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There will NOT be worship at St. Jacob's facility on August 25th. Instead, everyone is invited to join us for a picnic and celebration of the Bluegrass Mass at Bridgewater Park beginning at 11:00 am on Sunday, August 25, 2019. Musicians are welcome to bring their instruments and join in. After worship a pot luck picnic will be served. There will be plenty of food; but you are welcome to bring a dish. Some tables will be available; but it is suggested that you bring a folding chair. Come all!

The funeral service for Eilene Meyerhoeffer who passed away July 17, will be held at 11:00 AM at St. Jacob's (Spaders) Lutheran Church on Saturday, July 20, 2019. Following the service there will be a gathering at the St. Jacob's (Spaders) Lutheran Church Community Center. Visitation is Thursday from 6-8pm at Johnson's in Bridgewater.

Announcements and Stories Shared from Around the Virginia Synod https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Weekly-Update-From-the-Virginia-Synod.html?soid=1101896013264&aid=LmGBXH64nUw

An interesting read: What does the Third Commandment have to do with politics? https://www.richmond.com/opinion/their-opinion/william-c-mims-column-what-does-the-third-commandment-have/article_a236fd44-81d3-5a70-933a-106ca55c8014.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share

VBS at Keezletown United Methodist Church info and registration form. June 17-21.

A message to all: Greetings from south-central PA. Thank you for your generous welcome to St. Jacob’s last Sunday. A delight to worship and catch-up on news. Lunch was a welcomed surprise. Peace, Ray Hatcher

Valley Area Network for Immigrant Transportation Assistance

Contact Pr. Nabers for more details on these summer youth activities.

This Sunday June 2... Bring a guest to worship! After the worship service, we will gather in the Community Center. You do not need to bring any food...the evangelism committee will have a sandwich bar set up so there is no need to bring anything except yourself and of course a guest! There will be games...checkers, card games, croquet, corn hole (weather permitting) and more! Enjoy good food, fun and fellowship until 3:30.

Here are some pictures of the paving at our parking lot! Looking good!

Click this link for info about this tour of Alpine Europe that among others, includes stops in Germany and attending the Passion Play of Oberammergau in July 2020. The link will open a PDF with additional details. http://spaderslutheran.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/AlpineEuropetour.pdf

Here are some announcements for this week and for upcoming events: LENTEN SCHEDULE Wednesday evening Lenten services at Keezletown Methodist Church, meal at 6:30 PM and presentation at 7:00 PM. Maundy Thursday service at St. Jacob’s at 7:00 PM on April 18, 2019. Good Friday service at Trinity at 7:00 PM on April 19, 2019. Easter Sunday - Worship at 11:00 AM FOOD PANTRY Please remember to contribute food each month. Our food is donated to the Grottoes Food Pantry and the need for food is rising. On the 4th Sunday of each month. Pastor will have prayer to bless the food for use by those in need. Donations can be brought any Sunday.

Worship and Adult Sunday School are canceled for Sunday, March 3. We hope to see you on Ash Wednesday at Trinity at 7 pm.

Due to the weather, there will be no worship service tomorrow, January 13th. Also note that the council meeting has been postponed until January 20th. Everyone stay safe and warm!

A very Merry Christmas to one and all! Outside my window in Basye the light of the day is beginning to fade as the evening begins to approach. I am sending this before sundown and the start of the twelve-day Christmas Season because I will be on the go by the time the sun sets. The weather is in the lower 40s which is a lot better than the 70s of three years ago. Fortunately, Bryce Resort has been able to make snow and is almost totally open for skiing so there is a White Christmas there. But Christmas is not about the weather, the snow or even about how we feel. It is about how God feels about us. There was a billboard advertisement campaign a few years ago. It featured the voice of God from the heavens saying "Don't make me come down there!" like a parent scolding a child. It was cute and made you think. But from a theological ("God talk") perspective it was totally wrong. God had come down. First through the law and prophets and finally in these last days (2,000 years ago) through the Son (Hebrews) the message each time was about God's love. In Jesus God is not condemning but hugging the whole creation to himself. He has come down, is with us and will come again with love and mercy. This is what we celebrate in this season The Christmas message of incarnation, Emanuel - "God with us." So even if this year does not fit our Christmas ideal it is ideal to God because he gets to love us and live with us. I especially appreciate those whom God has sent to be his presence in my life. The light shining in the darkness takes on a great meaning this and every year. I hope you will appreciate and make time for those whom God has sent into your life. Join me in seeking out the Christ child in the faces of all those we will encounter but have not yet known. Well, the daylight for this day will soon come to an end. I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas! The twelve-day celebration of Christmas begins! Let us rejoice and celebrate! I pray your families are well and your hearts are filled with love. I pray for this good creation that our Savior loved and came down to live in, and die for. May all our holiday journeys be safe and our homecomings joyful. It has been a difficult year for many in our world and much fear and anxiety remains. Sounds like a description of the world on that first Christmas when God choose to be born among an occupied and fearful people unsure of their future. Jesus brought hope to that time and he is bringing HOPE among us. I hope you will join me as we celebrate God wrapping his arms around the world by being wrapped in swaddling cloths and being laid in a Bethlehem manger. Emanuel = God with us. Merry Christmas 2018 AD! The Lord has come down. He is among us. Look into the eyes of any baby. Look around with eyes, hearts and minds wide open; and rejoice! Bill Nabers

Merry Christmas!

A blessed Katie day! +Katharina von Bora Luther, 1552, Renewer of the Church+ “I will cling to Christ like a burr to a dress.” —Katharina’s last recorded words December 20th marks the commemoration of Katharina. Though her family was noble they had lost most of their finances. Katie was 'given' to the nunnery called Nimbschen (near Grimma, Germany) before she was 10 years old. She was well educated and was a respected manager being in charge of finances. She was also known for brewing a great beer. We do not know when she first met Martin Luther as he traveled throughout the region as a monk in charge of the region for his order. Katie and a number of nuns heard about the Reformation and were smuggled out of the nunnery at risk of life and taken to Wittenberg. Luther managed to marry off all but Katie who would not take just anybody. Finally, she settled on Luther and he relented. We do not know how romantic their initial relationship was but they became very close over time. Theirs was a more modern marriage with mutual respect and sharing of duties. Martin called Katie his rib because he did not know what he would have done without her. She took care of finances, cooking, brewing beer, shared raising children and she ran the whole household. Martin Luther also called her "Herr Katie." The term “Herr” was reserved for males. He also invited her to participate in theological debates after supper with the male faculty. He enjoyed that they were ticked off that a woman could more than hold her own intellectually with them. They were partners and helpers to each other. When Luther died, he left all his material belongings to Katie though that was not legal then. That caused quite a stir in the 16th century. After Martin's death in 1546 things got much harder for Katie. She had to flee Wittenberg to Torgau, where the Herr Katie Brewhaus is still serving very, very good beer to this day. She suffered a series of personal challenges but her faith did not waver as her last words indicated. When I think of Katharina von Bora Luther, I am reminded of the bold and strong women of faith in my own life. Friends named Katie, but especially three Lutheran women in my life. My mother, Rosella, my wife, June, and my sister-in-law, Mary. I hope this Katie day will remind you of bold and strong women in your life. Pr. Bill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6prOmaJ9J1Y&feature=youtu.be

I hope you had a joyful St. Nicholas Day. Yes, the real Nicholas. He was a Bishop in Myra, Turkey, who was involved in the debates over the Trinity, fighting, supposedly literally, for the divinity of Jesus Christ. If you want to sort out the fake Santas just ask them a trinitarian theological question. Nick was also known for his act of kindness toward sailors, virgins and children, especially poor children, basically he stood for and with the powerless in society. The latter developed into a variety of traditions of gift giving. In some countries December 6, or the eve on the night of the 5th, is the time for gifts for children. In some of these places the children leave shoes outside the doors for St. Nicholas to fill. As these stories were transplanted to other cultures St. Nicholas gained indigenous features. Eventually the bishop, with a beard and in red clothing in the Eastern Christian tradition, started wearing winter clothes and ended up in the far north. Other names based on Saint Nicholas were added, such as Sinter Claus, Santa Claus, Father Christmas, and St. Nick. Much of the current description of Santa Claus was finalized in the 19th Century's "Night Before Christmas" and the 20th Century's Coke ads…younger folks, ask your parents. The traditions of Nicholas are an interesting combination of faith and love in action. His kindness to the powerless in his society is a helpful correction to the mass media frenzy of our societal holiday season. A focus on giving, not receiving, is always helpful. Besides that, his date of commemoration is exactly one month before the end of the Christmas season with the Day of Epiphany, Visit of the Magi, on January 6. For me, this is the time I turn on my outside lights and begin my preparations for the coming holiday, while still keeping my Advent watch with anticipation. So if you find this helpful, put out your Santa figures, turn on your lights and remember a man known for faith and caring. Follow his example. HO! HO! HO! - indeed! Blessings, Bill

The beautiful view looking southwest from our new community center back porch. Thanks to Don Coffey for sharing the picture.