From the desk of Pastor Len…

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord Almighty.” Zechariah 4:6

During this Advent season, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the

Light of the World, we may notice that the Jewish faithful are also celebrating light. Hanukkah is a Jewish festival which takes place every winter, usually December, and lasts for eight days. This year, it will run from December 23-30. Hanukkah is also called the Festival of Lights. What are Jews celebrating? Should we be joining in this celebration? Did Jesus celebrate Hanukkah? Let’s explore this festival. Hanukkah marks an event that falls between the inter-testamental period—the 400 years between the writing of Malachi and the birth of Christ. Though the Bible is si-lent about the events of this time, numerous historical events were taking place. The rise of Alexander the Great resulted in Greek control of the Eastern Mediterranean. When Alexander died, the empire was divided amongst his four generals. Seluecus was given control of Israel and passed it on to his son Antiochus Epiphanes. His rule was cruel and evil, culminating in the sacrifice of a pig on the temple’s altar. A Jewish hero named Judas Maccabees led a group of fighters to take back Jerusalem. They drove out the idolaters and endeavored to rededicate the temple by lighting the sanctuary candlestick. The legend is that though they only had one day’s worth of oil, it lasted the required eight days for dedication. In celebration of this victory, Jewish people celebrate the Feast of Dedication. Also called Hanukkah or the Festival of Lights, this celebration lasts eight days, with an additional candle lit for each day. In John 10, we read that Jesus went into the temple at the time of the Feast of Dedication. It was at this event, marked by Hanukkah, that Jesus made the audacious claim that he and the Father were one. Recognizing that Jesus was claiming divinity, the Jews determined to stone him for blasphemy. This is the only New Testament ref-erence to Hanukkah and celebration of this festival for the Christian is neither encour-aged nor forbidden. The Jews celebrate by spinning a four-sided dreidel labeled with the works, “A great miracle occurred there”. As Christians, we too can celebrate that a miracle occurred. Not the questionable event of oil lasting for 8x longer than it should have, but rather that through this event God preserved faithful Jews who were looking forward to the birth of the Messiah. Born 165 years later, Jesus would be the promised light that shines in the darkness. He is the Light of the World, more brilliant than a thousand lit menorahs. In Christ, Pastor Len

Sword of the Spirit

"Where is the one who

has been born king of the

Jews? We saw his star

when it rose and have

come to worship him."

Matthew 2:2

When Jesus spoke again

to the people, he said, “I

am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will

never walk in darkness,

but will have the light of

life.”

John 8:12

Armor Builder Your light has dawned

upon us, and we are

drawn to Your light as a

people of faith who trust

Your mercy to answer

the prayers of Your peo-

ple with grace sufficient

for all our needs.

Through Your Word,

You have made known

the mystery of Christ

and granted redemption

to all people through

Baptism and faith. Guide

those who preach and

teach Your Word to us,

and give them a loving heart to shepherd Your

people faithfully. By LCMS

Let the Light of your

Word guide and lead us

in this new year. ~ Amen

January 2020

2019 Children’s

Christmas Program

“An Unplugged Christmas”

directed by Shanda Knight

“You are the light of the

world. A city on a hill can-

not be hidden. Neither do

people light a lamp and put

it under a basket. Instead,

they set it on a lampstand,

and it gives light to every-

one in the house. In the

same way, let your light

shine before men, that they

may see your good deeds

and glorify your Father in

heaven.” Matthew 5:14

Heavenly Father, as we look around us, at these children, we see you have once again given us your blessings.

We know that you have pro-vided much more than just our daily needs. We thank you for so generously giving us your Son, our Lord. Through him you have show-ered us with the blessings of forgiveness, and eternal life with you. Be with each dear child Lord, protect and guide them in your ways, all their days. For all these blessings, may we truly be thankful, dear Lord. Amen

“Let your light

shine among men

that your Father

might be glorified.”

“Your Word is a

Lamp for my feet,

And a Light

to my path”

Thank you to all that helped set up,

served, and did dishes….

Pastor sharing his feelings about being

home and appreciation for the warm

welcome home. 12/8/2019

Thank you to all that brought food

and helped organize this great event!

Ole and Lena Joke of the Month

Little Lena has been very naughty. Finally her mother said, "Little Lena, every time yew are

naughty I get another grey hair."

"Gee, Ma!", replied Little Lena, "Yew must have been a terror vhen yew vere young. Yust look

at Grandma's hair!!"

Thank you to Ron Syverud for the laughs.

Has anyone seen our secretary… Candie?

Last seen…

Hope you have a good

vacation Candie!!! We’ve looked high…. And low!

Happy New Year

I do not know, I cannot see,

What God’s kind hand prepares for me.

Nor can my glance pierce through the haze

Which covers all my future ways;

But yet I know that o’er it all

Rides He who notes the sparrow’s fall.

I know the hand that hath me fed,

And through the year my feet hath led;

I know the everlasting arm

That hath upheld and kept from harm.

I trust Him as my God and Guide,

And know that He will still provide.

So at the opening of the year

I banish care and doubt and fear,

And, clasping his kind hand, essay

To walk with God from day to day.

Trusting in Him who hath me fed,

Walking with Him who hath me led.

I know not where his hand shall lead.

Through desert wastes, o’er flowery mead;

Mid tangled thicket set with thorn,

Mid gloom of night or glow of morn;

But still I know my Father’s hand

Will bring me to his goodly land.

Farewell, Old Year, with goodness crowned,

A hand divine hath set thy bound.

Welcome the New Year, which shall bring

Fresh blessings from my God and King.

The Old we leave without a tear,

The New we hail without a fear.

From the Trinity Messenger, Anonymous

Date Current

Expenses Benevolence

Building

Fund

11-17-19 $6449.77 $1729.39 $605.00

11-24-19 $6858.69 $2405.00 $169.00

12-1-19 $11,000.26 $2254.70 $605.00

12-8-19 $7872.85 $949.00 $675.00

Therefore, confess your sins to

one another and pray for one

another, that you may be healed.

James 5:16

Please keep the following Ascension members in

your prayers…

Ellen Bauer, Dennis Bush, Bill Drewes, Ivy Gibbons, Linda Gray,

Helen Green, Alan Grimstad, Marilyn Haag, Dixie Otto, Bev

Rustad, and Marnie Stewart.

“The LORD said to Gideon, “You have

too many men.” Judges 7:2

Looking at the New Year ahead...

God is Everything You Need

On the sixth of June this year, the world recognized the

seventy-fifth anniversary of the D-Day landings on the

beaches of Normandy. It was the largest seaborne inva-

sion in history. And it is widely viewed as the key turn-

ing point in World War II. Even seventy-five years later,

the world thanks the men and women who sacrificed to

make that day happen. On that day alone, the Allied Ar-

mies landed one-hundred-fifty-six-thousand troops on

the beaches of France. That doesn’t even count the pilots

and Navy personnel who participated.

Can you imagine General Eisenhower the morning of

the invasion? Can you picture him surveying all the

troops, tanks, boats, and planes, and concluding that he

didn’t need them all? Can you imagine him sending half

of the Army home and telling the Air Force pilots to

take the day off? No, he realized he needed every

soldier at his disposal. He knew that his chances of

success hinged on the sheer number of people that

he could get onto those beaches.

God is not your usual commander. He told Gideon: “You have too many men.” You see, God doesn’t need all the lat-

est technology or weapons. He doesn’t need large armies at his disposal. He is all-powerful. He wanted Gideon to

know this. So, even though Gideon’s army was already far smaller than his opponent, God told him he had too many

men. Having so many men might make Gideon think that his victory was his own doing rather than God’s.

It is a good reminder for us. We so easily rely on our own strength, our own wisdom, our own abilities. Or, we doubt

that God can handle whatever we are facing.

When this happens, remember the story of Gideon. Remember that your God is all-powerful. So powerful, in fact,

that he defeated two enemies you could never defeat—sin and death. Through Jesus death and resurrection, your sins

are forgiven, and eternal life is yours.

Let this be your comfort no matter what foe you face.

Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, help me to trust you and only you for everything I need. Amen.

By WELS https://wels.net/dev-daily/

(“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8.)

Defending the Bible in a Post-Christian Culture

The Bible as a whole and in all it’s parts is the Divinely

Inspired, Revealed, Inerrant, and Authoritative

Word of God. Thank you for defending the

Bible and bringing this conference to Ascension on December 7th, 2019!

Presiding Pastor of the AALC Reverend Dr. Curtis Leins and Chaplain of Cornell University Reverend Dr. Jordan Cooper

A heartfelt Thank You to everyone who

donated to Ascension's Food Pantry during

the Social Ministry Committee's food drive

in November and to all those who have

donated throughout the year.

Your generosity is much appreciated! Candie Grimstad

Thank You to the Social Ministry

Committee and to Heather Eldridge for

the visit and the delicious banana bread

in celebration of my birthday. Thanks

also to my Ascension Family for the birthday cards.

God Bless, Glenda Alshouse

To my Flock #7 - "May the God of hope fill you with all the

joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow

with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit". (Romans 15:13)

My wish for each of you: a healthy, happy New

Year. Shepherd, Dean Alshouse

Our family would like to say "thank you" to

our amazing church family during the scary

time of discovering our baby Ivy's FOXG1

diagnosis. To Pastor Len who came and

prayed with us after we found out her diagnosis; to the peo-

ple who sent food: Beth Brokenshire, Amanda Coan, Tracie

Klemensen, Shanda Knight, Sherri Ridder and Elizabeth

Wild; to Sherri and Tracie also for coming over and watch-

ing Ivy; to Pat Crow for bringing flowers to cheer me up,

and most importantly for the prayers and words of support

and encouragement from too many to name. We are SO

blessed to have our Ascension Family!

While many with this disorder suffer from multiple seizures

a day, Ivy has been seizure-free for 6 months! Keep the

prayers coming! Preston, Allison, Nolan, and Ivy Gibbons

The family of Gary Webrand would like to express our heartfelt thanks to our Ascen-sion family. VicKee, Jerad, Tessa, and Linda

Start your new year right by attending a

Soup and Sandwich Lunch on Sunday,

January 5th, with Mike and Diane Heindl,

who are members of Ascension, and Chris

and Emily Adamow and family, who Ascension sup-

ports. They are all serving as missionaries in Southeast

Asia. We’ll start after 2nd service. This will be a chance to

visit with them and thank them for all they do. A freewill

offering will be taken that will go toward their mission

work. Your World Missions Committee

Check out the World Missions bulletin

board…. Then come to Adult Sunday School at

9:45 on January 5th, to hear how God is working

through the Heindls and the Adamows in their

mission field in Southeast Asia. Learn why we need to keep

them in our prayers. Your World Missions Committee

The Social Ministry Committee would like to thank every-

one who contributed food to the Ascension Food Pantry and

those who keep it in their prayers. The pantry was so

blessed with all he outpouring of items given.

Thank you for supporting House of Hope

with the pajama gifts, money and

prayers.

Social Ministry Committee

A big THANK YOU to Bob and Linda Dart

and Social Ministry for the nice visit, Birthday

greeting card, and tasty crumb cake.

Bill Drewes

Visit us online… at www.ascensionwaterloo.com! If you are unable to make our worship services on Sunday, the

sermons are available here! Don’t forget to “like” and follow us on Facebook! Also, our radio broadcast is on each

Sunday morning at 8:00 and 10:00 on KXEL (AM 1540).

Hi Ascension family! Check out the Spirit in color, it’s on our Ascension website!!! Do you have some news? Or a funny story? Maybe something awesome is happening? Do you have a blessing to share?

Please write it up and leave it in the board room mailbox, or Email to: spirit4ascension@gmail.com

Thank you to our wonderful church

family for your tremendous support

during Len’s deployment. We felt

uplifted by your prayers and surrounded by your loving

concern and care. Thank you for being a blessing to our

family!! The Brokenshires