Aug 20 2010
Hello everyone! In the midst of some some splashing, some ball games, some yard work, maybe even some tough days for you... God's great, great peace to all of you.
Here is a thought... How many lives can we impact just by truly feeling God's mercy toward us?
Saying “be warm and well fed”.
"See’, they say, ‘how they love one another". Tertullian wrote this in the 3rd century at a time when Christians truly struggled against a world that didn't seem to care about God. Tertullian pointed out how these particular people were known for showing love, mercy, and kindness not only to each other, but all who were in need.
As a believer in today’s world, being forgiven and filled with the love of Christ means taking Christ’s merciful love out of our comfortable lives into the world around us. This is trulu just a natural spilling over of God’s mercy and His caring. The famous passage in James “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:17) is centered in the context of a believer being fed and nourished by the Gospel and the forgiveness of their own sins. Then, as one looks around and sees the hungry, the poor, those in need of care... making sure to take the theology of mercy into action! James points out that failing to help others and saying "Go in peace... be warm and well fed" is simply ignoring Christ.
At Hope, in the weeks and months ahead, you’ll see a focus on giving YOU opportunities to be the hands of care, compassion, and mercy to others in the world around you. Please don’t look at our efforts as another nice activity that someone will get involved with. This is about each of us taking our faith and our Lutheran theology… and living it!
How many people can Hope touch?
How many lives can we impact? Go ahead and try to come up with a number in your head. We can certainly touch some lives through our local programs and some through overseas efforts. The fact is that many brothers and sisters on earth, in the year 2010, can be impacted by what we do here together at Hope Lutheran in the days ahead.
This Sunday after Worship
My Brother’s Keeper Planning Session. 11-12:00 You can stay and be part of the planning and discussions. My Brother’s Keeper is our heading for the services and projects that we do to help others. There are 3 areas that we organize our efforts into
Hands of Hope - Hands on service events. We will plan some dates for the fall. Local opportunities to serve will be discussed.
Care and Relief - Coordinating food and health care to those in need. Our local efforts for food and health care services will be discussed and any connections to World Relief that should be addressed
Seasonal Projects - Service and Care projects connected to a season. A fall "Back to school backpack stuffing" is first.
Plan on contributing your time, thoughts, your smiling face, and your involvment in the weeks and months ahead!
Compassion is a fine emotion. Doing something about it... is good stewardship!
Campus Thoughts:
College students will start to arrive the end of next week. Keep them in your prayers. We'll make sure to have special fellowship for a couple Sundays in a row. Please take the effort to kick start your own new season ahead by making sure to be at worship and look for ways to have conversations with those who are coming in the doors here to Hope!
www.hope-lcms.org Look on the web site for News, pictures, schedules, articles, links... and more.
Your Church family
Some of the extended Hope family have recently had joys to share, some have lost loved ones in the past weeks, some might be feeling down, some are excited about new opportunities. Take the time to chat... support one another. We are all in this adventure together!
And remember... always feel free to call... God cares about You... and so does your church family at Hope.
I hope to see you at the time we come together on Sundays to pray, to sing, to support and encourage one another, and to be renewed and spiritually nourished... see you at Worship... Pastor Joe
