If you were able to be part of Tam Weik’s celebration of life this week, then you experienced a Love Fest! Hundreds of people gathered from many parts of her life to pay tribute to this gifted and compassionate woman who touched so many lives. They connected in the gathering space, fellowship hall, front entry, sanctuary, and even pulled together for conversations in the hallways and by the drinking fountain. The building was packed for hours with hugs, tears, and laughter.

For some, it was a trip down memory lane as stories were shared from raising kids together, women’s retreats, Al-Anon meetings, creative projects, and other places where Tam’s life intersected theirs. We also confronted the realities of our present sorrow. We know that our acute pain won’t last forever, but these days are difficult as we face the gaping hole her death leaves in our lives. Tam’s legacy of beauty, love, compassion, and joy will continue to fuel us as we move forward and celebrate her legacy of hope.

Isn’t it interesting how we are always simultaneously living in three tenses: past, present, and future? Everything we do and everywhere we go is connected to where and who we’ve been, where and who we are, and where and who we will be. Our experiences and relationships are like the constantly shifting mosaic we see when we peer into a kaleidoscope.

We encounter something similar each week when we assemble around the communion table to share a holy meal in the name of Jesus. As we gather, we take a trip to the past, recalling how God showed up throughout history to bring liberation and freedom to God’s people. We retell the story of Jesus gathering around a table with his disciples, sharing this meal, and saying, “When you are together, eat and drink to remember me.”

Landing in our current time, we remember that Christ is present here and now, Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus, the host of the communion meal, invites everyone to the table. As we pass the bread and the wine around, we join countless other communities of Christian faith all around the world who are also savoring this meal of grace.

As we eat and drink, we also look forward to a time when we will share in the great feast that is to come. There will be a day when we’ll sit down at the heavenly banquet for what Canadian singer, Bruce Cockburn, calls the “Festival of Friends.” In that place, Revelation 21:4 promises that, “God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

I am reminded of one of my favorite prayers from our Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW) resource and offer it here as a reminder of who God is, has been, and continues to be. 

O God, you have called me to ventures of which I cannot see the ending,
by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.
Give me faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where I go, 
but only that your hand is leading me and your love supporting me; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

God has been faithful. God is with us now. God promises to guide and accompany us into all that is ahead. May you step forward in confidence and hope, trusting that God’s hand is leading you and God’s love is supporting you.

In hope and expectation!
Pastor Lowell Michelson

This summer I worked at Ewalu Bible Camp in Strawberry Point, Iowa. During our musical each week, we would sing a song called “Be Bold.” The lyrics were “Be bold, be strong, for the Lord thy God is with you.” This song is based on the scripture Joshua 1:9, which says "I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” The Lord gives Joshua this message when he is commissioned after Moses’ death.

As I told some of you last Sunday, I have moved a lot in the last three years. I have lived in Ohio, Wisconsin, and Iowa. At times, it has been hard because there have been so many life transitions, but it also has been rewarding because of all the great experiences and people I have gotten the chance to meet along the way.  

This summer “Be Bold” was one of the many songs in the musical I grew to love. I was reminded of it again this Sunday at the blessing of the backpacks when I read the verse on the backpack from Psalm 139:7 that says, “Everywhere I go, I go with you.” God going with us is hard to believe at times, but God’s word reminds us of it over and over. 

No matter where we are in this big world, no matter what we are feeling or experiencing, God goes with us. Knowing that God goes with me has brought me a lot of comfort these last three years as I have made so many different moves. I have been reminded that we do not have to be bold and strong on our own, we have each other to lean on, especially when it gets difficult, and we need support. To see so many people at Lord of Life surrounding me in love, prayers, and support as I make my transition to West Chester is a reminder of how God is with us and gives us strength and boldness. 

I pray that wherever you are in life's journey, you are reminded of God's presence. How is God helping you to be bold and strong?

Be Bold,
Pastor Nicole

On a brisk winter afternoon in 1980, my family, including my grandma, my parents, and two family friends, gathered around the font of a small neo-gothic Catholic church for a brief private baptism. The family friends would become my godparents, but I have no memory of them having any role in my life. I’m not even sure if my parents knew them well, or if they were acquaintances who were part of the parish and therefore met the requirements to put their name on my certificate. Looking back, so many parts of my Roman Catholic upbringing felt like a list of checkboxes to be crossed off, and this was the first:

If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you’ll know I struggled with my faith, largely due to what I felt were inconsistencies between my childhood church’s teachings and Jesus’s call to love each other. I won’t rehash all of that here, but to sum it up, I’m pretty sure it was my ancestral Protestant heritage breaking through. In the case of baptism, the Lutheran practice feels more authentic to me because, rather than checking off boxes, baptism is a two-way commitment between us (or our families speaking for us) and the community in which we are baptized. It is the beginning of a faith journey in which we choose to learn and grow, and the community who stood with us at our baptism chooses to be part of that formation of our faith.

Now that I’m older, I’m able to appreciate some of the finer details of being part of a community that is willing to walk this path with each other. Volunteers spend countless hours leading programs that form our learning, outreach, and worship. Their individual commitments range from every week to once in a while, and that is the beauty of being part of a faith community. You don’t have to do the work of figuring out what it means to live into our baptismal covenant alone.

You might be thinking, “but sometimes kids are baptized here and then go somewhere else. And they almost always grow up and leave us. If this is supposed to be a life-long commitment, how are we supposed to be responsible for them?” Here is how I think about it:

I am blessed to work with a lot of adult musicians who learned and grew from other music teachers and music directors at other churches. I also teach young musicians who I am devastated to lose as soon as they leave for college. When my students leave, I know that someone else is picking up their music education journey, just like I’ve taken over at least part of the music formation of the adults I work with from wherever they started their music journey.

We do the same thing with our baptismal covenant to walk with each other in faith. Our commitment isn’t just to the individual being baptized. Every time we repeat those vows (and we’ve been saying them a lot lately), we renew our commitment to support each other - all of us - wherever we are on our paths. 

Who are some of the people who have walked along your faith formation journey with you?

What opportunities do you have to help others along their path of faith?

On the journey with you,

John

I’m watching the Olympics in complete awe of the endurance, strength, mental fortitude, teamwork or individual grit, and the incredible amount of time devoted to becoming an elite athlete. The stories of training routines and overcoming adversities are impressive and heartwarming. Win or lose, it’s evident their community of supporting family and friends is key to their well-being.

I admit, I love the idea of being an athlete, but the reality is that I don’t like to sweat or breathe heavily in front of people. I was in sports when I was younger and always felt the pull that I should take up running, swimming, or tennis as I was getting older. I tried some running programs, swam laps for a few weeks, and bought a tennis rack. However, with faith, community, and the gift of time, the more okay I am with who I am. I was created to be a walker. A walker that finds support in walking with friends or alone, is happy to stop to chat with a neighbor or linger to admire nature. I’m still moving my body but in a way that gives me peace and acceptance.

At the ELCA Youth Gathering this summer, the daily themes were “Created to be… Brave, Authentic, Free, Disruptive, Disciples.” I was so proud of our youth who were stretching themselves to find who they were created to be and also digging into who they have already been created to be. They mustered the courage to sing and dance in public, passed out our rainbow LOL love stickers to strangers, and drew from their innate goodness in sharing hugs, laughter, and empathy. The community in NOLA that was grounded in the teachings of Jesus gave them strength and courage.

Those of us with age and experience on our side know how difficult it is to figure out who we are created to be and it can change depending on life circumstances. They are just beginning their journey. What a gift it is to be able to walk with our youth and children in our Lord of Life community. 

Who are you created to be? Who are we created to be together? It feels like a really big question, but what if we broke it down to being a child of God? Psalm 139 says, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” When we trust in this, it is the foundation for growing in our ability to be brave, authentic, free, disruptive, disciples with Jesus lighting our way.

While I might be walking the path of who I was created to be instead of running like an Olympian, it gives me joy to admire others that have chosen different paths that draw on their own unique abilities and journey. I am continually grateful for the colorful variety that we are created to be and the community that surrounds us and reaches out into the world in God’s love.

In Christ’s love,

Angie Seiller, Director of Faith Formation

“Now, we send you, Laura. We encourage you to continue to receive and share God's gifts in Kentucky and the world, united with us in the body of Christ and the mission we share.”

Our celebrations for Pastor Laura last weekend were mingled with joy and heartbreak as we bid farewell to a central member of our ministry team. Many thanks for all the ways you surrounded her with love and encouragement over the last year of serving and learning with us. It is exciting to think about how her time with us will continue to shape her ministry for years to come and impact lives wherever she serves.

In the coming weeks, we’ll welcome Pastor Nicole Kiefer and embrace her for two years of formation among us. I’m already thinking about the beautiful ways that she will be molded by the Lord of Life community and how we’ll be transformed by her gifts and leadership.

As I think about these two student pastors, I am exceedingly grateful for the investment you make in our seminary interns. We are the living classroom where most of their book learning is put into practice and they begin to discover their voice as preacher, teacher, chaplain, worship leader, and presence of God in the community. Internship provides the most extensive opportunity for practical application of theological studies in a ministry context.

Often, when we think of investing, we think about committing money with the expectation of achieving a profit or material result. God’s economy operates in a different way. When we put money in the offering plate or give a gift online, we don’t expect a cash dividend or payout. Instead, we contribute to Lord of Life with the confidence that our dollars help fuel God’s mission as we seek to live, share, and celebrate the love of Jesus with all people.

Something else happens, too. When you share your talents, energy, finances, time, and prayers, it not only makes a difference in your own communal life now, but it is an investment in the future. Your gift creates a lasting legacy of grace and hope.

The apostle Paul speaks about how crucial this care for and investment in one another is in Romans 12:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves…Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another.”

I am eager to see what this renewing mindset looks like among us. Where is God leading us? How are we being shaped for greater love and care for one another? How is the Spirit of God equipping us to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer? How will we strive to live in harmony with one another?

I pray that every moment in worship, learning, serving, and conversation will be a vibrant catalyst, not only for our own growth and edification, but also for Spirit-filled occasions that empower others in powerful and mighty ways.

Thank you again for the intentional ways you contribute to ministry at Lord of Life. Each one of your gifts make a difference. As our Southern Ohio Synod mission says, “We are better and stronger together: joining Jesus in the restoration of the world.”

In hope and expectation!

Pastor Lowell Michelson

It’s hard to believe I am wrapping up my internship already and yet here we are. It has been such an honor to serve among you doing God’s work in the world. Thank you for all the love and support and wisdom you have poured into me this past year. You have helped shape me as a minister and I will forever be grateful to you. 

Teaching parishes are becoming harder to find and it is even more rare to find one as thriving and healthy as you have built Lord of Life to be. You have worked to create a loving and encouraging support system in this place that is there for each other through the ups and downs of life. I love that you have made it your mission to help teach me and provide me with experiences that will forever serve as the foundation of my future life as a pastor.

As a thank you gift for the congregation, I created a painting of Lord of Life with a rainbow over it titled “You are Loved.” “You are loved” was one of the first things I learned about Lord of Life’s culture. Before I even began my internship, Cara asked me what colors I wanted my “You are loved” shirt to be tie-dyed. We needed them for the Cincinnati Pride parade, Appalachia Service Project (ASP) trip, and just as a wardrobe staple here. It seems like almost every Sunday, someone is wearing their “You are loved” shirt. And really, it’s more than just a motto or a cool shirt. It’s about who we are as a church. It’s how we love our community and ourselves and it’s what I love about us. 

Rainbows represent God’s promises to us, especially that we are loved by God. God promises to always care for us and be with us. Through the reminder of the rainbow, we can see that God is still with us even through the midst of the rainy days in our lives. Another promise God has for us is that through communion, we are joined together with all the saints of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. No matter where we are, no matter what we’re going through, when we eat the bread and drink the wine, we are nourished and sent into the world together. So even though this is a farewell, every time we celebrate communion, we are together. 

The next Lord of Life seminary intern Nicole Kiefer will be starting her internship mid-August and will get to be with you for two years. I know over this time you will love her and support her as you have loved and supported me. May God continue to bless you as the teaching congregation God has created you to be. 

Thank you, Lord of Life. You are loved.

Peace,

Pastor Laura