願 父 神 所 賜 的 恩 惠 和 平 安 與 你 們 同 在
Grace and peace to you from God
All My Heart This Night Rejoices
Today I attended the funeral of an elderly man whose earthly life had been transformed into the life that endeth never, simply and profoundly because he belonged to and was loved through life and death, and into life again by the one born in the manger. He was a friend of Jesus; Saviour of the world. You too are invited again to kneel at the manger; to receive Jesus as your friend and Saviour, and to hear him invite you to share eternity with him –
Hark! a voice from yonder mangerAnd you may reply –
Soft and sweet,
Doth entreat:
Flee from woe and danger.
Children, from all ills that grieve you
You are freed;
All you need
I will surely give you.
Dearest Lord, Thee will I cherish,Fröhlich soll mein Herze springen Paul Gerhardt 1607-1676 (LHS-24)
Live to Thee,
Die to Thee;
Thus I shall not perish,
But in life that endeth never,
Joyfully,
Peacefully
Dwell with Thee for ever.
I pray that this Christmas it will dawn on you once again, how blessed you are to belong, by your most holy baptism, to the God whose love comes to life in Christ, born at Bethlehem. Because of this baby … swaddling clothes and all that stuff … oh yes, and a cross … because of this one – Immanuel – you will dwell with Him for ever. May your heart rejoice this Christmas and always.
Christmas Worship Throughout Aotearoa
Wherever you are – except way up north or way down south (or out at the Chatham Islands) – there is a Lutheran Church waiting to welcome you to Christmas worship.
Check this out –
Mountainside, Mt Wellington, Auckland
- Christmas Eve, 6.00pm (with Children’s presentation) and 11.00pm (Carols and Readings)
- Christmas Day, 10.00am
- 23rd December, 5.00pm, Carols and Readings
- No Christmas Eve service – will be joining with Mountainside.
- 22nd December, 7.00pm, Carol, drama and Christmas dinner (yum yum)
- 23rd December, 10.00am, Carol and Lessons, Holy Communion
- Christmas Day, 10.00am, Carol, reading and lesson, Holy Communion
- 21st December, 7:30pm, German Readings and Carols Service
- 23rd December, 10:00am, Lessons and Carols Service
- Christmas Day, 9:00am, Divine Service with Holy Communion (H.C. liturgy set to carol tunes)
- 23rd December, 10:00am, Divine Service with Holy Communion (H.C. liturgy set to carol tunes)
- Please note there is no service on Christmas Eve or Day
- 23rd December, 7.00pm, Divine Service
- Please note there is no service on Christmas Eve or Day
- 23rd December, 9.30am, Divine Service
- Christmas Day, 9:30am Divine Service
- Christmas Eve, 7.30pm – St Johns Lutheran Church, Kimber Street, Halcombe – service led by Bethney Stafford
- Christmas Day, 10.00am – St Martins Lutheran Church, 94 Pukepapa Road, Marton – service led by President Mark Whitfield
- Christmas Eve, 7.00pm
- Christmas Day, 10.00am – Contemporary Worship with Holy Communion
- 30th December, 10.30am – Combined Worship
- 23rd December, 9.00am
- Christmas Day, 9.00am – Worship with Holy Communion
- 23rd December, 10 a.m.
- Christmas Eve, 7 p.m.
- Christmas Day, 10 a.m.
- 30th December, 10 a.m.
- 6th January, 10 a.m.
- 20th December, 7:30pm – Scandinavian Christmas: Informal Multi-Language Worship with Scandinavian Society, supper after.
- 23rd December, 10am – Advent 4: Informal Inter-Generational Worship (Faith Inkubators) with Holy Communion, morning tea after.
- Christmas Eve, 7:30pm - Traditional Christmas Readings & Carols, with Holy Communion.
- Christmas Day, 9:30am – Informal Jesus’ Birthday Celebration (including birthday cake!), with quake-displaced Emmett Street Church.
- 30th December, 10am – Christmas 1: Contemporary Worship (without Holy Communion), morning tea after.
- 6th January, 10am – Epiphany: Traditional Liturgical Worship (without Holy Communion), morning tea after.
Mountainside Lutheran Church have an Allen Digital organ available to any parish/congregation in the LCNZ. Keith Duncan writes –
The Allen 225 in Mountainside is now surplus to the parish requirements. I have been asked to approach you to determine whether any other parish in the LCNZ would be interested in the Allen. Allen Digital Organ – MOS series 2, Model 225, manufactured 1981-82. Full 2 manual AGO console with moving stop tabs – 32 note pedal board.National Office Closed During Christmas / New Year
21st December – 8th January 2013 Office closed
21st December – 30th December President Mark on call
1st January – 8th January President Mark on leave – please call Vice President, Pastor John Davison on 07 8395768 during this time in emergencies
Ngā Mihi O Te Kirihimete
My wife Leanne, and children – Chelsea, Brittany and Charlotte, together with me, thank you all for your aroha and support throughout 2012. Many of you have been the means by which God’s love has come to life in our lives just when we needed it, and we thank you for that.
May Jesus – Saviour, friend of sinners, Son of God, Prince of peace, baby in a manger (etc.) – be Immanuel (God with you) now and throughout 2013.
Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete; Christmas greetings and blessings to you all, from the Five Welly Whitfields.
Me te aroha nui ki a koutou katoa; lots of love to you all.
+Mark
President – Lutheran Church of New Zealand / Te Hāhi Rūtana o Aotearoa
