ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Crew is on December 14th for all 3^rd-6^th graders  Crew is 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm and this year we will be taking a Journey Through the Bible.

Brass Cleaning on Friday, December 16^th, 9 am.

Sunday School Christmas Program, December 18^th, 9 am.

Trinity Men’s Band Christmas Concert, December 18^th, 6 pm.  Special Guest: Katie Wagner.  A meatball and mashed potato meal will be served prior starting at 5 pm. 

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 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. 

Thank you to everyone who helped make lefse, brought baked goods, donated items for the Silent Auction, and who came to the Lefse & Bake Sale and Silent Auction!

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 know I shared this last year, but I do really love this story.  I hope you enjoy reading it again as I do! 

The Cobbler and His Guest

Long ago there lived in the city of Marseilles an old shoemaker, loved and honored by all his neighbors, who affectionately called him “Father Martin.”

One Christmas Eve he sat alone in his little shop, reading of the visit of the wise men to the infant Jesus, and of the gifts they brought. He said to himself, “If tomorrow were the first Christmas, and if Jesus were to be born in Marseilles this night, I know what I would give Him!” He arose and took from a shelf two little shoes of softest snow-white leather, with bright silver buckles, “I would give Him these, my finest work. How pleased His mother would be! But I’m a foolish old man,” he thought, smiling. “The Master has no need for my poor gifts.”

Replacing the shoes, he blew out the candle, and retired to rest. Hardly had he closed his eyes, it seemed, when he heard a voice call his name, “Martin!” Intuitively, he felt aware of the identity of the speaker. “Martin, you have longed to see Me. Tomorrow I shall pass by your window. If you see Me and bid Me enter, I shall be your guest and sit at your table.”

He did not sleep that night for joy. Before it was yet dawn he arose and tidied up his little shop. He spread fresh sand on the floor, and wreathed green bows of fir along the rafters. On the table he placed a loaf of white bread, a jar of honey, and a pitcher of milk; and over the fire he hung a hot drink. His simple preparations were complete.

When all was in readiness, he took up his vigil at the window. He was sure he would know the Master. As he watched the driving sleet and rain in the cold, deserted street, he thought of the joy that would be his when he sat down and broke bread with his Guest.

Presently he saw an old street sweeper pass by, blowing upon his thin, gnarled hands to warm them. “Poor fellow! He must be half-frozen,” thought Martin. Opening the door, he called out to him, “Come in, my friend, and warm yourself, and drink something hot.” No further urging was needed, and the man gratefully accepted the invitation.

An hour passed, and Martin next saw a poor, miserably clothed woman carrying a baby. She paused, wearily, to rest in the shelter of his doorway. Quickly he flung open the door. “Come in and warm while you rest,” he said to her. “You are not well?” he asked.

“I am going to the hospital. I hope they will take me in, and my baby,” she explained. “My husband is at sea, and I am ill, without a soul to whom I can go.”

“Poor child!” cried the old man. “You must eat something while you are getting warm. Let me give a cup of milk to the little one. Ah! What a bright, pretty little fellow he is! Why, you have no shoes on him!”

“I have no shoes for him,” sighed the mother.

“Then he shall have this lovely pair I finished yesterday.” And Martin took down the soft little snow-white shoes he had looked at the evening before, and slipped them on the child’s feet. They fit perfectly. And shortly the young mother went her way full of gratitude, and Martin went back to his post at the window.

Hour after hour went by, and many needy souls shared the meager hospitality of the old cobbler, but the expected Guest did not appear.

At last, when night had fallen, Father Martin retired to his cot with a heavy heart. “It was only a dream,” he sighed. “I did hope and believe, but He has not come.”

Suddenly, so it seemed to his weary eyes, the room was flooded with a glorious light; and to the cobbler’s astonished vision there appeared before him, one by one, the poor street sweeper, the sick mother and her baby, and all the people whom he had aided during the day. Each one smiled at him and asked, “Have you not seen me? Did I not sit at your table?” and vanished.

Then softly out of the silence he heard again the gentle Voice, repeating the old, familiar words: “Whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.”* “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in.”* “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”*

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Women of Trinity Christmas Gathering Saturday, December 3^rd, 9 am.

Lefse Making:  Wednesday & Thursday, December 7 & 8, starting at 8 am and going until we are done.  All are welcome to participate!  We have a job for every person and are willing to teach you how to make this Trinity tradition!

Lefse & Bake Sale on Saturday, December 10^th, 9 am till 3 pm.

Silent Auction, Saturday, December 10^th, 9 am till 3 pm.  Come support our Mission Trip youth!  Lots of great packages. 

Soup Lunch, Saturday, December 10^th, 11 am till 2 pm.  Served by the Mission Trip youth.

Mission Trip Youth in need of items for the Silent Auction!  With a record 27 youth going on this summer’s mission trip, our Silent Auction is more important than ever!  We appreciate any donations of new items or crafts!  Please have them to the church by December 7^th. 

The Trinity Men’s Band is at United Methodist Church of Knapp on December 3^rd at 7 pm and First Lutheran Church of Cumberland at 6 pm on December 4^th.

Crew is on December 14th for all 3^rd-6^th graders  Crew is 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm and this year we will be taking a Journey Through the Bible.

Poinsettia orders due on Sunday, December 11^th. 

Sunday School Christmas Program, December 18^th, 9 am.

Trinity Men’s Band Christmas Concert, December 18^th, 6 pm.  Special Guest: Katie Wagner.  A meatball and mashed potato meal will be served prior starting at 5 pm. 

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

Thank you to everyone who helped decorate the church for Christmas!

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

    Romans 15:13

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

  We have started the season of Advent, this time of year before Christmas that we often frankly forget about, other than the lightening of those Advent candles or those of you that have an Advent calendar at home.  Advent is about preparing for the coming of Jesus, not only the birth of the babe born in Bethlehem but also the second coming of Jesus, when God’s kingdom will be ushered in for all time.  Because of this, Advent is really about hope.  The hope that comes with the birth of Christ, the hope of Jesus’ return. 

  As such, we, as the people of God in this time of Advent, are also about hope.  The church is a place of hope, a place where sinners gather to hear of their salvation in Jesus Christ.  A place where new life is proclaimed to those dead in sin, a place where hope is shouted from the mountaintops to those who feel lost, or abandoned, or alone.  Here, in the midst of the church, in the midst of the people of God, everyone has a place and everyone receives good news: you are loved and saved by Jesus Christ.  A place and a people of hope that reach out to those in need and who care for their neighbor and each other. 

  This place, this church, this people called Trinity Lutheran Church is a place and a people of hope, and we have been blessed for what God is doing in and through all of you.  I am hopeful for our future, for where the Holy Spirit will take us, for the ways in which we can do even more for our community in proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all ages and serving our neighbor.  I am hopeful because of your generosity, the financial support you give and for all who give of their time and talents for the sake of our mission and ministry.  Of course, we want as many of you as possible to be a part of this ministry in whatever way you can, so if you feel the hope that I feel, I hope that you will give of your time and talent and treasure in the near future, whether that might be helping out with lefse, donating for the Silent Auction, signing up to move snow or bake communion bread, or helping with Sunday School. 

  As people of hope, we will go where God is leading us to go.  And that means trust. Trusting in our God, trusting that even in the midst of ups and downs, of hardships and struggles, of doubt and worry, God in Jesus Christ is leading us. To be willing to take a risk, a risk in hope, to maybe go in a direction or a place we haven’t been before.  To be willing to step up to answer God’s call to service, to generosity, to participating in the great mission that is before us.  I look towards the future and I see great things for us as Trinity Lutheran Church, because I trust in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  And I trust in you.  In your faith.  Your generosity.  Your hard work.  Your love. 

  So my friends, have hope.  God is at work.  God has been at work and God will continue to be at work amongst us.  For in this time of Advent, we have hope.  Our salvation is here.  Our sins are forgiven, death is defeated, for Jesus has died and risen for all of us.  To save us.  And to make us people of hope.  For that we can say, “Thanks be to God!”  Amen

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

New Member Class, November 13^th, 6:30 pm.  If you are someone you know is interested in joining Trinity, please join this class or call PB if you cannot make it.

Deer Hunter’s Worship, Wednesday, November 16^th, 6:30 pm All are welcome!  Wear your blaze orange and camo!

Crew is on November 16th for all 3^rd-6^th graders  Crew is 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm and this year we will be taking a Journey Through the Bible.

Crew Snack Sign-Up.  Please sign-up in the Narthex to provide snacks for the Crew.  Please prepare to serve 60 kids and you can bring anything you want.

Community Thanksgiving Worship, Sunday, November 20^th, at 6:30 pm at Trinity.  Please bring a non-perishable food item for Stepping Stones.  All monetary gifts will be given to WestCAP. 

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

Decorate Trinity for Christmas!  Sunday, November 27^th, right after worship.  We appreciate your help!

Mission Trip Youth in need of items for the Silent Auction!  With a record 27 youth going on this summer’s mission trip, our Silent Auction is more important than ever!  We appreciate any donations of new items or crafts!  Please have them to the church by December 7^th. 

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 think this time of year is a season of preparation.  Everyone is preparing for something.  Maybe you are preparing for hunting, getting the cabin ready, getting the hunting rifle sighted, making sure your deer stand is in good condition.  Maybe you are also preparing to be hunter’s widow, checking out where the best craft fairs are, preparing for outings with others.  You could be preparing for Thanksgiving, going to the store to get the turkey, all the ingredients for pumpkin pie, the necessary items to make the best part of Thanksgiving, which is the stuffing.  You might also be preparing for Christmas as well.  Doing some of the early shopping.  Getting the outside decorations up before it becomes bitterly cold.

  To be honest, I feel like I’m in the middle of all of those preparations.  The Deer Hunter’s service is this Wednesday, so I have been getting ready for that (and for the annual tradition of the venison jerky I receive from Marlin Bird.  Right Marlin?).  I’m prepping for Thanksgiving, as we did our shopping this week as we are having our Thanksgiving on Saturday since we will be gone for Thanksgiving, plus the Community Thanksgiving service which we are hosting on the 20^th.  And, if you have driven by my house, you know I have been preparing for Christmas, getting all my stuff up outside while it was 70 degrees (glorious).  Even with that, I even wrote my Christmas Eve sermon already and the Men’s Band has been practicing for our three Christmas concerts in December.  It is a time of preparing. 

   I’ve always like being prepared, and not because I was a Boy Scout (I didn’t make it that far).  I like the feeling of knowing that everything is ready to go, of having the security (and frankly, the control) of it being in order so I can handle whatever may come.  But of course, you can’t prepare for everything.  There is always going something that comes out of the blue, or something that doesn’t work or falls over, or something that just won’t go the way you hope it does.  Those moments can cause me some anxiety, but because of my preparation, I feel I can handle whatever may come.

  In the same way, my faith in Jesus Christ prepares for anything that life throws at me.  For I know that Christ has taken care of all things.  I know that Jesus has freed from all bondage.  I know I have a place prepared for me in heaven, not due to anything that I have done but solely on what Christ has done for me.  I know Jesus is there to carry my burdens, bless my blessings, guide my life, and strengthen me when I am weak. When we place our faith and trust in Jesus, we are prepared for anything and everything. 

  May the Lord be with you as you prepare for all the things coming up in these next weeks.  And may you know that, through your faith in Jesus Christ, you are prepared for everything and you don’t prepare alone.  Your Savior is with you.  For that we can say, “Thanks be to God!”

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

ANNOUNCEMENTS .

Men’s Band Worship on Sunday, November 6^th, at 9 am.

Potato Pancake Meal, Sunday, November 6^th, 10 am till 11:30 am. Potato Pancakes, Kielbasa Sausage, Apple Sauce, Dessert, Beverage.  Free-will offering taken to support Trinity Youth Ministries.

Workers needed for the Potato Pancake Meal  See the sign-up on the table in the Narthex.

Crew is on November 2^nd for all 3^rd-6^th graders  Crew is 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm and this year we will be taking a Journey Through the Bible.

Crew Snack Sign-Up.  Please sign-up in the Narthex to provide snacks for the Crew.  Please prepare to serve 60 kids and you can bring anything you want.

New Member Class, November 13^th, 6:30 pm.  If you are someone you know is interested in joining Trinity, please join this class or call PB if you cannot make it.

Deer Hunter’s Worship, Wednesday, November 16^th, 6:30 pm All are welcome!  Wear your blaze orange and camo!

Community Thanksgiving Worship, Sunday, November 20^th, at 6:30 pm at Trinity.  Please bring a non-perishable food item for Stepping Stones.  All monetary gifts will be given to WestCAP. 

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

  Recently, our puppy Baxter started to play with a racquetball.  Our old dog Henry loved to play with them, but Kapono never got into playing with a ball.  But Baxter loves it.  It is so cute to see him batting it with his paw, following it around, carrying it in his mouth, and learning which parts of the floor aren’t quite level and so he can push the ball out and watch it roll.  It is pretty entertaining to watch.  But, there are times when the ball rolls under a table or a shelf and suddenly Baxter can’t get it.  He sticks his whole arm under there trying to get the ball and will even try to crawl under.  Sometimes, he can get it.  But other times he can’t.  What is a dog to do?

  Like a super hero swooping out of the sky to save the day comes Mom or Dad.  We get on our hands and knees and get the ball out for Baxter.  We reach under to get this thing that he wants and he is so happy when he gets it back.  And why do we do this?  We do this because we love him.  We do this because we want him to be happy.  Even if it means getting up from our comfortable space on the couch or the chair.  Even if it is an inconvenience of the highest order.  We do it because we love him.

   For you, on your own, salvation is out of reach.  It is like that ball stuck under that shelf.  You try and try to get it but it is elusive.  It is just out of reach.  No matter how much you do, you will not and cannot attain that salvation.  And so here comes Jesus, getting that ball of salvation for you, sacrificing his life to give you eternal life.  And why?  Because Jesus loves you.  Because you are loved.

   You cannot attain salvation on your own.  As it says in Ephesians 2, “For by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not your own doing, it is the free gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast.”  You are saved not by what you do, for you cannot do enough, but by what Jesus Christ has done for you.  You could not reach the ball of salvation, but Christ has sacrificed so that it can be given to you.

  And so, like Baxter getting that ball we have retrieved for him, rejoice!  Be glad!  You are free from sin and death.  You are saved and redeemed.  You have been given grace and love in Jesus Christ.  Remember this gift you have been given and who has given it to you.  It has come from Jesus, because Jesus loves you.  For that we can say, “Thanks be to God!”  Amen

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

ANNOUNCEMENTS .

Confirmation Stole Making and Rehearsal  October 26, 7 pm.

Confirmation Sunday, October 30^th, 9 am.  We hope that you will come to support our 15 youth who are affirming their faith.  Wear red in honor of Reformation Sunday!

Men’s Band Worship on Sunday, November 6^th, at 9 am.

Potato Pancake Meal, Sunday, November 6^th, 10 am till 11:30 am. Potato Pancakes, Kielbasa Sausage, Apple Sauce, Dessert, Beverage.  Free-will offering taken to support Trinity Youth Ministries.

Workers needed for the Potato Pancake Meal  See the sign-up on the table in the Narthex.

Crew is on November 2^nd for all 3^rd-6^th graders  Crew is 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm and this year we will be taking a Journey Through the Bible.

Crew Snack Sign-Up.  Please sign-up in the Narthex to provide snacks for the Crew.  Please prepare to serve 60 kids and you can bring anything you want.

New Member Class, November 13^th, 6:30 pm.  If you are someone you know is interested in joining Trinity, please join this class or call PB if you cannot make it.

Deer Hunter’s Worship, Wednesday, November 16^th, 6:30 pm All are welcome!  Wear your blaze orange and camo!

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 have to admit, I was pretty impressed, friends of Trinity Lutheran, last Sunday.  Last Sunday was our Cross Generational Worship service, a service in which we try to have our various generations interact with each other.  This year, I did something a little different.  I made you sit at tables based on something that was on top of your bulletin, forcing some families and couples to sit at tables apart from each other.  I know that some of you, who knew you would have to participate with each other, already weren’t the biggest fans.  I believe a few phrases I heard was, “I hate this service” and “I think I’m going to go home.”  Then, adding in how I was seating you, made many of you nervous and even upset. 

  BUT you stuck it out.  You stayed.  You gave it a shot.  And then some of you who said the phrases above said, “I really enjoyed it” and “That was a lot of fun.”  The Cross Generational Worship service is meant to stretch us, to challenge us, to get us out of our comfort zones a bit, not only in a bid to get to know each other better but to also to connect on a faith level.  To risk a little bit.  Risk putting ourselves out there.  Risk looking at the world in a different way.  Risk letting something new happen, something that challenges us. 

  I want to thank you Trinity for being willing to risk.  My prayer is that you might continue to risk.  Maybe putting your name on that sign up sheet for that event that you are hesitant about.  Maybe showing up for something that might seem difficult.  Maybe going out into the community to risk connecting with others different than yourself.  For in risking, we are putting our faith in Jesus Christ to care for us and be with us.  In risking, we are letting the Holy Spirit work in, through, and amongst us.  I hope that you will continue to be a risk taker and place your trust and faith in Jesus Christ.

  It reminded me of a poem that I got in college.  I am not sure who the author is, but I share it with you now:

                                                “Risks”

    To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.

To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.

To reach out for another is to risk involvement.

          To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.

          To place your ideas, your dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.

          To love is to risk not being loved in return.    

          To live is to risk dying.

          To hope is to risk despair.

          To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing and is nothing.

They may avoid suffering and sorrow but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live.

Chained by their certitudes they are a slave, they have forfeited their freedoms.

Only a person who risks is free.

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

ANNOUNCEMENTS .

Cross Generational Worship service is on Sunday, October 16^th, at 9 am in the Fellowship Hall.

Mission Trip registration deadline is October 16^th.   We will be meeting after church on the 16^th as well. 

Crew is on October 19^th for all 3^rd-6^th graders  Crew is 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm and this year we will be taking a Journey Through the Bible.

Crew Snack Sign-Up.  Please sign-up in the Narthex to provide snacks for the Crew.  Please prepare to serve 60 kids and you can bring anything you want.

Confirmation Sunday, October 30^th, 9 am.

Men’s Band Worship on Sunday, November 6^th, at 9 am.

Potato Pancake Meal, Sunday, November 6^th, 10 am till 11:30 am. Potato Pancakes, Kielbasa Sausage, Apple Sauce, Dessert, Beverage.  Free-will offering taken to support Trinity Youth Ministries.

Workers needed for the Potato Pancake Meal  See the 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

  Late Thursday night, I was despondent.  Despondent.  My Chicago Bears football team was going to lose to the Washington Commanders, a terrible football team, which made my team even more terrible.  Also, that same night, my Minnesota Wild got run off the ice in the opening night game against the New York Rangers.  I was not in a good place and ended up staying up way to late, brooding and complaining and being depressed.  Even worse, I knew in my brain that this was all happening over a game/games.  Just a sport.  In the end, nothing significant in the grand scheme of life.  I had been through a lot worse than a couple of losses by my favorite teams.  Why was I feeling like this?  This seems pretty stupid.

   But in thinking that way means that I wasn’t taking what I was feeling seriously.  We can be tempted to dismiss how people are feeling because of the circumstances those feelings came into being.  But in doing so, we end up dismissing who they are and what they are feeling.  Have you ever wondered why someone was so upset that a relationship ended?  Did you think, “They should just get over it.  Plenty of fish in the sea.”  But we don’t really know what things mean to others.  Instead of putting our own values and judgements into what they are feeling and experiencing, we should be people with compassion and empathy towards them because they are actually hurting.  What may be minor to us is everything to someone else.  Being there for people isn’t judging why they are feeling the way they are feeling, it is about just being there, being present for them, in that moment.

  I think back to the night the Cubs won the World Series in 2016.  Amy went to bed right before extra innings with the score tied.  Because she didn’t hear me cheering, she woke up in the middle of the night and thought the Cubs had lost, and then preceded to think about what she could do to help me feel better.  She even said sorry when I woke her up the next morning, only for me to tell her that we had won.  Amy cares not about baseball.  But she does care about me, and so thinking I would be upset, even over a game, made her want to make me feel better and to be there for me.  That is how we should be for each other.  To not judge why they feel what they feel, but to be a place of comfort and refuge for them. 

   After all, we are called as followers of Jesus Christ to be there for each other.  To help each other in the hardships of life, no matter what they are.  To be there in the midst of suffering, no matter how or why it had come about.  To not judge lest we be judged.  May the Lord be with you as you are there for others, and may the Lord bring people into your life to be there for you. 

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

October 9, 2022

ANNOUNCEMENTS .

Crew is on October 16^th for all 3^rd-6^th graders  Crew is 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm and this year we will be taking a Journey Through the Bible.

Fall Family Fest, October 9^th, 2:30 pm till 5:00 pm  Inflatables, Gaga, Games, Activities, Food and more. For all ages.  No cost!  Join us for some fun!

Crew Snack Sign-Up.  Please sign-up in the Narthex to provide snacks for the Crew.  Please prepare to serve 60 kids and you can bring anything you want.

Cross Generational Worship service is on Sunday, October 16^th, at 9 am in the Fellowship Hall.

Mission Trip registration deadline is October 16^th.   We will be meeting after church on the 16^th as well. 

Confirmation Sunday, October 30^th, 9 am.

Men’s Band Worship on Sunday, November 6^th, at 9 am.

Potato Pancake Meal, Sunday, November 6^th, 10 am till 11:30 am. Potato Pancakes, Kielbasa Sausage, Apple Sauce, Dessert, Beverage.  Free-will offering taken to support Trinity Youth Ministries.

Workers needed for the Potato Pancake Meal  See the 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

  On Friday, as I was presiding over a funeral, we ended the service with the song “How Great Thou Art.”  This beloved hymn is most associated with funerals and is a staple of funeral services like hearing Psalm 23 being read.  Sometimes when you have something as ubiquitous as this hymn, it can become kind of rote.  Almost cliché.  But as we sang the hymn, giving glory to God for God’s greatness and for the love of the faithful disciple of Jesus Christ we were remembering and giving over to God, I had this thought: there is a reason this hymn is sung during these times.  Sometimes that things that are traditional, even cliché, work and work well.  They have become traditions for a reason. 

   The music moves you and soars, especially when you have a congregation singing it at full throat, even in the midst of sorrow and grief.  It brings hope and comfort in the midst of pain.  The words inspire and comfort, talking about all that God has done, from creation, to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins, and then salvation and going to heaven because of what Christ has done for us.  It just works.

  Sometimes we look down or dismiss the things that have become tradition for us or seem like a cliché.  I know I do (so many wedding sermons on 1 Corinthians 13.  So many).  Yet, we never tire singing “Silent Night” on Christmas Eve or “Amazing Grace” at any time.  I think about it with the Men’s Band.  We end every concert with “This Little Light of Mine” and the guys always joke about cutting it and not doing it.  Heck, there are times we skip it in practice.  Yet, every time we play, the energy that comes when we sing that song and invite you to sing with us works.  It just works. 

   As we finished up “How Great Thou Art,” I gave thanks for the amazing hymn and the wonderful man that we said goodbye to.  I gave thanks for those things that I sometimes take for granted or dismiss because we have done them/heard them/said them a hundred thousand times.  If there are things in our life that seem cliché, or rote, or so familiar that you overlook them, take a closer look.  Remember why they work and why they inspire.  And remember again that they are all gifts from our loving Savior, whose Holy Spirit works in and through and amongst us in all things.  Have a great week!

ANNOUNCEMENTS .

Crew is on October 5^th for all 3^rd-6^th graders  Crew is 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm and this year we will be taking a Journey Through the Bible.

Oktoberfest Craft & Vendor Show, Saturday, October 8^th, from 9 am to 2 pm at Tiffany Creek Elementary.  Lots of great vendors, food served, all benefit the Woman of Trinity and their ministry and mission. 

Fall Family Fest, October 9^th, 2:30 pm till 5:00 pm  Inflatables, Gaga, Games, Activities, Food and more. For all ages.  No cost!  Join us for some fun!

Crew Snack Sign-Up.  Please sign-up in the Narthex to provide snacks for the Crew.  Please prepare to serve 60 kids and you can bring anything you want.

Cross Generational Worship service is on Sunday, October 16^th, at 9 am in the Fellowship Hall.

Mission Trip registration deadline is October 16^th.   We will be meeting after church on the 16^th as well. 

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 woke up late this morning.  Now, I don’t mean I woke up 5 minutes late.  I mean I woke up an hour late.  I thought I had an alarm set for 4:30 am and instead I woke up at 5:30 am.  When I realized what time it was, I shot up out of bed and got ready at the speed of light, rushing around the house getting stuff together so I could get here to the office.  My heart was racing and I was freaking out a little bit.  Would I be able to get everything done in time?  How could I have been so stupid to as not double checked my alarm?  Even worse, did I hear the alarm and turn it off in my sleep?  Even an hour later as I write this, I think my heartbeat is still going a little quicker than normal.  I hate being late more than almost anything in the world and even thinking about being late puts me into a tizzy. 

   But here is the thing: I didn’t have anything to worry about.  Other than not having this musing written yet, everything was well in hand.  The baptism stuff is set up.  Sermon has been written for awhile and just needs to be practiced.   The lights have been turned on, the sound system is going, and the doors are unlocked.  Children’s Sermon is prepared.  What was I worried about?  Why was I freaking out when I could have slept in till now (which is about 7 am as write this) and still be fully prepared for everything today?

  I have no idea.  Sometimes we freak out about things that we don’t need to freak out about.  I have seen brides freak out about the smallest things before a wedding.  I have seen kids lose it because they couldn’t buy a foam Prince Phillip sword at Disney World.  I have seen grown man freak out and call that a game was over when their team didn’t convert a third down in the second quarter while said team was currently leading in the game (that one was me.).  Of course, the thing that we think is minor to freak out over is really big to someone else.  My guess is that I freak out over being late because my parents drilled into us that being late was incredibly rude and also a desire to make sure everything is ready and perfect for the job I have to do.  I think it is a desire to be prepared in case something crazy happens.  It probably is about trying to be in control of an uncontrollable life. 

   And maybe that is the thing.  We freak out over things because we are trying to control our lives when so we can’t control everything.  Life is crazy, unpredictable, and surprising.  It takes twists and turns, has ups and downs, and almost nothing ever goes exactly according to the plans we have.  Sometimes we don’t set an alarm.  Sometimes it rains when the forecast says it is supposed to be clear and sunny.  Sometimes your favorite football team runs a fourth and goal play from the one yard line from a shotgun formation (sorry.  That still stings.  Stupid Bears).  Life is uncontrollable and we can’t control it, no matter how hard we try. 

  And that’s ok.  Because God is in control.  This God who has created us, sent his Son Jesus to die for us, and the Holy Spirit to create faith in our hearts, is in control.  And this God has promised to save us.  To be there for us.  To walk with us, even in the shadow of death.  To give us refuge even in the biggest storms of life.  God is in control and God has got us.  God has got you.  Even when you aren’t sure God has you, God does.  Even when we are freaking out, God is there.  Always.

  I don’t think I will ever stop freaking out over being late.  It is just who I am.  But maybe, just maybe, by the grace of God I won’t freak out too much.  My prayer is that in those moments of panic and freaking out, that I will remember that God has me, that everything will be ok and everything will work out.  And I have the same prayer for you.  Remember that your Lord is with you every day, no matter what, and that you are loved, saved, and redeemed by the grace of God in Jesus Christ.  Even when you are running late! 

  May God bless you this day and always!

Website: www.trinityboyceville.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/TrinityBoycevilleWI

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trinityboyceville

TRINITY TIDINGS

September 25, 2022

ANNOUNCEMENTS .

2023 Mission Trip Informational Meeting on September 25^th at 10:15 am.  Trip is open to all current High School youth.  Come get information and help choose where we will be going in the summer of 2023.  If you can’t make it, please contact PB

We are packing Lutheran World Relief Kits on Wednesday, September 28^th at 9 am.  All are welcome to help!  Lots of hands make light work!

Oktoberfest Craft & Vendor Show, Saturday, October 8^th, from 9 am to 2 pm at Tiffany Creek Elementary.  Lots of great vendors, food served, all benefit the Woman of Trinity and their ministry and mission. 

Bibles will be given out to Pre-K and 3^rd graders on Sunday, October 2^nd, at 9 am.

Fall Family Fest, October 9^th, 2:30 pm till 5:00 pm  Inflatables, Gaga, Games, Activities, Food and more. For all ages.  No cost!  Join us for some fun!

Crew Snack Sign-Up.  Please sign-up in the Narthex to provide snacks for the Crew.  Please prepare to serve 60 kids and you can bring anything you want.

Crew is on October 5^th for all 3^rd-6^th graders  Crew is 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm and this year we will be taking a Journey Through the Bible.

Cross Generational Worship service is on Sunday, October 16^th, at 9 am in the Fellowship Hall.

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

 “He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

The week of September 12^th was a tough week for yours truly. Now, it wasn’t tough because anything bad happened to me, per se.  Rather, it was like I was the Hulk, just breaking things.  It started on a walk with Amy, Kapono, and Baxter on Tuesday when Baxter stopped suddenly and I ended up stepping on his back right foot.  He squealed very loudly and then wouldn’t put his foot down at all, even after a few minutes.  We realized something bad had happened and we called our vet and some others but none could get us in, so I took off for Eau Claire and the Emergency Animal Hospital.  A few hours later we got the diagnosis: two broken toes.  We were given strict instructions to try to keep him from moving around as much as possible, no more walks, no more rough play, for at least a month, maybe more.  Plus, for his sake, some pain meds!  It meant buying a pen to set up in the living room so he could be with us but be separated from Kapono and have limited movement so that he could heal.  Poor guy.

  Then, on Thursday, I was golfing with two friends.  One of them is a pastor in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and this was our first chance to see each other in two years.  We met halfway and had a wonderful day of conversation, golf, and fun.  EXCEPT one thing.  I broke a window in the clubhouse with a very, very, very offline drive.  Drove the ball right through the screen and the window.  The worker came out, threw my ball toward where it was supposed to be, and went back inside.  Here I was again, breaking stuff.  Hulk smash!

  So not only did I break two things, I had also a broken spirit.  The guilt in both instances were palatable and still with me.  Both were accidents.  Both were unintentional.  Both made me miserable.  Seeing Baxter in pain just ate me up as I sat in the waiting room to see what had happened.  Feeling terrible about breaking that window, even though the people at the course were really great, made me miserable.  I had broken things and in turn was broken a bit myself. 

   But the thing is, we are all broken people, even when we aren’t breaking stuff.  We are broken due to sin, broken as we deal with pain and suffering, broken by grief and sorrow, anxiety and worry, broken often both physically and mentally.  But we are not destroyed.  We may be broken, but we are made whole by the love and grace of Jesus Christ.  We are put back together by the love of a God who gives everything to us so that we might live.  We are healed by the Lord who carries our burdens, takes our sin, and walks with us every day.  Our brokenness does not separate us from God’s love for us in Jesus Christ.  Rather, our Lord looks upon us with compassion because we are broken. Because we need a Savior.

  Baxter is doing really well.  He had a follow up appointment this past week and things look really good and if you watched him walk or run, you wouldn’t even know that he had some broken toes.  The people at the golf course were so gracious and nice to me when I apologized about the window.  They understood.  Broken things can be mended, healed, put back whole.  We are mended, healed, and put back whole by the love and grace of God in Jesus Christ.  You may be broken today my friends.  I may be broken.  But in the midst of our brokenness comes a Savior to heal us, to make us whole, to remind us that though we are broken, we are loved, we are saved, and we are not alone.  For that we can say, “Thanks be to God!” 

   “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-10

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Here is Baxter in his living room pen. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS .

Sunday School begins TODAY, September 11^th, at 9:45 am.  You can register your child in advance with the form located in the Narthex.

Outdoor Worship Service and Blessing of the Animals on September 18^th at 9 am. Join us in the Parking Lot for an outdoor worship.  Feel free to sit in your vehicle or bring a chair to sit and bring your animals for a blessing.

Turn in your Time & Talent Sheets!  One is attached to this email.  Please turn it in to the office.

Crew Snack Sign-Up.  Please sign-up in the Narthex to provide snacks for the Crew.  Please prepare to serve 60 kids and you can bring anything you want.

Crew begins on September 21^st for all 3^rd-6^th graders  Crew is 3:30 pm till 5:00 pm and this year we will be taking a Journey Through the Bible.

Mission Trip Presentation on September 25^th at 9 am.

2023 Mission Trip Informational Meeting on September 25^th at 10:15 am.  Trip is open to all current High School youth.  Come get information and help choose where we will be going in the summer of 2023. 

Oktoberfest Craft & Vendor Show, Saturday, October 8^th, from 9 am to 2 pm at Tiffany Creek Elementary.  Lots of great vendors, food served, all benefit the Woman of Trinity and their ministry and mission. 

School Bags  Pick up a school bag from a pew in the sanctuary and fill out the list that is included in the bag, then return to the church.  You can also donate loose school supplies as well and place in the bin 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

 As I walked out of my house this morning at about 5:20 am, I did something I don’t do that often, especially on a Sunday morning.  I looked up.  I took a moment with completely clear skies to look at the stars.  Normally, as I exit the house, I do so with a to do list in my head, things I want to get to done and have to do when I get to church.  But despite having such a list this morning, I stood there for a few moments to appreciate the stars, to marvel at the beauty of those lights in the sky, especially since it was a clear moon as well.  I’m not sure what prompted it.  Maybe it was the fact that I had taught the creation story to my 7^th grade confirmation story early in the week. Maybe it was the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  I don’t know.  But I stopped, and I looked, and I wondered and awed and appreciated. 

  I had the same feeling of appreciation after I got to church as I started to work through my to do list (of which this musings was one) as I set up for the baptism this morning.  We have a lot of baptisms at Trinity and we have a bunch more coming up, but as I moved the font and put the baptismal blanket in place, I thought about how cool it is that we get to do so many baptisms at Trinity.  We have double digit baptisms every year and it could be easy to take them for granted as just something that always happens.  But it is a great gift to have a baptism, to hear those baptismal promises given to a new child of God, to celebrate with a family this joyous occasion of God’s love and hope. 

  I guess what I’m getting at this morning is that it can be easy to be overwhelmed by the tasks of life.  I know that sometimes I get so focused on all the things that need to be done that I can forget to appreciate the things that are in front of me.  I forget to take a moment and to look around, to see the beauty and majesty and awesomeness of life and of God’s gifts to me in life. I hope that you will take a moment today, or tomorrow, or the next day, and appreciate what is around you.  To give thanks for the little things of life.  To remember the love of God in Jesus Christ that is for you.  That you might wonder at the stars or marvel at the joy of a newborn baby or appreciate the hug of a loved one or the snuggle of a pet.  For God is good and God loves you so much that God sent his only Son to die and rise so that you would be saved. 

  May the Lord bless you today and always!