Message from the Pastor - Archive
June
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I don’t know about you, but for me the month of June is shaping up to be very chaotic. I have so many meetings, Synod Assembly, special end-of-year activities at my children’s schools and other personal events that have filled my calendar. Something tells me I am not alone in the chaos!
So many times when our lives get crazy like this we look for things that we can “trim out.” Whatever we can lose in our schedules to free up some time, or to create more time to devote to something else, can help us make it through. Unfortunately, too many times it becomes easy to make worship one of those things we can trim out. Freeing up Sunday morning would help us get so much done! In one sense that may be true — I know I have often wished I could have and extra hour or two added to my day. BUT, I have found that when worship becomes one of those things we leave out, in the end it only adds to the chaos.
As end-of-the-school-year activities loom and as summer plans take shape, I challenge us all to protect that hour or so on Sunday morning that we reserve for worship. There is something about worship that calms me (even when my kids are driving me crazy!) There is something about being IN church that brings me peace in the midst of the chaos that is something my life. The sound of the organ can lift my spirits, the congregation singing and praying helps me feel a part of a supportive community, the sermon may give me something important to contemplate and being in the “space” of church to meditate in prayer often helps me get a handle on everything that has to be done or gives me a different perspective on how to order my many activities. Why?
Some may say that going to worship slows us down enough so that we can think instead of just reacting to the events around us. This may be partly true. I would like to think, though, that when we are in worship we are more open to the Holy Spirit’s guidance and are more aware of Jesus speaking to us. And, of course, we are also hopefully lifted and re-energized to face daily life as we receive for the Lord’s Table and hear God’s love, acceptance and forgiveness proclaimed to us. It feels SO good to leave worship having the burden of our many sins through the week lifted off our shoulders! When we take the time to listen and receive from God and allow him to clam our souls, our lives may still be busy, but our approach to our busy lives becomes more healthy us, and it becomes easier not to “sweat the small stuff”.
So – as the many activities of life surround us and sometimes even close in around us, I ask you not to drop worship from your life. Worship may be the very thing that will help you get through it all!
Peace be with you,
Pastor Lisa