A Time of Preparation

With Thanksgiving over and Christmas just around the corner, are you already feeling stressed and overwhelmed? We spend so much time and energy decorating, planning, and choosing gifts and too little time preparing our hearts and minds for the coming of the Christ Child. Our perfect Christmas gift comes from God, not any store.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your doing; it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).

I stay focused on Jesus during the Advent season by attending mid-week services and our annual LWML Christmas luncheon which includes a devotion and carol singing. This year I am leading an “Advent by Candlelight” event. Gathering with others helps me to reset and refocus. The LWML has many Advent and Christmas resources including devotions, Bible studies, responsive readings, litanies, programs, and coloring pages. Many of the LWML devotions have audio versions. These and many other resources are on the LWML website at lwml.org/program-helps.

As we prepare for Christmas, I encourage you to stay focused on Jesus.

Debbie Yocky

Public Relations Director
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

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Good. Grief.

Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant (Psalm 119:76).

Grief. All of us have experienced sadness and mourning at some level—whether it be the death of a distant relative, a friend or neighbor, or a close family member. We do not understand accidents that cause the death of a young person, cancer or chronic diseases that ravage a body for years, or the silent grief of a miscarriage or stillbirth. “Why, Lord?, “Good Grief = Relief”, “When the heart is torn, the Lord heals”, and “Grief Hurts” are a sampling of the insightful resources available on the LWML website that explore God’s Word to bring His peace and comfort to us. Lutheran Women in Mission has published a new book, Life After… Devotions for Widows, which leads widows and those who love them to feel God’s deep love and faithfulness for His children.

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all (2 Thessalonians 3:16).

Brenda Piester

Recording Secretary
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

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Mite offerings proclaim Christ

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9–10).

When the church celebrates All Saints Day many times the hymn, “For All the Saints,” is sung during worship. The hymn has a rousing melody, and the words speak powerfully. The final stanza provides imagery of the countless hosts streaming into the gates of heaven from all parts of the earth. As one visualizes this, one can see family members, friends, and people one knows from all time periods of their life. Do you ever think about those people who have come to know Christ because of the mite offerings of Lutheran Women in Mission? National mission grants have touched the lives of people in 83 different countries. Our mite offerings have proclaimed Christ in places where we have never been. We sing alleluia with the countless hosts streaming through the gates of pearl.

To learn more about the proclamation of the Gospel through mission grants refer to the Mission Grant Resume found at lwml.org/mission-grant-history.

Sharon von Qualen

Mission Grants Committee Chairman
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

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Serving the Lord with Gladness

Serve the Lord with gladness! (Psalm 100:2).

What do nearly 75 women do for four days in St. Louis? If they are Lutheran Women in Mission committee members, they plan and develop programs and resources for the coming biennium. The annual Interdepartmental Meeting was held last week for just that purpose.

Last biennium, LWML committees produced Donna Snow’s Unshakable, a video-based Bible study; Life After … Devotions for Widows; calendars to use to read through the Bible in one year; monthly mite challenge calendars; Equipping Saints to Serve, monthly program planner for 2023–2025; eight issues of the Lutheran Woman’s Quarterly; monthly leadership tips; a new group welcome packet; new LWML store products; and numerous programs for writers, potential leaders, seminary students, young women, and Heart to Heart — Sisters of All Nations to name just a few.

LWML has hundreds of resources available to help you and your group. Click on any of the links above to learn more.

Susan Brunkow

Vice President of Christian Life
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

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God has not Changed!

We have seen many changes in the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League over the years. Our structure has changed, officer titles have changed, committees have changed, and of course our bylaws and procedures have changed to reflect the variations.

Yet Lutheran Women in Mission continue to possess “mission hearts” with thousands of volunteers who dedicate their lives to making a difference in their neighborhoods and in the world and who use their gifts of time, talent, and treasure to share the love of Jesus.

LWML changes, but our mission continues to be the same: “As Lutheran Women in Mission, we joyfully proclaim Christ, support missions, and equip women to honor God by serving others.” Please keep the Board of Directors and department committees in prayer as we meet in St. Louis this week to plan our mission service activities for the next two years.

Most importantly, God has not changed! Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Find a copy of the devotion “Change” at lwml.org/posts/devotion/change. Or you can listen to the LWML On The Go Podcast “Episode 200: Change—Special 200th Episode.”

Thank you Lord for always being there for me in this world of change.

Kathy Pavelock

Vice President of Communication
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

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God’s View

On vacation, my husband Mike and I decided to participate in a corn maze. Since Wisconsin corn grows considerably taller than Texas corn, we were going to have to be on our A game. We soon discovered that we did not bring enough water. Slightly giving up, but shortening our time, we decided to take the “Kids’ Path.” We consoled our bruised egos by telling ourselves that people were waiting for us in the store. Once inside, we discovered a drone map of the corn maze. That would have made it much easier, don’t you think?

Similarly, to how the drone viewed the maze, God views our lives. He sees everything. We only see the snippet of time in which we reside. Whenever we start a new adventure in life, we should go to God’s Word and approach our Lord in prayer asking Him to guide our steps.

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

LWML Devotion suggestion, “What Shall I Do?” by Virginia Von Seggern

Cheryl Mattil

Strategic Plan Facilitator
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

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Endings and New Beginnings

Summer is over. Fall breezy days are here. The leaves are turning brilliant colors. And we are starting to glimpse the end of this calendar year as the months pass by with increased speed. Although with each season passing there are inevitable endings, there are also new beginnings with all its wonder and joy.

What’s new in your life? Has God been giving you a little nudge to step out in faith and serve Him in a different way? For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). God is always with you.

Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands (Isaiah 49:16a). It does not matter what season of life we are in; God always has a plan for us. Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save (Isaiah 46:4).

Nudge.

Leslie Colligan

Meeting Manager
Lutheran Women’s Missionary League

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