Advent and Christmas at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Moorestown, NJ.
Campfires and Carols – Sunday, Nov. 29
Cross Roads and our ministry partner Luther Crest Bible Camp invite you to a special Bold Transformational Faith (BTF) virtual worship event as we begin the season of Advent. We’ll sing some favorite Christmas and Advent songs, dance, pray, and hear a message about anticipating the birth of Jesus. Find this campfire on our Facebook page on Sunday, November 29 at 7:30pm. All are welcome!
Toy Drive
If you family would like to purchase a toy for a child this holiday season, St. Matthew is collecting gifts for the Burlington County Sheriff’s Dept. 25th Annual Toy Drive. Drop off your unwrapped gift Sunday 9-10:30AM, Tues-Wed-Thurs, 9AM-Noon (its a good idea to call the office to make sure the doors will be open). All toys are due Sunday Dec. 13 by 10:30AM.
12/13 Poinsettia Orders Due
$10 (only red poinsettias)
12/24 Children’s Activity Time
12/24 Christmas Eve 2020
Worship. Our Christmas Eve worship will be on YouTube only this year. There will be no live-stream or in-person worship. The pre-recorded video will be on our YouTube channel at noon on Dec. 24. Visit https://stmatthew-lutheran.org/worship/.
Please pick up a copy of this year’s Advent devotion booklet.
We are using “And the Word Was God” this year. It is based on writings by Henri J.M. Nouwen. Houwen (1932-1996) was a Dutch Catholic priest who was a well-known spiritual writer. The short devotions in the booklet are inspired by scriptural passages in combination with passages of Nouwen’s writings. You are invited to follow the short daily devotions as a way of preparing your heart for Christ’s presence this Advent.
Taking Faith Home Weekly Insert
We have added a new bulletin insert starting this Advent. It is called “Taking Faith Home.” It is designed for all people to take the themes from worship on Sunday and bring it into your daily devotional life. I encourage you to find a few minutes each day to draw on some of the readings and activities it includes. There are several different parts to the Taking Faith Home sheet. There are daily bible readings that can help guide in what passages to read during the week. There are also rituals like a blessing to share with one another. When my children were young part of our bedtime ritual was to use this blessing to bless one another at the close of the day, and it became a deeply meaningful family tradition. There are also suggestions for service opportunities, prayers for your dinnertime table grace, and dinner table conversation starters. I find it to be a truly valuable resource for people of all ages. You do not need to use all of the parts; feel free to pick and choose from it what works for your situation. I do strongly encourage you, though, to print it out and find ways each day to make use of at least one of the resources it contains. It really will help connect Sunday worship with your other days and enliven your practice of faith at home and as you go about your week.