NOVEMBER 2016

A NOTE FROM OUR PASTOR

Well, it is the end of October.  Today my girls get to dress up and walk around the neighborhood at night.  Today my girls get to knock on doors of strangers and let them shower them with candy.  I think a dentist came up with the holiday so that business would be better in a few months, that is just my thought though.  So much candy, so little time. 
This year my girls are going to dress up like ladies from the colonial period.  They went with my mom and dad to colonial Williamsburg at the beginning of summer and that must have gotten the idea in their head.  My girls went over to my mom and dad’s house a few times over the last couple months and worked on, with my mom’s help and direction, making their costumes.  They got material, they got patterns, they cut, they sewed and I think had a good time all while learning new skills.  This is something that neither Michelle nor I could do with the girls.  I never learned to sew, although I think it would be nice to know.  This is one of the many, many times that we are thankful for grandparents and others who step in and help out where we fall short.
When you think about it, this is a good example of how the church should work.  One person can’t do it all, that is why the body of Christ exists.  During our baptism service there is a moment when after the person to be baptized or who is professing their faith states that they will remain faithful members of Christ’s holy church and will serve as Christ’s representative in the world that the church is asked if they will nurture one another in the Christian faith and life and include those who are before them.  Let me remind you of the response of the church.  “With God’s help we will proclaim the good news and live according to the example of Christ.  We will surround these persons with a community of love and forgiveness, that they may grow in their trust of God and be found faithful in their service to others.  We will pray for them, that they may be true disciples who walk in the way that leads to life.”  This is a great reminder of our call to nurture.  We proclaim, we live as examples, we surround and we pray. 
A lot of times we think about what we have that someone may need, not material wise, but even skill wise or knowledge wise.  And sharing those, passing those along are good things, but it is about the connection of relationship, the bond of friendship, the knowledge that we are not alone that really matters in the long run.  Yes, the skills are good, the knowledge is good, the things are good, but it is the feeling of connection that’s priceless. 
So the question I will leave with you is not only about how are you passing on your faith and to who are you passing it on to, but really who are you connecting with.  Who knows they are not alone because you have taken the time to share?   Who knows that there is someone they can call on because you have extended yourself to them?  It may be a grandchild, it may be a neighbor, it may be sibling, it may be a coworker, but it must be someone.  This is how the church looks like the church.

Because of Him,
Lynn