This Past Sunday at St. Thomas—Last Sunday of the Church Year
Believers of St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church,
This past Sunday was...
+ The Last Sunday of the Church Year +
Join us this Sunday for the Divine Service at 9:00am and Family Catechesis at 10:30am
RESOURCES FOR HOUSEHOLD PRAYERS THIS WEEK
Our Around the Word Devotions and Family Catechesis Sheet are always available during Family Catechesis. Digital copies of these as well as more notes from Family Catechesis can be found by clicking here!
The Readings for this past Sunday: Isaiah 65:17-25; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:1-13
Our Hymn of the Day for this past Sunday: Wake, Awake, For Night Is Flying, LSB 516
By Faith We Are Prepared for Christ’s Return
“The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:1–11). The arrival of the bridegroom will be sudden and unexpected. Therefore you are to be watchful and ready like the five wise virgins. “For you know neither the day nor the hour” when the Son of Man is to return. (Matt. 25:1–13). The lamps are the Word of Christ. The oil in the lamps is the Holy Spirit, who works through the Word to create and sustain the flame of faith in Christ. The foolish are those who do not give proper attention to the working of the Holy Spirit in baptism, preaching, and the supper, and so their faith does not endure. The wise, however, are those who diligently attend to these gifts of the Spirit, and who therefore have an abundance of oil. The flame of faith endures to the end. By God’s grace they are received into the eternal wedding feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, the new heavens and the new earth created by the Lord for the joy of His people (Is. 65:17–25)
Prayer for the Last Sunday of the Church Year
Lord Jesus Christ, just as all the virgins in Your parable slumbered and slept while the Bridegroom delayed, so also do we in our flesh and blood fall into weakness, distraction, and the sleep of sins. Though outwardly we carry lamps as those who belong to Your Church, inwardly we are often weighed down with self-will, blindness, and delusions that draw us away from You. But You, O faithful Savior, we miserable hearts call upon today: awaken us by Your grace, fill us with the oil of true and saving faith, and let us be found by You alert and ready at Your appearing. Yea, grant by grace that we may joyfully behold You and Your elect in Your kingdom and brightness with eternal dwelling, that we may be known to them and thus appear in the city of the living God, in heavenly Jerusalem, with the multitude of the many thousands of angels and the communion of the firstborn, who are recorded in heaven, unto Your praise and honor; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen.
STEWARDSHIP THOUGHTS | From LCMS Stewardship Ministry
Matthew 25:2 – “Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.” A truly wise man, as Jesus once said, builds on the Word of Jesus. There is no other foundation which will stand. Any other path is a foolish one. His Word leads to life, and to depart from His Word leads to death. Clinging to His Word, we know we have His blessing.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
MILITARY CARE PACKAGE The Youth Education Committee is coordinating the collection of a care package for our military! A friend of Pastor Lacey’s is a chaplain in the Army, so we will be sending our contributions to him for distribution to soldiers currently stationed in the Middle East. If you’d like to contribute, please pick up a list of suggested items on the back table in the chapel. A particular request is cards. Our Beginning Catechesis students will be making cards to include in the package, but cards are welcome from anyone! Please bring your contributions to church by November 30. A collection bin will be in the back of the chapel each Sunday.
DECEMBER CALENDAR A fridge-worthy monthly calendar is available on the table at the back of the chapel – pick one up to keep up with this month’s events!
FIRST COMMUNION CLASS for preparation to receive the Rite of First Communion Prior to Confirmation will begin in January. If you’d like your child(ren) to participate, please see Pastor Lacey. Children will be expected to recite the Primary Texts that we recite before Catechesis each week as a “precursor” to the class.
BREAKFAST FOR SALE The senior youth will be selling either breakfast tacos or kolaches each week in the narthex for $2 each to help raise funds for their annual Higher Things trip. Thank you for your continued support!
YOUTH NIGHT will not be held during Advent/Christmas. We look forward to meeting again in January!
EVENTS
ADVENT GATHERINGS This Advent, St. Thomas will gather for Evening Prayer, potluck soups, and Family Catechesis in members’ homes each Thursday at 6:00 PM. Our theme is “The Time Is Near: Redeeming the Days Before Christ’s Advent” (Ephesians 5:15–16). Each week we’ll pray, sing, and study together as we prepare for the coming of our Lord. The gatherings will be held at the Winoske home in Tomball (Dec. 4), the Spannagel home in Conroe (Dec. 11), and the Arnold home in Magnolia (Dec. 18). A sign-up genius will be sent out from the church office soon to coordinate the soups and fixins, so please keep an eye out for that!
Blessings,
Pastor Lacey
For more about who we are and what we believe, visit the St. Thomas homepage.
