When I first came to Lord of Life, I remember Pastor Lowell talking about how a church needs to be lived in and used. We can’t be afraid to do big things because it might cause us to look imperfect. Lasagna stains on the carpet mean that there is life happening. Our story together and with the community can be messy and imperfect. We have stains on top of stains in the fellowship hall so if that is the indicator, we have been living to the fullest!
I’m sure most of us can think of a treasured time or story from our fellowship hall. While we know that our faith is not confined to a building, so much of our faith formation has happened through Sunday school, catechism, and VBS on those stained floors. We have celebrated every occasion from baptisms to weddings to the life of a precious loved one who has passed away. We gathered back together after COVID to package and plan the delivery of donuts to every family with Sunday school-age children to say, “Donut you know, we love you?”. We have also welcomed the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, AA, and many other community organizations. Families who are experiencing homelessness have been loved and cared for in this space. Then there are all the food events from Summerfest, new member lunches, and preschool picnics. Lutherans love their food and fellowship!
What memory do you have? What story can you tell? If you don’t have a memory, we invite you to the next event that we share together. What inclusive love can be shared in this space in the future?
As we prepare for the life-changing hope that we find in the birth of Jesus, how fitting it is that we bring new life to our fellowship hall even as we treasure the stories of our history. The place that hosts so much of our life together is getting new flooring thanks to a generous $8,500 designated gift that covers a large portion of the $15,000 cost.
In our Advent devotion book, Generation to Generation, we reflect on the stories, scripture, and traditions of the Christmas season that have been passed down. Just like the stains on the carpet, we could get mired in the sadness of some of the story as there is no room at the inn or the fear of the future for Mary and Joseph. Instead, the radical love that comes to us from this story transcends the fear of what might happen.
Lord of Life’s story continues, the story of Jesus’s birth continues. I hope that the precious children who were at the Advent dinner last night who drew on the concrete floor in transition from old flooring to new feel the radical love of Jesus and the love of the community that surrounds them. They can tell the story of how they wrote their names, colored, and left messages of thanks and hope. And we can savor these “stains” as examples of living fully together, dwelling in hope instead of fear, and abiding in the grace and love of Jesus.
The stains may not be as easily seen with our new flooring, but we look forward to the new life it will bring to the fellowship hall. We are immensely thankful for the generous donation that set this project in motion. We welcome any additional donations to complete the vision (https://www.lol-lutheran.com/give - under long-term maintenance).
Feeling incredibly grateful for living in this story with you.
God’s peace always,
Angie Seiller
Director of Faith Formation