Sunday Worship
9:30 am
In-person and
Live-streamed on YouTube
Family of God Lutheran Church
YouTube Channel
To view the livestream:
- go to our YouTube channel
- click on "Live" on the horizontal menu, and select the video you wish to view. Typically the Sunday livestream will say "Upcoming" if you go to the channel prior to the start time.
Additionally, be sure to turn your YouTube notifications on in Settings so you will be alerted when Family of God goes live!
A Message From Pastor Paul
June 2025 Newsletter
Sometimes I come across a poem or text that makes me see things I maybe hadn’t seen before, or accents something in a different way.
One such text is the hymn verses of “Where Shepherds Lately Knelt,” by Jaroslav Vajda. He is the man who wrote “Now the Silence, Now the Peace.”
Even though it is a Christmas hymn, it’s still worth looking at in June:
Where shepherds lately knelt
and kept the angel's word,
I come in half belief,
a pilgrim strangely stirred,
but there is room and welcome there for me,
but there is room and welcome there for me.
2. In that unlikely place
I find him as they said:
sweet newborn babe, how frail!
and in a manger bed,
a still, small voice to cry one day for me,
a still, small voice to cry one day for me.
3. How should I not have known
Isaiah would be there,
his prophecies fulfilled?
With pounding heart I stare:
a child, a son, the Prince of Peace for me,
a child, a son, the Prince of Peace for me.
4. Can I, will I forget
how love was born, and burned
its way into my heart
unasked, unforced, unearned,
to die, to live, and not alone for me,
to die, to live, and not alone for me?
In stanza one there is a role reversal, set in rhyme—that there should be no room for Jesus in the inn when He was born, but there is always room where Jesus is for you. What irony that one who is homeless the night he was born always has a place for us!
And verse two: Jesus was made a human, and babies cry when they are hungry, tired, need to be changed, or simply want to be held. The newborn baby Jesus in his small voice cried. Yet one day, grown, our Savior would cry for us. “Jerusalem, Jerusalem,” Jesus cried: “How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” Jesus cried for us as we are lost, sinful and unloving, discounting the poor, waging war upon our brothers and sisters, and acting as if the very earth were only to be exploited.
Yet that is why He came—he who cried as an infant cries for us—loves and pities us, and what’s more, comes to deliver us from sin, death, and the power of evil.
In the third stanza there is that amazement that Jesus also came for me, and finally in stanza four, how Jesus love comes into our heart even without our asking for it, and certainly not earned by our sinful selves.
This is just a peek at Christmas in June, but there is no season when the story and promise is not appropriate.
~ Pr. Paul Burow
A Message From Pastor Erin
June 2025 Newsletter
Greetings to everyone at Family of God —
It’s getting to be summertime. This is our only newsletter for June, so I’ll start out with wishing you some wonderful warm months. For us at the church office, summer is usually a quieter time of year. We are in a period of the church calendar called the Season after Pentecost, also known as Ordinary Time.
What is this season? Well, as you may have guessed, it starts after Pentecost. It’s by far the longest church season—it goes all the way until Advent. You can really split the church year into two parts. Advent through the season of Easter is a journey through the earthly biography of Jesus. It lasts about six months. Pentecost in springtime celebrates the creation of the Christian church, and the six or so months afterward focus on what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Ordinary Time is a season to dwell in the teachings of Jesus and other parts of scripture that help us learn and grow as disciples.
We have no ornaments to hang, soup suppers to host, or midweek services to join during Ordinary Time. There are a couple special hallmarks of this season, though. It kicks off with a day known as Holy Trinity Sunday. This day has roots that go back to the Middle Ages. (This was when Lutherans were all still Catholics, for those of you who are keeping track!) Most western church denominations observe this day. During Holy Trinity worship, we often say the Athanasian Creed in place of the Apostles’ or Nicene Creed. This particular creed affirms the three coequal parts of the Trinity and originates in the sixth century. This year, we will have special music and worship outdoors on that day.
The season ends with Christ the King Sunday. This is officially the last day of the church calendar, which starts fresh with the first Sunday of Advent. It caps off the year with a celebration of Christ’s rule over the earth. This isn’t a well-known day, but I think it deserves more attention than it gets. It has an interesting history that is still relevant to us now. This particular day is not nearly as old as Holy Trinity Sunday. In fact, it’s only been in the church calendar for a century.
This day’s origins lie in the time after World War I, a global conflict that claimed the lives of millions of people and injured countless more. In response to the nationalism and imperialism of this era, Pope Pius XI instituted a recognition of Christ’s reign, with no one else as king in His place. We, of course, are no longer part of the Roman Catholic Church, but our denomination observes the day simply because it is a very good idea.
In a church season that can seem long and at times unremarkable, I hope you’ll find some way to embrace the spirit of Ordinary Time and emphasize discipleship in your own life. We’ll be doing a simple Tuesday Bible study during summer. VBS also took place in early June for the young ones. Outside of church, I encourage you to pray, read scripture or other books that grow your faith, and volunteer in a way that fits in with your unique talents.
Happy Ordinary Time! Blessings to you and your loved ones.
— Pr. Erin Koster
The Lighted Globe:
The Lighted Globe at the back of the sanctuary is for the lighting of a votive candle by anyone wishing to express a particular prayer or hope in this symbolic way. Candles remain lit after all have gone, a visible sign of the prayers of our community of faith "for the whole people of God, and for all people according to their needs."
Holy Communion:
All baptized persons are welcome who believe Christ comes to us in the bread and the wine to bring forgiveness, life, and salvation. Children not yet communing come forward for a blessing. Children receive instruction and usually have First Communion in Fifth grade. We receive the sacrament standing. Grape juice is available.
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Worship with Holy Communion
Regular Worship
(September - May)
Sundays - In Person and
Live-Streamed
9:30 am
(Current Season)
Summer Worship
(June - August)
Sundays - In Person and
Live-Streamed
9:30 am
Interested in making your own communion bread just like we use at church for the coming services? Click the yellow button to view/download the recipe from Jane Nelson.
Children in Church
Children in Church: At Family of God, as Jesus did, we welcome children of all ages as integral members of the body of Christ, and we welcome the sounds and activity that accompany them! There are a number of spaces and activities designed for children to experience and participate in worship according to their needs (see reverse); we trust families to work out the best option(s) for them and their child(ren) on any given day. We also understand that it takes a village to raise a child. A few tips for engaging families with small children include:
- Greeting/learning the names of the young children who sit near you in worship.
- Offering to read or color with one child during worship, especially if another child in the family is especially fussy or upset.
- Helping preschoolers and elementary-aged kids to navigate the liturgy, locate the hymns, etc. (Children learn to worship by participating!)
- Inviting kids to serve alongside you in worship, as greeters, ushers, etc.
- Recognizing that certain conditions or disabilities don’t present physically, and some children (and adults) may make noises or act in ways that seem strange or upsetting, but are perfectly normal for their situation.
- Celebrating that God put the wiggle in children, and that children’s “mode of being” in worship is intrinsically more vocal and more physical than that of adults.
Busy Bags:
Located in the back of the sanctuary, these bags contains books, crayons, toys, figures, and other things to keep little hands busy and occupied. Children’s Bibles and Bible Story coloring sheets are also available, near the busy bags, and Scribble cards are located in the pew racks.
Family of God Sunday School:
See CYF/Sunday School pages. FOG students (3 years olds - 5th grade) worship with their families through the children’s sermon, then attend FOG Sunday School classes through the end of the service.
Nursery: If your little one simply needs a break, a nursery is staffed through every Sunday worship service for children from birth to 3 years of age.
*In order to comply with Family of God’s Child Policy, parents and guardians are asked to pick up their own children from both the nursery and FOG classrooms rather then, for example, allowing one parent to pick up children from two families. Thanks for understanding.