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Transfiguration to Lent

2/10/2021

Siblings in Christ,

This Sunday is transfiguration Sunday.  As part of the story, you will hear Peter ask Jesus if they should “stay here”, meaning in the mountain.  Because the mountain is a good place to be.

However, this is also the point in the gospel where Jesus says, unfortunately, no.  Jesus knows that the trip back down the mountain, literally and metaphorically, is necessary as he is about to begin the journey to the cross.  And so, too, are we as the church.

Three days after transfiguration, we begin the season of lent and the six week, or 40 day, journey to the cross, and then to the resurrection,  it is important however that we not look past the cross.  While it’s tempting to say, “that’s ok, we know the rest of the story,” the cross is every bit as important as the resurrection.  It is at the cross that Jesus takes on our death...our punishment for sin.  It is at the cross that Jesus knows all our suffering and bears it as well.  It is at the cross, in the deepest valley of death, that Jesus says, “know no fear.”  Jesus bravely bears the cross faithfully.  We also must brave the cross and die to our own sinfulness.

I pray that Lent will be a season for us to reflect on all that Christ has carried for us and carries for us, and WILL carry for us.  I pray that we, too, may fast in the desert, preparing ourselves for death.  And at the same time being mindful that Christ has defeated death in the cross.

Pastor Heather

Unity in Diversity

1/20/2021

Siblings in Christ,

I’ve spent a lot more time these days watching the news. I admit, I’ve gotten out of the habit of watching and relying mostly on reading lately. But now more than ever, in watching the events of the past few months, I find myself needing to reinvest in my civic duty AS a person of faith. Luther writes of our duty as people who live in community to follow civic law, and to take an interest in how we live in community together. One thing, perhaps, that this latest election has taught all Americans is that we still need to be engaged and not take our freedoms, our democracy, and our unity for granted.

Paul’s gospel calls for unity in diversity as a part of our faith. This can truly speak to us as a country and civic community as well. While many faiths are practiced freely in the US, we are still predominantly Christian. As such, we have a particular understanding of this call for working together as one body.

There are many people on the far left of politics, and many on the far right. I would surmise, though, that most of us are somewhere in the middle, and that we all have some significant desire for prosperity, hope and happiness. Even in our church, we have people from a whole variety of political views. When people can find common ground, we are able to work better together and the freedoms and liberties the Constitution stands for are the same that God desires for us. This is the common ground we can stand upon.

We are also able to work together well when we practice forgiveness and reconciliation. Our country needs this right now, and we as people of faith are in continuous need of this too. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. Thus, it is important that we practice forgiveness and mercy with each other. As people of God, it is imperative that we pray not only for those we agree with, but for those we don’t. And not just that they “change their minds” but that we find our common ground, the reasons why we hold certain convictions, and hear each other for the gains that we both intend with those convictions.

We live in a time when we have a hard time listening and spend a great deal more time trying to jump ahead to argue our own point. But as people of faith, we must practice listening and learning from each other in order to work together.

As a pastor, I firmly believe in the separation of church and state. As a person of faith, I also firmly believe that my faith informs my civic duty in a large number of ways, covering a wide range of issues. This is why, perhaps politics does not belong in the pulpit...the gospel belongs in the pulpit...but the discussion of political issues is for sure an important duty for people of faith. Our faith informs us to work together and to reconcile differences. That’s what our country needs right now, and we have the tools to help make that happen.

There is much to heal in our nation right now. As we watch another peaceful transfer of power, may we be reminded that it didn’t come lightly. Men and women have fought for that peace. And Christ died for our ultimate peace. It’s hard work to maintain peace without forgetting what unrest feels like. The events of the past few weeks have been a reminder. Our weekly confession is a reminder as well. We all want peace and reconciliation, and therefore it does take ALL of us to maintain it. Moving forward into this year 2021, I pray and encourage our whole church to pray that we hear each other more clearly, truly work together for the good of all, and realize when we need to confess our wrongs. As a church, we can continue this hard work together. This is my prayer for Grace, Bandera today.

Pastor Heather

Listening to God's Call

1/13/2021

Siblings in Christ,

This week’s Gospel text and Old Testament readings find us hearing about the call of some of Jesus’s first disciples and of Samuel, the prophet who would anoint Saul and David, the first two kings of Israel. In each story, those who are called are aware that along with following, there is a risk or sacrifice...it’s not going to be an easy road.

And this is where we find ourselves as Christians, or in other words, disciples of Christ.

As a pastor, one of the roles the church ordains for me, is that of preacher of the gospel. The gospel is literally “good news,” and is rooted in what Christ has done for us, so that we may be forgiven and not suffer the ultimate consequences of our sinful actions. But this is not just about salvation. This forgiveness and mercy follows us in our lives as Christians too, and we are called to share it with all the world.

Part of “hearing” God’s call is to actually hear it...or listen. And I find that something we don’t do well in our culture anymore. We must constantly be listening to God, and to each other. As the year 2020 passed along, I lamented again and again over how divided our nation has become. To be sure, there are some at very polar ends of the issues, decisions, and ways to live as a nation. We often hear these voices more than anything else. But, I believe, that if we really listen to each other, we can also hear the middle ground. And the middle ground looks a little more gray than black or white (as colors in a spectrum and NOT the differences in skin color).

Liberals and conservatives disagree on how the country should be governed, and it’s striking when you really look at it. On the other hand, where liberals are conservative, conservatives are often more liberal if you think about it. Whereas conservatives want less regulation and government oversight on many things, they DO want it on issues such as abortion or gender issues. Whereas liberals want less regulation and government oversight on these types of issues, they do want more regulation on finance and business. We all want regulation in some ways, and we all want less regulation in others. What’s striking to me is that we want these regulations because of our experiences with human nature. For instance, what I have observed is that a democrat wanting more business regulation has perhaps seen that when some businesses are left to do the ethical thing, they don’t necessarily and instead give way to damaging processes or practices (pollution, poor working conditions, etc) in exchange for profit. On the other hand, a republican voting pro-life, for example, has experienced that choice makes it possible for some women to take an “easier” way out of a bad situation and terminate a life rather than bring a child into the world.

The thing is, these examples aren’t as black and white as this sounds. There ARE many ethical businesses that work for the benefit of the community, and there ARE many people who are completely against abortion even when they vote pro-choice. And yet in both cases, there are reasons why business regulations and pro-life regulations should exist.

We want the same things. We want ethical and moral living. We want a system that supports life, liberty and pursuit of happiness (although I really think that the word “happiness” might mean something different today than it did 250 years ago). We want communities where we can live together and enjoy each other. We want to live sharing our faith and deepest beliefs with each other, whatever that faith may be, because all religions are ultimately about peace and love...not violence as radical groups of Christians, Muslims, Jews and others alike would have us believe.

The division in our lives today, in a world where anything that happens is known world-wide instantly in real time, has taken over our decision-making rather than a sense of true union. We have consistently ignored the pleas of those not “like us” to hear their stories, and we have then complained when the same happens to us. We have not taken a good hard look into our deepest fears and darkest selves (because yes, we all have them...we confess this EVERY week in church.) We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves and we have had to confess what we have done and left undone that falls short of God’s call.

God’s people CANNOT keep denying that we must find a win-win solution, and that many times that solution comes in a shade of gray...rather than black and white or absolutes. Jesus himself shows us that God’s law is not always absolute (reference to all the stories of when Jesus shows the spirit of the law rather than the letter of the law...healing on the Sabbath, touching and healing the unclean, conversing with and caring for the outcast or marginalized...as the faith of the time, or law of the time, would dictate it).

What IS absolute is God’s love and God’s call for disciples to love, forgive, and live loved and forgiven. Our scriptures this week call us to that love and forgiveness...to listen with our hearts and with God’s love and forgiveness in mind. God’s call is not easy, it’s not black and white, and it’s not just one “right” way. But God’s call is for all of us, even though we fall short.

Let us, as disciples, love one another back into a united spirit. Let us begin, as disciples, to listen in a way that hears deeply how our opinions on what needs to be done and how it needs to be done still reach for the same outcome...a community that loves, cares for and prospers all people. For God has plans for all of us...to prosper us and not to harm us, and to give us ALL a future with hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

Pastor Heather

January 06th, 2021

1/6/2021

Siblings in Christ,
Today is Epiphany! The first two definitions in dictionary accurately describe the origination of the meaning of Epiphany as the manifestation or appearance of a deity. In most common experience, this is the day that Christ was revealed to the Gentiles...in other words, Christ as God with us (Emanuel), was made known to all people and not just the Israelites, through the visit of the Magi. Epiphany also marks the end of the Christmas season and lasts until Ash Wednesday when we begin to prepare for Christ’s death and resurrection.
Another way that we use the word epiphany in the English language is as “a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience. Yet, I struggle with this definition because often in my life, epiphany has come in experiences while common and regular, are also powerful and transformative.
Taylor Swift, one of my FAVORITE singer/songwriters, has a song on her 2020 album Folklore entitled “epiphany.” It’s a striking and moving song about some hard things like war or pandemic, that ends in us seeking some kind of meaning or epiphany. If you haven’t heard the song, I highly recommend listening. It’s haunting, sad, real and full of honor and respect all at the same time. Here’s a link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUnDkI7l9LQ
Sometimes God and meaning is revealed to us in the most profound ways...sometimes death, sometimes miracles, and sometimes unexpectedly. And yet, sometimes meaning is revealed in the ordinary...like a baby with a poor mother and father just trying to live a normal life even though they know it won’t be.
At Epiphany, God has revealed Christ in a new way. God has done a new thing. And we can do a new thing, too. Letting go of our old ideas and understandings is not easy, but epiphany also changes everything and we must pay attention to our new revelation.

How is God revealing Christ in our world today? What Epiphany may come today? How might Christ be revealed in us so that we can reveal Christ to “the gentiles” of today? We may not have a baby born in a manger, but we do experience Christ in new ways in our own lives. Just as the magi shared their story of encounter with God to those from where they came, we are called to share our own PERSONAL stories of encounter with Christ to those in our own lives.
Who knows, but that in sharing our own story, we may also experience Epiphany. Blessings to you in this holy moment!

Pastor Heather

The Mundane Moments

12/23/2020

Siblings in Christ,

We are in the last week of the season of the Advent. Christ is coming...Christ has come...Christ will come again! Something I’ve noticed over the years of celebrating Advent in the church is that it’s so much about preparing for Christmas; I think we often forget to prepare for the Advent of Christ in our regular lives, too. It’s so easy to get caught up in the “big deal moments” of life; birthdays, Easter, New Year’s, Christmas. Yet, Christ comes in the mundane, regular and daily moments of life as well.

An example: When we picture Christmas Eve, and especially when we celebrate it, we certainly pick out the most poignant moments, the most beautiful sentiments, and a lovely, picturesque nativity scene, soft and peaceful don’t we...Mary gazing down at a quiet sleeping newborn, Joseph keeping watch in a clear, starry night, a room full of apparently adoring animals non-pulsed that a baby has replaced the food in their food trough, and the light of a star shining down so directly that the baby is basked in a heavenly glow. But when you really think about it, birth is pretty common, pretty messy, pretty painful, and not very peaceful at all!

Someone recently joked with me and wondered aloud “Why don’t we ever see the real thing; Jesus Christ CRYING (not lying) in the manger, animals mucking around smelling as they do and looking for the food that’s NOT in their manger but likely scattered all over the floor, Joseph trying to figure out how he can help and being a totally clueless new dad, Mary exhausted, sweaty, covered in all the things after birth with no running water to clean up. This is not the picture of the song “Away in a Manger,” but do we REALLY expect that Jesus didn’t cry?!?! In fact, if he wasn’t making a sound, we’d likely be a little worried. But, of course if he WAS making a sound we’d be worried too; because we’d be new parents worrying about every breath, every cry, every wiggle. This is exactly the daily and mundane that Jesus is born into, and if we believe that Jesus was truly human, Jesus had many mundane, or at least regular, days all throughout his life too.

One of my favorite songs from the 90’s was by a singer named Rich Mullins, titled “Boy Like Me” in which Rich sings about Jesus as a boy, wondering if he cried in the early morning, wrestled with a dog and let it lick his nose, got scared playing hide and seek, or cried when he scraped his knee. These are the regular, daily things that make us human...just as Jesus was human. And so it is fitting that we remember the regular things, too, and not make Christ’s coming only about the picture perfect or set apart times of life, since most of life isn’t picture perfect, set apart, or even special.

The season of Advent, even in the best of Christmas preparations, isn’t picture perfect either, though we try so hard to make it that way. We have work to do, meals to make, children to care for, cars that break, faucets that leak or freeze, and chores to finish...the list goes on and on in our regular lives during Advent just as much as in the wrapping and decorating and baking and parties. Perhaps that’s why gathering at church on regular Sundays and not just special occasions is a good thing to do. Perhaps gathering on regular Sundays is a helpful way to remember and celebrate the Advent of our Lord in the daily and mundane parts of life, and not just the holidays - holy days. (Isn’t it funny how we only call these special times of the year “holidays” or holy days, when in fact, holy is in every moment of our lives?)

I LOVE the season of Advent...maybe even more than Christmas. I love the waiting and the special anticipation and recognition that we make in the church that Christ is coming. I think that may be because Advent is a symbol of how our lives are to be lived every day...in anticipation and hope that Christ is come, and coming. I wish we could remember in our more secular culture that Christmas doesn’t actually END on Christmas Day, but actually begins and continues for 12 more days until Epiphany. Wouldn’t it be grand if we spent all those 12 days AFTER the birth of Christ celebrating, especially since in real life, everything really ramps up AFTER the baby is born rather than before? Wouldn’t it be nice to always light our lamps, to always be waiting and watching, and to find Christ in the everyday?

Peace to you this final week of Advent; peace to you this Christmas. And, may you find the peace of Christ not only in the celebration of these times, but in the regular, imperfect and mundane moments too, as God come to be with us, not only on Christmas, but each and every day.

Upcoming Events

12/15/2020

Siblings in Christ,

Greetings in this third week of Advent! There is much to prepare for in the next 6 weeks! Along with the holidays, we have several meetings and events coming up in January.

First, on January 3, there will be a brief congregational meeting immediately after church. The purpose of this specially called meeting is to vote on updates to the church constitution. Copies will be made ready for this Sunday and will be available until that meeting day for you to take a look at. However, the changes we are making at this time are primarily to update our language to match that of the model ELCA constitution. Every three years, changes are proposed and sometimes approved at the churchwide assembly. We have had 2 assemblies since the last update to our constitution, so it is time to bring it into the present.

Mainly, the changes to the document apply to the terms we use for rostered leaders. We used to have three types of rostered leaders: pastors, AIMS and diaconal ministers. Their purposes respectively were: ordained to word and sacrament, commissioned for word and service, and consecrated for word and service (one was primarily for work in the church and one was for work in the world).

Now, the ELCA has voted that all these will be ordained. We have also combined AIM and diaconal ministers to one role called deacon. Our constitutional wording needs to reflect this. There are a few other minor changes to be made as well, but nothing questionable or controversial! Just getting in line with our larger church body!

The council will be meeting at its regularly scheduled time (January 3 after the congregational meeting) and then again on January 10 to do some brainstorming and visioning. They will also be hosting some small group meetings to gather information and thoughts from the congregation for input into our transitional process as well.

The annual Wild Game Dinner is on January 31.

Then, the congregation will have its annual meeting on February 14! Whew! A BUSY winter for the church!

Please keep your eyes on the weekly emails and bulletins for reminders about these events! Your voice is important!!!

Pastor Heather

Hope in a Time of Exile

12/8/2020

Siblings in Christ,
Sunday after church I did so much reflecting about my own sermon on the way home! Sometimes that happens and I realize how much my sermons aren’t all my own words, but God using me to speak. As I reflected, I was reminded of how much the period of exile in the days of Isaiah must have felt for the Jews as this time of COVID feels for us. COVID has been a total disruption of our “norms” and our lives, in both the daily and the special occasions. During the holidays, these disruptions have become more prevalent or noticeable. It feels like exile and we just want to “go back to normal.”

In many ways I anticipate things WILL “go back to normal” at some point...maybe once the vaccine is working and people are finally able to prevent illness from spreading more widely. But, just as the Israelites experienced, after something as big as an exile or pandemic, there are ways that our lives have been changed and will remain so after this.
Therefore, the words from Isaiah 40 this week - “Comfort, o comfort my people says your God” and “every valley shall be lifted up...the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.” - are so important to hear. Even in and maybe especially in, times when things are rough or “not normal,” God comes to us to comfort us and lift us up again.

A friend of mine asked on Facebook last week “What good thing has COVID brought this year?” Many people replied “none” or “nothing.” But, I encourage you to think a little more deeply. I do believe that there are many things COVID has done that aren’t bad. I think people have been reminded of the importance of being WITH people in person. Perhaps we will be better about visiting those we love once it is safer to do so, instead of putting it off for the number of reasons we often give (too busy, my house isn’t clean, I don’t have time). Now that we know there can be a time when we can’t visit those friends and families, perhaps we will cherish and experience gathering together even more.

I have also seen so much creativity and ingenuity and innovation since the pandemic began. When things go wrong, and we can’t do things the way we are used to, we ADAPT!!! It’s often hard to make changes when we aren’t in crisis, but now we know we CAN change. Maybe the pandemic will teach us that it’s ok to do things differently, and that we can survive these changes. Maybe that’s just what we needed to help us make change in what I would call an impending crisis, to actually help AVOID crisis! I hope we don’t try to go back to all our “regular” patterns and forget about all the new things we’ve learned, and I hope we have learned that there are new ways to be the church.

Finally, this year has brought many other struggles other than just pandemic. While all the adversity has brought the world together in many ways, it has also shown us how divided we are too. It’s sometimes hard to pay attention to the ways we cut people off and stay divided until we come to a time when we MUST work together. In learning about how divided we are this year, my hope is that we also used that knowledge to work more towards center once again. We will never agree with each other 100% on everything, but we also have to learn how to work with each other when things don’t go the way we think they should. We have to not only agree to disagree, but participate and stay engaged even when we disagree. I’ve had the blessing of working with a few people this year that have helped me sharpen my skills at working with others and finding ways to create win-win situations even when I think something should have gone differently. I am grateful for the people who have also continued to work with me even when we disagree. What a true blessing they are!

2020 has been horrible. There is no doubt in that. However, Isaiah reminds us with these words; “Comfort, o comfort my people says your God.” We rest in this hope as we end 2020 and begin a new year soon. Take some time this week to find your hope in the future and to find the good in 2020 also. It will lift you up...just as God does.

Pastor Heather

"Being Church"

12/2/2020

I know that in November it probably seemed like I focused a lot on grief and remembrance (before I had to quarantine!) However, I think it’s important to recognize grief in the many ways it happens in our lives. Grief cannot be healed if it’s never named or worked through. And, in our crazy changing world, the church has changed too, which can bring on a grief that often goes unnamed. I’m not just talking about Grace Lutheran, but many mainline protestant congregations in general are suffering and experiencing great change. It has become harder and harder to bring new families with children and youth into congregations. Families are increasingly busier, with too much on their plates, trying to keep up with a culture that no longer stops for church. And, in all honesty, the faith of many of our young people today is more about being a good person and doing what’s right than following Jesus, because they find a lot of hypocrisy in many Christian communities that seem to exclude more than include. It is a hard time for the church as we age without younger generations present to take the reins.

Therefore, even as we celebrate the past and what we have loved about the church in former years, we also have to grieve that it has changed, and that we need to look forward towards doing a new thing. Paul gives us hope in 2 Corinthians 5:17-20:
“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything
has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given
us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not
counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So
we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf
of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

This message was written for and speaks to a community of faith, as Paul was writing the Corinthians collectively. We become new when we live in Christ, and remember that we are ambassadors. Ambassadors bring their message to the world, rather than wait for the world to come to them. In this way, we as a church must figure out ways to bring our story of faith to the world. We may hope to bring people in to worship or other church activities, but in today’s world, that may not work or be likely. Yet, that doesn’t give us a reason to toss up our hands and despair. It gives us a reason to be different...to change.

As a pastor, it is scary for me to say that our traditional ways of worship and “being church” may not be long for this world. I mean, what did I go to seminary for if that is the case?!?! However, whether we continue to use our buildings, regular church practices, and traditions of old, or find other ways to reach out and be a church community, the point of what we do as Christians is to LIVE a life that reflects Christ, and share with others our story of faith and reconciliation; how Christ lives and loves in and through us. We know our world IS broken, and when we reconcile ourselves to Christ, we are made new in order to be ambassadors of Christ for the world. Our stories matter, and we can learn to share those stories in a way that more will hear it. This is how we are made new; when we change and grow for the sake of others, and share our story...the story of our lives lived in faith.

Perhaps one of the best stories we have to share is the Christmas story. As we celebrate the Advent of our Lord and as we see the advent of a “new way of being church” in the future, I also encourage you to think of the ways that the Christmas story has impacted your life. What does it mean to you, and what have you experienced because Christ was born. These are the stories of faith that matter...that encourage and engage young people who are searching for meaning, love and purpose in their lives. Our own stories of faith are personal and relational...and that’s what newer generations are looking for. This new church year, beginning right now with Advent, let us be encouraged to not only share Christ’s story, but our own life stories of faith that reflect Christ in our hearts; and let this shape the way we understand our work as disciples so that whether or not the places or methods of how we experience church change, we still know and share God in our lives.

In Christ’s Peace,
Pastor Heather

Happy Thanksgiving

11/24/2020

Siblings in Christ,

This week’s blog/email will be a little shorter as I am just trying to rest while on vacation and ill! Yay! The good thing about being ill on vacation is that you don’t get as far behind and things were already planned to a certain degree. But of course, the bad thing about being ill on vacation is...well...who wants to be ill on vacation during the holidays!!!

I am in fact doing much better and I believe on the mend however. While I won’t be able to be in the room with any other humans on Thanksgiving, I give thanks for zoom so I still have a place at our table!! I pray that in all your efforts to be safe during this time that you also know you have a place at the table...always a place at God’s table. You are loved and beloved.

This Sunday we begin Advent. Advent is waiting and anticipation, and also the coming of something new. I hope we can start work together in this season as a council and congregation to see what new things come for Grace Lutheran. I know the future is unclear...as with any new birth...but God is present and to be borne again and again in our midst! We wait with anticipation and we celebrate what has already come!

In peace,
Pastor Heather

November 17th

11/17/2020

Siblings in Christ,
Thank you for a lovely Sunday service this past week! I hope it was as meaningful for you as it was for me. Sometimes it’s just good to stop, take a breath and remember that God heals us when we ask and comforts us in our burdens and sorrows.
This next week I invite us to give Thanksgiving for all the blessings God has given to us! Thanksgiving is traditionally a national holiday, but I believe it truly has implications for our Christian lives as well. In Lutheran Theology, we understand that God’s grace and not our own works is what saves us. So, our works then become a symbol of our living faith, and we do them in thanksgiving for all that God has given to us...especially God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, and grace. To live a life in thanksgiving is to live a life aware of all these greater gifts and willing to share them with others.
This is a great way to think about stewardship too. Stewardship literally means the way we take care of what has been given to us, or entrusted to us. This past Sunday, while we didn’t read the gospel text from the common lectionary, the gospel for the week was the parable of the talents. One servant is entrusted with five talents, one with two talents and one with a single talent. The master leaves and returns. Upon his return, the servant who was given five has invested them and turned the five into ten. The servant who was given two has invested them and turned them into four. However, the servant who was given one was afraid of disappointing or angering the master and hides his talent lest he lose it. The master becomes angry at this action however and instructs that he was unwise with his talent and should have done something with it.
This can be an example for us as well. Instead of hiding away our talents or fearing that we will run out, as good stewards we should use and share our talents in gratefulness of the trust that God has placed in us to take care of them. For truly our gifts all come from God. In this way, we are only taking care of God’s money, the time God has given us, and the gifts brought to us by the Holy Spirit in baptism.
Likewise, we are to care for all of creation. The environment, our neighbors, all that God has created has been given to us to care for...not to use up or use unwisely. The parable of the talents reminds us to be thankful for what we are given or entrusted with, and to use it in honor of God.
As we live together as a congregation, it is important for us all to be reminded of the gifts that we have been given. And I’m not just talking about money (although your money does incredible things for the church and community). As we live together into the future of the congregation, I invite you to take stock of what you have been entrusted with, and to wonder how you might use that within the congregation and community, not as another thing on your list of to-do’s or things you should do, but as a way of sharing God’s love and giving thanks for what God entrusted to you!
In these post-modern cultural, and COVID, times, I believe we are ALL being challenged to think creatively about these gifts too. How might you give something in a way that you haven’t before? Might you write prayers for the church service, cards of hope to the sick or in jail, or letters to the government to aid those in poverty, if you have the gift of writing? Might you invite just one friend or acquaintance who doesn’t go to church to come with you sometime? Could you (once the day school can have visitors) come once a week to read to the children, or adopt a school family as your own? Rather than think of time and talents as we once did (who will usher, read, or serve communion), perhaps we are being called to think differently about how to use our gifts.
Thank you for the generosity you already show! Grace Lutheran truly has a name in the community as a helping hand and a place that cares! In great thanksgiving, let’s continue to do so...and find new ways of doing it!
Pastor Heather