Tag Archives: fredericksburg

September 29, 2020 · 7:20 pm

The Door’s Open

“To preach Christ is to feed the soul, to justify it, to set it free, and to save it, if it believes the preaching.” – Martin Luther

This fall, the ELCA marks the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s early important work, The Freedom of a Christian (also known as On Christian Liberty and other similar names), and we will remember it as well at Christ Lutheran. Why? Well, through this early work, Martin Luther decisively influenced the entire Protestant movement in all its forms. As the theologian Dietrich Oppen noted, “As such, it is one of the great documents of world history, a work which opened doors to the future, first in Luther’s time and still in our own.”

Starting on Thursday, September 10, at 10:00 am, join me as we journey through this important work anew or for the first time. Our sessions will help us better understand the mystery of Christ, especially Christ’s work in and through our daily lives. Participants will be provided a pdf copy of the text (which can be printed out or read electronically), but the text is also widely available for purchase if you prefer. A special anniversary study guide will also be provided. Recognizing both the importance of this work and busy schedules, sessions will be recorded and posted on our private Facebook group, but the sessions’ quality and impact will improve if you make an effort to attend together live – willing to share both your faith and questions about faith with others. Don’t worry if you can’t make every session, as always, just come as you can.

In these challenging times amidst much fear for the future, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to trust in Christ’s saving, active love for each of us and our world. Like the earliest disciples, we are called to certainly watch and pray, but we are also asked to be Christ in the world. God has a purpose for you and I to fulfill in this time and this place as unlikely as that might seem to us. Doubts may grow strong, but they are never stronger than Christ’s love for us or his purpose.

My hope remains that – whether you find yourself out in the world or find yourself restricted to serving Christ’s Church from home – these sessions bless you to be a blessing. I also pray that they nurture a joyful, certain hope to be found in our shared future as children of God. You and I have been set free for a purpose, and so as my friend and spiritual mentor Br. Roger of Taizé once wrote, “Set out, forward, one step at a time, from doubt toward faith, not worrying about the impossible ahead.” The door has been opened by Christ alone. Let us walk through it together.

I remain in communion with you and love you,

Pastor Lou

For the ELCA’s curriculum and/or a free copy of Martin Luther’s “The Freedom of a Christian” visit elca500.org.

If you have interest in our congregation’s class, please contact me.

© 2020 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author. This letter was first published in Christ Lutheran Church’s September 2020 newsletter.

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August 19, 2020 · 8:43 pm

God remembers

O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. Sing to him, sing praises to him, tell of all his wonderful works. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his presence continually. Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, O offspring of his servant Israel, children of Jacob, his chosen ones. – 1 Chronicles 16:8-13 (NRSV)

After the followers of David defeated their enemies and settled in Jerusalem, David wanted a place for the Lord to live among God’s chosen people. At first, the Ark of the Covenant was brought to a specially prepared tent pitched centrally among them. David’s instructions echoed the formation the Israelites had used under Moses as directed by God to travel through the wilderness. The central placement of the Tent of Meeting was to symbolically remind them that God’s ways must remain central in their individual, familial and communal life.

The Israelites had been through a precarious time, but God had led them this far. More difficulties certainly lay ahead, but they trusted God would continue to lead them. Their vision remained clouded and eclipsed by challenges of many kinds including their own sinfulness. Yet as has always been true for those who trust in God, “for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings” (Malachai 4:2a). No matter the time or place, we are to seek God, give thanks, and try our best to share the light of God’s grace and love as called and able, because God continues to know, claim and love us.

As our own way forward seems currently clouded by pandemic fears, social injustice or unrest, and perhaps other doubts galore, remembering the past faithfulness of God’s love at work in our lives, our family, and within the history of our family of faith can prove helpful. As we have talked about before, among the many words God offers us through scripture, we find the word “remember” to be among those most often used. The same God who loved us and our forebearers of the past, loves us now, and God promises to love us for eternity. The proof? We can find it in God’s steadfast love for us throughout the ages.

Life will be hard, and our way forward remain uncertain at times, but God is with us and at work. We are chosen and claimed, placed in this time and context, to reflect God’s own light while being used to help fulfill God’s plans for all people. Through our faith and baptism, God has forgone a tent or building located in the heart of a community and desires to reside in and work through our hearts instead. God has prepared a place in us because God always remembers us and longs to be with us. More wonderful works, miracles and judgments are surely yet to come. 

Originally published in the July/August 2020 newsletter of Christ Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg, VA.

© 2020 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author.

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July 9, 2019 · 7:59 pm

Portents of Our Importance

The Hub, July 9, 2019

[God] determines the number of the stars; [God] gives to all of them their names. (Psalm 147:8)

What a wonderful time of year! Our congregation overflows with song and laughter as younger church members and friends join us for Vacation Bible School (VBS). Yes, we offer all the usual Bible-related activities, but this isn’t just kid-stuff. God uses ordinary things to perform an extraordinary work in and through us and our shared ministry.

While with these children, we hope to embody the faith God gives us – to experience it through community – and make these ancient stories come alive. To do this, the interactions of play and fellowship become holy times where the love of God becomes manifest.

As biblical witness attests again and again, God’s love is a fire. How exciting it always proves to see light shine from a child’s face as they realize that God isn’t some far off, cold being but relational, loving and always close to them. (Perhaps their faces become a bit like Moses’ own, filled with light as he encountered the Lord.) For some, it might be the first time or one of the few times they hear the words, “God loves you.”

We are intended to be children of the light which is God. We sometimes falter. Faith can begin to flicker and even seem to fade as the cosmic winds of life blow or we make bad choices. Yet, our Lord who is light doesn’t want to leave us in the dark. Love always comes to us through Jesus, his Word, and his Church.

Thus through “fun and games,” the Spirit is calling these children and our volunteers closer to the heart which is our God. Much like the spacecraft project pictured above, the scripture stories are binding lives piece by piece to make a more beautiful whole through faith.

Our “To Mars and Beyond” VBS reminds me of an ancient promise made to Abraham. One of those stars above us has been placed there to represent you and me. It is true. God really loves us.

Originally published in The Hub, a weekly email of Christ Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg, VA.

Scripture text from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

© 2019 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author.

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June 20, 2019 · 4:05 pm

Running for Hope

The Hub, June 17, 2019

To support or learn more about the Battling Cancer Race at battlingcancerrace.com.

Annette Pfohl, a dear friend (who became family to Kristine and I over the years), had an aggressive form of breast cancer. It was a long, hard fight, and both her family of blood and large family connected through love alone wanted to support her. They became known as Team Annette.

Still young, her son, Kyle was an active part. At Riverbend High School, he and other students were challenged to do some sort of community service. Rather than give into anger, he remembered his mother’s words about how to battle cancer: “It means never giving up hope and supporting each other!”

His passion was running, and he had become incredibly good at it. Finally, that passion and promise intersected with holy purpose. That senior project became much more than he first imagined. After its eighth year this past Sunday, the Battling Cancer Race has raised approximately $120,000 to help cancer patients in the Fredericksburg region.

Annette died in 2016, but the love and hope she shared reflected the Christian love and hope she held on to. As I led the opening prayer this year for the event, it struck me that the hope that helped Annette remains alive and well through the runners and walkers assembled. Through their desire to love their neighbor or perhaps honor family or friends fighting cancer –  while doing what they love – they are no longer just “runners” or “competitors.” They have become living signs of hope among us.

What is your passion? Where do your interests and skills lie? Most likely, these will cross with your holy purpose so that the faith, hope and love of God can be magnified. We each have a different race to run perhaps, but we share the same goal. So, “let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus…” (see Hebrews 12:1-3). It’s this kind of hope that will change us and the world one step at a time. It’s the kind of hope that has led Kyle to become a new member of Christ Lutheran and the faith which we share.  

Originally published in The Hub, a weekly email of Christ Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg, VA.

© 2019 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author.

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June 4, 2019 · 6:32 pm

Celebrate. Remember. Thank.

Image by ktphotography from Pixabay

I’ve been involved with a lot of celebrations of late: family graduations from junior high, high school and college; a niece, nephew and godchild experiencing first communion or confirmation; retirement and award ceremonies; promotions and other work transitions of friends and associates; as well as planning for the ubiquitous June wedding. I even have my own anniversary coming up! There’s a lot going on, much of it good.

Recalling such times of blessing can help anchor us for the slow or even bad times which most certainly will come in a fallen world. Therefore, God told the Israelites over and over again using varied words, “Remember…Remember what I have done for you…Remember that I love you…Remember that I have chosen you to be part of my story and ultimate victory.” When things are seemingly at their worst, one can consider the love of God active in the past and find encouragement. That same God is also God of our present. God won’t let us go and will love and care for us always. That’s God’s promise.

Yes, God is always doing something new, but God’s love for us remains steadfast. It never changes. Nothing can separate us from such love. It is always at work for our welfare – seen, felt or not. The God who blessed us in the past, blesses us now in ways that will prove to sustain and lead us through the bad times toward a future filled with hope. God loves us so much that even our bad times will eventually be understood as somehow leading us toward our ultimate good and proof of that love.

As we race through our filled spring and summer calendars, let’s try to intentionally take stock of the good that surrounds us – both big and small things. Counting these blessings may be just what helps most when we face any difficult times ahead. Praise God, for it “is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes” (Deuteronomy 10:21).

Originally published in the June 2019 newsletter of Christ Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg, VA.

© 2019 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author.

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April 3, 2019 · 2:41 pm

Radiating Love

The Hub, April 3, 2019

Volunteers of our Feed the Children Program radiate love, smiles and blessing through our weekly student food assistance program.

As noted in the very name of [Christ Lutheran’s The Hub] weekly email, Christ Lutheran was meant to serve from the center of our community but have a far reach. Just this week, I went into the interior of our building to find four faithful people filling plastic bags with food. Weekly, volunteer teams of our congregation including youth gather to feed hungry students in our region through our Feed the Children Program. Food is collected earlier and then lovingly packed into 150 sacks, each sack representing a heart like our own with a future filled with hope. Thanks to these simple efforts, one less child will go hungry over a weekend away from school meals and other resources. You might have heard that according to government statistics, one in seven Virginia children live in families that struggle with food insecurity. That means those families don’t regularly have enough food to eat. (This is a bit better than the one in six national statistic, but it still seems dreadful.) Many hands make light work, and so I was invited to help. The task is quick and easy, and it proves a great time to share our own stories and smiles. Within a very short time, the bags were packed and readied for delivery to the local school system. From that little room in the depths of our building where only a handful of believers gathered, I found Christ reaching out into the community. It wasn’t just food but love, smiles and blessing radiating to people and places far beyond our walls.

Originally published in The Hub, a weekly email of Christ Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg, VA.

© 2019 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author.

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