Announcements
St. Peter’s Cookie Walk
The Tanzania Mission Committee of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, 10 Delp Road, Lancaster, welcomes you back to its 14th Cookie Walk on Saturday, December 11, from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon (or until cookies are sold out).
Purchase a large container for $15 and fill it with a variety of homemade holiday cookies. Proceeds benefit the orphans of Busoka Lutheran Church, St. Peter’s companion congregation in Tanzania. This year’s event will be held in the church’s Family Life Center to allow for social distancing. Masks are required for all participants.
Decorating the Church for Christmas!
Fun for the entire family!
Join us on Sunday, December 19 following the late service for a lite lunch and to decorate the Nave and Narthex. There will be trees to decorate, swags to hang, window sills to festoon! All are welcome!
McCaskey Vocal Ensamble and Chamber Choir
Please join the McCaskey Vocal Ensemble and Chamber Choir Friday, December 10 at 7 pm for our annual Winter Concert. We will be performing pieces of various styles and composers such as Aaron Copland, Craig Hella Johnson, Rosephanye Powell and more!
We are excited to perform in the community again and are grateful for Grace Lutheran Church for hosting us this holiday season! William C. Broaddus | Director of Choirs
Poinsettia Orders
Poinsettia orders are due Tuesday, Dec. 21st
Plants are $10.00 each.
Play Practice
Play Practice – Saturday, December 18th
10:00 a.m. in Nolt Auditorium
Advent 2021 at Grace
The Grace Advent Fair is Back!
Sunday December 5th in Nolt Auditorium following the 10:30 service! Lunch will be served first, at noon in Fellowship Hall. Sandwiches and beverages will be provided. Last name starts with A-N: Please bring a salad. Or, O-Z: Please bring a dessert.
Advent Devotionals & Calendars
This year for Advent we are inviting our adult parishioners to use the ELCA World Hunger Advent devotional. This devotional has four units with writings based on lectionary readings and World Hunger initiatives. We also have Advent calendars from World Hunger that pair nicely with the World Hunger Advent devotional. For our kiddos, we have a build your own Advent wreath.
You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram for daily Advent ponderings. You can pick your materials up in the Narthex beginning this Sunday. If you have any questions please reach out to Angie Rabbe (graceelcaapd@gmail.com).
Good Gifts 2021
Good Gifts make great gifts for that person that’s hard to buy for. Good Gifts make great gifts for that person that says they don’t need anything this year. Good Gifts make great gifts for everyone. If you are still searching for your tie to bind you to Grace or are looking for another tie to bind you to Grace, perhaps Good Gifts could be your tie.
Once you decide to purchase Good Gifts, please write a check payable to Grace Lutheran Church with Good Gifts in the memo line. You can find the prices for these great Good Gifts on the Good Gifts tree located in the narthex, on the Good Gifts bulletin insert, and on the Good Gifts website (https://goodgifts.elca.org/). If you have any questions about Good Gifts, please contact Angie at graceelcaapd@gmail.com.
As we at Grace join the catholic church in awaiting the dawn, may we prayerfully discern the ways in which we as individuals, a congregation, and denomination, and the body of Christ release our hopeful lights into our dark world.
Yours in Advent hope,
The Board of Ministries (Brenda Hayasaka, Kathryn Verkouw, and Angie Rabbe)
Christmas Eve At Grace
Friday, December 24 – 4:00 p.m. Prayerful Eucharist
Our increasingly popular early service. All the Christmas basics – Scripture, Carols & Pastor’s Christmas Sermon – with some musical gems as well.
Friday, December 24 – 7:00 p.m. Holy Communion Family Service
Music and drama with the children bringing the Christmas message.
Friday, December 24 – 10:00 p.m. Holy Communion Festival Worship – Prelude begins at 9:30 pm
One of Lancaster’s finest volunteer choirs leads our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for the Incarnation of our Lord. A musical feast in the great tradition of Christmas praise from ancient to modern works by the Grace Choir, Gloria Bell Choir, Chamber Orchestra, and Brass Quintet. The service concludes with choir and congregation singing Handel’s “Hallelujah” chorus.
Christmas Eve Musicians
We again invite young musicians to play in the prelude music for the 7:00 pm Christmas Eve service. Ask your “young musician” NOW about doing this so there is time to prepare a piece. We prefer pieces based on familiar carol tunes. This is a great way for children to “give back” and give glory to God. Please call David or Vicki in the office: 397-2748.
Dec. 5, 2021 (2ndSunday of Advent, Year C)
Philippians 1:9-11 –And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
Love is the theme for the Second Sunday in Advent. When we cultivate love in our lives as steward/disciples, it does overflow and guide our lives on the paths of strength and joy.
Creation Care
Even if you don’t have a sunny windowsill, you can also grow greens and sprouts inside. Microgreens are not only a welcome taste of freshness in winter, they’re incredibly nutrient-dense. Growing sprouts is easy and fun and lets you eat freshly grown food all year round. Read more here
We are still collecting caps for the Earth Savers Club at Central York High School. If you would like to help—drop off your clean/label free caps to the church office!
Thank you for helping to protect our planet!
gracelutheranchurch.com 