The First family enjoys a diverse mixture of ages, backgrounds, and talents, all unified by our common faith in the one Lord Jesus Christ. He is truly the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love.
There is a place for you here! Come and share God's good gifts! We are First in Christ - Sharing His Blessings. And we desire to share His blessings with you!
In Christ,
Pastor David Renfro
To hear and view the sermon from 4/17/2011 click here.
For other past sermons, children's messages, and recordings from our services click here.
Pastor's Message
(from the 1/1/2012 newsletter).
Dear First Family:
The strains of “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” have given way to “Joy to the World, the Lord Is Come”! We have made the transition from Advent to Christmas. Many thanks to all the people who worked so hard to provide meaningful and uplifting worship for the Wednesday evening Advent services and the Christmas Eve and Day services. Now we make another transition—from Christmas to Epiphany (January 6).
As Pastor Mark read the Gospel on Christmas Day, I was thinking how John has an interesting way of combining the Christmas and Epiphany themes:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men . . . The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world . . . The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth . . . From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ (John 1:1, 3–4, 9, 14, 16–17).
Four words come to mind: word, light, life, and grace.
Word: The Word of God active in creation . . . the Word of God spoken through the prophets . . . the Word of God which became flesh and blood in the person of Jesus Christ! That is the Christmas story: God’s Word of life and promise of new life for people marked by sin and death, God’s Word of life and promise of new life for us through this Babe of Bethlehem!
Life: Life that burst forth from chaos and darkness . . . Life that brought light and hope to people sitting hopelessly in the darkness of sin . . . Life that burst forth in and through Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life! That is the perfect transition between the Christmas and Epiphany stories: God’s life birthed in the Christ Child; God’s
life birthed in people through the Words of Jesus; God’s life birthed in us in Baptism!
Light: the true Light that shines in the darkness of this sinful world . . . the true Light that promises a new day . . . the true Light in which we see God’s glory: the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth! That is the Epiphany story: God’s Light shining through the life and words and works of Jesus; God’s Light shining His forgiving love on people dwelling in the darkness of sin and guilt and grief; God’s Light shining His forgiving love on us in Word and Sacrament!
Grace: the grace of God healing a broken world through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ . . . the grace of God comforting hopeless and grief-stricken people . . . the grace of God empowering His people to newness of life. That is the Epiphany story and beyond: God’s grace poured over us, forgiving us, renewing us, filling us with gifts and abilities; God’s grace overflowing our lives into the lives into the lives of all people as we share His love and grace!
Grant us grace to see Thee, Lord,
Present in Thy holy Word—
Grace to imitate Thee now
And be pure, as pure art Thou;
That we might become like Thee
At Thy great Epiphany,
And may praise Thee, ever blest,
God in man made manifest!
LSB 394:5
As we prepare to close out the year 2011 and “ring in” 2012, Jo Anne, Jordan and Bailey join me in wishing you and your family God’s richest blessings in the new year. We are thankful to be in your midst!
In Christ,
Pastor Dave Renfro
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“HOW DO I JOIN THE CHURCH?”
If you are interested in becoming a member of First Lutheran Church and you do not have a Lutheran background, we invite you to attend a class entitled Faith Renewal. Each week, for approximately 7 weeks, this class meets for about two hours and provides an overview of Lutheran teachings, as well as an introduction to the various activities and groups at First Lutheran.
If you are already Lutheran and would like to move your membership from your home church to First Lutheran, please contact the church office. You may also want to attend Faith Renewal, not only as a refresher course, but also as a way of making new friends and discovering other opportunities for Christian fellowship in the congregation.
If you have any questions, please email the church office, or the Pastor, or call the church office at 549-3311.
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