Trinity Connections
Your Weekly Update - December 1, 2021
Watching and Waiting
Then Jesus told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.” (Luke 21: 29-31)
 
On Sunday, we celebrated the beginning of Advent. Advent is a time of waiting during which we prepare for the coming of Jesus, an event that happened over 2000 years ago, happens each day, and will be happen at the end of time. As I noted in my sermon, Advent is a strange season of the church year; a season that – if we take time to experience it fully – can help shape our faith and sense of hope, and deepen the meaning of Christmas.
 
Key Points
  • Advent is a season where our conceptions of time get a bit mixed up. Even as the rest of the world tells us it's already the Christmas season, Advent asks us to pause, to focus on the already and not yet of Christmas. We're waiting for what has already happened and looking back on what has yet to be.
  • Our reading from the Gospel of Luke starts Advent (and the new church year) off with a bang. Jesus, in Holy Week, is telling his friends and followers that great and terrible things are going to happen, and they should be able to read the signs, to know what may be coming. Jesus tells them to look to the past, to what they have seen and learned, what they know about how God works in the world, to be able to discern current events.
  • Jesus seems to be saying that when everything feels chaotic and out of control, when the patterns and ways of moving in the world no longer work or make sense, when the very ground underneath our feet seems unstable, that is when it is most important for us to look for where God is at work in the world.
  • In our reading, Jesus points to fig trees and other trees as an example of where his followers can see signs of things to come. When the world is in an upheaval and chaos seems to be everywhere, Jesus tells us to look for the promise held in the small buds of trees. Something that’s easy to overlook, to pass by without noticing.
  • Throughout this next year, we will be reminded that God’s reign doesn’t look like we expect it to, doesn’t show itself where we think it might, that God continues to surprise us. Revealed in the buds on a tree, in a wild man crying out in the wilderness, in meals shared and forgiveness extended.
  • As Christians, we hold onto the hope of everything being put to right one day, of God dwelling with us again. This hope that God has promised, the reign of God that is already and not yet here. In Advent we name and hold the tension between what is and what God has promised, we acknowledge that God’s time is not always our time, that we live in the messy middle, that our faith asks us to hold onto strange, mysterious things, and to trust that God that is, and was, and is to come.

For Your Reflection
  • Do you have rituals that help you pause, reflect, and grow in faith, hope and understanding during Advent?
  • If so, think about (and perhaps write down and share) how your Advent rituals have made the season more meaningful to you, and have helped you through the years.
  • If not, consider how you can begin an Advent ritual this year. Make or purchase an Advent wreath or Jesse Tree, read and reflect on an Advent devotional like this one from ELCA, this one from Kate Bowler, or begin the practice of lighting Advent candles.
 
May all our senses be open to receive the small signs of the presence of God in the busyness of our world today. May we feel and experience the hope of the work of God in our world. May we have the courage and strength to do our part of bringing God’s reign here to earth.
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Christmas Concert and Bake Sale Sunday!
Shepherd's Quarter will present the musical group's annual Christmas concert this coming Sunday, Dec. 5, at 6:30 p.m. in Trinity's sanctuary and on Trinity's YouTube channel. Freewill contributions and nonperishable food items will be accepted to benefit the Waupaca Area Food Pantry. Join us for great Christmas music! Before and after the concert, Trinity youth will sell baked goods in the Koinonia Room. All proceeds from the sale will go toward next summer’s 2022 ELCA Youth Gathering in Minneapolis.

We are asking for baked-good donations from Trinity’s members and families. Whether you are able to bring an assorted plate, a large dish, or individually wrapped sweets, all are appreciated! If you are interested in donating or have any questions please contact our church office. Thank you!
Christmas Gift Opportunities
Miracle Tree – For only one more day, the Miracle Tree is on display in the entryway and covered with stockings for ages of people in our area who currently have the greatest need. Monetary donations are being accepted as well. Please make checks payable to Miracle Tree. You may drop donations by the church office entryway today or tomorrow, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can brighten someone's Christmas this year! We will receive donations until tomorrow, Dec. 2.
Lutheran Social Services'

A new opportunity for Trinity this year! LSS has a long, rich history of serving the at-risk youth of Wisconsin through youth residential treatment centers featuring various programs that meet the needs of youth by way of residential treatment, including counseling and education. The organization is requesting gifts for 27 boys, ages 10-18. We will receive donations at Trinity until Thursday, Dec. 9.
  • Athletic shoes sizes 8-11
  • Snow boots sizes 8-11
  • Lego sets for ages 10+
  • Winter jackets/snow pants
  • Fishing gear
  • McDonald's gift cards
  • Sweatshirts
  • Remote-control cars
  • Watches
  • Nerf guns
  • PlayStation 4 games rated "E"
Trinity's Giving Tree

The trees outside Trinity's Badger Street entrance will again be adorned with items provided by church members that may be useful to others. Granola and breakfast bars, gift cards, socks, mittens gloves, small blankets, microwave popcorn, snacks, masks, lip balm, lotions, etc. should be placed in zippered bags, and volunteers will attach them to the trees as donations come in from now until Christmas Day. You can drop off donations at the church office.
Community Christmas Meal

Waupaca Community Christmas Dinner, sponsored by Waupaca Area Ministerial Association will be hosted by Saint Mary Magdalene Catholic Parish this year. Celebrate the coming of Jesus during the season of Advent! Saturday, December 18, 2021 the parish community will have a "to go" ham Dinner prepared for those in need.

Drive-thru pick up at N2845 Shadow Road, Waupaca, Wisconsin from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Please RSVP to St. Mary Magdalene Parish Office, (715)258-2088 by 12/11/21. If you do not have means to pick up a meal, other arrangements may be possible.
Tears and Tinsel Dec. 13
When we're grieving, the holidays aren't always merry and bright. Join the Grief Support Monday, Dec. 13 at 6pm in Trinity's Chapel for our annual Tears and Tinsel event. Tears and Tinsel is for anyone who is grieving or has experienced loss in their life. Come as you are to spend time with others who understand and hear from Kim Kraeger.
Help Trinity While You Shop for Others
Did you know that any time you shop on Amazon, you can support Trinity? You can make an impact while you shop on Black Friday and throughout the year. Simply click here before you shop, and Amazon will donate a half-percent of eligible purchases to Trinity at no cost to you.
Pray for Those Mourning Jim Olsen
Trinity grieves with the family and friends of longtime member Jim Olsen, who died Monday, Nov. 29, at age 83.
Private family services will be held later this week. Please hold those grieving Jim's loss in your prayers, that God might comfort them with the promise of resurrection in Christ.
You can click here to read the obituary for James E. Olsen from Maple Crest Funeral Home.
Help Rebuild in Louisiana on January Service Trip
Trinity is getting back to work with an adult service trip to start the new year! Participants will take the Trinity bus to Lake Charles, La., to help the Fuller Center for Housing rebuild the community, where Hurricanes Laura and Delta struck in 2020. Travelers will depart Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, and return Sunday, Jan. 9. The cost per volunteer is $100 to cover the Fuller Center Disaster ReBuilders’ fee for lodging and meals. Participants will also handle their own personal expenses during the trip. For more information, contact Mike Psenicka at (715) 340-4150 or Deb Psenicka at (715) 258-9204.
Discuss Bible Readings on Zoom With Pastor Mark

Join Pastor Mark Ziemer for a deeper look into the Bible readings for the upcoming Sunday. You can join weekly on Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom from wherever you may be by going to tiny.cc/SundayReadings.
Give the Gift of Blood Before Christmas
Trinity's next blood drive will be Thursday, Dec. 23, from 2:45 to 6 p.m. To schedule your donation, please call 800-280-4102. You may also click here, log in, select "Donate Now," and search for sponsor code WA07.
 
Thank you in advance for partnering with us to save lives! 
Masking Changes Coming Dec. 19
With vaccines now available to those age 5 and up, Trinity plans to make masks optional beginning Sunday, Dec. 19, at which point children ages 5-11 will have the opportunity to be fully vaccinated. Until then, we will require masking for all people age 4 and older while in the church building, and we'll still encourage masking thereafter, especially as the numbers of COVID-19 cases in Waupaca County have risen recently.

Last week, Trinity's Church Council approved a set of recommendations from the church's Health Committee, including the Dec. 19 masking change. Of note, once the change takes place:
  • A section of the sanctuary will be designated as a “masks required” area for worship services so that people who remain concerned about infection will have the option of sitting in an area where those surrounding them will be masked.
  • Certain church groups and classes may decide to continue requiring masks to protect participants who are immunocompromised.
  • Masks will be required at one of the three Christmas Eve services and optional for the other two. We'll provide more details on this, along with plans for spacing and singing at worship services, in the coming weeks.
  • Sharing coffee and food in the church building will still be on hold, to be considered in January.
  • People will be urged to contact the church if they or family members test positive for COVID-19 after taking part in in-person church activities. To the extent possible, church staff will notify those who had close contact with the infected person and advise them to be on the lookout for symptoms.

Although the Church Council could adjust this plan if public-health circumstances worsen significantly, we fully intend to make this step forward Dec. 19, once vaccination is available to people across the age spectrum. Trinity's pastors and Health Committee encourage those in our community to get the COVID-19 vaccine, the new booster, and the flu shot to protect themselves and others.

Trinity's leaders deeply appreciate your patience and cooperation with our congregation's protective policies. We continue to hold our church family, our surrounding area, and God's entire world in our prayers.
Find Devotions and Other At-Home Resources
Trinity's website has a wealth of material, including links to devotion sites, on the At-Home Resources page.
Worship in Person or at Home
Join us for worship in person at Trinity, 206 E. Badger St., Sundays at 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. with Sunday School at 9:30 a.m.; Wednesdays at 6:15 p.m.; and at 6 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month. Our current policy is for those ages 4 and older to wear masks inside the church building.

Those at risk for serious illness from COVID-19 are encouraged to continue worshiping online or via our radio broadcast. 

  • Video worship services are LIVE on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. on Trinity's YouTube channel.

  • You can listen to Trinity Time at 9:30 a.m. Sundays on Lakes 92.7 FM, WDUX.
Your Giving Matters
Please consider making your offerings to Trinity as follows:

  • In person: Offer your gifts as you enter the sanctuary for worship.

  • By mail: Send checks to Trinity Lutheran Church at 206 E. Badger St., Waupaca, WI 54981.

  • By drop-off: Deposit offerings in the secure box just inside the south door nearest the church office. The office is open Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

  • Online: Click the "Give Now" button below.
Trinity Lutheran Church, Waupaca, Wis.
715-258-7688