An Update from the Stewardship Committee

April 28, 2020

Blessings, dear friends in Christ. Thank you for reading the first post and those that sent me a note back. Your thoughts fuel this and the next post. Here’s what I heard:

• Life has changed. I used to be so active and now – nothing. What’s to come? What can I do?
• I used to be able to give and life has changed, now what?
• Why are you writing?

All good questions and I am not a pastor and have no great wisdom to impart. Thankfully, the pastors and Cori impart wisdom, love, and guidance each week. I am thankful their prayers and guidance.

We are a church that is Gathered, Claimed and Sent to Love the World and Build the Church. I love this statement is its simplicity and complexity. Life has changed. We met weekly or more to worship together and do God’s work. We hugged, laughed and told stories. We took care of each other and if someone was missing, we reached out. We prayed together. Sang together (my favorite). We listened to God’s message collectively.

The hardest thing for this past Catholic to accept as a Lutheran that good works did not define my relationship to God. God loves me/us unconditionally. No matter what, I defined myself by how involved I was and what I did rather than relying on God’s love. This new reality bring home that I need do nothing and yet God loves me!

Still, I need to DO something…..I can’t sew, mend, decorate, be creative, repair things. My sisters and brothers did all that for me. So perhaps, if you’re like me and are stuck at home and need to DO something that keeps you involved in God’s work…..

1. Read the Daily Devotional Emails (and watch the video prayers on Facebook). I have found this daily message grounds me into God’s love. It allows me to pray with you. Be connected. The strange thing is – when I could be physically at church, daily prayer and meditation was no big deal.
2. I write or call people I haven’t chatted with for a long time. My guilt for not reaching out kept me from reaching out. (Does that make sense??)
3. I love all the expressions of gratitude to those essential workers. Can we ever say “Thank You” enough?
4. Be like my sisters and brothers:
   • My sister Bonnie (the fun, perfect sister) made face masks for all the people in her assisted living facility.
   • My sister Betty, (the mom & oldest), calls us every day just to make sure we’re ok. (That might be a bit excessive) She also bakes for the local shelter.
   • My sister Lois, (the original thinker), sends funny notes on Facebook.
   • My brother Mel, (the hunter-gatherer), fishes every day and takes any extra catch to his neighbors.
   • My brother Don, periodically checks in. He also baby-sits for the grandkids as their parents are essential workers.
   • Me – I write, pray, work, send letters and give thanks each day that everyone I care about is still OK.

It doesn’t seem like enough when I watch TV and hear about the person who learned three new languages, wrote a new book, learn a musical instrument, did yoga 10x per week, etc. YET it is.

Blessings to you. I think God would say, we are enough. He loves us whether we do anything or nothing. I think he would say anything we did to show His love is good.