Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Many of us as children had the joyful experience of making Valentine cards for our loved ones. With red, pink and white paper, scissors, crayons and paste or glue, we created valentines that said, “I love you.” Many of these received a special place of honor by being stuck with a magnet to the kitchen refrigerator.
God doesn’t normally make His valentines with paper, scissors, paste, and glue. Instead, God shows His care for us in the beauty of a winter sunrise. God shows his care for us in the food He places on our tables, and the roof He places over our heads. God shows His love for us in giving us people in our lives to care for and to love.
A paper valentine can tell you about God’s love. But God showed His love for each person in this world by rescuing us from sin, death, the devil and hell through the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus.
Each of us by nature is lost in sin, fallen, and broken. We experience some of this brokenness in the ups and downs and trials of life. While we may know the experience of being loved, we may also know the experience of being heartbroken and alone. In the fullness of time God sent us Jesus, His dear Son. Jesus was a human being in every respect, just as we are. Jesus experienced hunger, thirst, weariness, grief, and joy. Jesus, the Bible tells us, “bore our griefs, and carried our sorrows.” Isaiah 53:4.
The only way Jesus was not like us is that Jesus never sinned. As a human being, Jesus lived a perfect life in our place. As God’s Son, Jesus also served as the perfect sacrifice for our sin. Jesus suffered on the cross for all our sins in our place. He suffered God’s anger at all sin for all time. Jesus even knew what it was like to be abandoned by God. Jesus, the Lamb of God, suffered and died for us. Jesus’ death gives us peace with God. Jesus’ life gives us the sure hope of eternal life.
God raised Jesus from death on Easter morning. For Jesus’ sake, God forgives us all our sins and calls us His own dear children. God’s Word tells us: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
God shares His life with us in His Word, in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, and in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. God’s Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts to believe and trust God’s Word and promises.
As dearly loved children of God, God’s Holy Spirit helps us. We begin to love others with a love that mirrors and shares God’s love. We’re not perfect at it. We fail and falter in many ways. But God constantly forgives us for Jesus’ sake. God’s Holy Spirit helps us every step of the way. “We love,” the Bible tells us, “because God first loved us.”
God’s Valentine, Jesus, His Son, lives in our hearts by the faith God creates. A paper valentine may last but a moment. God’s love for us in Jesus lasts forever.
In Christ,
Pastor Holsten
We rejoice in God’s love in Jesus as we worship and serve God at St. Paul’s in this month of February. One special event taking place at St. Paul’s in February is our Quilting Sunday, which will take place on February 17 at 10 AM. Another special event this month is our Grief Support Tea and Lunch with Donna Bott. This will take place in St. Paul’s Koepchen Fellowship Hall on Sunday, February 24 at noon.
Notes from Pastor
My wife, family and I would like to thank the members and friends of St. Paul’s for your love, sympathy, presence, cards, care and gifts shared on the passing my father, William P. Holsten. Everything you did helped bring comfort and encouragement in our time of sadness and grief. We look forward to seeing my Dad when we get to heaven. We look forward to the resurrection of all God’s people on the Last Day.
St. Paul’s own Katy Holsten will play trumpet as the featured soloist in the next Waldwick Community Band Concert. This concert will take place at 2:30 PM on Saturday, February 2, 2019 at the Village School, 100 West Prospect Street in Waldwick, New Jersey (07643). Admission to the concert is free!
Congratulations to Michael and Liz Boede. Liz gave birth to their second daughter, Charlotte Jo Boede, on December 23. Congratulations also to Charlotte’s big sister Isabella. The Boedes live in West New York.
The election results are in!
St. Paul’s members and friends will “feed the pig” to help Lutheran World Relief purchase a herd of 13 animals: two goats, two sheep, two piglets, one hen and sixteen chicks. These animals will be shared with families in need by Lutheran World Relief. Bring your spare change or other offering—our silver piggy bank will be in the Narthex from February 1 through February 28.
CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING
ELDERS
- Met on January 3, 2019
- Reviewed Pastor’s report
- Set schedule for upcoming month
- Next meeting February 5
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
- Sunday School Christmas worship service was a huge success. Thanks to all who helped
- Max Lucado’s “Unshakable Hope” Bible study will begin a week from this Thursday at 10:00 a.m. and continue for six weeks
- Also planning on a four-week Lenten bible study to begin the week after Ash Wednesday.
MISSIONS & EVANGELISM
- Meeting tomorrow to set mission schedule
- January mission will be Mile Square Mission Church. They have reached their $15,000 goal for worship startup costs..
- Pastor Lytikainen will preach on January 27.
CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
- Served at the Santa Breakfast on December 15.
PROPERTY
- Set up Christmas trees; Gerrie Oliver helped decorate church tree.
- Painted steps in Narthex
- Taking down Christmas decorations
- Problem with carillon…outside speakers were buzzing. Roy disconnected them and will research repair.
- Received a gift from Alanon group
STEWARDSHIP
- Went to Bergen County nursing home in December to celebrate Christmas and gave them manger snow globes and snacks
- Will go again next Tuesday. Our theme: “Jesus Loves You Snow Much.”
OLD BUSINESS
Constitution – no new additions or corrections have been received. Discuss next month so that it will be ready and available for presentation at May Congregational meeting.
Synodical Officers Nominations
- President: Matthew C. Harrison and David Maier
- First Vice President: Herbert C. Mueller and Timothy Klinkenberg
- Regional Vice President: Deric Taylor and John Pingel
MSC by Donna Munsch/Janice Pierro to present the above-named as our nominations.
NEW BUSINESS
- Email received from Rev. John Lee of Disciple Church requesting shared use of our facilities. Discussion followed and our council decided to decline this request but to pass on information on a church in Harrington Park that is looking to share their facilities.
FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS
| 1 | Ryan Vreeland |
| 4 | Kristen Petry, Anna Zulli |
| 6 | Betty Bujas, Daniel Riecken |
| 7 | Matthew Koltermann, Russell Muller |
| 9 | Julie Keseday |
| 10 | Zabelle Keil (93) |
| 11 | Garret Henshaw |
| 12 | Sydney Zulli |
| 13 | Jessica Costeniuc, |
| 16 | JoAnn Koltermann, Zachary Schneider, Konrad Wiederholz |
| 23 | Eileen Huening |
| 24 | Lois Lake |
| 26 | Michael DiFabio, Terry Mertens |
| 27 | Cindy Doran |
| 28 | Terry Keil |
LADIES AID
The next ladies aid meeting will be held on Thursday, March 14 at 1 PM in Koepchen Fellowship Hall. At our last meeting we voted to meet every other month. We will continue to host our annual luncheon in June and our annual Christmas luncheon in December. All women are welcome to join us at our next meeting!
Janice Pierro, President
ALTAR FLOWERS
Altar flower dates not yet taken:
March 3
May 26
June 9, 16, 23, 30
July 14, 28
August 4, 11
September 22, 29
October 13, 27
November 3, 17, 24
December 1, 15, 29
NEW LENTEN BIBLE STUDY
Plan to join us in the second half of March for a Lenten Bible Study. This study will be based on Max Lucado’s book He Chose the Nails: What God Did to Win Your Heart. Our Bible study begins on Thursday mornings at 10 AM. The first day of our Bible study will be Thursday, March 21. We meet in St. Paul’s conference room. Donna Munsch will lead this Bible study. Pastor Holsten helps us get started each week with a song and a prayer.
Every gift from God reveals His love, but no gift reveals God’s love more than the gift of the cross. During this holy season, we will take time to remember God’s love and grace. We will do so as we ponder Christ’s Passion. Our focus will be on the nails, the crown of thorns, the robe, the empty tomb, and Jesus’ resurrection.
To God be the glory. Hope to see you there.
Please join us in St. Paul’s Conference Room on Thursday mornings at 10 as we continue our February Bible Study. This study is based on Max Lucado’s book, Unshakable Hope.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.