|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Dear Friends in Christ,
"Let us go up the hill of the Lord. He will teach us what he wants us to do; we will walk in the paths he has chosen." (Isaiah 2:3) Isaiah's invitation is still open today. Today's parallel would be "Let us go to worship the Lord," or "Let us go into the presence of the Lord." Even now God invites! So I forward the invitation. Come to worship, come into the presence of God.
Did you notice the words of community here? "Let us go up . ." The invitation is for individuals to become an "us." I invite you to come together into the presence of God, to gather to receive together the promise which is that "he will teach us what he wants us to do."
Other things happen on the hill, too. We worship him. If our hearts are open we experience the awe of his presence and his love for us which adopts us as his own children. Here, in the wonder of his mercy, he promises that "he will teach us what he wants us to do." It is clear that God has intentions for us, plans for our action. What is it that he wants us to do? We will have to "go up the hill of the Lord" to find out. So again the invitation. Please come.
As we go up are we ready to do what Isaiah says, "we will walk in the paths he has chosen?" Will we?
I invite you, and I pray for us all that we will come up into the presence of God in new ways this fall with hearts and minds that are ready, even eager to "walk in the paths he has chosen."
His paths are not easy; they go to the cross where we also must give up our lives, give ourselves in service, love God above all and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. But they are the right paths worn by the saints before us, shaded with forgiveness, covered with the love of God for us, bridging over the dangerous but attractive canyons of selfishness and idolatry, leading always to where he already is in the world and finally leading to eternal life.
Let us go up to the Lord together, and let us bring along our children, and our friends and neighbors. Let us be ready to learn, and then let us walk in the paths he has chosen.
God bless and keep you my fellow hikers in the kingdom. Pastor John
Local Mission Opportunities
If you are interested in participating in one of these opportunities, talk with a member of the Outreach Committee (Lynn Borer, Rod Fischer, Dennis Strait). Any of these opportunities could be turned into faithful & helpful ministries by a team of just a few persons in our congregation.
Caring Team - When a person comes home from the hospital, he often can still use a little extra help and some TLC. We could have a team that provides a meal(s) for that person for a day or 2 or 3 .
Mission of the Month Team - There are many small projects that would really help people out and some ongoing or seasonal needs. This team would choose its own service project each month and have a great time working together to fill a real need for someone, like building a ramp on a house, working on a Habitat for Humanity House, being bell ringers for Salvation Army at Christmas, etc.
Plan a Mission Fair for ALC. Help us see how we can serve the Lord at ALC.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
