Happy New CHURCH Year!

This week marks the beginning of Advent, the first season of the church year. Advent — which is from the Latin word for “coming” — helps us prepare our hearts for the celebration of Jesus’ birth.

Family traditions surrounding Christmas are plentiful. Trimming the tree, baking Christmas cookies, and gathering with family and friends are wonderful activities that help us focus on the celebration. But what about other traditions that help us count down to the celebration of our Savior’s birth?

As a child, I remember having an Advent wreath on our dining room table. Each night after dinner we would gather for an Advent devotion. My two sisters and I would take part by lighting the candles, reading the devotion, or blowing out the candles afterwards. Memories were made and traditions were established as we turned our focus toward celebrating the birth of Christ.

To access more information about how to make and use Advent Wreaths, check out Sharing Jesus’ Love in Action — Making an Advent Wreath on the LWML website.

Deaconess Betty Knapp

Vice President of Special Focus Ministries
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

View past messages

Eat, Drink, and be Thankful!

giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20).

I have a kitchen towel that I set out as I decorate every Autumn. It says “Eat, Drink, and be Thankful.” If the towel had decorative accents other than Fall-colored leaves, I would keep it out all year round. Since we eat and drink throughout each day and not only on Thanksgiving, the towel would be a constant reminder to give thanks always for all the blessings God bestows on us.

There is an LWML Bible study, “Always Thankful” that encourages us to give thanks no matter the situation. Download this resource as your reminder to always give thanks for everything that God provides and especially for the gift of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Thank You, Lord!

Kathy Pavelock

Vice President of Communication 
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

View past messages

Giving Thanks!

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! (Psalm 106:1).

Thanksgiving is next Thursday! We are so thankful to God for giving us His Son, so we can have eternal life, and we thank God for that gift every day. Let us also remember to thank those around us: our pastor, our church workers, and those who have helped and encouraged us. Show your appreciation by taking advantage of the different printables that LWML has available online for you to download. You can thank your pastor for his service using the Pastor Appreciation Card. Use the Thanksgiving bookmarks or notecards and write a note of thanks on the back. Check out other printables throughout the year.

What a great opportunity to take time to give thanks to God and to each other! Happy Thanksgiving!

Marie Chow

Vice President of Organizational Resources
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

View past messages

Encourage and Serve One Another

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing (1 Thessalonians 5:10).

November is the time of year when we take stock of the things for which we are thankful — the harvest, our ability to worship freely, good health, our families and friends. Praise God for these blessings!

However, some years we may find it more difficult to be thankful. Maybe we are dealing with a physical ailment, a broken relationship, the loss of a loved one, or loneliness.

As Lutheran Women in Mission, we state in our LWML Pledge that we consecrate to our Savior our hands to work for Him, our feet to go on His errands, and our lips to proclaim His redeeming love. One way to share His redeeming love is to encourage and build up one another. We can do this through the service activities found on the website. When we encourage and serve others our focus turns to others and provides us opportunities to be thankful once again.

Michelle Jenks

Strategic Plan Facilitator
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

View past messages

Productivity

Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established (Proverbs 16:3).

Like many of you, I strive to be more productive. I love learning new tips and methods to help me manage my time. As I reflect on many of those, I realize that many tips, seminars, planners, and other tools really are what could be called “work-productivity” and not a “grace and faith-based productivity.”

What does “grace and faith-based productivity” look like? For me, it means ignoring all the noise and distractions in our world that compete for my time. It means starting and ending my day in God’s Word and prayer. I have been reminded that God doesn’t expect me to finish my to-do list before I die. If it’s on His list, he will complete it with or without me. And like Jesus, we must take time for solitude — rest and listen to God’s voice.

You can start and end your day with Bible studies and devotions that can be found under “The Word” tab at lwml.org.

Karla Koehler

Treasurer
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

View past messages

Saints Equipped to Serve

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:11–13 NIV).

What a productive week! The LWML Board of Directors (BOD) and appointed committee members met in St. Louis four days last week in an interdepartmental meeting. This was the one opportunity when all committee members could meet face-to-face to plan their work for this biennium. The Pastoral Counselors led Bible study, and BOD members guided training exercises centered around the 2021–2023 LWML “Primary Focus" and “Strategic Plan.” Committee members reviewed the purpose of their committees and how they could best engage the women of the LWML — just as they were equipped by the BOD to serve in their new roles.

We thank and praise God for these willing and faithful saints and for their work to build you up and encourage you as Lutheran Women in Mission!

Brenda Piester

Recording Secretary
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

View past messages

LWML Resources Remain Relevant for All Women

This week, members of LWML committees, task forces, and teams will descend on St. Louis, Missouri, for training and planning for the 2021-2023 biennium. More than 70 women and our pastoral counselors will worship and enjoy Bible study together. Under the theme of “Saints Equipped to Serve,” based on Ephesians 4:11-13, participants will receive training so they can develop resources and products, enabling every woman of the LCMS to confidently share her faith in Jesus with her family, community, and the world.

LWML offers free resources to all who want devotions, Bible studies, and new ideas for servant events and other gatherings of mission-minded women right now — on this website — and each resource needs to remain relevant. These incredible women will develop new resources and update past documents so anyone using them may be assured that they are doctrinally sound and applicable to our needs today.

One of the most popular resources LWML offers is our podcast. Listen often to LWML podcasts and enjoy the peace that passes understanding whenever you need it.

Today, and always, we are surrounded by God’s grace,

Debbie Larson

President, 2019–2023
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

View past messages