Principal's Pennings
Principal's Pennings
2017 NATIONAL LUTHERAN SCHOOLS’ WEEK
In this newsletter, you will find a page of our National Lutheran School Celebration activities for next week.
“Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord is an everlasting rock.” (Is. 26:4)
It’s time for our annual celebration! Did you know that………..
…..190,000 students attend Lutheran schools.
…..There are 2,068 Lutheran schools.
…..National Lutheran Schools’ Week is a time we all come together to celebrate our uniqueness
as a Lutheran school.
…..LCMS started as 12 congregations and 14 schools! (In many cases, the schools were started
before the congregations, as a Christian education was so important to our early Lutherans.)
…..Last year, 2,336 children in Lutheran schools were baptized.
By Mrs. Ann Arndt
10 January
Our son, Michael, was eight years old and in third grade. He was invited to a birthday party at Show Biz Pizza in Shawnee. The birthday boy, “Shawn,” was also in third grade and had invited all 12 boys in his class to his party. Mr. Arndt, Eric, and I escorted our son into the restaurant to the party. They had reserved a long table, enough places for 12 boys and one chaperone, complete with fancy plates, balloons, party favors, etc. We were a few minutes early, the first ones there, with the exception of the birthday boy and his mother. We waited and waited for someone else, the 11 other boys to arrive. The excitement of the birthday boy and his mother diminished as the time went by, and no one else was showing up. Finally realizing that no one else was coming, the down-hearted mother asked if Mr. Arndt, Eric, and I would stay so at least there would be a few people to help celebrate “Shawn’s” birthday. We were as festive as we could be, but there was a giant cloud hanging over us all as we realized “Shawn” was not liked well enough by any of his other classmates to even show up for his party.
By Mrs. Ann Arndt
13 December
What is your favorite book or movie, and how many times have you read or seen it? My favorite book was “Huckleberry Finn,” and I’ve probably read it 15 times. My favorite movie years ago was “The Sound of Music,” and by the time I reached adulthood, I probably saw it nine or ten times. However, I probably won’t read the book or see the movie in its entirety again, as I know the story, I’ve seen it many times, and I’m not ready to hear it again. Enough is finally enough!
However, how about the Christmas story? I’ve probably heard it at least 500 times, and I’m ready to hear it again. I certainly wouldn’t hear or see my favorite books or movies that many times! And yet, every year when I hear the Christmas story over and over, told by the children, pastors, family members, and friends, it strikes me as wonderful, refreshing, exciting, and comforting, even after 500 times! The setting is the same, the plot doesn’t change, and the characters are the same. Nothing about the story has changed in over 2000 years, and yet people all over the world listen to it every year! It must be quite a story!
Principals’s Pennings
December 20, 2016
On behalf of the entire faculty and staff at Martin Luther Academy, we wish you and your families a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and BLESSED NEW YEAR!
Hopefully tonight you can come see and hear our children present the Christmas story in a way that only children can. It will be from their hearts. They have spent hours preparing this special message for you. They know the real reason for the season!
Tuesday, (today), December 20 at 6:30 pm.
Doors open at 6:10
Children in the classrooms at 6:15
Pick up children in their classrooms after the program.
OH, COME, LET US ADORE HIM
CHRIST, THE LORD!
Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus!
Principal’s Pennings
December 6, 2016
Did you ever ask a small child how to get from their house to school? Their directions will probably be quite confusing. In their mind, they think they know the way, but without our help, they would probably get lost. We can get a map and find the way, even though the directions we are receiving are very confusing.
In these days before Christmas, your child may be receiving some confusing directions, also, about the route to heaven. Many people have differing views about salvation, and your child is hearing these on the radio, music, TV, and through the commercialization of Christmas. Our society screams, “You can do it by yourself by being good,” or “Don’t worry about it, enjoy life as it is!”
Especially in this season when our children are so bombarded the secular side of Christmas, it is good we show the Way to heaven, through Christ, the Baby born in Bethlehem. Right now the children might get confused about becoming worthy by being good. They are led to think of Santa Claus as a saint who arrives magically to reward them for being good. They hear the secular versions of traditional carols that leave Christ out of Christmas. The star pointed out the way to Jesus for the Wise Men. We at MLA have the privilege of pointing out to children that Jesus is the Way to heaven. As you point your children to the real meaning of Christmas, point them to Jesus Christ, the Babe born in a stable in Bethlehem for us!