Welcome to Incarnation!
If you are new to Incarnation or you want to learn more about Incarnation ministries, please complete this online form we’ll use to connect you to a ministry leader according to your interests.
Worship, December 22, 2024, at 9:00 am and 10:30 am
All live-streamed worship will be on Vimeo but you don’t need a Vimeo account to view the livestream. The livestream will begin about ten minutes prior to the start of the service so you can make sure you’re able to connect.
Connect with Worship at 9:00 am HERE
Prelude
Welcome
Opening Words
Hymn—O Come, O Come, Emmanuel ELW #257 (vv. 1, 6)
Reading—Luke 1:46-55, Pew Bible NT p. 58
Advent Wreath Lighting
Hymn— My Soul Proclaims Your Greatness ELW #251
Prayer
Anthem
Reading—Luke 1:39-45, 56-58, Pew Bible NT p. 58
Sermon—Pastor Janet
Hymn—Christ, Be Our Light ELW #715
Baptism for Nora Nelson, daughter of Rebecca & Peter Nelson
Creed/Prayers
Communion—All are welcome
Next Steps
Hymn—Joy to the World ELW #267
Postlude
Connect to Worship at 10:30 am HERE
Prelude
Welcome
Song—O Come O Come Emmanuel
Reading—Luke 1:46-55, Pew Bible NT p. 58
Advent Wreath Lighting
Songs — Come and Let Us Sing, Christ Be Our Light
Special Music
Baptism for Mila Johnson, daughter of Jaclyn Johnson
Reading—Luke 1:39-45, 56-58, Pew Bible NT p. 58
Sermon—Pastor Janet
Special Music
Communion—All are welcome
Next Steps
Song—Love the Lord
Sending
Postlude
Watch later on Facebook
Watch later on the Web
Download a PDF of a guide for families worshipping together.
Every Gift Matters
We are appreciative and grateful for your continued support of the ministries at Incarnation. Your generosity is not only vital to our church’s worship but helps us have an impact on people in the surrounding communities and beyond. We invite you to continue with us on this journey! If you have questions about setting up an electronic recurring donation or making a gift through stocks, an IRA, or a donor-advised fund, please reach out to Amy Faymoville, our gifts manager.
Giving for 2024
Gifts for 2024 will be welcomed through Monday, December 30 by 10:00 am to allow for processing time.
Note: You may also donate online via the following link up until 10:00 pm on December 31:
https://onrealm.org/IncarnationLuth/-/form/give/now
Prayer Concerns
LeAnn Sullivan; Anna Thorstad; Mike Branch; Kara, Jackson, Michael & Kaitlyn Genia; Jon Nelson; Kate Tollefson & family; June Fischer; Kirsten Blaseck; Wayne Quehl; Carol Beckerleg; Gene Lindholm; Marian Ness; Lowell Odland, Linda Hudepohl, Mary Crawford’s daughter, Deanne; Kyle Hoecke’s mother; Mary Cooper’s father; Tom Henk’s brother; Deb Rykken’s brother; Sue Bernlohr’s mother; Lana Bergin’s brother; Nicole & Troy Heller’s brother-in-law; Mike Wielenberg’s mother; Al and Carolyn Ek’s son; Nathan Swanson’s friend, Clayton; Mike & Kara Johnson’s friend, Jenny; Kim Wielenberg’s friend, Cindy; Dede Mattison’s friends, Linda and Yvonne
Sympathy to the family of Ovidiu Ardeleanu on his death; Diane Betterley & family on the death of her mother; Kari Sundberg & family on the death of her father
Baptized at the 9:00 a.m. worship service, Nora Nelson, daughter of Rebecca & Peter Nelson
Baptized at the 10:30 a.m. worship service Mila Laura Johnson, daughter of Jaclyn Johnson
To be added to the public prayer concerns list, please get in touch with Julie Durbin. If you would like to add someone else to the public prayer concerns list, please obtain their consent first.
Altar Flowers
If you would like to have altar flowers given in honor or memory of someone, please contact the Incarnation Office at 651-484-7213 to sign up (cost: $25). Donations help offset the cost of the beautiful flowers that the Worship Arts team provides. Altar flowers express our love for God, enhance our gathering around the Word and Sacrament, and represent changing seasons both in the church year and in nature.
Advent Worship Banner
The banner brings the message of the candles in an Advent wreath. The first candle represents the Hope we have in Christ, the second is a reminder that Christ came to bring Peace, the third candle represents the Joy of Christ’s coming, and the fourth candle represents God’s Love through Christ. The banner features a fifth candle, a large white Christ candle that represents the light that was brought into the world when he was born. The Christ candle is a symbol of transition from prophecy to fulfillment. The candles are placed on a background of blue, the liturgical color of the Season of Advent.
Wednesdays in Advent | December 18, 7:15–7:45 pm
The Holden Evening Prayer service frames each Advent Wednesday service—a quiet, reflective gathering with music and brief meditations by our staff.
Advent & Christmas Schedule
Fourth Sunday in Advent, December 22 | 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
We follow our usual schedule on Sundays in December.
Christmas Eve Worship, December 24 | 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, and 7:00 p.m.
1:00 p.m.: Family Christmas Celebration (candle lighting is kid-appropriate)
3:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m.: Christmas Celebrations with music and candle lighting.
Christmas Day, December 25 | 10:00 a.m.
A service of Lessons and Carols
First Sunday of Christmas, December 29 | 10:00 a.m.
One service at 10:00 a.m.
Jearlyn Steele at the 3:00 pm Christmas Eve Service
We are thrilled to welcome back Jearlyn Steele to sing for the 3:00 Christmas Eve service! Jearlyn is a member of the internationally acclaimed Steele family, who have performed on Broadway, Carnegie Hall, the Super Bowl and on stages all over the world. She recently retired from her four-hour Sunday night radio show called Steele Talk’n on WCCO Radio 830AM, which was a joy for twenty-five years. She has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Prince, Mavis Staples and more. She was a frequent special guest on the national radio broadcast A Prairie Home Companion performing duets with music greats Carole King and Elvis Costello. She received an Emmy for narrator of the TPT documentary, Flour Power.
Building for Our Future
If you haven’t already brought in your commitment, we invite you to think about how God has blessed your life through this community and then state your “intention” of how much you will commit to Building for Our Future. These commitments are over and above our giving to the Operating Budget which supports our ongoing ministry and extend from now through December 2026. We will need all of us to build the future God intends, and if you have any questions, please reach out to us.
https://www.incarnationmn.org/give/building-for-our-future/
Book Study Starting in January
The Ministry Lab — an ecumenical Minnesota-based resource hub — invites folks from across the state across religious and denominational identities and across occupations and roles to their first-ever book discussion reading Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda’s Building a Moral Economy: Pathways for People of Courage (Fortress).
We’ll convene the fourth Wednesday of the month: January 22, February 26, and March 26, 2025 from 12:00 noon to 1:00 PM CT via Zoom.
Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis reflecting on Building a Moral Economy writes, “We can live in a world where everyone flourishes; it is what God intends. This life-affirming vision is at the heart of Cynthia Moe-Lobeda’s book. Read this book if you find abandonment amid abundance and poverty amid plenty immoral and wrong and to find a path that affirms that ending poverty is possible indeed it is what our God of justice demands.”
Learn more to order the book and register for the discussion link here: Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda is a featured speaker at the EcoFaith Blue Whirl Webinars – from The Ministry Lab – The Ministry Labtheministrylab.org
Sunday, January 5 and 12, 10:15 am, Fireside Room
Harlots or Heroines: The Stories of Women in Matthew’s Genealogy
Diane Jacobson, Professor Emerita of Old Testament, Luther Seminary, will lead an exploration of some remarkable stories of five women from the Old Testament: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Uriah’s wife, and Mary. What binds these women together is that though their sexual behavior is open to question, they are heroines of the faith.
Incarnation Preschool Enrollment Starting in January
Registrations for our preschool for the 2025-26 school year will open soon in January. If you know of a family with young kids who may be looking for a loving and supportive Christian environment, please share this information. Visit Incarnation Preschool on our website or contact Preschool Director Kirsten Henry to learn more.
PrimeTimers
SNAP! CRACKLE! POP!
Thursday, January 23, 10:30 a.m.
🎶 Get Ready for a Musical Treat! 🎶 Join us for SNAP! CRACKLE! POP! — a delightful performance by Sunny Didier, Julie Arend, and Jody McCormick that will bring musical fun and cheer to your day!
Featuring:
- A talented piano player
- Timeless tunes from the 1920s through the 1960s
- Sing-along classics everyone will love
These seasoned singers share a love for performing and promise an engaging, crowd-pleasing experience. Don’t miss the chance to enjoy their lively show! Doors open at 10:00 a.m., with the program starting at 10:30 a.m. After the presentation, stay for a delicious lunch at 11:30 a.m., all for $10, payable at the door. Please reserve your lunch spot by calling the church office by Monday, January 20, at 651-484-7213. We hope to see you there!
Sunday Morning Cookie Crew
Serving cookies is a fun way to serve at Incarnation and everyone appreciates it! Please review the available slots below and click here to sign up. We will send you instructions for serving the Thursday before you are scheduled to serve. Thank you in advance for helping!
Wanna Play Pickleball? No Entry Unless a Door Monitor Is Available!
- Please sign up as a door monitor here.
- Shifts are from 3-5 or 5-7 PM, but you may leave early IF there is anyone else who will stay until someone arrives to greet or play.
- Play is 2-8 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
- Before 3 PM, enter via Door #1
2024 Holiday Baking Bag Campaign for Ralph Reeder — Final Results and Thank-You
We cannot thank you enough for your generosity in giving to our 2024 Holiday Baking Bags Campaign. We transported carloads of donations and baking bags throughout the campaign, weighing in at 2663 pounds. And one Small Group donated 258 pounds of hams for the holidays. In total, we donated 2921 pounds to the Ralph Reeder Food Shelf for holiday giving to our neighbors. That is over a TON of generosity! Thank you!!
As well, you have been very generous in giving financial donations this fall and through the holiday season. Through your generosity, we have received $14,000! Ralph Reeder Food Shelf can make great use of those funds, acquiring items that are greatly needed through their channels. Again, thank you!!
During this season of giving, thank you for being a part of our “Church Without Walls” ministry and providing generously for our neighbors through our partnership with the Ralph Reeder Food Shelf.
While this year’s campaign has officially come to an end, food insecurity, unfortunately, has not. Please continue to support the Ralph Reeder Food Shelf and those they serve here in our community.
Office Hours During Christmas and New Year’s Day
Weekly Update
MSM/HSM Launch Update
On Wednesday (12/18) middle schoolers went caroling in the surrounding neighborhoods, sharing an invitation to join us for Christmas Eve & Day worship. Since many only know caroling from movies, it took us a while to figure things out. But once we did, we had an amazing time together, and most wanted to keep going. Our high school group is canoeing the Apostle Islands (July 7-12) with Camp Amnicon. Talk to Mike for more information and get on the list. SAVE The DATE: our MSM Mystery Adventure Trip is July 20-25. Big reveal on 1/29.
Being a Confirmation Guide is Rad
We need 2 adult co-guides for 6th grade. 7, 8, and HSM, too. Here’s what to expect.
Say “Yes” to Being a Confirmation Guide
Adults, we also need 2 co-guides for 6th grade, 7th, 8th, and HSM. Here’s what to expect.
Parents Small Group Opportunity
- Stage-specific (i.e. parents of ILC Kids, MSM, HSM), short-term, come as you are
- Could be on Wednesday (during CYF programming), could be another time, at home or church
- Contact us if interested
Connect to Serve
- Serve pizza on Wednesday (2 hrs) – sign up here
- Serve cookies and coffee on Sunday (2 hrs) – sign up here
- For our game room (classrooms 28-30), we’re looking for a Nintendo Switch or Xbox gaming console… – email Nate
- Hang out with middle school kids, Wednesday after school, 2:30-4:30 pm – email Nate
- Be a Small Group Co-Guide for MSM/Confirmation/HSM – view info
- Serve in the Nursery at 9:00 am – visit our nursery webpage
- Other service opportunities, here
- Contact Nate with questions
To view our schedules and loads of other stuff, head to our MSM or HSM web pages.
Disaster Response
Lutheran Disaster Response shares God’s hope, healing and renewal with people whose lives have been disrupted by disasters in the United States and around the world. When the dust settles and the headlines change, we stay to provide ongoing assistance to those in need. Learn more.
International:
- Middle East Crisis
- Eastern Europe Crisis Response
- Horn of Africa Drought
- Middle East Crisis
- Middle East & Europe Refugee Crisis
- South Sudan Relief
- AMMPARO: Protecting Migrants
Domestic:
Like Lutheran Disaster Response on Facebook, follow @ELCALDR on Twitter and follow @ELCA_LDR on Instagram.