RING in the NEW MILLENIUM!

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
2 Cor 5:17 (NIV)

Those are reassuring words to lead us into this NEW MILLENIUM. The New Year has come, and with it, a NEW CENTURY. How long will it take to stop writing "1999" on our checks? That doesn't matter. What does matter is that WE ARE HERE and GOD IS WITH US! All the doomsday prophets who predicted mass hysteria, power outages, financial upheaval, and a host of "Y2K" plagues have been silenced. All is well - GOD IS WITH US. It has been 2000 years since "God so Loved the World, that He gave his only begotten Son" to us on that first Christmas. Now, as we celebrate that coming, and the season of light (Epiphany) this January, let us do so with all the GUSTO that we displayed on this once-in-a-lifetime New Year's Eve that just passed. May your worship be JOYFUL in this happy season, for we are all NEW CREATIONS in this NEW MILLENIUM!

The first twenty one songs in our Lutheran Book of Worship are titled "Canticles". The remainder of the songs are "hymns". The difference? The: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, defines a hymn as "A song of praise or thanksgiving to God or a deity.", but a canticle is "A song or chant, especially a nonmetrical hymn with words taken from a biblical text."

Canticles, like Psalms, are often chanted. For that reason, you may notice that several are printed as WORDS ONLY, indicating that they are to be chanted to one of the tunes we use when we chant a Psalm. We don't often use canticles, but a couple are well known, especially #14, "Listen, you nations of the world", which we sang early in Advent.

Do YOU have a question you'd like answered in this column? Send them to me (Don Bauer) and I'll research them for a future month.

Epiphany. What is Epiphany? The dictionary defines it as a feast, celebrated on January 6th, "celebrating the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi." In other words, the day the Wise Men arrived! Our celebration of twelve days of Christmas ends with Epiphany, but the season lasts until Ash Wednesday. Epiphany is MORE than one day; it is a challenge for us to let OUR LIGHTS SHINE every day! In the darkness of winter, we are to SHINE so that people "may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Math. 5:16 as found in the LBW service of Baptism, Page 124).

Meet our Worship Committee Members - Jan Wheeler.

Jan Wheeler is one of our council-appointed lay-members. Jan is a life-long member of St. John. She took piano lessons as a child, is one of our cornerstone members of the Gospel Choir, and is in charge of providing funeral dinners. Now retired, she owned the popular Bartonville Pancake House for several years, and worked at two other local eating establishments. Jan has five kids and fourteen grandchildren. Jan listens to 104.6 and 91.5 FM, and likes a variety of music, including all types of Christian, Jazz/Blues/Swing, "Oldies", Show tunes, Country/Western, and EZ Listening. What does she say about music in worship? "Music in worship is a deep feeling in how you can express yourself and your love for Christ."

Until Next Month: Remember:"14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house."
Matt 5:14-15 (NIV)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God alone be the Glory)

Donald L. Bauer, Choral & Contemporary Music Director