December 18, 2025 E-Vine – St John's Lutheran Church of Napa CA

Advent: Preparing the Way

“Obey!”
December 21, 2025

CLICK HERE FOR SERVICE NOTES.

As We Gather

Joseph receives instructions from the Lord that point in the opposite direction from where he had decided to go and what he had decided to do. And yet, he obeyed. Following our Lord’s instructions is sometimes difficult, pointing us in directions we would rather not take. But Christ has called us to take His Word to heart and to let it be seen in our lives and actions. In other words, to obey.

Ongoing News and Information

Pastor Mike’s Bible Class – Angels and Demons
If we take the scriptures seriously, we will acknowledge that there is a spiritual realm and there are spiritual beings all around us that we cannot see. The Bible is full of references to angels as God’s servants. In this multi-week study, we’re going to look at and discuss what the Bible says about these spiritual beings, compare and contrast with the views of popular culture, and what it means for us today. We are currently looking at the angels in the Christmas story. We will meet in Room 10 each Sunday after worship at 11:00 AM.

December 21 – Christmas Sing-Along
Mark your calendars for a festive Christmas celebration and sing-along at Pastor Mike and Teresa’s home on Sunday, December 21 from 4:00-8:00 PM. All are invited. You do not need to RSVP. If you would like to, please bring an appetizer or shareable. We’ll start the music sometime between 5:00 and 6:00, singing Christmas songs that you select, both sacred and secular, and hearing from kid musicians who have prepared Christmas songs for the occasion. And, of course, if any adults bring instruments, they are welcome to join in as well. We’re looking forward to a time of fun, food, fellowship, and Christmas festivity!

Now through December 31 – Support the Mission Farm Through the 2025 Give!Guide
Help support our Mission Farm! Make a year-end gift today, or certainly before December 31 for tax planning purposes. You may do so easily online through CanDoGiveGuide.org, using your credit card or mailing in a check following the information provided on their website. Our Mission Farm is listed under the “Community” category. The Give!Guide portal shuts down on midnight of Dec. 31. If you donate by check, it will need to be made out to CanDo Give!Guide. Or you can send your gift by check made out to St. John’s Lutheran Church and earmarked for the Mission Farm, placing it in the offering plate on one of the last two Sundays of December, or mailing it to the church office. If you mail your check, make sure your gift gets to the post office in time to bear a Dec. 31 postmark at the latest. The volunteers at the Mission Farm thank you for your support!

2026 Offering Envelopes
The 2026 offering envelopes are ready to pick up in the narthex. We have 2026 envelopes ready for everyone who had 2025 envelopes. If you do not yet have offering envelopes and would like to order some, please contact Kristy in the Church Office at churchoffice@stjohnsnapa.org.

December 24 – Christmas Eve Worship Services
We will have two services in the Sanctuary on Christmas Eve:

4:00 PM: Children and family service, including a birthday cake for Jesus!
7:00 PM: Traditional Christmas Eve service with Communion and concluding by candlelight. This service will include a chamber ensemble and the Sanctuary Choir.

December 25 – Christmas Day Worship Service
Join us in the Sanctuary on Christmas Day at 9:30 AM to celebrate the birth of our Savior. This service will include Communion and the Sanctuary Choir.

New Date! High School New Year’s Eve Party and White Elephant Gift Exchange
Merry Christmas from St. John’s High School Ministry! Let’s keep the holiday celebrations going (and welcome 2026) at a High School New Year’s Eve Party right here at St. John’s. Join us for the festivities on December 31 from 4:00-8:00 PM, and feel free to bring a friend or two! We’ll start with a white elephant gift exchange ($20 limit) that you won’t want to miss out on, then we’ll join the UTC-3 time zone (hello, Brazil!) for a New Year’s countdown at 7:00 PM our time. We can’t wait to celebrate an amazing year with all of you!

Year-End Giving Reminder
December 28 is the last Sunday of the calendar year. If you plan on giving a year-end gift and want to make sure it is counted in the 2025 tax year, it must be hand-delivered, postmarked, or electronically charged on or before December 31. If a gift is delivered or postmarked in January 2026, it cannot be considered a 2025 gift, even if the check is dated December 2025.

You may also consider a gift of stocks, mutual funds, or qualified charitable distributions from an IRA. Gifts of appreciated securities have a double benefit: they are sheltered from capital gains tax, and potentially provide a charitable contribution deduction. Consult your tax practitioner or financial planner for advice.

Thank you again for your generous contributions in support of our ministry!

Charitable Contributions Reminder for Donors
Church Law & Tax has provided a helpful information packet outlining year-end giving reminders as you prepare your 2025 tax returns. We have several copies available in the narthex, and you can also access the packet electronically using this link.

February 12-14, 2026 – Best Practices for Ministry Conference

BPM is back! Best Practices for Ministry is a free annual conference for pastors, church workers, and lay people. The purpose is to learn and share ideas and practices to help us grow in living God’s Mission. BPM 2026 will take place on February 12-14 at Christ Church Lutheran in Phoenix, Arizona. For more information, please go to: cclphoenix.org/bpm/

As we have done in the past, St. John’s will be covering lodging for all participants from St. John’s, but not transportation. The conference itself is free. If you are interested in attending, please contact Kristy in the Church Office so we can add you to our hotel room block. Please also register for the conference using the link above.

In Search of Sunday Transportation
A young adult with special needs, who lives in Suisun City, is looking for transportation to and from SJLC on Sunday mornings. He is ambulatory and needs no special accommodations, just a ride. He is friendly and talkative! If you are able to help him out, please leave your name and contact information (phone and/or e-mail) with the Church Office Manager, Kristy Watkins (churchoffice@stjohnsnapa.org).

Maintenance Technician (Part-time)

The maintenance technician is primarily responsible for implementing and carrying out the preventive and routine maintenance tasks to prolong and ensure appropriate operation of equipment and systems. For the full position description, please click here: St. John’s Maintenance Technician. To inquire about this position, please contact Howard Scully (hscully@stjohnsnapa.org) or Pastor Mike Schmid (pastormike@stjohnsnapa.org)

Music Teacher at St. John’s Lutheran School

The Music Teacher position at St. John’s Lutheran School includes classroom instruction for Preschool – Grade 5 and Choir direction for Grades 6-8. This is a part-time position, scheduled for classroom instruction Tuesday and Thursday, and accompaniment/ directing of students during our weekly Chapel first thing Wednesday morning. In addition, accompaniment/directing takes place approximately twice a month during our Sunday Worship. For more information, please contact Principal Christy Wood at cwood@stjohnsnapa.org.

Sanctuary Lighting Upgrade

Let There Be Lights!

Wonderful news – thanks to your generosity, we have reached our initial $50,000 goal and our $2,500 stretch goal for the new sanctuary lights! However, if you feel led to continue donating toward this project, we would be most grateful. Any “Let There Be Lights” contributions received over and above the initial and stretch goals will reduce the amount of available reserves needed to fund the project.

For an offering by check, please indicate “Let there Be Lights” on the memo line (and on your envelope, if applicable). For online giving, please use the “Let there Be Lights” option to make your designation. Thank you again to all who have helped brighten our sanctuary with your offerings!

Confirmation Classes
Confirmation, for 7th and 8th graders desiring to know more about God, will be meeting throughout the school year right here at St. John’s. Our meetings next month will be on January 7, 14, 21, and 28 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM in the Library. If you have any questions or desire to get involved, please contact Kevin Mathison at kevin@stjohnsnapa.org.

High School Hangouts
Calling all High Schoolers! Join us every Sunday after the worship service for High School Hangouts in Kevin Mathison’s office. We’ll enjoy games, snacks, and fellowship as we dive into God’s Word and talk about what it means for our lives today. If you have any questions, please contact Kevin at kevin@stjohnsnapa.org.

Join Us For Children’s Church!

All children ages preschool through 5th grade are invited to join us for Children’s Church, an age-specific time of teaching and fellowship during the main worship service every Sunday morning. The children will spend the first part of the service in the sanctuary, then join their teachers for Children’s Church in one of the classrooms. The children then rejoin their families for the last part of the worship service. We are also looking for more adults and teens to help lead these classes, so if you are interested, please reach out to Kevin at kevin@stjohnsnapa.org.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow St. John’s Youth Ministry on Social Media to keep up with all the latest information!
Facebook: SJL Napa Youth Ministry
Instagram: St. John’s Lutheran Napa Youth

St. John’s LCC K9 Comfort Dog Ministry
Our team sent 13 members to the LCC K9 Comfort Dog Conference inn Northbrook, Illinois in July. There were over 500 humans attending as well as over 90 beautiful Golden Retrievers. We thank Thrivent for assisting us with an Action Team card.

Every week is an opportunity to invite someone to join with us in worship, whether in person or online. The first step, though, is to pray for those who you may invite. Who can you pray for? Who will you invite?

You can CLICK HERE to give your offering online.

Stephen Ministers Grow in the Lord

The more you focus on the Lord and do God’s work, the more satisfaction you will find. It’s that simple! Are you looking for more satisfaction in your life? Consider serving our congregation as a Stephen Minister. By helping others, you will help God’s kingdom grow – and you will grow too! To learn more about Stephen Ministry and what Stephen Ministers do, contact Penni Cremen (707-483-9321) or Pastor Mike at the church office (707-255-0119).

Women’s Monday Morning Bible Study
We’re taking the month of December off and will resume meeting in January to continue our study of the Book of Romans. We meet on Monday mornings from 10:00-11:30 AM in the Sanctuary, and all study materials will be handed out when we meet. For more information, please contact Judi Rock at goalyce2041@gmail.com.

Men’s Saturday Morning Bible Study

The Men’s Saturday Morning Bible Study is currently studying the Epistle (letter) to the Galatians. All men are welcome to join us every Saturday morning in Room 10. Breakfast will be at 7:30 AM, and the Bible study will be from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM.

Biblical Counseling at St John’s?

The Biblical Counseling Center of Napa Valley

The Biblical Counseling Center of Napa Valley is a ministry to the families of St. John’s Lutheran Church and all Christians in the greater Napa area. Our center began some 25 years ago to offer strength and direction to those Christians suffering through trials and tribulations using the promises and hope the Bible offers to those who trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior. To learn more, CLICK HERE. If you, or someone you know, is struggling with life’s stressors, please consider giving us a call at 707-738-5306. (We are a free ministry to all).

Right Now Media
Right now media is an online resource providing Christian videos for all ages. Children’s resource, Bible Studies, lectures and more. As a congregation, we have subscribed to Right Now Media, so access is free for all in our St. John’s family. If you haven’t already signed up for Right Now Media, CLICK HERE.

Where do I find sermons and services that I missed?

You can find previous sermons in three places. The full services are available on the YouTube channel.

YouTube Channel:
- www.youtube.com/user/stjohnsnapaca/live
- There are playlists for sermons, Sunday Services, Wednesday Night Worship and teaching on Matthew
RightNow Media Channel
- www.rightnowmedia.org/CustomLibrary/41667
- Scroll down to find recommendations as well as sermon and Gospel of Matthew lessons
Website
- church.stjohnsnapa.org/resources/sermons
- The sermons are arranged by worship series