that the Lord will keep us afloat, and as the song says, “that all our dreams will come true.”

   Life can feel very lonely.  It disappoints.  It hurts.  Its hard.  But that is not all that it is, even when it is all that we can see. There is still love, as Clapton sings, “love comes over you.”  Love of family, of friends, of spouses, of children and grandchildren, and most especially the love of our Lord.  When we are running on faith, we don’t run alone.  There are people there for us.  The Lord is there for you.  It might be hard to see, but it is there.  It is there. As Jesus reminds us, “I am with you always until the end of the age.”

   One of the reasons I love this song, “Running on Faith,” is even though it doesn’t mention God, it is hopeful.  Hopeful that dreams will come true.  Hopeful and trusting that love is there.  It is sung by a man who struggled with terrible addiction issues and who lost a son tragically.  I can hear the pain in his voice but also the hope. 

   If you are reading this today on this Valentine’s Day and you feel like you are running out of hope, if the future seems bleak and the path isn’t clear, keep running on faith.  Keep going.  Jesus loves you. There are people who love you. And in time, the path will become clearer as you take it each and every day. Love will come over you. 

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville