A Message From Our Board Chair

I looked intensely out the car windows. My eyes swiveled rapidly through the dim evening light as I counted at what felt like lightening speed, muttering the numbers softly as I counted. “Count silently in your head!” one of my siblings would holler. It was a race and a competition and I was determined to win!

What on earth am I describing?! Counting houses with Christmas lights was one of our favorite things to do as children riding home from Sunday evening church services in December. I don’t have the stats in writing, but I’m fairly certain I hold the record in our household! Just don’t ask my siblings - they may have their own version of the story! 

Christmas is such a special time of year. Christmas time holds so many wonderful memories and traditions for most people. For me, this includes Christmas Eve dinner with my mom’s side of the family, my uncles secretly ordering pizza to avoid eating lutefisk (it’s a Swedish thing!), my dad doing enormous puzzles, Christmas stockings made by my mother, the sound of Bing Crosby playing on my grandfather’s record player, Swedish meatballs, corn fritters, rice pudding, Grandma’s famous rolls, and sitting on the stairs bright and early Christmas morning knowing better than to dare peek around the corner early lest I be scolded. Christmas is such a wonderful and even magical time. And it should be. 

As Christ-followers, I think we find Christmas even more satisfying and wonderful than others do. We enjoy the gift giving, family time, and traditional Christmas hymns because we are celebrating something more than just delicious food, presents, and endless holiday movies. Christmas is a celebration of when God himself put on flesh to show us how this life was meant to be lived - something we could never do ourselves - and then offer his life in our place so we can have a right standing with our Creator. 

I often wonder what it must have been like to be in that lowly stable as the savior of the world was born. The wonder! A young couple in awe, trusting the angel’s words yet unsure of exactly what would unfold or how. Then the interruption by the shepherds. And days later, the prophetic words spoken over the young baby in the temple. And still yet, the unexpected visit by the Magi!

I love how the children’s Christian animated series Superbook depicts an angel loudly announcing to all of heaven, “Jesus has been born! Come, let us adore him!” I don’t know if that really happened, but perhaps there’s something there for us regardless. Perhaps we can embody that same excitement this Christmas. An excitement for the true reason for celebrating Christmas. A message that our community so badly needs to hear. A truth, the Truth, that people around us so badly need to know. Perhaps you can be the one to bring that good news to someone near you this Christmas. Jesus has been born! Come, let us adore him! Because through that small baby came salvation for anyone who calls upon his name.

May God bless you this Christmas with comfort and joy and great memories and a deeper pondering of our humble savior’s birth. 

Andy Martin
LCS Chairman of the Board

Surrendering

I recently read a devotional passage in a book titled Upon Waking, written by Jackie Hill Perry, Bible Teacher and Musical Artist. She basically articulated how surrender was incredibly challenging for the Christ-follower. But why, when the Gospel is so clearly redemptive and provides full freedom? As human beings, even those who know and love the Lord, battle moment by moment to comprehend, sustain a life that reflects the true character of God, and apply that understanding to our daily battles. The discussion of surrendering to Christ is less about what we do or don't do and more about what is most important to us, the source of our love, that which draws us and receives our attention. The Psalmist, in Psalm 73 (NIV) says, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." He is our portion, exactly and wholly what we need. Our skills, our abilities, our personalities and powers will fail us, but He will always replace those things with something ultimately more satisfying. Christ is our everything based on what He did on the cross, in obedience to His Father. His Father was everything to Him therefore He became a servant, even unto death on a cross, He emptied Himself. Jackie Hill Perry writes, "Our fear of surrender is really our unbelief that God isn't better than everything God is asking us to give Him. You will give God anything when you believe He is everything." This Christmas let's be brave, take the risk, to spend some quiet moments to consider what we might sacrifice. What is it that we hold onto that, if we let it go, God would surely replace that with more of Himself. And that would eternally be better because God is better than anything I could ever dream of holding onto.

Perry, Jackie Hill. Upon Waking. B&H Publishing, 2023.

December Lunch Menus

Looking Ahead....

• WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3RD: Regular Classes for Grades 6-12 (Lower School is not in session but have scheduled parent conferences)

• TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11TH: All School Christmas Concert at 6:30pm in the sanctuary(snow date is Thursday, December 18th)

• DECEMBER 22ND THROUGH JANUARY 5TH: CHRISTMAS BREAK! ENJOY! 🎄

Reminders.....

Come Out to Support Our Athletes!

Great Parent Resource...AXIS Ministries

What is the Culture Translator?

The Culture Translator, written and published by Axis Ministries, comes as a free weekly email to help Christian parents stay up to date on the music, movies, TV shows, and Social Media trends impacting your student's world!