In this, my second-to-the-last newsletter column, I would like to share some thoughts about my optimism for Holy Lamb’s future. Paul begins his second letter to the Thessalonians with these words, “We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.
This year, the first week in April is Holy Week. Over the course of just eight days, we go from the jubilation of Jesus triumphantly entering Jerusalem as the crowd shouts, “Hosanna to the son of David,” to his appearance before Pilate amid shouts of, “Crucify him,” to his victorious resurrection, reported by Mary Magdalene to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!”
As I stated at the beginning of this column, our primary focus remains the mission and ministry of Holy Lamb – bringing the comfort, hope, and peace of the Gospel to bear in the lives of our members, guests, and the community. To that end, we continue to engage in our regular and occasional ministry actions.
As we move through this time of transition, let us pray and trust that the Holy Spirit will guide the Call Committee, that He will lead members to step forward to assist in new ways, and that He will continue to lead new people to Holy Lamb to be nourished with God’s Word and Sacraments.
I pray your Christmas was blessed by the knowledge that Christ was born to bring the assurance of forgiveness and eternal life to you. Sometimes, even when we remember the ‘reason for the season,’ we forget the specifics associated with the birth of Jesus. He came to earth to die so that you can go to heaven to live! It cannot be stated more simply than that.
Allowing our faith to reorient us away from our pain and to our Savior enables us to joyfully anticipate Christ’s coming, even in the face of anxiety and uncertainty.
Our faith encourages us to reconnect with our fellow Christians in celebration of the gifts of forgiveness and eternal life his birth promises.
May your faith in your Savior make this season of anticipation and celebration a joyful time for you.
My point is to encourage you to enjoy each season we are in to its fullest. That means take the time to relish all the unique features and aspects of each season, rather than simply check them off the list of holidays to get through until the next one. So, in the next paragraphs I’ll highlight some opportunities to enrich your individual seasonal celebrations in the hope that you will be blessed, specifically by each season. If I might paraphrase, “Let’s remember the reason for each season.”
I look forward to Ian being as minimal as they are forecasting. And I look forward to helping you when an event comes along that allows the church to more broadly serve you in an unexpected time of need.
Our Pumpkin Patch will have pumpkins for sale in October. Consider volunteering to staff our sales table for a couple of hours. It’s a great time to visit with a fellow member (we always have at least 2 on hand), as well as an opportunity to engage our neighbors in friendly conversation.
Our Ministry Expansion Committee has begun their work. Our work in our Sunday Bible study gave them a wealth of ideas to begin with, and I am confident that those will only be the beginning of new opportunities for sharing the Gospel in word and deed. I look forward to their reports to Council and the new ministries that Holy Lamb will undertake in the months to come.
