A Savior is Born
 The first Christmas sermon was preached to a small congregation consisting entirely of shepherds. The preacher was an angel. The message of his sermon? “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you.”
That is a heavy word: Savior. It says as much about us as it does about this child. If the angel had said “a teacher has been born” or “a mentor has been born,” it would mean that within us exists the potential to fix all that is wrong with the world. It would mean we just need a bit of help: a coach, a mentor, a source of inspiration. But the angel said, “A Savior has been born.” If one needs saving, it means he is totally helpless—completely lost—doomed, without outside intervention. That is how God the Father viewed us: helpless, lost, doomed. So, he sent more than a coach. He sent his only Son to be our Savior.
Join us this weekend for our Christmas Eve (3:30 & 6:30 pm) and Christmas Day (9:30 am) services, as we ponder and celebrate this amazing truth! Invite friends and family to join you!
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Prayer Requests
Please keep the following in your prayers:
- Our Christmas Outreach, as we invite others to Christmas worship.
- Pastor Dan Lewig, as he deliberates the divine call to serve as Associate Pastor for Youth and Outreach at Riverview.
- Brian Werth, who continues to wait for a kidney transplant
- Jeff Theimer, who is home recovering from a heart attack last week
Holiday & Sunday Worship Times
Below is our worship schedule for the upcoming holidays and surrounding Sundays. There will be no Sunday Bible Study or Sunday School on December 25 or January 1. There will be no Monday Bible Study or Bible Basics Class on December 26 or January 2.
- Christmas Eve Worship - December 24 - 3:30 & 6:30 pm
- Christmas Day Worship with Holy Communion - December 25 - 9:30 am
- New Year's Eve Worship with Holy Communion - December 31 - 3:30 pm
- 1st Sunday after Christmas - January 1 - 9:30 am
- 1st Sunday after Epiphany - January 8 - 8:00 & 10:30 am (Bible Study & Sunday School resume)
Divine Call Extended
On December 12, a divine call was extended to Pastor Dan Lewig to serve as Associate Pastor at Riverview. Please keep him, his current ministry, and his family in your prayers, as he determines where best to use his gifts to serve our Savior. Those who wish to reach out to him may contact him by email at danlewig@yahoo.com.
Office Hours & Sunday Scrip Sales
Classes resume at Riverview Lutheran School on Wednesday, January 4. During the break, office hours are Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm. Someone may be in the office at other times, but please call first. If you need pastoral assistance and no one is in the office, contact Pastor Wagner at 920-757-4535.
There will be no scrip sales on Sunday, December 25, or Sunday, January 1.
College & Military Addresses Needed
Riverview would like to remember our college students and those serving in the military with care packages this Christmas and other encouragement throughout the year. If you or your child fall into one of those categories, please contact the church office with your contact info (school/branch, address, phone, email) or complete this form as soon as possible! Thank you!
Offering Envelopes
Offering envelopes for 2023 have been placed in member mailboxes. Please pick yours up soon. God bless our giving back to him the first and the best of all that he has given to us!
69th Wedding Anniversary
With God’s blessing, Dean and Gertie Wink will be celebrating 69 years together on December 26th. Their family encourages anyone who knows them to please join in celebrating on their special day at Riverview Lutheran Church from 2:00-4:00 PM. This celebration will include vow renewal, hymn sing-along, social with light refreshments. Your presence would indeed be the greatest gift of all.
Worship Links
Fox Valley Lutheran High School Notes
- Do you enjoy baking? Consider making and donating homemade desserts (pies, cakes, tortes, candy) for Musicfest on February 5 Musicfest. Event proceeds benefit the FVL Music Program. Go to fvlhs.org/musicfest for details and to sign up.
- FVL Grads who were a part of the band program, please consider joining us for a special alumni band performance at Musicfest on Sunday, 2/5. Details and registration are at fvlhs.org/musicfest and registration deadline is 1/10.
- Registration is open for boys in grades 7-8 for baseball (registration closes 12/31). Go to fvlhs.org/youth-sports for details and to register.
- FVL is accepting applications for a part-time custodian and a maternity-leave substitute teacher. Go to fvlhs.org/about/employment for details.
- Information for the 2023 season for Lutheran Vanguard of Wisconsin (LVW), a WELS high school marching band, has been posted to its website. The season will begin with a rehearsal camp on Jan. 7-8 to be held at FVL. LVW is open to all WELS members in grades 8-12. The summer schedule, cost, registration procedures, and more can be found on the JOIN page. Go to lutheranvanguard.org or contact the LVW Executive Director James Neujahr at jneujahr@fvlhs.org.
- Transfer students can enroll for Semester 2 at FVL. Contact the Admissions Office at admissions@fvlhs.org or 920-560-5105 for details.
- FVL CHRISTMAS BREAK School & SCRIP Office Hours: Thurs., 12/22 – Wed., 1/4 – All Offices Closed (including Guidance) Thurs., 1/5 – Regular School & SCRIP Office hours resume
- Whether retirement is less than 5 years or more than 25 years from today, you have this special opportunity to hear from experts and get questions answered. Join us for the Retirement Planning seminar at FVL on Thursday, 1/19 at 6 PM. Go to fvlhs.org/seminar to register and get information.
Area WELS News
- COMMISSIONING SERVICE: Please join us for Pastor Joel Hoff's Commissioning Service on Saturday, January 21. The service will be held at 11AM at Trinity Lutheran Church (407 Oak Street, Neenah). There will be a sendoff lunch and fellowship following the service. The Hoffs will begin their ministry in Africa at the end of January.
- TBRI® 101 Course Especially for Adoptive and Foster Parents Coming Soon! This course offers an informal, yet thorough approach to Trust-Based Relational Intervention®, an evidence-based intervention for children from hard places of abuse, neglect, and/or trauma. Videos will be shown to guide the viewer through the principles and strategies of TBRI® and offer practical tips for implementation. Topics include Understanding Trauma, TBRI® Empowering, Connecting, and Correcting Principles, as well as real-life examples and testimonials from caregivers and professionals who use TBRI®. Through the blessing of a grant from the Antioch II Foundation, the WELS ministry Light for Parents is able to present this course to a group of parents in the Fox Cities area. The course will be presented on three consecutive Saturday mornings--February 4, 11, and 18, 2023--from 9 a.m. - Noon at Eternal Love Lutheran Church, 1011 E. Midway Road, Appleton, WI 54915. The course will be presented from a Christian perspective by an adoptive couple trained as trauma practitioners, one of whom is also a TBRI® Practitioner. The course is free, but participants are asked to register by emailing staff@LightforParents.com with the names of those who will be attending.
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