January 2 – January 9

Dear friends at Christ,
Our December days give way to January and Epiphany.  It’s time to declare again that Christ has come to be the Light of the entire world!  It’s time to rededicate ourselves to our mission as a congregation, our mission out into our community, and our mission to the ends of the earth!  The New Year is here, who has God placed on your heart to pray for?  Have you greeted a visitor on Sunday morning?  How have you begun to “Extend Jesus care and grace to others”?  We as a congregation will seek to be asking similar questions as we attempt to be more intentional in being a healthy gathering place for God’s people.  Let January be a month to “Let Your Light Shine!”

Financial Peace University is a 13-week, life changing program on personal finance.  It is designed to empower people to manage their money better, eliminate debt and build wealth.  All material is Biblically based and taught via entertaining video by Dave Ramsey.  Find out more by attending a “Free Orientation Session” Sunday, January 11, 11:30am or Thursday, January 15, 7pm.  Classes will be held on Thursday evenings at 7pm and will begin Thursday, January 22, 2009.  For more information, or to reserve your spot, contact Christy Harder at 303-722-1424 or sign up in the church hallway.

 A new year, A new you!

Beginning January 12, 2009, Christ Lutheran Church will be offering fitness classes in the fellowship hall. 
The classes will be offered Monday and Wednesday evenings, 6:30pm;
and Saturday mornings, 8:30am.
Sign-up on the bulletin board in the church hallway!

Scripture readings for this sunday:
Jeremiah 31:7-14; Ephesians 1:3-14; John 1:1-18

They tell a story about Saint Peter. He was taking a visitor to the next world on a tour. First they came to hell. It was like a big dining room with long tables all loaded with food. And still, everyone seemed skinny and half starved. They had a special way of eating here in hell: each one had a spoon with a handle which was two meters long. Now when the guest visited heaven he noticed that they had the same system of eating in their dining room. But here everyone seemed well fed. Noticing this, the visitor asked Saint Peter for the reason. "Well," he explained, "did you notice that in hell everyone tried to feed himself with that long spoon? Well, no one can reach his mouth, and so they are all starving. But in heaven everyone feeds everyone else with those long spoons. And so, everything goes just fine.
This is a good example of Christianity in practice. We think of the other person first and of ourselves, last.

More Bulletin Bloopers
These are ACTUAL announcements from church bulletins:
11. The outreach committee has enlisted 25 visitors to make calls on people who are not afflicted with any church.
12. The Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10. All ladies are invited to lunch in the fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.
13. Evening Massage—6 p.m.
14. The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday morning.
15. The audience is asked to remain seated until the end of the recession.
16. Low Self-Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 to 8:30 p.m. Please use the back door.
17. Ushers will eat latecomers.
18. The third verse of Blessed Assurance will be sung without musical accomplishment.
19. For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
20. The Rev. Merriwether spoke briefly, much to the delight of the audience.