Author: pastorcarla7

May 2017

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,       

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

The Church has been plagued by human sin from day one. Paul wrote these words to the congregation in Corinth because they were fighting over one another’s gifts and trying to rate them and each other. The Corinthian Christians were arguing over who was the greatest. Jesus reprimanded the disciples for a similar argument they had on their way to Capernaum (Mark 9:33-35). The spirit of competition started early among the believers. Rather than focusing on Christ, they fell into the temptation to compare and rank one another. A temptation, as Jesus informed His disciples, that hampers and contradicts the Kingdom of God.

God sends His Holy Spirit to “call, gather, enlighten, & make holy” us all. Yet we struggle to work together as His people to utilize our ‘enlightenment’ for the good of His world. We can fall into the same temptation as the disciples and the Corinthians to value the varying gifts of others in a way that is counter-productive to God’s mission. It can be tempting for any congregation or larger church body to create a functional if not official hierarchy that values some gifts (or people) at the expense of others.

Paul uses the metaphor of a human body to explain to the Corinthians the error of their practices. When we devalue or even take for granted the gifts of our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are undermining the work of the Body of Christ.

The popular cliché of claiming the ability to do something ‘with one hand tied behind my back’ is used to demonstrate how extremely easy something is for the speaker, because tasks are more difficult without all available tools. In other words, most things are easier with two hands than with one. Most undertakings are enhanced when all available resources are utilized.

Jesus summed the work of the Kingdom in when he gave the ‘Great Commission’ (Matthew 28:18-20) to the disciples. “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” He gave them a colossal mission and promised them the authority and abilities necessary to accomplish that mission.

The work of the Kingdom is challenging. Making disciples of all nations can seem daunting. Teaching the world to follow Jesus seems formidable as we struggle in our own lives each day.  The ‘Great Commission’ demands we tap into all the gifts of the church and work together.

The challenging question remains. How do we use our varieties of gifts and services to proclaim the Gospel together? The answer to that question is never static, but always evolving or re-forming. As congregations change, people change, communities change, and gifts change, also changes how we mobilize our gifts for the kingdom of God. Utilizing the variety God gives us entails constant prayer, examination, and reform.

There are several key precepts to keep in the forefront as we live in Christian community.

·        Pray. Rely on the Holy Spirit. Christ promised us the authority and ability to do the work of the Kingdom. Trust that promise.

·        Keep the mission of the church – to make disciples of Christ – front and center at all times. Christ is Lord. We follow Him and Him alone, no matter how it may impact our own personal or even communal self-interests.

·        Confess our failings and learn from them. We are human. We will sin, but we have forgiveness in the Lord. We are participants in God’s Kingdom. His Kingdom is not dependent upon us. Remember that God’s weakness is stronger than our strength.

·        Keep our eyes and ears open to witness the gifts of those around us. In our society, we are urged to compete with others in so many facets of our lives. Be encouraged rather than threatened by the gifts of others. God has blessed each of us differently and uses those gifts to His glory. Honor and nurture all gifts of all people, there will come a time and place for each one to be indispensable. Fan the flame of both your own and your neighbor’s light. Together they do the work of God’s Kingdom.

·        Pray. Pray. Pray. Christ is with us. The Holy Spirit guides us. His Will is done.

You are the Body of Christ. You are the church together. Together you make disciples. The grace and peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)

 

April 2017

So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord — the King of Israel!”  (John 12:13)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

Despite being forewarned several times during their time following Jesus, the disciples still took the various events of Holy Week at face value. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, they thought the tide had turned and He (& they) were being welcomed with open arms. When Jesus was arrested, they were scared and ran. When Jesus was crucified, they lost hope. They mourned and hid in fear. Jesus had told them repeatedly that all things, including the resurrection, had to happen. They still reacted in the moment. Despite being briefed beforehand, they remained unprepared.

Recently, while starting the ‘Passion of the Christ’ movie for the confirmation class to watch, one of the students asked if it was scary. I jokingly responded, “spoiler alert – Jesus dies.” They then accused me of ruining the entire movie. My response was, “Yep, I do that every year on Palm Sunday.”

As we approach Holy Week, we are not expecting it to end differently this year. As we hear the crowd shouting, “Hosanna!” on Palm Sunday, we already know their cheers will turn to shouts of “Crucify him!” We hear Jesus informing His disciples that one will betray Him, they will all run and deny Him. We know he’s referring to Judas, they do run, and Peter really does deny Him. We already know He will drink from this cup as we hear Him pray to God for it to pass from Him in the Garden. Perhaps most importantly, as we hear His final words from the cross, we know He will rise.

The ‘spoiler alerts’ do not ruin the story. Our familiarity with the events of Holy Week add to the impact the chronology has on us. The story works on us precisely because we do know what happens next. The impact of the betrayal is heightened by the knowledge that Judas immediately regretted it. Peter’s insistence that he will follow Jesus anywhere is tempered by our awareness of his forthcoming weakness of will. Jesus’s heartrending recitation of Psalm 22, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” is heard by ears that realize God does not ultimately forsake Him. The stone is rolled to seal the tomb with the expectancy of the stone being rolled away again in three days.

This translates into your daily life as well. You can live lives of faith because you know the rest of your story. As written in First Peter, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5)

When you were baptized, you were baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection. You were claimed as God’s child and blessed with the “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” inheritance that comes with that identity. This impacts your pilgrimage here on earth and the future glory that will come. Every day you experience the living hope that comes through Christ. Each and every time you partake in the Sacrament of the Altar, Christ has promises you “forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.” You are given the rest of your story.

Your story will not always be easy. There will be trials and suffering in this earthly existence. This life will hand you great joy, great sorrow, and everything in between. You will experience many, if not all, the highs and lows that the author of Ecclesiastes describes.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;  a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;  a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away;  a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;  a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

Your story will also rest on the promises of God given to you in Christ Jesus. Keeping with long lists. Paul reminded the Romans, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) Nothing described in Ecclesiastes or Romans is capable of separating you from the love you have in Christ. Your life rests in God’s hands. You live and die confident of the following spoiler alert — you live in Christ.

The grace and peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Let your light shine. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

…the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. (Luke 24:5b)

 

March 2017

Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing.

Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. (Joel 2:12-13)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

“Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” The call to repentance is repeated for each individual on Ash Wednesday all over the world and in a multitude of languages. As we embark on our Lenten Journey, we begin with that same call to repentance.

This call to repentance contains two critical reminders.  First, we are mortal beings who will one day die. Secondly, God, abounding in steadfast love, offers us forgiveness and life.

Sometimes we take for granted just how powerful and crucial the act of confession and forgiveness really is. It is something we know is important enough to do every Sunday, but how many times do we go through the motions rather than really listening to what we are saying and what is being spoken to us.

Repentance is the experience of the death of the old human. Absolution (forgiveness) is the resurrection of the new human. “The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.” (1 Cor 15:47) The Old Adam (1st man), with all his sin and imperfection, is destroyed daily. In his place, a New Adam (2nd man), one in the perfect image of Christ, emerges. We experience this activity in our lives each day.

Confession and forgiveness is a matter of life and death. We confess our sins, things we have done or left undone which lead us into death. We receive God’s forgiveness, which leads us into life and salvation. That is the power of confession and forgiveness. More accurately, that is the power of forgiveness. Christ forgives our sins and gives us new life. We repent because we have heard the promise of Christ’s forgiveness. We repent because we are confident that God is “gracious and merciful.”

Another liturgical moment in which we remember coming from dust is at the graveside. We are once again reminded of our own human frailty as well as Christ’s promise of redemption. We know that being one with Christ means we never die again. Even though we came from dust and shall one day return to dust, our true inheritance is being with the Lord forever. God gives life.

As you embark on your Lenten Journey this year, the grace and peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Let your light shine. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;

in your great compassion blot out my offenses.

Wash me through and through from my wickedness,

and cleanse me from my sin.  (Psalm 51:1-2)

February 2017

 

He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.” (Exodus 3:12)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,            

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

Traditionally, God has met His leaders on mountains. Abraham would travel up the mountain to make sacrifices. Moses met with God on mountaintops. Elijah communed with God on the mountain and left this world in a whirlwind from atop a mountain while Elisha watched. Micah and Isaiah called the Israelites to go up the mountain to worship the Lord. There is a strong compulsion in the Old Testament to climb up mountains to be closer to God. God is distant and the path to meet Him requires a lengthy and arduous journey.

Jesus came off the mountain and entered our valley. He was born homeless and out of wedlock. He resided in Egypt as an alien. He socialized and even ate with “sinners and tax collectors.” He touched and healed the ill and the unclean. He was killed as a criminal. John wrote, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us.” (John 1:14a) Jesus did become human and He lived among the least of us. Christ embarked on a lengthy, arduous, and painful journey to come to us. He left the mountain to live in the valley.

At the end of February, we celebrate the Transfiguration of Our Lord. This was a mountaintop experience for the disciples who were with Him. They were so filled with such awe that they suggested setting up camp up there. They were overwhelmed by witnessing the glory of God in such a profound way and wanted to cling to that experience.

Yet Jesus sent them back down into the valley, literally and figuratively. They came down from the mountain and Christ led them into the ultimate valley. We move into Lent toward the deepest valley of Christ’s life and the lives of His disciples – the journey to Jerusalem – the journey to His cross.

Life has mountains and valleys. God alone gives the power to thrive in both the valleys and the mountains. He even strengthens us when we are climbing. He protects us when we are falling.  He is present in our lives throughout all the many and various trials and tribulations. He travels with us and holds onto us when we lose our grip. It is His presence and power that smooths out our lives and sustains us through this earthly existence

The grace and peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; (Luke 3:5)

Annual Letter for 2016

 

And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. (Genesis 1:14-15)

 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

 

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

 

God created the earth to have a system “for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” Despite being described by Genesis as being ‘good,’ humans can find seasons in both weather and life to be trying. Most of us are not huge fans of change, yet we live in a climate of constant flux and change. God even created signs to help us navigate that flux and change.

 

To the best of my knowledge, no one has successfully initiated time travel. This means we are stuck in a chronological existence for as long as we inhabit this earth. Time moves forward, not backward. Despite the yearning for summer come January, we know that we cannot go back in time. We will have to wait for another summer, one perhaps similar but still different, from the last.

 

Human beings can have difficulty accepting this fact. For some inexplicable reason, we struggle to grasp that things are not going to return to some idyll of the past. Recently, our dog learned (the hard way) that while playing in the snowdrifts was still a lot of fun, his subsequent stiffness and soreness was absent from his memory. Most of us have had similar experiences. The activities we used to do no longer seem the same. Even if the activities themselves have not changed, we have – despite our best efforts. That is inevitable in life along this time continuum. The future is constantly becoming the present. Days, weeks, years, and seasons continue to come and go while we observe the signs of time’s onward march.

 

The same is true for congregations. As communities, we continue to evolve.  We continue to experience change. We move forward in time. Those same exact activities that reached people 50 years ago, will not have the same exact effect today. Even those who participated 50 years ago are no longer the same as they were then. The community is not the same. Just as none of us can go back in time, neither can the community.

 

Yet, communities often have even more difficulty than their individuals with this concept. There is a powerful communal memory that tells people that if we could just go back, things would be the same. We can get trapped into a mindset of only looking back, never forward – only remembering, never dreaming. We ensnare ourselves with our own attitudes.

 

Attempts to recreate the past are futile. Time does not work that way. God did not create time to work that way. The underlying message that we give when we get stuck in the past, is that the present is somehow inferior. God did not create time to be superior or inferior. “And God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:18b)

 

Unfortunately, the message of the past being better than the present can easily be interpreted as the people now are inferior. That is definitely not a message we want to deliver. Evangelism becomes nearly impossible if we inadvertently give the impression that the people or the congregation will never be as good as they used to be.

 

It is imperative to be mindful of this danger and recognize that different does not mean worse. Change is part of life. We experience it in all aspects of our life. None of us stay the same through the years, neither does our community. We are all different now.

 

There is a difference between remembering the past and being stuck in it. We can honor our past without diminishing the value of the present or the future. We can remember and dream, while living in the present. We can march with the signs God has given us.

 

Take time to weep and mourn, but also take time to laugh and dance. Move forward with the seasons of your own life and the life of the congregation. Observe the signs and pace yourselves alongside them instead of fighting them. Celebrate all the seasons of your life and the life of the community. They are all gifts from God.

 

The grace and peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

 

In Christ,

 

Pastor Carla

 

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance; (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4) 

 

January 2017

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” (Matthew 2:1-2)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

The shepherds were local. They found the Holy Family via vague directions from the angels. The magi were foreigners. They followed the star for months as well as stop for directions from Herod when they got close. Yet they all managed to find the Savior and worship Him. They were led toward the light of Christ.

Who has led you toward Christ over the years? Who shined His light into your darkness? Perhaps it was a Sunday School teacher, a grandparent, a neighbor. It is highly likely you weren’t even aware of their guiding until years later. Yet, those people were there. God has given you people throughout your life to shine His light into your life. God blesses us with believers who offer God’s love in word and deed and shine into our lives.

Ministry very rarely manifest in immediate results. And unfortunately, at those rare times we seem to have had a visible, immediate effect, it often is short-lived. In Matthew 13 and Mark 4, the evangelists recount Jesus describing faith as seed planted in various types of soil. Seed does not sprout overnight into strong, vibrant plants. Faith also takes time and nurturing to grow strong and vibrant.

As strong as it is, there is also a fragility to faith that demands care and attention. Constantly under attack, faith is a lot like the wind. We can’t see it, yet we know it is there. At times, the evidence of its power is profound; other times, barely discernible. The energy of faith, while both resilient and fragile, thrives on recharging.

We are called to ‘recharge’ those around us. The closing remarks in the Baptismal service are directly from Matthew 5:16. Immediately after being claimed by God, we are given the command to shine His light in the world. Our words and deeds are meant to shine as light to the world. We function as stars pointing toward the Christ. We may not get to witness their arrival, but God uses our lives to light their way nevertheless.

The grace and peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Let your light shine. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

December 2016

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom;  like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. (Isaiah 35:1-2)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

We wait. Most of us are not very adept at waiting. We are out of practice. We live in a world where we have information at our fingertips, fast food, and drive-thru windows. We’ve become accustomed to getting what we want when we want it. It seems that each day the world moves faster and every year, the Christmas displays go up earlier. Waiting with impatient irritation is fairly easy. Waiting with expectancy and joy…not so much.

Yet God calls us to do just that. He expected His people to do just that. It is a step beyond waiting patiently. God calls us to wait expectantly and joyfully. The promises He made through Isaiah point toward this great moment in time when even the wilderness and the desert will sing for joy. A moment is coming when the whole earth will ring out with praise in response witnessing God’s glory. Even that which appears lifeless will blossom.

Mary’s song in Luke is her response to the fulfillment of God’s promise coming closer and her joy at being chosen to participate in that moment. Unlike just about every Old Testament prophet and even her cousins Elizabeth and Zechariah, Mary does not baulk at her calling. Although arguably, she probably had more reason to debate her calling than all the prophets put together. She, an unmarried girl in her early teens, was being called to bear and raise the Son of God. She responds with joy and singing…and then she waits…with expectant joy.

We too await with joy and expectancy. Christ has come. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. We wait with joy and expectancy to celebrate His birth and we continue to wait with joy and expectancy for His return. We light candles to mark the weeks and we raise our voices with all the earth, singing praises to the Lord Almighty! God is faithful to His promises. He has come to redeem His people. He has come to redeem you.

The grace and peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, You have come to the aid of your servant Israel, to remember the promise of mercy, the promise made to our forbears, to Abraham and his children forever. (Luke 1:46b-47;54-55)

 

November 2016

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;

to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night,

to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. (Psalm 92:1-3)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

The Old Testament concept of blessing was much deeper than our own culture’s understanding. Blessing had and bestowed power. Blessings were valuable.

There was a reason Jacob tricked his own father into giving him the blessing intended for Esau and wrestled with the ‘man of God’ and endured a dislocated hip in order to be blessed. Genesis even concludes with ‘blessings’ for each of Jacob’s sons and their descendants. The blessings given in the Old Testament determined the identity of the receiver. Sometime it was such a transformation that it necessitated a name change. Jacob (meaning ‘supplanter’) became Israel (meaning ‘God prevails’).

You have been blessed. God has given you a new identity in Christ. He has made you His child. He has chosen to bless you. He has chosen to make you His child. He has chosen to bring you into His kingdom. He has chosen to love you. That blessing is priceless.

 Oftentimes we get caught up in our problems and worries and take the blessings for granted. Too often it is easier to focus on the trials in life. We can get caught up in negativity and it begins to affect how we interact with the world. We can become bitter and begin to expect trouble rather than joy. We can forget that we too have been blessed. We can momentarily forget that God has already made us his own.

Life is full of blessings for which to be thankful. None are greater than the blessing of being God’s children. The blessing of his promise to hold us in Christ is tenacious and constant. His blessing depends solely upon His own faithfulness and authority. “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

The grace and peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,     for his steadfast love endures forever. O give thanks to the God of gods,     for his steadfast love endures forever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords,     for his steadfast love endures forever; (Psalm 136:1-3)

 

October 2016

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31:33-34)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

Sola Scriptura…Sola Fide…Sola Gratia…Sola Christus…Sola Dei Gloria.

Word alone…Faith alone…Grace alone…Christ alone…to the glory of God alone.

The five ‘solas’ – the pillars of the Reformation – the petals of the Luther Rose – the battle cry of the 16th century. They are more than slogans. They are a synopsis of this amazing life of faith God has given us.

God has blessed you with the Holy Scriptures – the stories of the generations that came before us. We are given His stories of interaction and involvement in the world and in the lives of His (often times flawed) people. He blesses us with their songs, His wisdom, their letters, and the proclamation of His Son.

God has blessed you with the gift of faith. He puts His faith within us through the power of the Holy Spirit, making us able to trust Him with our whole heart. “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Romans 5:1) By this gift of faith, we are made right with God. God turns sinners into saints.

God has blessed you with His amazing grace. “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14) You are forgiven. You are freed from the bounds of sin and let loose into the world as God’s child.

God has blessed you with the gift of His one and only Son. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16) God sent His Son into this broken world in order to give it life. God let His Son be killed in order to make this broken world whole. God gave His Son for you.

All this is to the glory of God. We are responsible for none of it, but undeserving recipients of God’s generous blessing and power. God has given and continues to give you blessing upon blessing. To Him be the glory forever and ever.

The grace and peace of God which surpass all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the crucified and risen Christ Jesus. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

…they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (Romans 3::24)

 

September 2016

baptismThere is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:4-6)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

Once again, we celebrate as some of our young people affirm their Baptisms. We listen to them profess their faith in Christ Jesus and take ownership of their relationship with the Lord. They will be asked:

Do you intend to continue in the covenant God made with you in holy baptism:

to live among God’s faithful people,

to hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper,

to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed,

to serve all people, following the example of Jesus,

and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth?

These are the same promises made at every Baptism. These are the same promises parents make to their children at their Baptism. These are the same promises made by new members. These are the same promises adults make when they are baptized. These promises are a vow to God and to the whole Body of Christ to continue in the covenant God has made with us.

It is not all about us though. We also hear God’s promise: At the onset of the rite, we begin our prayer: “Merciful God, we thank you that you have made us your own by water and the Word in baptism. You have called us to yourself, enlightened us with the gifts of your Spirit, and nourished us in the community of faith.” We give thanks to the Lord for blessing us and making us His own. At the conclusion of the rite, we pray: “We give you thanks, O God, that through water and the Holy Spirit you give us new birth, cleanse us from sin, and raise us to eternal life. Stir up in your people the gift of your Holy Spirit: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence both now and forever.” We recognize again what God does in Holy Baptism and give Him thanks.

Martin Luther found it helpful to remind himself every morning that he was a baptized child of God. Sometimes we can get caught up in the busyness of life and need that same reminder. In a world full of temptation and craziness, we do need to be reminded who we are and whose we are. The Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal includes an option for the entire congregation to reaffirm their Baptisms to give us a way to remember.

You are a child of God. You have been claimed by the Father, forgiven and accepted through Christ, and anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit. The grace and peace of God which surpass all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the crucified and risen Christ Jesus. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:27)