Tag Archives: service

Harvest Time

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Then Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” (Matthew 9:37)

It is harvest time again! After a milder summer with a good amount of rain, I see many gardens overflowing. Nearly a ton of fresh vegetables have been harvested in All Souls’ community garden alone to feed our hungry neighbors. More is likely to be harvested throughout September. We are blessed to share in that effort as well as that of our community food pantry, MCEF.

Yet, we have neighbors who hunger for much more than food. In the upcoming months, we’ll need to feed the souls of those participating in worship, as well as others longing for the word of God through our Christian formation programs and witness. We’ll be asked to help Hanover Habitat in its mission to provide affordable, quality homes to our neighbors. We’ll seek to help the local Gideon’s comfort and enrich travelers, military members and others by providing Bibles. We’ll be feeding the intellect, heads, hearts and stomachs of our preschool and after school students. We’ll be actively preparing our house of faith to better welcome those with physical and intellectual disabilities. At times, we’ll be visiting the sick, suffering and dying. At other times, we’ll celebrate God’s creation through arts and crafts as well as our pets. At all times, we’ll continue to walk with our homeless brothers and sisters – especially those in our congregation – toward greater stability and renewal. This is just a short list of the harvest our shared ministry yields all year long. As busy as it may get, we are asked by Jesus to love one another, so we’ll plan to have some fun together too.

I once saw a sign that said, “Church is a verb.” As a past English major, I can’t strictly agree with that, but I do agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment. We are the church. We were created to be living, growing beings who share a living, growing faith in active community. We are God’s hands and feet, and our faces shine upon others with the love of God.

If you have been away, distracted, or just plain unavailable, think about returning once again to the mission field with us. We invite you to worship, bible study, prayer and service, but I think you’ll find it filled with fellowship and fun. Your life will be enriched along with the lives of others. It is as scripture tells us, “Faith without works is dead.” Instead, Jesus’ desires to offer us an abundant life; one so full of love that it overflows to bless the lives of others. Even our most humble attempts to share faith, hope and love will even be used to usher in the kingdom of God.

Trust that our labor together will not be in vain, for it is God who sends us. Why not come, taste and see? Why not have your vision and sense of family and purpose renewed? Welcome back to another year at Messiah Lutheran! Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work.

Learn about upcoming events and more at mlcas.org or our news pages. (Be sure to check out the “more news” tab for hot off the press information.) 

 

Originally submitted for Messiah Lutheran’s newsletter, The Messenger (September 2014).

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations for this article are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation. This post was first published in The Messenger, the newsletter of Messiah Lutheran Church (June 2014). 

© 2014 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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Life Work

National Law Enforcement MemorialMany social scientists call the work of emergency responders and others in the medical field “death work.” This applies to the law enforcement community for many reasons. We certainly deal with a great deal of violence and death, but we also face it head on.

As the recent Law Enforcement Memorial Day reminds us, some within our calling will pay the ultimate price. Indeed, I never really stop thinking about my three coworkers[1] that died over the six years I was a police officer. They and other heroes who I never had the honor to know have somehow become a part of me.

Reflecting upon such loss, I believe the term “death work” proves quite the misnomer. For as the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial reminds us, “It is not how these officers died that made them heroes, it is how they lived.” Their legacy continues to challenge, inspire and shape our service to the community whether still active in law enforcement or retired from it. When I meet current law enforcement officers, I think of the important “life work” they do without often realizing it – whether finding a lost autistic child, helping a domestic violence victim, comforting those experiencing loss or without hope, or seeking justice in a world that is too often unfair.

I remember a police officer in the town I grew up in who planted positive seeds in my life (a somewhat delinquent one at the time) just through conversation and simple kindness. I recall the valor of those who so rightly earned awards for heroic deeds. I recall as well the kindness of other officers done without fanfare as they provided diapers for young families without or shared their own lunch with the homeless. I have seen those arrested for acts that were quite inhumane, and yet they were treated with human dignity by the officers they claimed as enemies.

These kinds of experiences taught me that the vocation that is shared by law enforcement officers is a sacred one, a holy summons to nurture life and shed light in what can seem a dark world. The long shifts, the thankless tasks, the time away from family and friends are very real costs, but it isn’t without benefit or meaning. It is a death to oneself and one’s desires so that others might live. It is life giving work embodying the truth of Jesus’ words, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).

Law enforcement is often a difficult life, but it is a life worth living and sharing with others.

[1] Two died in the line of duty and are listed at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. A third died from an unknown congenital heart condition at home following a foot pursuit earlier that evening. A fourth died years later from medical complications after being shot while apprehending robbery suspects.

Originally written for the newsletter of the Hanover County (VA) Sheriff’s Office. 

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations for this article are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation. This post was first published in The Messenger, the newsletter of Messiah Lutheran Church (June 2014). 

© 2014 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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Messiah Lutheran: 45 years old and still counting…on Christ alone!

An open letter to Messiah members:

Thanks to all those who helped Messiah Lutheran Church and School celebrate our 45th anniversary. I created the above video to present during our worship service to help us reflect on our past, present and future together. It includes many (but not all) of our partners in ministry. For a small church, you’ll see once again that we have a long and loving reach! It is not by accident a Thrivent loan representative remarked that we do more than many congregations ten times our size.

At Messiah Lutheran, we live out many signs of discipleship: feeding the hungry, caring for the sick and those at risk, meeting the marginalized and loving them as they are. Our financial stewardship has increased each year (faster than our growing membership), and our volunteering and lay leadership at our congregation and in the community has increased even more so. We have many new partners and now friends in ministry that help us reach beyond Hanover County to the world. Firmly Lutheran, we open our hearts to work with other Christians as part of one universal church, the family of God.

Yet we aren’t just busy bodies. Our activities, programs, wealth, size or location don’t make us who we are. In fact, we sometimes “lack” in those areas by standards of the world. No, we seek to act in response to our greatest gifts from God – hope, faith and love – and that makes all the difference. It defines us, shapes us and is the source of our ultimate significance. It is what makes so many notice our small little church in Mechanicsville as something “different.”

Over six years ago, the love I saw you have for one another attracted me to say yes to the offer of a call as your pastor. It is your love, a reflection of Christ’s own, that inspires me still. It is what amazes so many I meet, and I see it changing the world a relationship at a time. God’s doing something here. Christ is being made known.

Sure we aren’t perfect, and we can always do better. A small church that seriously struggles at times, we have Jesus and we have each other. That’s more than enough, and so we keep on discipling…together…no matter what.

As my friend from the Congo wrote, “Glory be to God for his faithfulness, happy celebration to everyone at the Messiah Lutheran Church and School.” Indeed, it is God’s faithfulness that invited us to be church together and made our celebration possible. Thanks for letting me walk with you. It is my honor, privilege and joy.

Pastor Lou
Christ the King Sunday
November 24, 2013

(I hope you enjoy the video. Please feel free to share this video with your family and friends.)

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Miracle on Atlee Road

8154 Atlee Rd

As Thanksgiving approaches, I find a favorite movie has begun playing on television over and over again, Miracle on 34th Street. This year, I have been reminded that miracles can happen over and over again in real life as well – whenever people choose to love one another as Jesus asked.

This past All Saints Sunday, I was given permission to share a sacred story. It was a tale of a suffering saint, not from long ago, but of one in our midst. Our sister in Christ, Rachel[i], a long-time member of our congregation, a baptized and believing child of God, was in desperate need. She was alone, fighting mental illness, and at risk of becoming homeless.

Rachel is well known to many if not all in our congregation. She has been a congregational member since the 1990s, although she has attended on and off since that time. Of late, she has especially stood out. Visibly, she has grown weaker and distant. Flowing conversations have become more and more difficult. Recently, one might only be answered with a short phrase or a single word. Due to medical issues, she is often seen getting up and down during our worship – going outside the sanctuary to the rest room or for water – and then returning. To be frank, her demeanor, appearance and behaviors could easily put one off or prove annoying.

This situation is sadly not unusual. She shares a story with many who are without family and suffering from mental illness. It is a story that began perhaps before birth, as her mother is said to have suffered from both mental illness and addiction. (Such issues are believed by some to often be partly genetic.) Yet, Rachel also reportedly suffered severe abuse in her original home from others who should have loved her. It is quite a testimony to her tenacity and gifts that she escaped that environment to become a valued employee where she worked and love a family of her own.

Still like many with similar histories, married life proved a challenge. When her husband allegedly became abusive, she decided to divorce him and start again. Unfortunately, he was able to use her mental condition and lack of financial means against her. She lost her children to his custody, and the now adult children – seemingly not understanding mental illness nor family systems – continue to blame her for the dissolution of their family. There is no meaningful contact or support.

Although she had tried hard to provide for herself and for her children, life seemed to work against her as new problems and challenges arouse time and time again. With this, her mental illness seemingly began to take control of her life. She had lost family, and she now lost friends. She eventually lost her job. Initially, a neighboring family tried to help her, but they, too, ran into problems of their own in the difficult economy. They couldn’t help her any longer.

All along, members of our congregation were walking beside Rachel. Certainly, I offered pastoral care and counseling. On top of that (if not more importantly), she received help with food, shelter, and rides. People tried to be patient with her and relate to her; always welcoming her into our assembly. Several sought to be like family to her inviting her to share in holidays and celebrations in their home. Despite our congregation’s current financial challenges[ii] and being a relatively small congregation[iii] for our area, our council managed to quietly pay for her room for several months while she was staying with her neighbors. We also provided assistance with necessities. Our president captured the council’s collective feeling when he said, “She’s been our sister in Christ when it was easy and times were good. We can’t pretend she isn’t our sister now when it is hard. We need to help her.”

Indeed, Rachel is not her mental illness. She is the person who always volunteers to help others, especially children. She heard of a need for children’s sandals and shoes overseas from a veteran she knew, so she initiated a collection through our church. Hundreds of youth in Afghanistan benefited. She is always ready to help us with property needs, vacation bible school, or mission work despite her current limitations. She is one who walks miles to join us for worship or events if she cannot get a ride. She insists on donating money for our shared ministry even when she has little and is told to use it for her own needs. As another person who knew her well said, “Some people love this church, but Rachel LOVES this church. It is her family.” Rachel is our sister, Christ’s sheep, and remains a beloved part of our family of faith.

As with family, Rachel had given the local social services permission to cooperate with me in meeting her needs, but we were confounded as to what could be done when Rachel finally became homeless. The local county only had funds for short-term housing (2 weeks), and our congregation struggled to find the money to pay the discounted rent with her neighbors never mind at a hotel or apartment. It appeared Rachel would be moved into the sometimes rough Richmond homeless shelter system. This put her at further risk of being far removed from her church family, being set back and delayed in her disability claim, and starting anew with a different social worker in an overtaxed, urban environment.

As I pondered this situation, I recognized the great challenge before us to get the money we would initially need to care for Rachel – $2500 for the first few months of housing using the county’s vendor. It was the safest place, easiest transition, and best rate we could hope for, and yet we don’t have that kind of money lying around. As I prayed about it, it struck me that perhaps I was looking at this problem the wrong way. Yes, it is an enormous problem in many respects, but what if we just tried to address the need bit by bit, step by step, and day by day? We could have a special appeal in our church and ask friends in the greater community to help Rachel. If we just looked for fifty people to offer fifty dollars (about the cost of a family eating out in many cases or to attend a family outing), that could cover the initial need. For those who couldn’t give, they would be asked to pray, help Rachel in concrete ways when possible, and welcome her in our assembly.

Symbolically, fifty is a number of freedom and new life, and that is what we want for Rachel. Leviticus 25 describes a Year of Jubilee when debts were to be forgiven, forced servitude was ended, and people began fresh. We now had a chance to help free one of our own sisters in faith – just 50 people and $50 at a time. We would call it our 50 X 50 Campaign, multiplying the love we ourselves had received as individuals from Christ and assuring Rachel that she is not alone.

Announcing this at worship on All Saints Sunday, I was nervous as to how the congregation would respond. I was heavy in my heart because I knew well what was at stake. In past police, hospice care, and mission work with at risk youth in South Dakota, I carried too many memories of those who didn’t make it through such times. Yet our hope is in a God of steadfast love. It is a love of miraculous, healing power that often works through the lives of ordinary people in unexpected ways.

So, I took the risk and made the appeal trusting that “all things work for the good of those that love God,” and God answered through his Holy People. Despite our attendance being lower than average that morning[iv], over $4000 was raised to help Rachel. We have never collected that much money in any appeal that fast before, and I dare say, never for anything as important. Since then, money is still coming in. In a world where too many people wonder if anyone could love them as they are, Jesus spoke love to Rachel that morning. Through us, he is still speaking.

Over the past few weeks in worship, we heard once again about the Beatitudes and how we should love one another. We were urged that we should be patient with and support the weak. We were reminded – both Roman Catholic and Protestant Christians alike – that saints are needed for earth and not just for heaven. I can’t say how this particular sacred story about Rachel will end in the immediate future, but I know Jesus and his people are in it for the duration. We have to be, because that’s exactly the way Jesus asks it to be.

As church, we should never focus on how weak we are or the size of any challenge ahead of us. We just need to seek to love, and Jesus will do the rest. Thus, we are told that we can rejoice and do all things through Christ who strengthens us – even miracles – one relationship at a time…even from a small, old building on Atlee Road.

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As Rachel’s needs are long-term and many others’ suffer as she does, donations are still being accepted for our benevolence and charitable work. If you would like to help, please send your tax deductible donation (noting “50 X 50” on the memo line) to:

Messiah Lutheran Church and School
8154 Atlee Rd.
Mechanicsville, VA 23111

In hindsight, the above story is reminiscent of this song. Originally written at the time of the recent “Great Recession”, it reminds us all to love one another and boldly be ambassadors for Christ. We are never truly alone (Matt. 28:20)! Enjoy…


[i] For the sake of this public message, the woman’s name has been changed to provide for some privacy. It is a story shared with permission.

[ii] Although our financial situation has improved these past few years, it is still not unusual for us to struggle just to pay bills some months.

[iii] Messiah’s average attendance is about 95 with a bit over 200 members.

[iv] Attendance was in the mid-80s on November 3, 2013.

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We are family!

I am the pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church in Mechanicsville, VA. We are continually blessed by a creative and active relationship with the local Lutheran Family Services of Virginia staff. We have cooperated on many projects like the Change Who Waits Rally in Richmond (see my entry below).

This past spring, we hosted our second annual LFS Family Celebration Picnic at Messiah. Our special guests included LFS staff and their families, along with children, family and volunteers of their adoption/foster care programs and autism programs. Fun is always had by all – both Messiah members and our guests – as evidenced by this wonderful video shared with us on our recent Rally Day. (Many of the pictures are from this year’s picnic.)

Our theme for Rally Day 2012 was “We are family!” And thanks be to God, we can always strive to live like one. We are already looking forward to our next LFS picnic! You should come…

To learn more about Lutheran Family Services of Virginia, visit: http://www.lfsva.org

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Help push this pastor Over the Edge for Special Olympics Virginia!

As many of you know, my aunt was born with an intellectual disability, and I have been assisting people with intellectual disabilities and causes that serve them since high school. As a former police officer, the Special Olympics is near and dear to my heart. So now, I’m hoping to rappel off a 25-story building in downtown Richmond in October 2012! In order to take on this challenge and join other fearless Special Olympics fans on the roof, I must first reach my fundraising goal.

With your help I’ll be dangling from 400 feet up in no time!

Donating through the secure site is the easiest and most efficient way to contribute to my fundraising efforts. (If you don’t like to donate over the internet,  contact me to work something out.) Your support is greatly appreciated—and don’t forget to forward this to anyone who you think might be interested in making a donation as well!

Please visit http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/pastor-lou/2012richmond

Your donation will assist Special Olympics Virginia in reaching our total fundraising goal of $75,000. And with your help, I hope to surpass my own fundraising goal and rappel down one of the tallest buildings in Richmond. It’ll be an extreme adventure that we hope will generate extreme impact for Special Olympics Virginia.

www.OverTheEdgeVA.com

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Growing as God’s Children

For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations. (Isaiah 61:11)

Something has been growing in our county. Sure the annual Tomato Festival is right around the corner, but something much more important is at work. Christ’s church has been growing in grace. I see signs of this all around us, and I am not alone.

The FCA coordinator at our county high schools recently noted, “What does Heaven on earth look like? Churches from various denominations coming together to make God known.” He was excited by so many of our congregations coming together after recent shootings involving local students. Despite any historic or current differences, we have come together as one to try to better meet the needs of our youth and nurture their growth. As a result, a new ecumenical youth program will be starting this fall on our high school campuses. It will be providing much needed mentors to our students and volunteers for our school staff. This effort will help facilitate students being the body of Christ in our schools; seeking to bring the miracle of God’s mercy and justice into daily life through ordinary lives in relationship. Now, I doubt paradise will be fully restored, but imagine the lives that will be touched and hope shared. It will surely provide our youth a glimpse of heaven.

Our own congregation is used to working with others. For over 35 years, the local food bank we helped start with two Episcopal and Roman Catholic congregations has grown and thrived. Today, many of our neighbors are provided with much needed food, but also assistance with clothing and other practical needs such as their utilities. This year, our frequent partner in ministry, All Souls Episcopal Church, has invited Messiah members to start a new community garden initiative on their property. The hope is to provide fresh vegetables to area food banks like our own which often have only canned goods. We long for this garden to become a truly community initiative – joining members of the food bank’s (now thirty-seven and growing) congregations and recipient volunteers hand in hand in the field as we harvest the crop together.

Closer to home, Messiah announced on the Feast of Joseph, Guardian of Jesus that we are a partnering church with the Change Who Waits program in Richmond. Remembering that we are adopted by God, we will study and talk about the adoption and foster care system in Virginia. Along with a growing number of local congregations, we will be invited to gather on May 5th to reflect upon the biblical mandate to care for orphans in our midst. Joining together in partnership the Virginia Department of Social Services (who are the legal guardians of the children in Virginia), foster care agencies (such as Lutheran Family Services, who recruit and train potential adopting and foster parents) and participating churches, we hope to help find many children new forever homes.

Yes, spring has sprung all around us as evidenced by the flowering trees on our church property and in our neighborhoods, but so has the Spirit…and it seems the Spirit is doing something spectacularly beautiful. I hope you will come and see for yourself!

Peace,

Pastor Lou

The above pastoral letter was originally published in Messiah Lutheran Church and School’s newsletter, The Messenger (April 2012 edition). To view the entire issue of The Messenger or to see the full calendar of events, visit: http://www.mlcas.org

To learn about , visit:

To support or participate in the Change Who Waits Rally in Richmond, VA, visit: http://www.changewhowaits.com/

To support or learn about the adoption, foster care and other services of Lutheran Family Services of Virginia, visit http://www.lfsva.org/

MCEF’s website is http://www.mcefva.org. They support our neighbors with food, clothing and in some cases shelter.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations for this article are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation.

© 2012 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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Living God. Living Water. Living Faith.

…but I am speaking about genuine faith, which after it has justified, will not go to sleep but is active through love. – Martin Luther

This summer has proven to be another hot and dry one in our region, but one wouldn’t know it by looking at our busy shared life and ministry. The refreshing fruit of our faith was tasted throughout the summer as we gathered for fellowship and worship, continued to serve others in our community, and shared the good news and joy of God’s love with all those we met (both near and far from home). This reflects our life in Christ. We are often told that what makes us Christians is our trust in Jesus as the Son of the Living God. That was Peter’s confession, the confession of the early church, and it is now our inheritance and gift. We did not invent this heartfelt belief. God used ordinary people, places, and events to break our hearts open and invite us into this sacred life-giving relationship through the Spirit. It is a faith that calls us into new life together. Through our faith and baptism, we are made new. We discover who we truly are and whose we really are. Each and every day, new life is possible – the chance to forgive, the opportunity to reconcile, the blessing to be of service. We come to understand that our faith just isn’t meant as a gift for us. We have been given as a gift to a dry and weary world in desperate need of Christ’s love. Attempting to live our faith, we will be renewed and strengthened. Seeking to love our neighbor, new life will spring forth. Our ordinary and sometimes difficult lives will prove to be just as Jesus taught (John 7:38), As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” We and our world will be made new.

Peace,

Pastor Lou

The above pastoral letter was originally published in Messiah Lutheran Church and School’s newsletter, The Messenger (September 2011 edition). To view the entire issue of The Messenger or to see the full calendar of events, visit: http://www.mlcas.org

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations for this article are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation.

Photo used by permission © Marcuso/FreeDigitalPhotos.net: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1913

© 2011 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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Rest, relaxation, and restoration

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.(2 Cor. 13:11)

After the work of creation, God rested. In the Law of Moses, both people and animals are granted a day of rest (a sabbath day, from the Hebrew meaning “to cease”). Despite the urgency of his mission, Jesus often models healthy self-care by worshiping on the sabbath, spending time in fellowship with those he loves, and taking time away from his responsibilities for prayer and rest in the mountains alone. He does all this while never losing sight of his purpose. Yes, God’s plan for us includes rest, relaxation, and restoration – alone as well as together in relationship with others – for our call although sometimes difficult is always meant to lead to new life.

In our society, we can too often lost sight of this. As a result, we can confuse our work with who we are. We can become addicted to our work or wrongly believe everything is up to us. We hesitate to take time to rejuvenate and keep ourselves and our relationships healthy, including our relationship with Christ and his church. We can become perfectionist or selfish, reaping rewards of status or wealth while ignoring the needs of others. If we do go on a vacation, we can come back more tired than when we left, or the opportunity can be mistakenly seen as all about us and our needs. In short, we can become less than the children of God we were created and called to be.

All of us are asked to share in Christ’s sacred work of restoration. In our shared ministry, through our daily vocations, and even as we seek to relax or fellowship, we remain the children of God. We are to practice and demonstrate a healthy self love and care, but that time should also help prepare us for the gospel work before us. There is a time to work and a time to rest, but each time of our life should seek to glorify God. Our choices should aim to build up ourselves and others; intending to better love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. Summer is a holy opportunity for rest and fun to be sure. It is a great time to celebrate the gift of our life and our relationships. I pray this summer helps restore us all, so that we might better attend to our call to help Jesus restore the world around us. Yes, Jesus still calls us, even in summer, for there is much work left to do and many blessings for us to share.

Peace,

Pastor Lou

The above pastoral letter was originally published in Messiah Lutheran Church and School’s newsletter, The Messenger (June 2011 edition). To view the entire issue of The Messenger or to see the full calendar of events, visit: http://www.mlcas.org

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations for this article are from the Today’s New International Version translation.

© 2011 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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Saved for a Reason

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.’  (Rev. 21:3-4)

 During the season of Easter, we intentionally remember the time of Christ’s resurrection as well as the birth of his church. It is a springtime within the history of salvation, one that continues today. The first fruits of new life appear, thanks to the Spirit dwelling within the hearts of all those that believe. The sacraments and our shared ministry in Christ’s name prove to be means of grace with the power to build us up while changing our world. Yes, a new day dawned with the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and yet, we all know that sin and death still do their dirty work. Fortunately, the resurrection is not the end of the story, only a new beginning.

As a gift to the world, God created us, Jesus called us, and the Spirit offers to nurture and guide us. Along with all of creation, we groan for the fullness of time where every tear will be wiped away (Romans 8). Yet even as we struggle with our own sin and imperfection, we are never left alone. Together, we are Christ’s body – living out God’s answer to the pain of this world. Jesus asks us in his name to wipe away tears and offer hope until there is no more death or mourning or crying or pain.

Our participation in the shared life of Christ’s church is never really about what we get out of it. We have been saved for a reason. We are meant to be living signs of a new life being offered to all. Through our service, fellowship and worship, God prepares for the day when all things will be made new. Through his living church, that final, perfect day is already dawning, and Jesus is calling us home to dwell with him forever. Come join us and see for yourself. Come and truly live.

Peace,

Pastor Lou

The above pastoral letter was originally published in Messiah Lutheran Church and School’s newsletter, The Messenger (May 2011 edition). To view the entire issue of The Messenger or to see the full calendar of events, visit: http://www.mlcas.org

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation.

© 2011 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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