Hello Church!
We look forward to worshiping together this Sunday morning at 9:30 am. Click here to view our live stream.
If you’d like to follow along with the order of service, click here for the bulletin.
To join us in singing, find the hymn texts on our music sheet.
We wish you a blessed and restful Sabbath!
August 4, 2020
As I paddled a canoe on Lake Metigoshe on Monday morning, I was thinking about the gospel passage for the upcoming weekend. This story is one I remember learning about way back in Sunday School. Jesus walking on water—how could that be? Even as a child I knew physics and gravity well enough to be duly impressed!
But on Monday morning the lake I was on was calm and peaceful, the water was flat and only a few bugs disrupted the smooth surface. What a far cry from the boat in the Sea of Galilee that stormy night in Matthew 14! Yet there was Jesus, strolling across a troubled sea in the early morning hours.
Does anyone else feel like we are floating in troubled waters? The uncertainty and anxiety that have characterized our community life since March have not gone away. The approach of the new school year raises new questions for families of students, teachers, and school staff. First Lutheran continues to grieve with families who mourn the deaths of their loved ones. In the midst of battering waves, we yearn for the security of solid ground and the peace of Christ’s presence.
However, just as the disciples were far from land with the wind against them, we are also unable to escape all of the chaos and the daily stresses of life in our world. But, as we experience various storms in our life together, I am glad to be in the boat with all of you. Together, we trust that Jesus comes to us in spite of storms, or the limits of physics!
I hope that you, too, find support and encouragement from your brothers and sisters in Christ at First Lutheran. I am excited that we have another opportunity to gather outdoors coming up. If you are comfortable gathering outdoors, please plan to join us for worship in the parking lot this coming Wednesday, August 12th. We will gather for root beer floats starting at 6:00, with the worship service beginning at 7:00. Bring your own camp chair and consider wearing your First Lutheran Church t-shirt if you have one. Our youth will be waiting to serve you a sweet refreshment when you arrive.
May God’s peace be with you all. And be well.
In Christ,
Pastor Brandy