Happy New Year! Even if you aren’t the type of person who makes resolutions or sets goals for the new year, I have a hunch that you have some hopes as you set your heart and mind on the next twelve months.

On New Year’s Day, our senior high students settled into the church for a 12-hour lock-in. It was an opportunity at the beginning of a new year to gather for an overnight filled with games, worship, connection, food, and maybe even a little sleep.

Part of our worship moment was spent looking back at the past year and trying to come up with one defining word. Here are some of the words our teens used to summarize 2018.

Relentless. Unsettled. Messy.
Healing. Dysfunctional. Revolutionary.
Burdened. Change. Rollercoaster.
Melancholy. Learning. Disquieting.
Confusing. Tragedy. Blessings.
Frustrating. Unharmonious.
Tumultuous. Work. Discovery.

As you can see, it was a year with mixed emotions and experiences. The politics of national government, international affairs, and social issues collided with friendships and dating relationships. There was pressure to keep up with classmates and meet family expectations. Busy calendars bulged even more when the demands of extra-curriculars, work, and college visits were added. In addition, remember that these youth are part of our congregation. Whatever we experienced this year as a faith community, they did, too.

We also spent time looking to the future. On the threshold of a brand new year, they shared a word about the coming twelve months.

Overwhelmed. Growth. Uncertainty.
Important. Terrified. Hope.
Peace. Joy. Pressure.
Prepare. Improvement. Busy.
Aware. Simple. Unpredictable.
Relief. Excitement. Crazy.

How are you approaching this year? Is there a word that comes to mind? Are you hopeful and grateful or hopeless and anxious? Do you think it will be a year stacked with goodness or loaded with burdens? Is your glass half full or half empty as you jump into January?

God has a word for us. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid…for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV). Long ago, this passage was written as a word of encouragement when Moses was handing leadership over to Joshua and God’s people were stepping into new territory. They didn’t know what the future would hold, but were reminded of God’s loving and guiding presence.

As we step into a new year and make plans for renewal and/or transformation, God goes with us. None of us knows what this will year hold, but we go forward in confidence with God and with one another!

Trusting the Word!

Pastor Lowell

We are so grateful for the many ways you have served and participated in life and ministry at Lord of Life throughout the past year. We thank God for each of you and the numerous ways that you generously share your lives for God’s mission here, in our community, and throughout the world.

As we enter get ready to jump into a new year of growing in faith, we pray that the Spirit of God will continue to bring us health, joy, and peace as we remain rooted in the promises of Jesus.

We’re too busy right now – someone else is going to have to change it for us.

How many musicians does it take to put music together for Christmas? Too many to count. Seriously, right now I’m still trying to put a list together because so many people have given their time during this already busy season to add to the music during our worship moments. Megan, Eden, and Naaman have played oboe, flute, and handbells during all three of our mid-week Advent worship services. A whole load of children and adults lifted their voices during our instant Christmas pageant. Kelly and Brian sang and played violin during our Blue Christmas worship. And five groups of musicians have rehearsed on four different days of the week in preparation for Christmas Eve, which is just a few days away! Children's Choir, Youth Band, Adult Choir, Grace Notes and Handbells are all excited to offer music during our 6, 8, and 11 pm worship moments. 

From my bench, I also see the flurry of non-musical activity happening around us - people are decorating, making sure our printed materials are ready, filling and re-filling candles with oil, cleaning and re-cleaning our busily used spaces. What a gift it is for so many people to be generous with their time and talents so that our time together during the Christmas season is extra special. 

Thank you everyone for continuing to offer your gifts. I'm excited to worship with you all in the coming days!

John

“The main reason for going to church is not to get our needs met; the main reason, the most important reason, for going to church is to worship God.” - Mark Allan Powell, Giving To God

Did that quote smack you in the face? It was a real wake up call to me when I read it for the first time. I remember when our family left our previous congregation and were searching for a new congregation; we had a checklist of what we wanted in a new congregation: a strong youth program, contemporary praise music, a welcoming atmosphere, and within a twenty-minute drive of home. There is nothing wrong with wanting to find a worship community in which you feel welcomed to worship, but how often do we think about church as either an obligation or a place where we go to get what we need?

What would happen if we began to look at worship as our opportunity to turn total control of our lives over to God? What if the collection of offering during our service was not thought of paying the church’s bills, but a chance to show God how grateful we are for all which we have been entrusted? What if leading Sunday School was not fulfilling an obligation, but a chance to give our time to God’s work in the heart of our youth? What if recycling was not a hassle, but a chance to give respect to God’s creation? How we envision what we give (stewardship) shapes our attitudes toward God and the world. It puts God first and gives us the opportunity to serve God out of thankfulness and respect.

During my time at Lord of Life, I am tasked with designing and implementing an internship project that will give me a chance to grow in leadership skills, as well as benefit the on-going ministry of the congregation. During Pastor Lucas’ time at Lord of Life, he helped to start the Stephen Ministry group, which continues to provide meaningful one-to-one care for people in times of emotional need. I would like to focus my project on a re-envisioning of what “stewardship” means and how it is lived out at Lord of Life.

I will not be able to tackle this project on my own, so I am putting an invitation out to each and every one of you! Would you be interested in serving on a team that will spend the next several months putting together a road map for how we can re-envision stewardship at Lord of Life? This team will be working toward a two-year implementation plan that will move the congregation toward a better realization of how stewardship is a daily part of our lives and a way that we worship God daily. Team members will not be responsible for implementing the road map, but after creating it, if they want to serve, it would be encouraged. If you are interested in being a part of this team, and assisting me with my internship project, please reach out to me as soon as possible, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

“Each of your must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” - 2 Corinthians 9:7

Corey

This past Sunday I attended a powerful and beautiful celebration as our former seminary intern, Lucas M^cSurley, was ordained into the ministry of Word and Sacrament. Kneeling at the front of the sanctuary with Bishop Abraham Allende of the Northeastern Ohio Synod of the ELCA and more than two dozen pastors and deaconesses laying hands on him, I listened as these words were spoken:

“Let it be acclaimed that Lucas Kristian McSurley is a called and ordained minister in the church of Christ. He has Christ’s authority to preach the word of God and administer the sacraments, serving God’s people as together we bear God’s creative and redeeming love to all the world.”

It was a powerful moment of celebration as the worship space exploded with applause and cheers! Thank you to each of you who encouraged and supported Lucas on his journey to this moment and during his time among us at Lord of Life. Please continue to pray for him in this new era of ministry.

Part of what made his ordination so powerful was what the writer of Hebrews calls the “great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1-2) gathered in that space. In addition to his family and friends, the Messiah Lutheran Church sanctuary was packed with people from his home congregation of Faith Lutheran in Wilmington, pastors and leaders from the campus ministry at Wittenberg University where Lucas studied for his undergraduate degree, and faculty from Trinity Lutheran Seminary where he attended divinity school. Added to that mix were several rows of Lord of Life friends who cruised several hours north to represent our community where he served for his two-year internship.

The rest of the sanctuary was filled with the good people of Messiah. Lucas may not know all their names and stories of faith, yet, but they also showed up to love, support, and pray for their new shepherd on this day when he became official in the eyes of the Church.

Some words from Lucas posted on his Facebook page following his ordination:
“My heart is overflowing with love!...Thank you all for making such an inspiring day happen! To look out over a sea of people that have loved me, taught me, and supported me, it was truly a once in a lifetime experience that I will treasure forever!...It’s so surreal that God brought such a holy collision of people together, people from all the different chapters of my life. I can’t thank you enough for so much more than you will ever know!

It is important for us to show up for one another. We gather to support each other in moments of celebrations, and also show up for occasions of sorrow and loss. We encircle one another for big events, as well as for the quiet and mundane happenings of everyday life. Physical presence matters.

Jesus knew this. His ministry was centered around showing up. During Advent, we not only anticipate God’s coming to us in the flesh in Bethlehem, but also give thanks for the many ways that Jesus continues to show up in our lives. Without the loving presence of Christ, we wouldn’t be empowered to love and care for one another. Marty Haugen says it this way in his popular hymn:

Give us strength to love each other,
ev'ry sister, ev'ry brother;
Spirit of all kindness, be our guide.

Healer of our ev'ry ill,
light of each tomorrow,
give us peace beyond our fear,
and hope beyond our sorrow.
Marty Haugen © 1987 GIA Publications

During this season of presents, God invites us to share our presence with each other. We are gifts to each other.

You are a gift!

Pastor Lowell

Bah humbug! It’s not even the end of November and I am officially ready for Christmas to be behind us. That’s probably not something you want your pastoral intern saying just days before Advent, the season of waiting and preparation for Christmas, is set to begin. For the past weekend I spent most of my waking hours at Kings Island’s Winterfest as the Polar Party DJ. I stand in the same place, in the cold, played the same eighty Christmas songs over and over for five hours each night. Did I forget to mention that I played those same eighty songs for twenty nights last Christmas as well?

Don’t get me wrong, Kings Island is a great part-time employer and they do everything they can to make sure people have a magical Yuletide experience. Millions of programmed Christmas lights, holiday themed shows, Christmas music playing throughout the park, and they even convert their giant fountain into a skating rink. Everyone who passes through the gate should immediately be enveloped by the spirit of Christmas; many people are, but the societal pressures and expectations around Christmas can also bring about the worst in people.

I’ve seen people yell at young adult food service workers because the lines for food were too long on opening night. I’ve seen adults push kids (other than their own) in a game of red light / green light so that their kid could win. I’ve seen adults shout angrily because their kids won a free candy cane instead of a free mini polar bear. I’ve seen parents pull their kids away from having fun on the dance floor because they wanted to make sure they “got their money's worth.” On a nightly basis, in a place that is supposed to be fun and magical, I’ve had a front row seat to so much anger and frustration. No wonder I am becoming jaded about commercialized Christmas.

Despite all of the tense emotions and overstimulating lights all around me, there is one thing I look forward to each night. There are twelve hula hoops that sit at the front of my DJ booth and from the beginning of the night, all the way to the end, they are constantly in use. Kids and adults stop, grab a hoop, and proceed to have fun with a round piece of plastic. It’s the simplest thing in the amusement park, but it brings generations together and smiles abound. How is it that something so simple can be so profound amidst all the greatest entertainment technology known to humankind?

I think that deep down we long to live simple lives of happiness, joy, and love. As we enter this season of preparation and waiting, known as Advent, let us slow down and appreciate the simple pleasures that God has blessed us with each day; the embrace of a loved one, the smile of a child, the beauty of a snowflake, the ultimate gift of grace given freely to us by Christ.

As we journey into this season together, my prayer for all of us is that we keep the love of God in the forefront of our minds and in our actions. And while you are at it, after buying your kids a hula hoop for Christmas, make a point to thank a stressed out retail worker this season!

Happy Advent,

Pastor Corey Wagonfield