This past Sunday, we celebrated the Reformation and our 300th anniversary with Bishop Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, our national bishop. Having her with us was both an honor and joy. Bishop Eaton was gracious, committed, genuine, honest, and humorous. She was engaging in her conversation with Bonnie and me at the parsonage, with our leaders both Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon, with members on Sunday morning, and with our young people at the Sunday School service as she discussed the church with Murray, our resident moose. I will treasure Bishop Eaton’s visit with us, but I believe I will remember most deeply her sermon. I was moved by her understanding of the faith that we are so deeply loved by God through Christ that we are set free to be God’s people in the world, even when we fail.
For me, the last part of that proclamation “even when we fail” impacted me the most. Failure is not a word we like using. The word scares most of us. However, stepping out in faith takes on a whole new dimension when we can only step out when success seems to be guaranteed. The gospel, as Bishop Eaton reminded us, invites us to be bolder. The fear of failure should not stop us as God’s people. The love of God through Christ emboldens us to be fearless.
I deeply appreciated those words of Bishop Eaton, particularly as we get ready to step out in faith as a congregation again. As we enter our 301st year, we will be adding a part-time person to our staff in the area of youth and families. This step is bold enough, but we are also partnering with Cross Roads, our outdoor ministry site for the New Jersey Synod outside of Califon, in creating a shared full-time position. This step is filled with opportunities, but will also present challenges financially and structurally. As with all steps of faith, it comes with no guarantees; but, as we were reminded, that’s the beauty of the gospel. We are so loved by God through Christ that we are set free to step out boldly in faith, even if when we fail. As we enter our 301st year, I’m going to lean on that promise. May we as a congregation continue to be bold as we have in the past.
Peace,
Pastor Summer
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