Wrestling with Easter Reality

As we celebrate our Lord’s resurrection, I encourage all of us to join the ancient church in discerning what comes next! Over the Easter season (yes, it is a season, not just a day) we will hear what happened among the community of believers after the Lord’s triumph over the grave. We will hear of their fear. We will hear of their confusion. We will hear of their faith. How do we react when we hear of the resurrection? Scared? Confused? Amazed?

Purposefully, I ask you to consider where Jesus is leading us now. The coming summer is a wonderful opportunity to discuss and discern where God is leading us! However, it is not my decision alone. Rather, it is all of yours. Since Christ is risen from the grave, everything has changed. And we cannot simply keep going as we have always done. I’m asking us to clarify who we are now for the world around us; and how we can best be a faithful presence to the world/community around us that needs expressions and experiences of God’s love, grace, and embrace through Jesus Christ the risen Lord of Life! What follows is a few things for us to consider; among them concern education as well as activities and community engagement (both amongst ourselves and for the community around us). They are not necessarily in an order of priority as much as a linear order for planning.

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1. What would you like to hear a sermon series preached on this summer?
   With this, I realized that I am opening up myself to many possibilities; however, for the past 2 summers I have preached on women from the scriptures. While I am happy to do another session on them, I feel God calling you to help guide me in what you want to hear. Therefore, discern a series/topic that you might like to hear about this summer. For example, I could preach about the key laws from the Torah.
   Help me to understand what would be meaningful for you.
    

2. What could Christian education look like to increase engagement and meaningfulness?
   So, over the time that I have been here, I have led many studies to try and engage you. However, our average attendance over this Fall/Spring church year has been 2. I am always delighted to be joined by those individuals who want to engage; and I acknowledge the difference then too of Confirmation ReDO! where our average attendance is about 8. And that does not take into account the various ways and times that I have also sought to engage kids in their faith education. Therefore, I ask you to consider what studies would you be interested in and come out for? And, what schedule of meetings would ensure your participation?
   
   And lastly for now, and the best starting point:
    

3. Who are we? Who has God made us to be? What is our past? What is the identity that God is calling us to be for a world that truly needs a faithful witness to the Jesus Christ that is attested to in scripture, has been worshiped by the church since his ascension, and is still a revelation by God to us today as we seek to be a part of God’s kingdom coming in the world today?
   I am asking us to consider not just mission and vision; rather, I am asking us to reflect on our identity. What does it mean for us to call ourselves Lutheran? What does it mean for us to worship as we do? What are things we value in ourselves and seek to invite others into joining (and not just potlucks)? What is it like for us to experience and proclaim love, grace, and embrace? What do we mean when we say “All Are Welcome?”

            These are not easy things to wrestle with; however, they are necessary things for us to keep coming back to. Jacob, the usurper/heal grabber, who spent his life doing those things sought a new identity in order to understand what it meant to be a recipient of God’s blessings and be a blessing to others. He is given, as a blessing, the name of Israel which means ‘one who has striven with God and humans.’ (Gen 32) As we do this hard work of discernment, I know God will bless us!