Pastor’s page

A congregation of the Northern Great Lakes Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Two Sundays are included in Christmas this year. The first was Christmas Day, a time to step back from the shepherds and angels of Luke’s gospel to hear and digest the  more theological account from John 1, about Jesus the Word becoming human and dwelling among us. God in our midst, coming to save — that’s the eternal story of God’s love. Allow yourself some time this Christmas season to contemplate these mysteries!

New Years Day is the 8th day of Christmas. In the church calendar it is commemorated as the Naming of Jesus. It’s a time to think about what it meant for Him to be what the name implies: our Savior. It’s also a time to think about what it means for US to be people who bear His name. If we think in terms of New Year’s resolutions, let’s ask for the Holy Spirit to open us up to the meaning of the Christ-event and guide us in how to be Jesus’ people in this new year.

Epiphany (January 6th) is another marker of new beginnings — a time in which we hear about Jesus being made known as Messiah and Savior — and a time for us as well to know Christ and make Christ known.

Think big — think God! Sometimes it’s easy to think, “We’re just a small congregation in a small town ... What can we do?” It can be rather depressing to get stuck in that kind of thinking. Let’s make use of this Christmas season to contemplate what a great thing God brought out of that small town of  Bethlehem ... what a wondrous message came to (and was spread by) a few ordinary shepherds ... how a seemingly  insignificant baby changed everything in our world. God wants to do great things through us as well. Remember that Mary wondered, too, “How can this be?” The angel’s answer still rings true: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you .... With God, nothing shall be impossible.” [Luke 1:34-37].

—Almost 600 years ago, a mystic named Meister Eckhart wrote:

What good is it to me if Mary gave birth to the Son of God fourteen hundred years ago and I do not also give birth to the Son of God in my time and culture?   We are all meant to be Mothers of God.

The Holy Spirit came upon each of us in our Baptism.  Are we willing to let God come into our lives and, through us, to move out into our world? Will we, like Mary, trust that “With God, nothing shall be impossible.” Will we “let God be God” in our lives?  By God’s Grace, we have a Savior who frees us, sends us out, and goes with us in mission.

From this extended Christmas Time — all through the weeks after Epiphany, it’s is a good time for each of us to offer ourselves anew to God and to ask what God is calling us to do in His service in this year of His Grace. As we contemplate such things for ourselves, we also pray that the Spirit will lead us in discerning God’s plan for our congregation this new year.

We have so many gifts among the people of Sharon Lutheran.  Let’s all be involved together in using them to God’s glory and for the good of our church and our community.

     We look up in hope, trusting fully in God’s love and God’s power to change us:  “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”     

                                                              Pastor Anderson

                                                                                                                                        PS: Thanks for all your cards and gifts!

 

                                                   

 

CHRISTMAS “TIME”

 

The twelve days of Christmas extend till the evening of January 5th.

They include a variety of days on which we try to work out in our lives the meaning of that Life begun in Bethlehem some 2000 years ago.