Trinity Lutheran Church

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Lent Wednesday Worship, 5:30 pm.  Service is Holden Evening Prayer.  Topic: “Walking with the Shepherd: Relationship.”

Taco Meal served by Women of Trinity, 5:30 pm.

Crew is on March 1 at 3:30 pm for all for all 3^rd-6^th graders!

Luther Park is looking for summer staff!  They are looking for college age youth to serve as counselors and other staff.  Go to www.lutherpark.org for an application and more information. 

Communion Bread Bakers needed!  Please sign-up on the table in the Narthex. 

Volunteers Needed to remove snow from our sidewalks! Please sign-up on the table in the Narthex. We have a new tractor with snow blower that you can use.

Butter Braid Sales  February 22^nd through March 22^nd.  Help support our youth by purchasing a Butter Braid!  Confirmation youth will have forms that you can sign or you can go online.  Click the link, select a seller, and go from there!  https://store.myfundraisingplace.com/e857f260-55a0-4175-8e04-b606cc82ec5e

High School Lock-In  March 17, 6 pm till March 18 at 7 am.  Friends welcome. Bring a snack to share.  Need parent help between Midnight and 5 am.  Deadline is February 22^nd. 

Bring your household items and clothes to Trinity in April  Every Saturday in April, 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 a trash bag and all other items in boxes. Thank you for supporting the Women of Trinity!

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the Vanco 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

   One of the things I had to get used to when I moved to Wisconsin over 20 years ago was the Wisconsin wave. Everywhere I drove, people waved at me. Including strangers. It was very weird for me, coming from the Chicago area where you never gestured to anyone (at least, an appropriate gesture!) for fear of what they might do in return. So to come here and wave to people took a little getting used to. Now, I do it without even thinking and I appreciate the waves I get.

  A small act of kindness, of friendliness, can go a long way. In thinking about this, I realized that this is one way that we proclaim the Gospel. It might seem weird that this would be so, but sometimes proclaiming the Gospel is something that happens without words. Small acts of friendliness, of kindness, of compassion, can make a huge difference. It can show someone that they are seen, that they are not alone or invisible in the world.

  And why would think that our God could not act through those small actions of ours? God works in, through, and amongst us and when we show people that kindness and that love, God in Jesus Christ is present and active. Proclaiming the Gospel isn’t always words. It is actions too and we are called to be the hands and feet of God in the world. We proclaim the Gospel by who we are and showing the world who we are. Showing them love. Kindness. Compassion. In ways both big and small.

   So continue to wave to people in your car. Offer a smile to that person you pass in the grocery store. Do those small acts of friendliness and kindness. Wave to that person you pass on the road. You never know what God will do through that small act. It could change a life. 

  May God bless you this day and always!

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Ash Wednesday, February 22^nd, 6:30 pm worship with Holy Communion

Baked Potato Bar served by the Confirmation Youth Wednesday, February 22^nd, 5:30 pm till 6:30 pm.  Free will offering supports our youth going to Luther Park Bible Camp this summer. 

Winter Family Fest, MOVED TO Sunday, February  26^th, 2 pm till 4 pm.  Sled rides, games, food, and more!  All ages welcome!

Crew is on March 1 at 3:30 pm for all for all 3^rd-6^th graders!

Luther Park is looking for summer staff!  They are looking for college age youth to serve as counselors and other staff.  Go to www.lutherpark.org for an application and more information. 

Communion Bread Bakers needed!  Please sign-up on the table in the Narthex. 

Volunteers Needed to remove snow from our sidewalks! Please sign-up on the table in the Narthex. We have a new tractor with snow blower that you can use.

Butter Braid Sales  February 22^nd through March 22^nd.  Help support our youth by purchasing a Butter Braid!  Confirmation youth will have forms that you can sign or you can go online.  Click the link, select a seller, and go from there!  https://store.myfundraisingplace.com/e857f260-55a0-4175-8e04-b606cc82ec5e

Middle School Lock-In  February 24^th, 6 pm till February 25^th at 7 am.  Friends welcome. Bring a snack to share.  Need parent help between Midnight and 5 am.  Deadline is February 22^nd. 

High School Lock-In  March 17, 6 pm till March 18 at 7 am.  Friends welcome. Bring a snack to share.  Need parent help between Midnight and 5 am.  Deadline is February 22^nd. 

Bring your household items and clothes to Trinity in April  Every Saturday in April, 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 a trash bag and all other items in boxes. Thank you for supporting the Women of Trinity!

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the Vanco 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

  Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent, one of my favorite seasons of the year.  I love the meals we have and the chance for so many people to get together, the Holden Evening Prayer worship, and the intentional time we take in Lent to refocus our faith.  This year I’m especially excited as our topic is “Walking with the Shepherd: Exploring Psalm 23.”  Psalm 23 is one of the most beloved pieces of scripture and it is my personal favorite.

  We could easily take Psalm 23 for granted as we know it so well and hear it at almost every funeral.  But it is rich in symbolism and meaning for us and Lent is the perfect time to explore it.  We will dive deeper into it through the following themes: relationship, restoration, comfort, blessing, and salvation.  I have found in my life that there are different times when a verse of Psalm 23 means something more to me than the others. There is so much promise and hope in this short Psalm, so much that can touch us in our hearts and make us think.  I hope that you will join us for those worship services on Wednesday nights at 6:30 pm, whether you do so in person or online.

  I also want to encourage you, if you aren’t already, to check out the daily video devotions I do on the Trinity Facebook page every day (you can find the link at the end of Trinity Tidings).  In 2020, I wrote daily devotions for Lent to be put up on Facebook, which I had done the year before, and we haven’t stopped since.  There has been a video devotion every day since Ash Wednesday of 2020.  I give thanks to many of you who do view them and share them.  My hope for those that don’t is if you are looking for a way to connect with your faith in a deeper way this Lent, to take a look at those devotions.  They are short and a great way to have a faith moment every day. 

  Lastly, I will make my annual pitch to take something up instead of giving something up.  Though part of Lent is fasting, sometimes taking up something can mean more than giving up something.  I’m going to be taking up some healthier eating habits during Lent to eat salad or vegetables for lunch every day during Lent and bringing down my portion sizes at other meals (so I guess in one way I’m giving something up.  Shoot).  Remember that these things are to help us in body, mind, and spirit, not to punish us.  It is why I always try to read some Martin Luther during Lent, and it is renews me in faith and hope, just as I hope to renew my body with better habits. 

  I look forward to seeing you during our Wednesday night Lent meals and worships and pray that during this season of Lent, you would be renewed in faith, hope, and love.  Have a blessed week!

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Winter Family Fest, MOVED TO Sunday, February  26^th, 2 pm till 4 pm.  Sled rides, games, food, and more!  All ages welcome!

Crew is on February 15 at 3:30 pm for all for all 3^rd-6^th graders!

Ash Wednesday, February 22^nd, 6:30 pm worship with Holy Communion

Baked Potato Bar served by the Confirmation Youth Wednesday, February 22^nd, 5:30 pm till 6:30 pm.  Free will offering supports our youth going to Luther Park Bible Camp this summer. 

Luther Park is looking for summer staff!  They are looking for college age youth to serve as counselors and other staff.  Go to www.lutherpark.org for an application and more information. 

Communion Bread Bakers needed!  Please sign-up on the table in the Narthex. 

Volunteers Needed to remove snow from our sidewalks! Please sign-up on the table in the Narthex. We have a new tractor with snow blower that you can use.

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the Vanco 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

    The other morning, at crossing guard, as I was waiting for kids to start showing up, I had a deep thought.  An important question bubbled up from the deep recesses of my mind, a question that could change the course of human history, a question I have no doubt Aaron Rodgers is going to contemplate during his four day darkness retreat.  It is a question I’m going to attempt to answer today.  Drumroll, please.  What holiday has the best candy?

  I know, right?  A crazy deep question that we are going to talk about today.  I have decided that there are four holidays that are in the running for having the best candy: Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter.  As a candy eating expert, I will do my best to examine each one thoroughly and thoughtfully and then I will render a judgement, one that I have no doubt will elicit angry responses from all of you.  Are you ready?  Strap on a candy feed bag and let’s go.

   Let’s start with the holiday that is going to happen in just a few days, Valentine’s Day.  You have the iconic candy hearts.  I prefer the ones that come in the box as I think the ones in the bag just don’t taste as good.  There was nothing like being in a relationship in middle school or high school, picking out the perfect candy heart from the box with the perfect message, and giving it to the person you knew you would spend at least one more day with, before breaking up and dating someone different a week later, then breaking up after a week and going back to the previous paramour.  Also, you have the famous heart shaped box of chocolates, which is a symbol of true love like no other.  However, here is my beef with Valentine’s Day as a candy holiday: that’s about it.  Chalky candy hearts and the assorted chocolates in a box shaped like a heart.  Both of those things can be incredibly mediocre.  I really don’t get excited for Valentine’s Day candy as some of the other stuff out there is done better for other holidays. 

  Next up is Halloween.  For sure candy volume, there might not be a better holiday.  After all, the major event of this holiday is HANDING OUT CANDY.  Also, props to all you parents who steal (that’s right.  It is stealing) your children’s candy after Trick-or-Treating.  I still have a grudge against my faither for all the candy he stole from me as a child under the guise of inspecting it for safety.  I can’t ever get all those Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups back.  You would think that Halloween would be contending for the title but I’m going to be honest.  It is in last place.  LAST.  Seems crazy that a holiday built around candy would be at the bottom.  But it is. Why?  There is no candy just special to Halloween.  It is literally all the candy you can get the rest of the year (outside of candy corn), just smaller and with special wrapping.  No special at all.  Sorry Halloween.  That’s how I see it.

   It is time to get to real contenders now.  Let’s start with the birth of Christ, Christmas.  It is the only holiday on this list that has a candy that people use in their decorations, the candy cane, which comes in every flavor under the sun and after Christmas you never see again until the next Christmas.  You got all the specialty ones, like Lindt and Ferrero Rocher that are around all year but really matter at Christmas.  You have all the Russell Stover candies shaped like Santa’s and Snowmen in a thousand different varieties.  You have the second best Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in the trees.  One of the highlights of my stocking from Amy every year is the bag-o-candy, filled with great stuff.  All the iconic brands have their own versions of stuff in Christmas themed shapes.  Frankly, Christmas has been the leader in the clubhouse and the betting favorite in this battle royal from the very beginning.  But, my friends, I have news for you.  As much as I love my Christmas candy (and oh boy, I do), it is not going to win this competition today.  And why?  Because there isn’t something that comes out at Christmas that I literally jump up for joy about.  As much good stuff as there is, there is one holiday that produces not only one, not only two, but THREE holiday specific candies that make my heart flutter with joy and spirit soar like an X-Wing through space.  And that is Easter.

  Easter is our holiday candy winner and frankly I don’t think it is even close.  I got three things for you as you raise your voice in protest, threaten to write Santa to put me on the naughty list for eternity, and ask yourselves if I have completely lost the ability for rational thought.  They are: Reese’s Peanut Butter eggs, Cadbury Cream Eggs, and Peeps.  The Holy Trinity of Easter candy.  The big three.  All-time classics that some love, some hate, but all must acknowledge are iconic, memorable, and legendary.  There is no greater version of a Reese’s Peanut Butter cup than the Egg.  It is so legendary they tried to shove it into other shapes for other holidays but they are not the same.  A pack of these will not last long in my possession and as a child I would have sold body parts to acquire them from my sisters after we got our Easter baskets.  Even now, thinking about this perfect candy, my stomach is rumbling and my eyes are watering with tears of joy.  Then you got Cadbury Cream Egg.  Decadent.  Probably overly decadent.  But awesome.  This was the second most sought candy in the Easter basket.  If you eat more than three in one sitting you could possibly die (I’ve tried) but it does not diminish its tastiness and the status it holds at Easter.  When would you ever eat one of those except at Easter?  Never. 

  Then of course you have the most controversial part of the Holy Trinity of Easter Candy, the Peep.  They tried to make Peeps happen at other times but it doesn’t work.  It is only here at Easter where you can have a sugar rush so high you think you might have joined Jesus in heaven than having a peep.  I prefer the bright yellow originals, but you can’t fault the variety of colors and fun you can have.  Even the bunnies are acceptable.  But Peeps are the only candy that you can literally have a battle with as you place them in the microwave to Peep joust and see some marshmallow explode in glory.  One note: those who eat these stale and hard are people that possibly cannot be trusted or are aliens from another planet in disguise.

  Also in Easter’s favor is the solid chocolate bunny (head must be eaten first, of course), marshmallow eggs, and one that is sneaky high my list of all time favorite holiday candies, the Cadbury robin eggs.  Plus you jelly beans, which I think ranks up there with peas and lima beans as the worst tasting things in the world, but many people love. 

  So there you have it.  After an exhaustive and comprehensive examination, we have come to the final rankings.  1. Easter.  2. Christmas.  3. Valentine’s Day.  4. Halloween.  Thanks for reading and I appreciate any comments you have.  Lastly, remember that the only thing sweeter than enjoying your favorite candy at a holiday is the grace and mercy we have in Jesus Christ!  Have a great week!

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Winter Family Fest, MOVED TO Sunday, February  26^th, 2 pm till 4 pm.  Sled rides, games, food, and more!  All ages welcome!

Crew is on February 15 at 3:30 pm for all for all 3^rd-6^th graders!

Ash Wednesday, February 22^nd, 6:30 pm worship with Holy Communion

Baked Potato Bar served by the Confirmation Youth Wednesday, February 22^nd, 5:30 pm till 6:30 pm.  Free will offering supports our youth going to Luther Park Bible Camp this summer. 

Luther Park is looking for summer staff!  They are looking for college age youth to serve as counselors and other staff.  Go to www.lutherpark.org for an application and more information. 

Communion Bread Bakers needed!  Please sign-up on the table in the Narthex. 

Volunteers Needed to remove snow from our sidewalks! Please sign-up on the table in the Narthex. We have a new tractor with snow blower that you can use.

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the Vanco 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

    As I write this, it is the 16 year anniversary of the Bears losing the Super Bowl to the Indianapolis Colts, 29-17.  I remember being incredibly nervous and on edge in the lead-up to the game, going so far as to even lose some sleep the closer the game got near.  We had a huge food spread at home for just Amy and I and we even had Super Bowl themed plates! 

  Of course, I’m sure you ALL remember how the game started.  The Bears Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and I was incredibly excited.  My twin sister broke my express wish to not contact me during the game and called me after he scored, in which I responded with yelling and hanging up on her.  I still blame her for everything that happened after that, with us losing and me being in a pit of despair.  I still have never watched the replay of the game and I for a whole week I didn’t turn on Sportscenter on ESPN or listen to sports radio.  I was devastated. I was annoyed.  I was crushed. 

   But it didn’t last.  I got over it (despite the sentence above).  And I learned a little something too: to try not to let one thing control how I feel in every other aspect of my life, especially a sporting event.  To have some perspective in the world.  At the same time, it was important for me to feel what I was feeling and to process it.  For though it was just a game, it still meant something to me.  I know some of it was tied into the fact my Mom had passed away a few months before and we had excitedly talked about the Bears before her death.  That is why the loss of a game hit a little harder than it should have.

  We all experience losses in life.  Some are big, some are small.  To some, what is big to us is small to them.  But no matter what it is, it is still a loss and it hurts.  It is important to remember that we can recover from any loss we have because we have Jesus Christ by our side, to provide comfort and strength.  Christ knows when we hurt.  Christ knows when we suffer.  And Christ is there for us.  That is the promise that Jesus makes to us, to be there with us always, to carry our burdens, to lift us up when we fall.  Because of this, losses do not need to define us.  Rather, it is in the midst of our losses that we see our need for Jesus and most acutely feel the presence of Christ in our lives. 

  We may lose sometimes in life, but in Christ was have already won.  Sin is defeated, death has no power, we have the promise of eternal life, and we have a Savior that is with us always.  To see us through the pain of loss, to heal us in heart and body, and to give us strength and hope for the days ahead.  Jesus is always on your team, and on your side, and for that you always have the victory.  For that we can say, “Thanks be to God!” 

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

January 29, 2023

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Winter Family Fest, MOVED TO Sunday, February  26^th, 2 pm till 4 pm.  Sled rides, games, food, and more!  All ages welcome!

Annual Meeting: Sunday, February 5^th, 10 am.

First Communion Sunday, February 5^th, 9 am.

Super Bowl Pizza’s:  Orders due on February 5^th.  Pick them up on February 12^th. Benefits our youth going to Luther Park Bible Camp.  Form attached. 

Crew is on February 1st at 3:30 pm for all for all 3^rd-6^th graders!

Communion Bread Bakers needed!  Please sign-up on the table in the Narthex. 

Volunteers Needed to remove snow from our sidewalks! Please sign-up on the table in the Narthex. We have a new tractor with snow blower that you can use.

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the Vanco 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 recently talking with two new pastors who had attended a retreat and I asked them what they did. They told me that they had to make mission statements for their ministry, and I flippantly said, “Well, that would be pretty easy.  Proclaim the Gospel.  Serve the Neighbor. Sounds about right.”  Let’s just say that they had much longer and flowery statements, but after I had that conversation, I started to think about what I had said, just off the cuff.  And I came to this conclusion: that is and should be our mission statement. Proclaim the Gospel.  Serve the Neighbor. 

  And then I had this thought: I’m wondering if we know that is our mission, not only as Trinity Lutheran Church, but as followers of Jesus Christ.  It is so simple that we might overlook it.  We might not even realize that basically everything we do as a congregation, both inside and outside of the church, revolves around those two things.  Frankly, everything we do, whether it be an activity, a meeting, an event, to this very piece of writing, should reflect and revolve around these two things.  It is and should be the core of who we are.  Who we want to be.  It is our identify, our purpose, our motivation, our guiding principle.  Proclaim the Gospel.  Serve the Neighbor. 

  And so, throughout 2023, we are going to explore and examine what this means for us.  You are going to see it at the bottom of your bulletin.  You are going to hear about it in articles and devotions and sermons.  We are going to try to live this mission every single day.  Proclaim the Gospel. Serve the Neighbor.  As we begin this journey, I want you to reflect on the two most important questions that must be asked when these two simple phrases are our mission.

1. What is the Gospel?
2. Who is our neighbor?

May the Lord bless you as you think about those two questions and may the Lord bless us as we explore, examine, and live out our mission, to Proclaim the Gospel and Serve the Neighbor. 

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

January 22, 2023

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Winter Family Fest is moved to February 26^th, 2 pm till 4 pm.  Sled rides, games, food, and more!  All ages welcome!

Annual Meeting: Sunday, February 5^th, 10 am.

Super Bowl Pizza’s:  Orders due on February 5^th.  Pick them up on February 12^th. Benefits our youth going to Luther Park Bible Camp.  Form attached. 

Crew is on February 1st at 3:30 pm for all for all 3^rd-6^th graders!

Communion Bread Bakers needed!  Please sign-up on the table in the Narthex. 

Volunteers Needed to remove snow from our sidewalks! Please sign-up on the table in the Narthex. We have a new tractor with snow blower that you can use.

First Communion Class is January 22nd at 10:30-11:30 am. First Communion class is for all youth from 3rd grade and above whose parents believe they are ready to receive communion.  Make up class on January 29^th at the same time.

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the Vanco 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

  And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people. Matthew 4:19

I have to admit, I have never been a big fan of this metaphor for finding disciples of Jesus Christ.  Fishing for people.  Why?  Well, I really don’t like fishing.  I really don’t.  I’m appreciative of those who love to fish as I love to eat the fish (Fish are food, not friends!).  But I can’t think of anything less I would rather do, especially you crazy people who go out on the ice to fish this time of year.  I just don’t have the patience for fishing.  Call it a character flaw (as it is).  I want stuff to happen right away. That often doesn’t happen with fishing.  I wish I was more patient, but I’m not.

  But there are things I appreciate about the art of fishing.  I do appreciate those that have the patience who do it.  I appreciate that there is an art and skill to being a good fishermen, to finding the right spot, picking the right bait, all the prep that goes into it.  I appreciate the fact that for some there is not greater activity of peace and joy than fishing.  Probably most so, I appreciate the faith that goes into fishing.  You put a line in the water and even with the best preparation, equipment, and knowledge, nothing is guaranteed.  You put a line in the water and hope.  You might get something, you might not.  But you put the line in the water anyways. It is an act of faith.

  The same is true in our calling to fish for people.  It is an act of faith, an act of hope.  We cast a line out there, using the gifts we have to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed.  We are hoping people respond to those gifts, to our message of hope and love, and want to follow Jesus as we do.  Sometimes we might get impatient and think our efforts are in vain.  But here is the thing, my friends: it doesn’t rest with us.  We are the hands and feet of God in the world and we are called to spread the Gospel and serve the neighbor, but God in Jesus Christ is at work.  It is the Lord who will catch the fish.  We are just the ones putting out the line on behalf of our Savior who loves and saves us.

  But we don’t catch anything if we don’t cast the line.  The Lord can’t be at work if we are not willing to take the risk to share our faith with others.  To hope.  To have faith in the one who is faithful to us.  And maybe we sometimes treat fishing for people like I treat fishing in general.  With impatience.  With fear that we don’t have the necessary skills or preparation to be successful, so why do it at all? 

  God in Jesus Christ is acting in and through us.  It is the Lord who will do the catching, who will reel people in to see the grace, mercy, and hope we have in Jesus Christ.  We just have to be willing to cast out the line, to let God be at work through us.  Fishing is all about hope.  Let us set our hope on our loving Savior Jesus Christ, casting out a line of love and grace so that God might catch some people.  May the Lord bless you as you fish for people in the name of Jesus Christ. 

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Crew is on January 18^th at 3:30 pm for all for all 3^rd-6^th graders!

Communion Bread Bakers needed!  Please sign-up on the table in the Narthex. 

Volunteers Needed to remove snow from our sidewalks! Please sign-up on the table in the Narthex. We have a new tractor with snow blower that you can use.

First Communion Class is January 22nd at 10:30-11:30 am. First Communion class is for all youth from 3rd grade and above whose parents believe they are ready to receive communion

Winter Family Fest, Sunday, January 29^th, 2 pm till 4 pm.  Sled rides, games, food, and more!  All ages welcome!

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the Vanco 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

  On Saturday night, I turned on the Los Angeles Chargers versus Jacksonville Jaguars Wild Card Playoff game.  I was excited for the game as they are two teams that haven’t had a ton of success over the years and it was shaping up to be a great game that I thought would be close.  However, as the first quarter got going, it started to look like a blowout.  The Jaguars threw four interceptions in the first half and was down 27-0 at one point and 27-7 at halftime.  Because of the score, I almost thought about turning it off.  Glad I didn’t.  The Jaguars came storming back and eventually won on a last second field goal, 31-30.  It was the third largest comeback in playoff history. I couldn’t help but think about those Jaguar fans who had to be in despair in the first half and then were elated at the end of the game, which was in their home stadium. 

  It reminded me of these verse from Psalm 40: ¹I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.²He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. ³He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.

  Sometimes in life it feels like we are down 27-0 and there is no hope left.  But in the Lord, we always have hope.  We just need patience and trust, remaining faithful to the Savior who is faithful to us.  Our suffering will not last forever.  We will be lifted up, given a foundation, and a new song will be put into our hearts.  Not a song of sorrow and sadness, but a song of joy and hopefulness.  Our Lord does not forget about us and will give us a song of praise. 

  For here is the promise we have in Jesus Christ: in the game of life, we have already won.  We have the victory through what Jesus has done on the cross for us.  No matter how bleak it looks, how awful it seems, how hopeless it can be, we have the victory in the end because Christ has won it for us.  There is always light in the midst of the darkness because Jesus shines upon us.  Jesus shines upon you.  There is always a comeback because the Lord plays on our team in life.  Plays for you.

  It was an awesome comeback to watch on Saturday.  It was a reminder that you never give up because you never know what might happen.  And in life, we never give up for we have Jesus Christ at our side.  May you trust in your Savior today and know that in him you have the victory and a new song in your heart.  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

January 11, 2023

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Crew is on January 18^th at 3:30 pm for all for all 3^rd-6^th graders!

Communion Bread Bakers needed!  Please sign-up on the table in the Narthex. 

All reports for the Annual Report are due on January 15th

Volunteers Needed to remove snow from our sidewalks! Please sign-up on the table in the Narthex. We have a new tractor with snow blower that you can use.

Pick up your 2023 Offering envelopes in the Narthex.

First Communion Class is January 22nd at 10:30-11:30 am. First Communion class is for all youth from 3rd grade and above whose parents believe they are ready to receive communion

Winter Family Fest, Sunday, January 29^th, 2 pm till 4 pm.  Sled rides, games, food, and more!  All ages welcome!

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the Vanco 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

  Our puppy Baxter does a lot of cute things. He loves to zoom around the house with his toy lamby in his mouth.  He will stare at this reflection in a mirror and wonder why another dog is staring back at him.  He curls up all cuddly on our laps and falls asleep, so peaceful and serene.  And then there are things he does that isn’t as cute, like chew up rugs, jump on his sister all the time, and then do what we call the pogo. 

  The pogo is that he stands on his hindlegs and jumps up on down, often at Amy or I wherever we are sitting, as he wants to come up.  But nine times out of ten, we lift him up and he uses us as a human ladder so he can go to the top of the chair or the couch and look outside.  Then he climbs down, all the way back to the floor, and like thirty seconds later comes back, doing the pogo, wanting to come up again.  This happens A LOT and can be incredibly annoying.  We have to keep going down to get him, stopping whatever we are doing, to get him, for him only to jump down right away. Of course, we could NOT pick him up, but there is that chance he will settle in and be all cute. But it can sure be a hassle as he does it again and again and again (and again). 

  But it made me think of our relationship with God.  We are the Baxter, wanting to God to pay attention to us, to lift us up.  And God is Amy and I, constantly coming down to us, constantly lifting us up, constantly giving us forgiveness, grace, mercy, and hope.  God keeps lifting us up and yet we sometimes are just using God for a few moments.  Then we jump down and go back to our lives, only to return again, seeking God’s help, guidance, and salvation.  You would think that God would get tired of it.  But just like Amy and I keep lifting up Baxter, God continues to lift us up through Jesus Christ.  God keeps coming down to us in Christ, coming down to offer us new life, to lift us up out of the darkness and mire of this world and restore us, renew us, and offer us a sanctuary of peace and hope.  I’d like to think God is like Amy and I, hoping that we might stay awhile in God’s embrace of love and grace, taking a moment to rest and bathe in the salvation we have received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. 

  God loves us so much God will never not reach down for us.  Never not bring us to God.  That is why God sent Jesus after all.  To save us.  To come down to us so that we would be free of sin, death, and the devil.  And Amy and I will continue to pick up Baxter, no matter how many times he jumps up and down.  Why? Because we love him.  And the same is true for God and us.  God loves us, no matter what, and will always be there to lift you up.  Every time.  Every day.  For that we can say, “Thanks be to God!” Amen

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

December 31, 2022

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Crew is on January 4^th at 3:30 pm till 5 pm for all for all 3^rd-6^th graders!

Communion Bread Bakers needed!  Please sign-up on the table in the Narthex. 

All reports for the Annual Report are due on January 15th

Volunteers Needed to remove snow from our sidewalks! Please sign-up on the table in the Narthex. We have a new tractor with snow blower that you can use.

Pick up your 2023 Offering envelopes in the Narthex.

First Communion Class is January 22nd at 10:30-11:30 am. First Communion class is for all youth from 3rd grade and above whose parents believe they are ready to receive communion

Winter Family Fest, Sunday, January 29^th, 2 pm till 4 pm.  Sled rides, games, food, and more!  All ages welcome!

Did you order a poinsettia for Christmas? Come pick it up!  Stop by the church and take your poinsettia home.  We have bags for you to use to keep them protected from the cold. 

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the Vanco 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

   On my annual trip home to Chicago for the Peterson family Christmas with my sisters, we did something we had never done before.  We went to Wrigley Field.  They had an event going on called Winterland.  At Winterland, they had a European Christmas Market outside the stadium, and inside they had all sorts of activities. Ice slides, a train that went around the infield, tilt-a-whirl, a tea cup ride, a bunch of games, lots of decorations, a skating rink, and a beverage tent with a place where you could roast marshmallows. 

  It was pretty cool and I was pretty much acting like a 12 year old boy (a surprise, I know).  I went with my niece and nephews down the ice slide and played some of the games with them. I enjoyed a beverage with Amy, my sisters, and their spouses in the tent.  I watched Amy go on the Tilt-A-Whirl with my sisters and I excitedly rode the train around the infield, getting excited as we got glimpses into the dugouts and imagining that I was going by where Cub greats of the past had stood.  Even as we walked through the bowels of the stadium to get to the field, I stopped at the Cubs Hall of Fame to show my family the plaque of Boyceville native Andy Pafko.  It was a pretty cool experience, at least for me, as I became a child again for just a little bit. 

  In one sense, I have to admit I was embarrassed about how I was feeling and acting.  It was just a winter carnival inside a baseball stadium.  But at the same time, as I reflected about our time there, I thought that maybe it was an example of a New Years resolution that I could have and that maybe we all need.  To be willing to experience life with childlike wonder.  To embrace that part of life.  I could have approached it cynically and think about the cost of the tickets to be able to do the activities (though the outdoor market was free and to enter the stadium itself was just $5). 

  Sometimes I think we don’t let ourselves get enveloped in wonder enough, to see the joy in the world.  To be a kid again, just for a bit.  Maybe that is why I love going to Disney parks so much or attending Bible Camp with our youth.  It helps me put aside the stresses of life and experience the wonder of a child, to see the simple joys and blessings in fun and imagination that the Lord gives us.  Life is full of joy. It has its shares of hurts and difficulties, there is no doubt.  But it is also full of joy. 

  I hope in the New Year you will embrace the joy.  That you might allow yourself to bask in the wonder, to appreciate the blessings, to be a kid from time to time.  I hope in the New Year you will see that God is active and present in all of it.  Have a Happy New Year and may God in Jesus Christ fill you with wonder and joy!

PICTURES OF THE WEEK

Here are two pictures from my time at the Wrigley Field Winterland.  The first is me at the end of riding the ice slide, and then my family in front of Wrigley.

(L-R): Logan, Abby, Me, Amy, Megan, Jack, Amy, Ryan, Tyler, Will.

My family.  Logan and Abby is my twin sister Megan and her husband Ryan’s kids.  Tyler & Jack are my older sister Amy and her husband Will’s kids (Niece Kaelyn is absent as she lives in Australia). 

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Christmas Eve Worship Services: 2:00 pm, 4:30 pm, & 9:00 pm.  All services will be live streamed on Facebook and will have Communion and a Candlelight portion.  Join us as we celebrate the birth of Jesus!

Christmas Day Worship, 9:00 am.  Service will also be live streamed on Facebook.

Office Closed on December 26^th & 30^th.

No Wednesday Worship on December 28^th.

No Sunday School December 25^th and January 1^st.

Bring your deer hides to Trinity!  Place them in the deer shack and we exchange them for gloves which we give to the needy. 

Communion Bread Bakers needed!  Please sign-up on the table in the Narthex. 

Don’t forget that you can support Trinity through the Vanco 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

  We are just a few days before Christmas and I hope that you get a chance to experience Christmas worship in one way or another.  Whether it is in person here at Trinity, watching us online, or going to worship with your family in another place, I hope that you take a moment to remember that all of this is because a child was born in Bethlehem, the ultimate gift from God to all of us.

  Now, a couple of random thoughts this Christmas season:

• I always had an issue in the cartoon classic “Frosty the Snowman” that it appeared the kids were wearing shorts and many didn’t have on hats.  But after being a crossing guard for two years, it is an accurate representation of youth.  Even today, when it was below zero, kids walked with coats in their hands, gloves in their bags, and shorts on their waist.  Ah, youth.
• There is nothing more joyful than hearing the song “Snow” from the movie “White Christmas.”  Love it every time.
• My favorite sneaky line from “Christmas Vacation” is when the lights finally come on Clark’s house, he says to his dad, “Dad, you taught me everything I know about exterior illumination.”  It just makes me chuckle every time.
• I never tire of hearing the Muppet’s rendition of “Little Saint Nick.”  Or Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath the Tree.”  Or Bing Crosby sing anything.
• This year, for the 20^th time, I’ll stand behind the altar with a candle in my hand as we sing “Silent Night.”  The sight of all those candles lit out in the sanctuary gives me goosebumps every time.
• I want to thank everyone who came to the Men’s Band Christmas Concert and the Meatball meal and to everyone who helped.  It went better then we ever expected and we now have a new Trinity Christmas tradition.  Also, it was great to have Katie sing with us and for her and I to partner up together again on a song.
• My favorite Christmas treat is Amy’s Soda Cracker Candy.  It is like Christmas joy in a bite. 
• Special thanks to the Trinity staff for all they do to make our Christmas services go and all the prep that needs to happen to make everything go smooth.  They are truly the best.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville