Christmas by Hope Lutheran Church Senior Pastor Peter Mueller
Merry Christmas! (almost) As we head into this second to last week of school before the Christmas break, it’s important that we take a moment to consider the origin and meaning of this season.
Thousands of years ago, on the other side of the planet on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, the people of the nation of Israel were waiting for better times… Even farther back in history, God had created a covenant or deal with their forefathers to bless them, with the promise that they would one day be a source of blessing to all the nations of the earth.
Unfortunately, they had rebelled against God by treating people in ways that stripped them of their God-given value and dignity. As a result, God allowed them to be militarily conquered by neighboring superpowers and forcibly removed from their homeland to live in exile in foreign lands. Eventually, some of them were permitted to return and to rebuild, but things were never the same again.
They were waiting… for a military freedom-fighter to kick out the various superpowers who had oppressed them, but even more than that they were waiting for a Savior who would free them from their mistakes and rebellious hearts. They were waiting…. for God to come and live in them and to empower them to become a blessing of love and hope to the people of all the nations of the earth.
Christians believe that when Jesus of Nazareth was born 2000 years ago, that He was that long-awaited Savior – while He didn’t come to bring a military revolution, He did come to bring a revolution of love that would transform the lives of those from all nations who trust Him. This Christmas, he is calling you to trust Him so that He might live in you and revolutionize and rescue your life by His love! You and your family are very much invited to celebrate the birth of Jesus with the Hope community in-person or online on Christmas Eve, December 24th at 4 & 6pm (contemporary music) and 8pm (traditional music). See you then!
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” – Luke 2:14
Year-End Gifts to Eagle Excellence Fund: Tax Deadline 12/31/21
Your gift to the Eagle Excellence Fund is tax-deductible and allows Hope School to make needed investments in technology and academics. Our students and teachers deserve access to cutting-edge technology and curriculum to ensure Hope students are prepared for a lifetime of innovation and leadership.
Please make a gift online or by sending a check to the school office.
Your gift by December 31 will also be multiplied thanks to a generous challenge gift
from some of our Hope families.
There has NEVER been a better time to make a gift to the Eagle Excellence Fund!
Thank you for your generosity.
Calendar of Events – Click Here
Tues. 12/7: 6:00 PM – Kindergarten through Grade 2 Christmas Concert
Wed. 12/8: 8:40 AM Chapel for K-4 & 9:05 AM Chapel for 5-8 Led by 4th Grade / 6:00 PM – Grades 3-5 Christmas Concert
Fri. 12/10: Seahawks Day Blue Friday Apparel (not a free dress day) / 6:30 PM – Preschool Sea Stars and Orcas Christmas Concert
Mon. – Fri. 12/13 – 12:17: Hope Spirit Dress Up Days
Tues. 12/14: 7:00 PM – Middle School Christmas Concert
Fri. 12/17: 8:40 AM Chapel for K-4 & 9:05 AM Chapel for 5-8 Led by Kindergarten / Early Dismissal for Christmas Break, K-3 at 11:50 AM and 4-8 at 12:00 PM.
Athletic Events – Click Here
Drop-Off/Pick-Up Reminders
Thank you for your patience and support as we have been getting into the routine of drop-off and pick-up. A few reminders for you:
- Please do not block any crosswalks or intersections when waiting on 42nd. Safety is paramount as well as consideration for our neighborhood.
- Cars outside the school on 42nd should pull as far forward as possible to keep traffic moving.
- If you miss the car line, do not pull into an open spot. Drive around the block to reenter the line. This helps us keep traffic moving.
- When waiting on 42nd in front of the school, drivers, please pay attention so that you can pull forward as soon as another car leaves.
- Please do not double park outside the front of the school and ask your child to come to your car across the line of parked cars. This is very dangerous.
- If you park across the street, use the crosswalk when coming to pick-up your child and when returning to your car.
Winter/Christmas Performances
Our first Christmas performance is tonight! K-2 students will perform at 6:00 PM tonight, Grades 3-5 tomorrow night at 6:00 PM, and preschool will be Friday night at 6:30 PM. Next week middle school will perform “Sounds of Winter” at 7:00 PM.
Audiences will be limited to immediate family members only (household members) of the performing class to allow space for all our families to join us. Audience members age 3 and older must remain masked at all times and we encourage everyone to remain socially distanced in household groups as much as possible. Students are encouraged to wear Christmas apparel for the performances.
Giving Tree Game Drive – Thank you!
Thank you students for your generous hearts giving donations of games. We were blessed with more than enough for each family to receive a game.
Hometown Holidays Wrapup
Thank you to everyone who volunteered Saturday afternoon and evening to help set up and tend the booths at the Hometown Holidays Night Market and tree lighting. It was wet and cold, but lots of hot cocoa was served. We received $271 in donations, half of which will be donated to the human care ministry at Hope Church and the other half will go to Seattle Lutheran and the two charities they are supporting this year: Westside Baby and Whatcom County Flood Victims.
2nd Annual Holiday Drive-Through Food Drive!
My name is Dominic, and I am a 7th grader here at Hope Lutheran. My brother, Atticus, and I are once again doing a Covid-safe food drive to benefit the West Seattle Food Bank during the holiday season. Just drive up and pop your trunk! Monetary donations are also appreciated.
This year we are also collecting new or gently used coats of all sizes which will be placed by WIN (Westside Interfaith Network) at their welcome table, every Saturday in White Center.
Thank you once again for helping us support the members of our community during these times.
When: Dec. 11th from 10am to 3pm
Where: Hope Lutheran lower parking lot (behind school off of Oregon Street)
Hope Church Volunteer(s) needed to remove and re-string lights on our outside trees. Can be done anytime during the day. Please contact the school office if you have availability.
Hope Spirit Dress-up Days Coming
Hope School is excited to offer spirit days coming up December 10-17! Show your school and community spirit by dressing up in the theme for each day. Students not wearing spirit day apparel must be in school uniforms except for Dec 17 which is a free dress day.
Dec 10 – Seahawks Day/Blue Friday – wear Seahawks apparel and/or colors
Dec 13 – Christmas Morning (Christmas pajamas and robes)
Dec 14 – Christmas Mistle-toes Day (Christmas socks and tights with school uniform)
Dec 15 – Christmas Tree Toppers (hats and headbands, antlers, that type of thing with school uniform)
Dec 16 – Christmas Card Day (Christmas ugly sweaters)
Dec 17 – Christmas Explosion (all Christmas colors, themes, characters, etc.- go all out!)
Inclement Weather Communication
As we head into December, it is the time of year where we sometimes see weather-related delays or closures. We build extra hours into our school year so we do not typically need to make up missed days, including our power outage a couple weeks ago.
For late arrivals or school closure decisions, we make our best effort to communicate changes by 6:30 AM. School closures or late arrivals will be communicated/posted via the follow methods:
- School email to all families
- Social media (Facebook and Instagram)
- Website
- West Seattle blog
- Main TV stations
Keeping students and staff safe is our number one priority. If you do not feel confident transporting your child to school, please wait until it is safe to do so with our blessing.
