Someone gave me a little book, entitled Children’s Letter to God. Some of the questions these kids ask are amusing.
Dear God,
Did you mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident?
Norma
Dear God,
I went to a wedding and they kissed right in church. Is that ok?
Neil
Dear God,
In Sunday School they told us what you do. Who does it when you are on vacation?
Jane
These questions got me wondering.
What is one question you’ve always wanted to ask God?
or…..
What is the urgent question you’d like to be able to answer for other people in your life?
Write me…..I’m interested.
I love being an American. We sometimes express dissatisfaction with our country’s leadership or its policies. We might even point to past sins of history and the imperfections we presently observe. But I still believe the United States of America is a great place to live and its principles of democracy and liberty are worth celebrating and pursuing. This weekend, enjoy your freedom. Thank God for it. Ask that He will guide and direct our nation’s leadership and use you and me to shine Christ’s light into the lives of those around us. Like every nation, America needs Jesus.
It is easy to get so busy with the day to day business of the church that we lose sight of the big picture. Vision leaks. But continual reviewing is life renewing.
What is our congregation’s purpose? Why do we exist?
“To connect all people to Christ through nurturing, building friendships, and serving.”
What goal are we chasing after, then? We are in the business of connecting people to Jesus Christ. In the first part of this mission statement we are affirming that everybody needs Jesus in their life. He is not a way but THE way of having a life giving relationship with our heavenly Father.
The means by which the Holy Spirit grows us in that connection is described in the rest of the statement - through nurturing, building friendships, and serving.
The nurturing happens when we learn what is in our Bibles and apply it to our lives. We trust it. We obey it. That’s is why at Shepherd of the Valley we continue to encourage people to not only read their Bibles, but be involved in a small group Bible study or class in order to learn about what God is saying to us through the Bible. That is why a main emphases in our children’s ministry is teaching the Bible. We sincerely believe that a child, as well as an adult, needs to know the Bible.
This growing connection with Christ does not happen in isolation. We need to walk alongside other believers in friendships based upon our common bond in Christ. Again, that is why we have so lifted up small group ministry as a must for all ages.
This relationship with Christ grows when we take up Christ’s instruction to serve in and outside of the congregation. It is in serving people in Jesus’ name that we continue to experience his presence in our lives. As we obey his call to serve others we discover for ourselves the truth of Jesus’ promise of blessing in our lives. We also learn to trust Savior who knows what makes our lives work.
Of course, all this nurturing, building friendships, and serving has a bigger purpose in mind - that we be enabled to connect the unconnected to Christ. Everyone needs Jesus. Amen!
Remember that classic old rock song made popular by Eddie Cochran, “There ain’t no cure for the summer time blues?”
That is what this pastor goes through each summer as he watches the worship attendance figures take their annual nose dive.
All kidding aside, while I do hope you have an enjoyable summer of vacationing, warm weather, and leisure, I also encourage you to take care of your soul as well. Proper soul care requires worshiping with your brothers and sisters in Christ whether you’re in town or away on vacation. No worship=spiritual stagnation, which can lead to the spiritual blues.
Here at Shepherd we have a 5:30 Saturday night service for those of you who want to use your Sundays for other activities. We also are keeping our three Sunday morning services (8:45,10,11) going throughout the summer months, each with its own flavor of worship style.
It is amazing the difference an hour with God in worship can make in your life. Worship gives power to our life as we rediscover who we are and whose we are. Worship also gives us a sense of belonging. It alsogives meaning to our life and reminds us of what is genuinely important. Finally, worship is that refreshing pause in the week which gives hope as it points us beyond the sad and the tragic to the resurrected Christ and his Easter promises. Everyone of us needs that!
I look forward to seeing you this weekend.
Steve
I’m back.
It was a peaceful, contemplative Lenten season at Shepherd as we praised, prayed, and learned about praying from Jesus. I have heard from several members that our Wednesday night gatherings were soothing and calming oases in the midst of hectic weeks. That was music to my ears. It was what I hoped would be the case. Prayer is so vital for us. We cannot overdo it! There is power and peace to experience as we set aside time to quietly focus on God and pray. As a follow up, keep in mind that we have a group that meets every Tuesday for prayer here at the church.
During Holy Week services I was surprised at the packed house for the Maundy Thursday service. People were sitting out in the lobby! Of course, when you have 109 kids taking their first communion those numbers shouldn’t be too surprising. Congratulations to all those kids and their families. Mom and Dad, keep up the good work of raising that child in that baptismal covenant. Easter was an amazing experience and I want to thank all the volunteers who went out of their way to make the evening and morning services hospitable , organized and joy-filled. We had over 2300 this weekend hear the Easter gospel.
So, what’s coming up at church? As many of you are aware, Shepherd took its first vote on January 31st to sever ties with the ELCA. It passed overwhelmingly. Every now and then I will have someone ask me, “Now, why did we do that?” There are a number of theological issues that played into this decision. Mainly, it revolves around biblical authority and how we read and use Scripture. If you are interested in reviewing these concerns I invite you to go to our website and look at the literature that explains our differences with the ELCA. Anyway, that vote was the first step. Our constitution also requires that we invite the bishop to have conversation with us (April 15th, Thursday at 7pm) and then hold a second vote next month. That vote is scheduled for May 16th at 12:30.
My appeal to you is ……Don’t forget and don’t assume. To get this completed, we again need a 2/3 majority of the voting members present at the meeting, to ratify the resolution. We also voted on January 31st to join the LCMC (Lutheran Congregations in Mission) which I am very enthused about. Zach and I will be attending a national meeting the end of April and we are eager to be a part of the mission.
Looking for…….
Did you know that we’re starting up some new ministry opportunities at Bethlehem Lutheran on the Midway? If you’re looking for a fun ministry that makes a difference stop at our kiosk and let us get you connected.
Finally, we are presently looking for someone (or ones) to step into leading our “Loaves and Fishes” ministry. Nancy Fesler and Kathy Fagerness have faithfully tending this ministry for a long time and are ready to hand the baton to another servant. They’ll be glad to train you in. And the most important news item of all?
He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Steve
If you haven’t heard by now, Shepherd voted on January 31st to sever its ties with the ELCA and to affiliate itself with Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC). A second vote will be held in May to ratify the first vote on our membership in the ELCA.
I have heard a variety of responses among our membership regarding this vote. For some, it’s really not too big of a deal because denominational labels don’t mean that much to them. For others, this news is painful. You have long time roots in the denomination and the thought of disconnecting is strange and uncomfortable. Others are a little curious about what all this means. Many are pleased and optimistic about the future with this possible change. If this second vote passes, I believe we are in for a great adventure. It could be a bumpy ride for awhile, but well worth it. One thing I know for certain… we won’t be on our own.
By the way, there are two things I want you to know:
2009 has been a year filled with victories and ministry challenges at Shepherd.