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the Broadcaster

The Newsletter of Christ Lutheran Church4825 Dewdney Avenue, Regina, SK S4T 5E9www.clcregina.com [email protected]

Issue 101 - December 2016

Notes from Pastor Dennis

In a sermon recently I suggested that to havethe same attitude of Christ, as the ApostlePaul encourages us to have (Romans 15:5 &Philippians 2:5), we need to be people whoare welcoming to all ‐ including those who arestrangers and foreigners to us. We certainlysee that kind of welcome and acceptance inJesus’ time of ministry as an adult, but itdawned on me that the same type ofhospitality also shows up in the Christmasstory.

In the Gospel of Luke’s account of Jesus’ birthMary and Joseph themselves are strangers, inBethlehem for the census. Door after door isshut to them, even in their time of obviousneed – there was a overwhelming lack ofhospitality shown to this young couple.Eventually they are given space in a stable,and the baby Jesus is born in that humbleplace. However, that lowly place becomes aspace of hospitality as Mary and Josephwelcome shepherds, all strangers to be sure,to see the new born babe laying in a manger.The shepherds were not turned away, theywere given the gift of Jesus’ presence, theywere welcomed into the circle of praisesurrounding the holy infant – and they weretransformed, returning home glorifying andpraising God for all they had heard and seen.

In the Gospel of Matthew we have a group offoreigners show up at the door of Mary andJoseph’s home. They are not shut out, theyare welcomed to see the child Jesus. Therethey give the new king the homage and giftsthey brought with them. Chances are theseMagi from the east looked different, spoke adifferent language, and had their own customs– but these differences do not become a roadblock preventing them from entering intoChrist’s presence. They too, like the shepherdsbefore them, were accepted and welcomed.

A year ago we, as a congregation, welcomedAnnonciata, Eric and Larisse into our midst.They were refugees fleeing violence anddanger, and reuniting with family who hadalready settled in Canada. When they arrivedwe knew them as the refugee family, but nowI think of them as sisters and a brother inChrist, part of our church family. I appreciatehow our congregation welcomed these peopleinto our midst, and even though our year longcommitment of support is officially concludedI hope we will continue to keep a place in ourchurch family for these lovely folks.

The infant Jesus, along with Mary and Joseph,were also refugees – fleeing the violence ofKing Herod into the safety of Egypt. I haveoften wondered if there was a community offaith to welcome them into their sanctuarywhen they arrived in Egypt. None of theGospel accounts give us any informationabout the Holy family’s time in Egypt, so wecan only speculate. My hope is that somepeople of faith opened their doors to thisyoung family, providing assistance as theydealt with their difficult circumstances.

Jesus’ life began under difficult circumstances,

December Broadcaster - 2016 - Christ Lutheran Church - Page 1

but that becomes a source of hope for futuregenerations. People who find themselves intrying times can be assured that God trulyunderstands what they are going through.God did not keep himself isolated from thetroubles and hardships humans often face byremaining safe and secure in heaven. InsteadGod became flesh, one of us – God descendedto earth and in Jesus God experienced both

the joys and sorrows of human life in a waythat assures us that God knows our struggles.Jesus is the one in whom heaven and earthintersect, Jesus is the one upon whom allhuman history hinges. This idea was expressedeloquently in a poem by Keith Patman. Let meshare that poem with you.

Centerpoint

It is a still scene –animal, human, angel awe

surrounds the newborn, radiant child– a centerpoint in time, whose ways and places wrap

in layers about the crib of straw,enveloping Bethlehem like a many‐folded map.

It is a star’s still centerpoint –God’s scissors cut it in the paper layers

– rays piercing Babylon, Sodom, pyramids,dark rain and floodswell, Eden’s flaming waste...

rays shot through Rome and Dachau, martyrs’ prayers,wake of galleons, hoofbeats, moonwalk, arc of probe in space...

God’s hands, at either end of time,unfold the map, reveal the geometric starand its still centerpoint: Himself, incarnate.

Christmas is a time to celebrate the coming ofChrist Jesus into our midst, but in our cultureit is also many other things. In talking with anumber of professionals who work withpeople, we all agreed that the time leading upto Christmas can be some of the moststressful days in the year for many folks. Thereare many reasons some people may dreadChristmastime. The stress of preparations fora large family gathering, trying to make itperfect and memorable for all involved, canbe overwhelming ‐ too many things to do in an

already over‐filled schedule. For some peopleChristmastime is another sad reminder of aspouse or parent or other loved ones who areno longer here to celebrate this holiday. Forothers Christmas is spent all alone, with nofamily or friends to share it with. In such casesChristmas is not a time to look forward to.

It is important that we are aware of thesemixed emotions in those around us. We needto be prepared to listen to people’s hurts, andtake time to share our lives with those who


are alone or simply lonely. While it isenjoyable to share gifts with each other, it ismore important that we share ourselves ‐being present to each other intentionally. Ithink that is part of the meaning of Christmas,that Jesus chose to be present with us

intentionally, in the flesh,incarnate. As we seek towelcome the Christ childanew this Christmas, may wedo so by welcoming oneanother, focusing on lovingone another as God has lovedus. And share this good news,with new generations, withneighbours and friends, withco‐workers and strangers – beunashamed to express your

hope in the baby born in Bethlehem.Christmas is a time when we are given manyopportunities to share this wondrous story,even in the midst of the commercialization ofthe holiday, even in the midst of busyness andstress, even in the midst of a pluralistic society

– tell the story, share your faith, and reflectthe love of Christ to all you meet. It is awondrous message, too good and tooimportant to keep to ourselves.

On behalf of the staff at Christ LutheranChurch I would like to extend our thanks for allyour support and care for us during this pastyear. Thank you for joining us in our mission,inspired by Christ to love and serve. Thank youfor the many Christmas cards and greetingsshared with us, your thoughtfulness is muchappreciated. It is our hope that each of youwill have a blessed Christmas celebration, anda good New Year. This Celtic Christmasblessing is our heartfelt prayer for all.

The light of the Christmas star to you,The warmth of home and hearth to you,The cheer and good will of friends to you,

The hope of a childlike heart to you,The joy of a thousand angels to you,

The love of the Son,And God’s peace to you.

A Call for Justiceby Wanda Walter

The guest speaker at this year's Women'sBreakfast was Katie Bergman, Director ofOperations and Communications for the SetFree Movement, a Christian based,international, non‐profit organizationcombating human trafficking.

Katie's presentation was on seeking justiceand building community. She began herpresentation by outlining that the problem ofslavery (human trafficking) still exists and infact it is the second largest criminal activityworldwide (next to drug trafficking). Then sheexplained that human trafficking entails

recruiting people through coercion, fraud,abuse of power or abduction to enslave themin forced labour, the sex trade or for childexploitation. Katie went on to explain that thePhilippines is a hotbed of human trafficking,particularly the on‐line sexual exploitation ofchildren which generates huge sums of moneyfor the perpetrators. This sex trafficking oftenoccurs because of the poverty and lack of foodfamilies experience. Katie then pointed outthat human trafficking doesn't just occurthousands of miles away ‐ it also occurs in ourown back yard. She then gave a few examplesof human trafficking in Regina: in the recent


past three males were arrested in a Reginahotel and charged with sexually exploiting a24 year old female; backpage.com is anon‐line ad site for sexual services provided byyoung women; and the 15 to 20 massageparlours in Regina.

Diagnosis was the next stage of thepresentation and it was explained that humantrafficking is a symptom of a greater problem. Human trafficking thrives because of brokenrelationships, broken communities, andbroken systems within a broken culture.Broken relationships result from neglect,domestic abuse, addictions, poverty andmisuse of parental power. Katie gave anexample of broken communities ‐ "boyfriending" which is when older guys recruityounger girls, who typically come from brokenhomes, for the sex trade. These older guysflatter the girls, promise them the world andthen get them hooked on drugs. These girlsbecome trapped in the sextrade for they need themoney to fund their drughabit and they crave theattention from their "boyfriend." Katie explainedthat systems are brokenwhen the laws are not practiced, the justicesystem is slow, social workers are underpaidand there are too few of them and there isless legal protection for migrants. The last part of the presentation focussed onsolutions. Instead of taking a band‐aidapproach, which only addresses thesymptoms, Set Free Movement goes to theroot of the problem. To help end humantrafficking Set Fee Movement takes a threeprong approach. First, change happens bycreating community. Healthy communitiesconsist of people who care, families who love

and churches that serve which can beachieved through youth mentorship,immigrant support, refugee settlement,poverty alleviation, missions and foster care.Second, change happens by shifting harmfulcultural values. There needs to be a shift fromviewing humans as objects to viewing peopleas being created in the image of God. As well,it was explained that as a society we like tobuy cheap goods and that the reason thesegoods are cheap is that they are a result ofchild labour. We were encouraged to givethought to the purchases we make and whenpossible to buy from ethical vendors. Third,change happens when all sectors of societyare involved ‐ health care, media, business,government, family, culture and faith. And wewere reminded of what justice is ‐ love, mercy,service, ethics, truth, integrity, laws andrighteousness ‐ and that it can be achievedthrough such means as volunteering, beingdisciples and missionary work.

At Christ Lutheran we have already begunbringing justice to the world throughsponsoring a refugee family, making donationsto Canadian Lutheran World Relief and theRegina Food Bank, providing sandwiches toWaterson House two Sundays of the year andby providing some financial and volunteersupport to Indian Metis Christian Fellowshipand North Central Family Centre. In additionto this is our Advent Tree ‐ purchasingChristmas gifts for the less fortunate in theIndian Metis Christian Fellowship and NorthCentral Family Centre communities.

As Disciples of Christ we are called to bringjustice into the world. During this Adventseason, and beyond, may you findopportunities to reflect God's love for all.


ELCIC Reformation Challenge by Val Davies

As Lutherans aroundthe world prepare tocommemorate theR e f o r m a t i o nanniversary in 2017,the ELCIC is lifting upthemes from TheL u t h e r a n W o r l d

Federation (LWF): Liberated by God's Grace,Creation ‐ Not for Sale, Human Beings ‐ Notfor Sale, Salvation ‐ Not for Sale. The ELCICReformation Challenge draws from thethemes and provides a way for ELCICmembers and congregations to bringReformation activities close to home andmake it possible for congregations andsynods of any size to participate.

Through the ELCIC Reformation Challenge,members and congregations are invited tohelp sponsor 500 refugees, support 500scholarships for students in schools of theEvangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan andthe Holy Land (ELCJHL), plant 500,000 trees inCanada, Palestine and Ethiopia, andcontribute $500,000 to the LWF EndowmentFund.

To date, ELCIC members have sponsored 504refugees, provided 49 scholarships for ELCJHLschools, planted 44,981 trees and raised

$125,931 for the LWF Endowment Fund.

ELCIC members and congregations areencouraged to consider how they might beable to get involved in the ReformationChallenge.

They are many creative and innovative waysto engage in one or more areas of theinitiative. A Sunday School class in Winnipegrecently shared how they have connectedwith the goal to provide scholarships tostudents in ELCJHL schools. Over the pastyear, 20 children from the congregation havebeen involved in the challenge and arecurrently working towards raising funds fort h e i r s e c o n d s c h o l a r s h i p(http://www.elcic.ca/news.cfm?article=450).

Further information on the ELCICReformation Challenge is available online:elcic.ca/ReformationChallenge

ELCIC members are asked to share how theyand their congregations are engaged in thechallenge. I have been asked by Pastor Dennisto upload the work that is being done atChrist Lutheran for our part in theReformation Challenge to the National SynodOffice.

We Are the Lord's

Earlier this fall Pastor Dennis used a hymn from the Lutheran Book of Worship, but didn’t like themelody. So he found a different melody to use (How Great Thou Art), however, that required arefrain. So Pastor Dennis wrote a refrain for the hymn, and when it was used that Sunday manypeople quite appreciated the words. So here are the words of the hymn, including the additionalrefrain written by Pastor Dennis.


Words by Karl J. P. Spitta,translated by Charles T. AstleyWords for the added Refrain by Dennis D. Hendricksen

1. We are the Lord's. His all‐sufficient merit,Sealed on the cross, to us this grace accords.We are the Lord's and all things shall inherit;Whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.

Added refrain:We sing our praise, because we are the Lord's.By grace we're saints forevermore.We sing our praise, because we are the Lord'sAlleluia! Alleluia!

2. We are the Lord's. Then let us gladly tenderOur souls to him in deeds, not empty words.Let heart and tongue and life combine to renderNo doubtful witness that we are the Lord's.


3. We are the Lord's. No darkness brooding o'er usCan make us tremble while this star affordsA steady light along the path before us ‐Faith's full assurance that we are the Lord's.


4. We are the Lord's. No evil can befall usIn the dread hour of life's fast loos'ning cords;No pangs of death shall even then appal us.Death shall be vanquished, for we are the Lord's.



My Volunteer Storyby Marsha Ackerman

From a veryyoung age Iregarded churchas communityand family, and Iwanted to bea r o u n d t h epeop l e , t h e

place and whatever was going on there. As akid I attended Sunday School and thenconfirmation, and in second year confirmationthere was a shortage of Sunday Schoolteachers so I volunteered to teach the 3 and 4year olds. Thus began my volunteering. FirstSunday School, then VBS, Luther Leaguesecretary and president, helping at theLutheran Home, helping the church secretary,SAG ( single adults group ), TYGER ( thinkyoung group e‐regardless!! ), Prayer Partners,kitchen help, ELW executive, church counciland communion assistant.

In my first year in Sunday School there were20‐24 three and four year olds and it was sucha thrill to come up with different ways to tellthem the Bible stories. There were no helpersso you had to be inventive to keep thechildren occupied for an hour. I loved everyminute of it and taught Sunday School andVBS for over 30 years and still help where I canwith VBS.

Being part of SAG and TYGER allowed me tofind the man I would spend the rest of my lifewith plus I made friendships that will last alifetime and you can't get better than that.

Prayer Partners was an idea conceived by a

good friend and myself and we ran it for 25years. The idea was to pray for an individual orfamily for one year anonymously. It allowedthose involved to get to know one anotherquite well but also to know the power andlove of God as He worked in your partner's lifeas well as your own.

Making the decision to become assistanttreasurer was more of a God‐push. The seedwas planted, it met some resistance, moreGod‐prod and, finally I was out of reasons toresist, and so I gave in and have no regrets; Ieven actually enjoy the challenge.

For the past 40 years or so I have alsoattended every Bible study I could to learn andto grow in my faith and to get to know morepeople in the congregation. Getting involvedin the church is more than just one hour on

Sunday morning; it is being part of a familythat worships together, works together, eatstogether, learns together, and plays together.


With Gratitude

Jeanine Juhlin RPN

I would like to express myheartfelt appreciation forthe monthly sponsorshipthat was provided to myfamily by Christ LutheranChurch while I pursuedmy education in theRegistered PsychiatricNursing Program.

In 2012, at the age of 29, I had reached acritical intersection in my life. I hadexperienced a number of life traumas and hada choice to make. I needed to be my ownhero. No one was going to come along andrescue my family from poverty. Both sides ofmy family have histories of addiction andintergenerational trauma. I wanted to honourthe struggles of my parents and grandparentsby getting an education and breaking thecycle. I wanted to give my children the bestchance possible at a life free from addictionand abuse.

Thus, with the encouragement of my mentors,I commenced my journey towards becominga Psychiatric Nurse in the fall of 2013.

I remember quite clearly the day that Wandacalled me and told me that Christ Lutheranhad decided to sponsor my family throughoutthe three‐year duration of my program withmonthly support installments of $200. As aperson who suffers from often debilitatinganxiety, I felt a sense of relief rush over me.Another obstacle removed from the path inmy pursuit of freedom from poverty.

There were many months, if not most, that Iwas unsure of how I was going to cover the

expenses of my household. Just knowing thatI would be receiving that $200 in the mail atthe beginning of each month was a hugerelief!

Mother Teresa is quoted as saying, "If we haveno peace, it is because we have forgotten thatwe belong to each other". What you as acouncil, and congregation, did for my twodaughters and myself without even knowingus is proof to me of the goodness in the world.People helping people without pretense! Acollectively definitive stance against thedarkness of disconnect in our world!

I successfully completed the RPN program inDecember of 2015, and wrote the nationalcertification exam in January of 2016. I amnow a Registered Psychiatric Nurse! Becauseof my post secondary education, we are nowin a different place. The cycle has been brokenand we have a real chance. With certainty Ican say that my children's ability to achievetheir potential, now and in the future, hasbeen directly impacted by the support wereceived from Christ Lutheran in our time ofneed. My oldest daughter, Keona (age 11), hasaspirations to become an obstetrician. Myyoungest daughter, Autumn (age 7), hopes tobecome a veterinarian. Anything is possible.

So thank you for believing in me! Thank youfor taking Wanda's word that we were aworthwhile investment!

I will forever be grateful for the kindness andcompassion that you, as Christian people,extended to us. May your homes and familiesbe blessed with good health, happiness, andabundance in faith.


How come Balthasaralways gets to ridethe fancy camel?

I miss mycomfortable bed.

Check out the realstory in Matthew 2:1-12

A word of advice...Watch where you step.Who in the

world needs thismuch myrrh?

Bibliaskew Artwork by Gustave Doré, Imagined Text by Dennis Hendricksen

Those Magi think they’re something

else with their jacked up beasts and all.

There goes Melchiorcharging o� before we’re

ready! Typical Taurus!

Christ Lutheran Church Calendar of Events

Sunday December 11 9:00 & 11:00 AM - Worship & Communion7:00 PM - Advent Music Festival

Sunday December 18 9:00 & 11:00 AM - Worship9:00 AM - Sunday School Christmas Program 7:30 PM - Prairie Chamber Concert directed by Melissa Morgan

Christmas Eve December 24 5:00 PM - Worship for families with small children7:00 PM - Worship - Candlelight9:00 PM - Worship - Candlelight

Christmas Day December 25 11:00 AM - Worship with Communion

No Country Gospel Service

Sunday January 1 11:00 AM - Worship (only one morning service)

Please NoteThe church office is closed December 26 & 27 and January 2.We return to our regular service times of 9:00 and 11:00 AM on January 8.

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