Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:39)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.
In June I accompanied some of our youth to Bible Camp. The theme for summer camp at Green Lake Lutheran Ministries is ‘Get Lost!’ based upon the theme verse of Matthew 10:39. Some of the older students commented that ‘Get Lost!’ sounded “kind of harsh” for a Bible Camp theme. That is a risk one takes when themes are based on Bible verses.
At the end of June, Kim Dougherty and Mitch Reierson accompanied 4 of our older youth to Houston for the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering. The theme for this gathering is ‘This Changes Everything!’ based on Ephesians 2:8. Less harsh sounding than the Bible Camp theme, but this theme still uses the 2nd most-feared c-word — C-H-A-N-G-E.
Loss and change are connected. Life in Christ is change. We lose our former selves to the new life in the One who claims us as His own. The two verses are in many ways two sides to the same coin – the impact faith in Christ has on our lives. Jesus does change everything. We do lose our old life and find our new one.
The Apostle Paul often talks about the new life we have in Christ. “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Jesus Himself referred to new wine being stored in new wineskins, not old ones. (Matthew 9:17, Mark 2:22, Luke 5:37) Newness necessitates change. If anything is made new, it is no longer the same.
As logical as that seems, it has been much more difficult for the church on earth to embody that concept. Somehow throughout the centuries, the church on earth has oftentimes become a catalyst against change. Rather than embodying the newness of life given in Christ, the church has declared itself an agent of homogeny of a posited precedent. The church itself willingly enters into a position to impede the very newness promised in Christ. The past (whether real or imagined) becomes an idol.
Yet Christ continues to promise us new life. The Holy Spirit continue to infuse newness within us and within our congregations. Several leaders of varying backgrounds (Thomas Paine, George S. Patton, Lee Iacocca) are quoted as saying “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” As Christian disciples, the choice facing us is simple. The Holy Spirit leads – always. We follow. And occasionally, we do have to get out of the way. We fight the temptation to collapse into fear and sameness. We pray to receive the newness of life with joy.
Jesus Christ does change it all. Thanks be to God that we do lose our old lives… the new lives we have in Christ are incomparable. The grace and peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

In Christ,
Pastor Carla

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— (Ephesians 2:8)