Five months ago, Jennie Gruber and other gardeners put seeds in the ground on our property in hopes that they would become carrots, tomatoes, zucchinis, and other varieties of delicious veggies. It worked! All summer long, volunteers picked, packaged, and delivered fresh produce to local families in need. Back in the spring, we couldn’t be absolutely sure what would happen, but the holes were dug and the seeds were nestled down in the soil in hopes the harvest would come.

This past Sunday, a handful of people trimmed bushes and spread mulch around the playground at Union Elementary School. We don’t know if the children will be able to enjoy that area all year long or just for a few more weeks – it all depends on what COVID does – but that didn’t stop us. We cleaned up and beautified that space trusting that our efforts would not only visually enhance the space, but also make that area more conducive to play and would encourage little ones and their encounters with creation.

People of Christian faith are future-focused people. We aren’t ever certain what the immediate future holds, but that doesn’t stop us from leaning into the coming days with hope. This orientation doesn’t make us oblivious to the realities around us and we certainly don’t ignore the pain and suffering that plagues people and communities. We also don’t diminish the mountaintop joys and thrills of the here and now. Life is filled with both. We dwell in both the already, but not yet. We are fully present right here, right now, and also have our eye on the horizon for something that’s coming our way.

Last time I visited my mom, I noticed that she had a new wall hanging in her kitchen. “Not to spoil the ending, but everything is going to be OK.” God promises to be with us on the highs and lows of our journey throughout life, as well as a future of full restoration, healing, and complete peace—shalom. God promises us that there will be a day when the lion and the lamb will lay down together (Isaiah 11), tears will be wiped from our eyes (Revelation 21), and death will be turned to life (Romans 6). Echoing the biblical voices, Bob Marley sings, “Don’t worry about a thing, ‘cause every little thing is gonna be alright.”

We’re going to be talking about the future a lot this year. What will ministry and life look like in the season of COVID and beyond? What will our moments of worship, learning, and serving look like as we adjust to the new rhythms and regulations of our life together? As we dream and look ahead, what has this season of quarantine and isolation taught us about ourselves and about God? How can we live into the future as one in Christ, when we live in a polarized society and envision things in a variety of ways? Do our differences pull us in opposite directions or merge us together, forging even stronger bonds with one another for a shared purpose in loving and serving God and our neighbors in need?

Everything before us is God’s loving work. The Spirit of God stirs our hearts and minds, moves our hands our feet, and puts us in motion for mission. We can’t help but live, share, and celebrate right where we are.

Looking forward to all that is ahead,

Pastor Lowell

Before attending seminary, whenever I opened my Bible, I hung out mostly in the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; because that was where Jesus hung out as well. But after a slew of Bible classes, I realized the beauty and depth of all of the sacred Scriptures, and I found myself spending more and more time in the book of Acts. Not because it is the sexiest book in the Bible, that is probably Song of Solomon. Not because it is the most cinematic, that would be Ruth or Esther. I like the book of Acts because I can see myself as a character in those narratives; it seems the most “real” to me.

The book of Acts is thought to be the “sequel” to the Gospel of Luke. And like most movie sequels, at first viewing, it seems like it doesn’t live up to the original. The main hero, Jesus, is gone and the supporting actors are trying to carry the entire plot by themselves by going on a giant road trip. But the more you view it, the more of a cult classic that it becomes, because you start to fall in love with the characters, not necessarily the plot. You begin to see yourself in the apostles, who are doing their best in a hostile world, without the immediate guidance of Jesus. There are definitely times in my life where I wish I was back in the book of Luke and had Jesus there to walk alongside me, but I realize I am firmly planted in the book of Acts, the time of waiting for Jesus to come again.

Throughout Acts we see regular people, trying to survive, and trying to spread the message of Jesus. They aren’t the superheroes, they are doing regular things. They gather together to teach, break bread, help people, and even get thrown in jail. They are so real that in one story that we hear about a person who is listening to Paul’s super long sermon (can you relate?), falls asleep, falls out a three-story window, and dies (Acts 20). This is us… We are the continuation of the book of Acts. We are the church of Jesus, the hands and feet of Christ, trying our best to survive in the world, spread the message of Christ, and not fall out of windows during long sermons.

All of the above thoughts have been floating around in my head recently while planning for my ordination service, which is where I was called as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the ELCA. As I was inviting people to be readers and participants in my service, I was reminded of all the ordinary people, modern-day disciples, that influenced me in my faith. It ties all the way back to the beginning of time, the beginning of our Bible, through the book of Acts, and more tangibly, the people who have shown me the love and grace of Jesus Christ. While I couldn’t invite all of the members of Lord of Life to be part of my ordination service, know over the past tens years that we have been members here, and especially during the last two years when I have served as your intern pastor, know that you have shown the light of Christ to me and my family. You have been those disciples to me!

But the story does not end here. Just like the apostles equipped people to spread the message of Jesus in the book of Acts, we have done that together at Lord of Life. I am now off on my own road trip, to Resurrection Lutheran in Lebanon, Ohio to continue the work of discipling people and you are to remain here and continue your good work in the community and with Pastor Alec. We turn the page, not knowing what comes next in the story, but confident that at the end of the book there will be a happy ending where we are all reunited in the arms of God.

Keep it real, share the Gospel, help your neighbor in need,

Pastor Corey

I’m a face toucher. I touch my face, my kiddos’ faces, and my Sweetie’s face. There might even be a chance that, in a moment of excitement or enthusiasm, I reached out and squeezed your beautiful face. I’m sorry about that… I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the beautiful gift that you are to the world.

Enough! This is a new season of life. During this season of COVID-19, my face touching, eye rubbing, along with many other high touch activities have been reduced to a minimum, since evidence shows it as a primary way of transmitting all sorts of microscopic particles. These are hazardous to your health.

This has been a major shift for many of us. We’ve not only had to curb the way we touch door knobs and grab faucet handles, but we’ve also added a series of new daily rhythms as we mask up, get an extra squirt of hand sanitizer, and sing songs while we scrub up our hands. We don’t want to become infected and become ill. Even more, we don’t want to transmit the virus along to those we love or those who are most vulnerable.

On occasion, we engage our faith in similar ways. We don’t want to become infected by the realities of a God who would love and forgive us. We might believe in fresh starts and unconditional love, but we wonder if it is only available to others. We say, “God’s grace can’t extend to me. You don’t know what I’ve thought or done.”

We also don’t want to force our beliefs on others, so we muffle our words like we would cover our cough or we don’t speak up in a key moment. In an effort to remain virus free, we steer clear of anything that smacks of religiosity or theology (talk about God). We practice spiritual distancing. We employ protocols of ignorance, distraction, and excuses. We go out of our way to avoid interacting with God or with others about faith stuff.

But God’s activity can’t be quarantined. We may deny it. We may do everything in our power to lie to ourselves and others about our condition and try to self-isolate, but the presence of God cannot help but infect us. Because we encounter the living God every day through creation, one another, and the company of the Spirit, we cannot help but show signs of infection. Our lives are symptomatic, as we test positive for being in the presence of the Holy One.

The apostle Paul says that God’s symptoms show up in a variety of ways:

“Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it.

Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good.

Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle…

Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder.

Help the needy; be inventive in hospitality.

Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath…

If you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch,

or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink.

Your generosity will surprise him with goodness.

Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.”

(Romans 12:9-21 -The Message)

God’s love is contagious. Living. Sharing. Celebrating. This isn’t only a Lord of Life thing. This is a Christian thing – even a human thing. Created in the image of God, this is our factory setting, how we are wired, how we are created to be. We can’t shake these symptoms. Our prayer is that God’s love will infect and change the whole world!

Spreading the Love of God,

Pastor Lowell

There are a lot of facets to who I am, but most of my identity has always revolved around being a musician. There are pictures of me in nothing but a little button up shirt and a diaper sitting at an organ console, and most of the memories I have from my childhood are of playing an instrument or singing in church. At age 41, there are days I'm still not sure what I want to be when I grow up, but the actual thought of being anything but a musician is almost impossible to imagine. Given how integral music is to me, having 6 months in which the nature of my work has changed so dramatically due to our current health crisis has really made me struggle with who I am and what I'm doing.

I know we've all felt the burden of having to adjust our lives around an invisible virus that we haven't learned how to control. But as someone with a traumatic past and issues with depression and anxiety, I had no idea how much being pulled away from my regular work would cause me to spiral into a dark place. Extra hours of sitting on the couch, looking for distraction, only led to the inability to get off the couch at all. After the first three months, the thought of getting more projects finished at home was forced to confront the reality of my loss of motivation, lack of energy, and general irritability. I've only started pulling out of it in the weeks since we've been able to start working in the office and having occasional in-person worship, which is when I really feel like I get to be who I am.

And now it is Pumpkin Spice season. I know some people feel a strong distaste for it, but for me it is a reminder that autumn is on its way, holidays are around the corner, and I'll get to partake in some great meals, social gatherings, and all the music opportunities that usually come with the academic year and eventually Christmas. This year it comes with more questions than answers. Will I be able to gather with the same people? Will my regular music groups get to perform? What will worship look like by the end of the year if we're still in the throes of a pandemic?

There is finally some comfort, though. Last weekend we celebrated Eucharist for the first time since March. While we still weren't able to gather near each other around the table, hearing the Words of Institution again made me feel God's presence in a way I haven't felt in months. "Take and eat; this is my body, given for you." And then, whether we were at church or at home, we were all able to eat and drink the elements that had been blessed together. This is the center of our worship because it is a reminder that we are part of the same community and that we have already been given God's grace. It isn't just for a specific season, but for all time. And it is a reminder of not only who we are, but whose we are as Christians.

Yours in Communion,

John Johns

For many of us, we are in the exciting season that is election season. For others, we are in the worst season. As a politics junkie with a bachelor’s degree in political science, this season is full of fun as I stay up late for every Super Tuesday, clear my schedule as much as I possibly can for party conventions, watch all of the debates, and fill out a Senate and electoral college maps - a politics junkie’s equivalent of a March Madness bracket. 

Though I love election season, I am also aware that politics does not always draw out the best in us, especially for political junkies. I can easily fall back into wanting to prove a point more than genuinely hear an opposing opinion. I contribute to the unhealthiness of our current political climate of polarization through the in-take of hyper-partisan news sources that affirm but do not challenge my opinions. When looking at the inner workings of politics, foul play in one party is corruption, but in another party it is the name of the game.

This awareness affirms a hard-learned lesson from my “political behavior” class in college. People who are most like me in their political behavior are not those who agree with me but are less passionate and less involved. Rather, those who are most like me are people on the opposite side of the political spectrum but share the same level of passion and involvement. 

“The other” or the “opposing force” and I are both making campaign contributions and rolling our eyes at campaign yard signs. We are taking in too much television news, and are conflating positions on nuanced issues with our moral compass. We are firm in our positions and our opinions do not frequently change. We spend too much time in the comment sections on social media outlets and online news articles. Yet, because of political polarization, “you all are a lot alike,” is a reality check, and an unwanted check. But it is good news.

Despite all the ways we separate ourselves from each other, at our core, we are not that different from each other. We all go to the ballot box with our family and future on our minds. And in a polarizing political climate, including swing-state Ohio, scripture calls us to find our commonality in Christ, as we break bread together (6ft apart), pray together, sing together, and simply live together.

A modern paraphrase,

“There is no longer Democrat or Republican, there is no longer liberal or conservative, there is no longer Trump voter and Biden voter; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28

Living into being one body of people in Christ is not easy when our political climate is polarized and simultaneously shaping our own personal identities. However, this lesson is an invitation to listen to others we disagree with, find commonality, and build one another up instead of tearing each other down. And it’s refreshing news as it reminds us that our God is bigger than the toxic political climate that we often find ourselves in.

I will likely need to remind myself of Christ’s inclusion and my shared humanity within 24 hours, because in a split second, through thought or word I may forget the good news. But living into one body is what I am called to do and to strive for. As the church lives into being one body in Christ, may we, mere persons, live into our shared humanity. 

Your sibling in Christ,

Pastor Alec

(he, him, his) 

P.S.: Have you planned your vote? With means of voting changing state by state due to Covid, it may be in your best interest to plan ahead. 

Registering to vote:

• The deadline to register in Ohio is October 5. 

Early voting:

• Early in-person voting in Ohio starts on October 6.
• You may vote early in-person at your county’s board of elections. (search for hours)

Absentee voting: 

• The deadline to request an absentee ballot is 12 pm on October 31.
• Absentee ballots must be postmarked by the day before election day (November 2), or they must be turned in at the county board of elections by 7:30 pm on election day.
•  OR: request your ballot now, fill it out and send it back as soon as you receive it.
• If you send your ballot a week or less before election day, make sure it gets postmarked.

You may also vote in-person on election day, Nov. 3. 

For more information on voting in Ohio: https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/

It’s a catchy title for a blog, isn’t it? I thought the same thing when it appeared in my email inbox a couple of weeks ago. I subscribe to a Christian leadership blogger named Carey Nieuwhof who delivers daily thoughts to my inbox. Sometimes I read them, sometimes I don’t, but the title of this particular blog drew me in. It spoke to me so much, that I wanted to share it all with you. 

Let me prepare you though… Carey’s blog posts are sometimes hard to read. There are some pop-ups, paragraphs are sometimes disrupted by invitations to tweet something or buy a leadership course, the blog seems longer than it really is because of the line spacing, and like ALWAYS, never read the comments on a blog! Despite all of that, in this time of increased aggression within our world, I encourage you to read all the way to the end. 

One of the key messages of the blog is about how we speak to one another, online and in person. Neiuwhof says, “Critique is different than criticism. A critique aims to build up, not to tear down. So it’s not like you can never say anything negative. But what you have to say should help people get better and feel better. If you can’t figure out how to do that, you’re not ready to post.” I am challenging myself, and you as well, to begin running our thoughts through this filter before posting content online. As Christians we are called to care for one another and it is easier to do that when we come alongside and offer advice and help, rather than tearing one another down. 

Here is the article: https://bit.ly/2PNNJ1Q 

Happy reading!

Pastor Corey