"Advent and Christmas Opportunities"

Lutheran churches, schools, and early childhood centers across Missouri will welcome many visitors throughout the seasons of Advent and Christmas. Concerts, children’s programs, and a variety of other events provide opportunities for proclaiming the Gospel of God’s love for us in the person and work of Jesus. These events also provide opportunities to show hospitality to our guests and extend invitations for them to return.

Our congregations and schools often spend months getting ready for the events with great attention to printed materials, audio-visual needs, and refreshments. While the most important concern is the content of our message (in word and song), it is also critical that we consider how to interact with and follow up with our visitors. It is a wonderful thing that guests come to our events and hear the glad tidings of great joy that unto us is born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. However, our prayer is that they will continue to hear the Gospel even after these seasons end.

We pray that God will give many opportunities to share the Gospel with visitors throughout the Advent and Christmas seasons. However, it is good for us to prepare for such opportunities and intentionally interact with our visitors to extend invitations to come and hear the Gospel again (without waiting until next December).

May God bless all the choir concerts, Christmas programs, parties, carolers, festivals, markets, and, most of all, worship services, so that we may clearly confess Christ to all who come to these events. The birth of Christ is the reason for our celebration and the source of our eternal hope!

Fraternally in Christ,

President Lee Hagan

Rev. Dr. R. Lee Hagan was born in Birmingham, Ala., and graduated from Concordia, Seward, Neb., in 1992. He holds both a Master of Divinity Degree (1996) and Doctorate of Ministry (2011) from Concordia Seminary. Hagan served as Senior Pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran in Concordia, Mo. (2002-2015) and was previously an Associate Pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Evansville, Ind. (1996-2002). He has been President of The Missouri District of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod since June 2015. Hagan also served as Interim Director, LCMS Rural and Small Town Mission (2011-12), on numerous District Boards both in Missouri and Indiana, and during multiple Synodical Conventions as a delegate and on Floor Committees. He is married to Jill and they have two children.