Dear Church Family,
Have you ever been personally invited to meet with someone who is famous or powerful? Perhaps it’s hard to imagine. But I think our initial reactions would all be similar. We’d wonder, “What should I wear? What should I do? What should I say? Is someone going to introduce me? Will they be ok if I ask to take a selfie with them?”
Now imagine that you’ve been invited into the glorious throne room of God—the Almighty, the Creator, the Most High, the Wholly Other. All of a sudden you’re probably not worried about taking a selfie, because you’re wondering whether it’s even possible to be in his presence.
But amazingly, it is possible! It is because we have someone who can prepare us to meet with God, who can introduce us to him, and who makes it possible for God to smile upon us so that we don’t need to fear his judgement. We have one who makes it possible to actually enjoy being in the presence of God! This person, of course, is Jesus—our Great High Priest. For centuries God’s people were waiting for him. We have only to wait until this weekend to welcome him in as we worship together.
So I look forward to again worshiping with you this weekend along with Pastor Caleb who is preaching! The church is beautifully decorated for Christmas this month and there’s a place in the room just for you. To attend in person this weekend whether on Saturday at 5:00 pm or Sunday at 9:30 am please register with this form ahead of time. To worship online with others simply click here to visit our livestreaming platform either on Saturday at 5:00 pm or Sunday at 9:30 am. Share our series promo video as a way to invite others.
DSKids: We invite all children ages 3 to 3rd grade to join us this Sunday for our in-person DSKids Sunday morning program. We will continue on our quest to find fantastic verses of the Bible from Bible heroes to bury deep in our hearts and learn Bible stories that tell us more about these verses. Simply stop by our DSKids table outside the church doors on your way into worship and we’ll get your child checked in and ready to join us. See you Sunday!
Miracle of Jesus Family Event – We invite all families with children ages 3 years to 5th grade to a fun, free Christmas event on Saturday, Dec. 12th called the The Miracle of Jesus! You and your family will be transported back in time to the town of Bethlehem to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus! On your journey you will hear about the truly incredible things this miracle baby has done. Activities will begin at 9:30 am. Come explore Bethlehem with us in this multi-sensory event for the whole family! To see more details about our Covid-safe precautions and to register, click here.
Outdoor Christmas Decorating Contest – Share our church with our community and have lots of fun as you do it! Our Fellowship Team is challenging you to decorate the outside of your home and place one of our DSC yard signs as part of your decor. The top 3 people with the most likes will receive prizes! (First prize = 1 Alcatel 10″ tablet; 2nd and 3rd prizes = $20 restaurant gift certificates) 1. Take a photo and post it on social media (Facebook = @divinesaviorchurchdoral; Instagram = @dscdoral) 2. AND Send us a private message on Facebook or Instagram with your photo.
Advent Devotions from Martin Luther College: As one small expression of thanks, our 2020 Advent devotion book The Jesse Tree is our gift to you this Christmas. Please visit our MLC’s seasonal devotions page where you can read the devotions online, order a print version, or sign up to have them sent to you daily during Advent.
Women’s Advent Daily Devotions – Take a few moments each day and stay close to Jesus this Advent season.
Click here to get them delivered to your inbox each day. Each devotion is written by your sisters in Christ (WELS Women’s Ministry) and built on Scripture, giving different perspectives of the account of Christ’s birth. Stop for just a moment to receive the peace and strength that only God’s Word can bring.
Marriage Moments are short, weekly videos highlighting one Biblical marriage thought accompanied by a discussion question. Click here to watch this week’s episode – Made to Be Different. Produced by our national church body, the WELS.
DSC on YouTube: Watch past messages, worship services on-demand, and other Christ-centered content on our church YouTube channel. Subscribe and share with others! To watch DSA chapel services visit our chapel YouTube channel.
Divine Savior Academy YouTube Channel: Our soccer and basketball teams begin competition this week. Sunday afternoon at 3:00 pm there will be a choir and band concert. Click here to visit and subscribe to our academy’s channel where you can find any and all livestreamed events!
Worship Attendance – Here’s a snapshot of last weekend’s attendance: 109 worshiped in-person (57 on Saturday and 52 on Sunday) | 30 devices watched live via our church online platform | 40 views on-demand via our YouTube channel
Weekly Offerings: Last week: $7,613.77 | Needed weekly to meet FY ’20-’21 budget: $9,106.96 | YTD per week: $8,663.09 | Month of November per week: $8,739.97
Online Giving: Giving online is easier than ever to do. Simply click this link to go to our secure giving page.
Weekend Playlist – Let The Earth Now Praise the Lord CW 28 | Let All Together Praise Our God CW 41 | Jesus Paid It All
Changing Lives with Jesus,
Pastor Ben
