Fifteen Good Years - My Final Pastor's Column for Lord of Grace

So this is my last pastor’s column at Lord of Grace. I get a tear in my eye writing it. 15 years of ministry have gone by faster than I thought it would. What started as a Hail Mary to prevent closing turned into growth and rebuilding through different phases of our church’s life.

As I look around the congregation on Sundays, I see a lot of faces that weren’t here when I started – probably a majority. Church hopping is a fact of life these days, and every time a new pastor comes some inevitably decide they just can’t stay. It breaks my heart, of course, because the church is the people, the ekklesia, the community of believers. It’s not supposed to be a collection of individuals who come to see a pastor. Our bonds should be with each other – the people we worship with, pray with, sit in small groups and Bible studies, the people we learn with and even help clean up the property. The church is all of us, which is why it broke my heart all those years ago to see so many people march out when we had to change things around. But, I wish them all well and hope they find a closer relationship to God where they moved. In that time many came, many whom I baptized as kids and watched go on to jobs and college – as well as adults who came to faith here. This is a special place.

One of my hopes is that history does not repeat itself. Transitions are hard, and no pastor is going to do things the way I do. This will feel both good and bad. You will get someone who will have strengths where I had weaknesses, and new ideas and visions for the church. Take these as opportunities to grow, not disappointments at things not how they used to be. Remember that just about nothing now is the way it was 15 years ago. But you still have each other, and, I believe, a mission from God to be a light in this place, to keep living and teaching an open and inclusive Gospel message in a sea of legalism. Our ELCA teachings and theology are a gem, a strength, and an opportunity to reach those not interested in hard-line religion. The area is growing, and Lord of Grace is positioned to reach whole waves of new people. I pray for this.

Some of the big changes I look back on . . .

• Redesigning the contemporary worship and getting new music

• Adding new families and growing our youth and family numbers

• Updating our building and redesigning our sanctuary

• Painting the mural by the playground

• ·The Lent services in different formats: Holden Evening Prayer, Taize, sanctified art

• Sending kids to SALCA Bible camp and seeing faith formation

• Restarting our preschool (twice) with new staff

• Adding some big fellowship events – like the community days and the July Fourth BBQ

• Adding new Bible studies for men and women

• Starting and restarting SuperYouth – the combined youth group of the ELCA churches in town

• Covid – and all the pain that went with it.

• Adding livestreaming and technology

• All the baptisms of kids. All the baptisms of adults.

• The outreach projects and drives for local agencies

• And on and on. So many things have come about here through the Spirit’s work. You forget about all them, or take them for granted, as the years go by.

To have a church where my son Johan can get up and dance and people don’t furl their brows and grouse is invaluable. You show through your inclusion the love of Jesus. And that fact that my kids still have faith after growing up at Lord of Grace is a testament to you and the Lord working through you.

To have leaders who have backed me up and supported me, even when I sometimes was doing my job better than others, is invaluable. I pray you support the next pastor as well, so he or she can have a long and fruitful ministry.

To have worship assistants who take care of the details week after week, and provide the music from their hearts, fills us all up. It’s made my job easier, when the worship leaders around me are so great.

It’s one of those protocol things that needs to be said, but when I go I pass the torch, and the new pastor is the one you turn to for spiritual and leadership matters. I won’t be doing weddings or funerals or swinging by for visits. That’s for the next pastor. For me to be involved would undermine them, and make it harder for the church to move forward. I know being in Washington State will make some of that obvious, but this is the digital age.

I want to thank again everyone for all your years of support for me as your pastor, and for my family. It has been a blessing to be your pastor, and to serve here in Marana, and to be with you all through everything.

God Bless, 

Pastor Lars

Prayer Connection May 2025

God’s Gracious Chain of Loving Care: "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up"

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Dear Friends in Christ,

  As we move into May, many of us think of Mother’s Day. It is a day to celebrate and remember the blessings of mothers, and all those who have cared for us. It can be a joyful day, but sometimes also difficult.

 This day is fraught for me, as it may be for some others. I have learned to focus on three things. First, gratitude – to remember, honor, and express gratitude for the time I had with my child. Second, thankfulness to God -- for my mother, and all the people our Lord of Grace has put into my life who nurtured and mentored me along life’s way. Third, a call to action  -- I am reminded that I am part of God’s gracious chain of loving care, and God calls all of us to support and nurture those He brings into our lives. As we read in I Thessalonians 5:11, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up” – on Mother’s Day and all through the year!

 In this spirit, we offer two Mother’s Day prayers, as well as links for more inspiration for your prayer life.

 Prayers for a Mother’s Day: A Prayer to Help Me Enjoy My Children

(Sometimes in the midst of a busy life, all we have time for is a simple, heart-felt prayer!)

 “Lord, help me to put down the work

and play with my kids.

Help me to enjoy them more,

laugh a lot

and be fun to be around.”

To the Moms Who Are

 To the Moms who are struggling, to those filled with incandescent joy.
 To the Moms who are remembering children who have died, and pregnancies that miscarried.
 To the Moms who decided other parents were the best choice for their babies, to the Moms who adopted those kids and loved them fierce.
 To those experiencing frustration or desperation in infertility.
 To those who knew they never wanted kids, and the ways they have contributed to our shared world.
 To those who mothered colleagues, mentees, neighborhood kids, and anyone who needed it.
 To those remembering Moms no longer with us.
 To those moving forward from Moms who did not show love, or hurt those they should have cared for.
 Today is a day to honor the unyielding love and care for others we call 'Motherhood,' wherever we have found it and in whatever ways we have found to cultivate it within ourselves.

 Prayers taken from:

“Prayers for a Mother’s Day: A Prayer to Help Me Enjoy My Children.” Deb Weakly. https://helpclubformoms.com/prayers-for-a-mothers-day-a-prayer-to-help-me-enjoy-my-children/

“To the Moms Who Are.” Hannah Kardon, Pastor at Elston Avenue United Methodist Church. https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/prayer-index/mothers-day-prayers

 Looking for more inspiration?

 “12 Beautiful Prayers for Mother's Day.”

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/prayer/beautiful-prayers-for-moms-this-mothers-day.html

 “Beautiful Mother's Day Prayers to Honor and Bless Your Mom!” Crosswalk. https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/mother-s-day-prayers-to-encourage-and-uplift.html

Outreach May 2025

Outreach Team – May 2025

Our members include Chris Kollen as lead, Carol Buuck, Phyllis Teager, Patty Clymer, Janette Carollo, Gail Nicewander, Sandy Mitchel, and Ruth Gross.  

We are planning new and exciting projects this coming year. If you’d like more information about becoming a member of Outreach, contact Chris Kollen at lizzykollen@comcast.net or at 520-419-7475.

Continuing Events

Marana Food Bank
The Marana Food Bank would like to request that we collect pancake mix, syrup, low-sodium soups, canned tomato sauce, jelly, cereal/oatmeal, and canned tuna/chicken.

 Once school is out for the summer the demand for food is really going to increase.  So, if at all possible, let’s try to double up our donations this month to help families be able to cover all those meals they no longer get through school.

Donated items can be placed in the wooden cabinet located in the hallway outside the Fellowship Hall.  Please remember that the food bank cannot accept any food items that have been opened/used or expired.  Also, please no glass containers.

If you would like to donate and keep your gift for the needy of Marana, you can send a check to:

MFB-CRC

c/o Sahuarita Food Bank
PO Box 968

Sahuarita, AZ 85629 

Please make checks payable to Marana Food Bank – Community Resource Center or MFB-CRC.  You can also donate online at mfb-crc.org. 

Your monetary gift goes a long way. 

Butler’s Pantry – Roadrunner Elementary

Butler's Pantry continues to serve the Roadrunner Elementary School Community daily with food and clothing and because of all of you at Lord of Grace, personal hygiene items!!  A huge THANK YOU, for all the generous donations that were contributed throughout the month of April.  The Outreach group is busy volunteering at the Pantry each month to stock shelves (the Sunflower Community made a large food donation recently) and helping neighbors and friends when the pantry is open to the public.  If you are interested in joining this ministry contact any outreach member.  We would love to have you!

Looking Back - pastor's column May 2025

It’s amazing how time flies. This January rolled around and I realized that I have been the pastor here at Lord of Grace for 15 years. It doesn’t seem that long, but certainly much has happened.

I remember that first council meeting, coming in through the back door, and sitting down in the conference room as everyone looked at my Rostered Ministers Profile (ELCA-speak for resume), and looked up, and asked, point, blank, “Why do you want to come HERE?”

The church had been going through a lot at the time, and people had been getting down on Lord of Grace and its future. There was talk at the synod level of just closing it down, that the problems were too much, but I didn’t see that. I told the council I saw potential, and gifted people, and no reason to not give it another try. In the midst of hard times, it’s hard to see the light. So I came on as an interim, a temporary fill-in, with the option to stay, if voted in. Well, here I am 15 years later. We didn’t close, we thrived.

This is not to say we didn’t have struggles. The first couple years saw both a huge number of people leaving and joining. In the process we became younger, and less from Lutheran backgrounds. Many people here I baptized as adults, and then baptized the kids. Our Sunday school grew, but then had to close because of a lack of teachers. And we kept going. The preschool was turned around and the contemporary worship updated.

I remember so many special events, because we’ve never been good at long-term programs. But we are good at big socials. We had the Chili Cook-Off, the Fall Festival (complete with pumpkin smashing), Oktoberfests in different incarnations, and movie nights with kids. Of course, July Fourth was always fun when we could do a party for that too.

My kids have grown up at this church. Only the oldest two even remember previous congregations. The church has been the nurture of their faith, even while we’ve struggled to get an organized youth group off the ground. Here is where they came to know Jesus, and how to light candles, and play the tambourine during the last song. This church is for them a place of faith, and it warms my heart, as a pastor-dad, to see that.

We had a good run in the 20-teens: good worship attendance and giving, preschool full. Then Covid hit, and things got rough. But we were not alone. We pulled together, developed new technologies, and regrouped. We’re not as big, but no less active. Visitors still comment on the energy and warmth in the room. The room, of course, that we remodeled in 2023, and now gets ooohs and aaaahs from visitors.

There is something about being in one place for a while, so long that you become familiar with each other enough to be able to joke and know how far to take it, and know to apologize if it’s too much. There’s something to be said for growing together, to use a marriage analogy, where we aren’t the same people we were when we started, but we stayed and changed and grew at the same time.

Lord of Grace has been my life, and my family’s spiritual life, for 15 years. And I wouldn’t trade it. There’s a lot I’d do differently, but hind-sight 20/20 etc. I came here when I was 36, old enough to think I was wise, but young enough to not always see around corners. Now I’m 52, with kids graduated. It’s a different time of life.

And like every tenure for every pastor there comes a time when you have to discern whether you are still the most effective person for the call, and whether God might be needing you somewhere else. It’s not an easy conversation to have with yourself, God, your family. Tucson’s a great place. We love our house of 21 years, and the Flowing Wells school system where Kristie’s on the board. We love our back yard and the hiking and biking trails. But these things have to be balanced with the sense of call. Where does God need me now?

And after a lot of praying, I came to the conclusion that it was time for me to start looking, to see if there was somewhere else God and the church needed me. So I went back to the ELCA and filled out my forms, and, long story short, ended up accepting a call to a new church: Christ Lutheran Church in Walla Walla, Washington.

Many pastors leave feeling pushed out or bitter at something. I have no such feelings. This church has been a blessing to me, and you have all been wonderful. Yes, I have a few detractors around, but they were not the reason for my decision. I simply feel it’s time to pass the torch to somebody else, someone with new ideas, new vision, new energy, someone who can help you figure out how to reach all these new families in Marana, all the unchurched youth at Marana High, all the growth. I like to think that I set things up well for the future, with a good group of people and a newly redone building. Things are good, covid is over, everything is in a good place for the next pastor to start with all the advantages I didn’t have.

And, it should go without saying, but I will not return in two years, start a new church down the road, mail invites to all the LoG members telling them the Spirit has called me to start a new church just like Paul going back to Thessalonica, and that people need to come to my church because those people don’t believe in the Bible.

It’s been a joy and gift to be the pastor here, and there is nothing I want more than to see Lord of Grace grow and thrive in my absence. This church means too much to me, and I know it does to you too. You are the church, not me. Pastors come and go, but the community you have here is a priceless treasure. Support it and the new pastor like you did me, so I can come back for a visit in a couple decades and see it going strong.

My last Sunday will be June 15th, so we have a few weeks. During that time I will be (finally) doing the sermon series on the Minor Prophets I’ve been wanting to do for years, but never got around to. Our activities will continue as they always do in late spring-early summer, winding down the year and moving into Pentecost (June 8th), and, hopefully, get to pull out the new hanging hexagons in the sanctuary – cover them in doves or flames or something.

You also have an election coming for new council members on May 4th. Make sure to be there to vote and hear about the progress of our ministries. We also will vote on delegates to the Grand Canyon synod assembly June 12-13th in Las Vegas.

So our ministry continues, as it will. I look forward to these last 6 weeks here, and hope I can see everyone before moving.

God Bless,

Pastor Lars

Kinder Confidence: Helping You and Your Child Thrive

Join us for an informative and encouraging workshop designed to help parents feel confident and prepared for this big transition. You’ll learn what to expect in the classroom, how to support your child’s learning at home, and tips to build routines that set the stage for success. This workshop will provide practical tools and answer your questions so both you and your child can thrive from day one!

April 24th, 6-7pm

Free childcare available

helpful tools for parents

April and Holy Week - Pastor's Column March 2025

This Saturday (March 22nd) we had our first yard sale in a long time. A fund-raiser for our preschool, we raised over $3,000!! I give a huge thank you to everyone who gave all their time and effort to pulling off a project on this scale. The Preschool Advisory Board (PAB) and preschool staff, thank you all. The funds will offset costs and cover some of the expenses of advertising and marketing for fall.

It has been fun this year watching as we have increased our commitment to making it a more explicitly “church” preschool. It always was, but the connections were not as visible. Now we have art in the sanctuary, more flyers going out to parents with invites to church events, church members doing special presentations, such as Rick’s special music days. We also have more faith instruction in the classroom, beyond the weekly chapel times. It’s all part of our long-range plan to make the preschool more of a church ministry and less of a side-hustle. Again, our director Laura Tanem-Hernandez and the PAB are doing a great job with our new program.

With all this our liturgical year keeps moving towards Easter. I’ve enjoyed the Lent sermon series on Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship. I will admit that sometimes he gets a bit intense, leaving you feeling like you’re never a good enough disciples. And while I understand that intellectually – that I can never reach Jesus’ levels of love and obedience to God – it still can feel heavy. Of course, Jesus also says his burden is light, so while the challenge to discipleship is there, we can also view it as freeing us from serving the other things of our lives that pull us away from Godly lives.

Palm Sunday is April 13th, where we will walk with the crowd as they cheer Jesus on for being the earthly revolutionary he never claimed to be. They call it the “triumphal” entry, but it’s only so on the surface. The subtext is darker, knowing that Jesus knows the people will be disappointed when their dreams for him don’t come true.

Then comes Holy Week. Maundy Thursday will be a traditional worship service this year, not an agape meal. We end, as we always do, with the stripping of the altar.

Good Friday will feature the stations of the cross liturgy from last year. From 11am-1pm you can come in and walk through the art in the sanctuary at your own pace. Then at 6:30pm is the full service. One change I will make is to shorten the musical interludes between stations, just to keep things moving better. I still love the black-and-white graphics that come with each part of the story.

Holy Week is the highlight of our year as Christians, the time of spiritual focus, of walking through the last days of Jesus, of walking through his final dinner, his farewells, and his suffering, before the big celebration of Easter. It always sees thinner crowds, to the chagrin of many clergy. And I get the challenge with scheduling (I had to run from a dance practice to worship one Good Friday. That was the day they all learned what I did for a living 😊). I also get the desire to avoid the “downer” parts of the week and skip to the “happy” part. Who wants to sit and wallow in sin and death. Of course, that’s part of why I like doing the stations liturgy, and having music and art, to make it more of a spiritual journey than an exercise in self-flagellation for our moral failings. I avoid the dirgiest songs, like “Go to Dark Gethsemene” that literally ends with “teach us Jesus how to die”. Ouch. That’s all part of that “heavy religion”– where it just makes you feel sad and guilty, instead of living into the mystery and meaning of what Jesus did for us. The cross is not to induce emotional guilt, but a life of discipleship.

And, of course, we will end it on Easter, April 20th, with the first service and easter egg hunt and continental Easter breakfast and second service. If you have friends maybe looking for a church, it is a good day to invite them.

Finally, I have my usual gripe about how Holy Week is so counter-cultural. In a world where everything is marketed as being happy and fun, our culture has lost its ways to deal with grief and loss. They happen, to all of us, a lot, but yet when they do we lack the rituals and structure for them. We haven’t spent time allowing ourselves to be sad when we’re sad, to admit there’s emptiness, to dwell in the moment even when the moment is horribly unfulfilling. Then, when it happens, we’re uncomfortable and rush to make it “fun” and “celebratory” again. Our faith does not try to sugar coat what happened to Jesus, or hide from it, and, in fact, brings us to a healthier and more authentic faith by giving us spaces, at least one week of the year, to just dwell in the journey of betrayal and suffering before the rising again.

Peace,

Pastor Lars

Prayer Connection April 2025

Prayer Connection 

 Mark 16:15 “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news.” 

 1 Peter 3:15 “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy. Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you: yet do it with gentleness and respect.”  

Those commands are difficult tasks for me and many of my Lutheran and Episcopalian friends and other congregants of liturgical denominations I’ve known. It is easier to tell people what church I attend and give it a rave, 5 star review than to tell them about the spiritual journey I’ve been on during my 85 years of life; tell them how my faith has grown; sharing what it’s like to have Jesus in my life; talking about how I was healed from several potentially fatal diseases and  saved after a horrible car wreck. 

Why is that?? What am I afraid of? Is it weak faith?  Is it fear that no one will believe me? Or I may be ridiculed, or will they deny the possibility of divine intervention? Is it that I don’t have a list of biblical verses stored in my memory bank or theological wisdom, and I’m not gifted in apologetics to back up my story.  Perhaps it’s my pride, not wanting to sound uneducated, silly, prideful, foolish, or lacking in confidence.  

Clearly, I need to work on this; to always speak from the heart, to pray that Jesus will present the opportunity to share my story, to be bold and seize the opportunity, and to trust the Lord to give me the words. 

Do you have a faith story to share?  Can you dare to share? 

Holy Spirit, inspire us to be bolder in sharing our faith.  Set our hearts on fire to share God’s love with those you put in our paths. Help us to be witnesses to your power and grace.  Amen 

Faithfully, Sue Justis 

Outreach April 2025

Outreach Team – April 2025

Our members include Chris Kollen as lead, Carol Buuck, Phyllis Teager, Patty Clymer, Janette Carollo, Gail Nicewander, and Sandy Mitchel. We have a recent addition to Outreach! Ruth Gross will be joining us on the Team. She is a new congregational member, we are excited to have her join our team. Welcome Ruth!

We are planning new and exciting projects this coming year. If you’d like more information about becoming a member of Outreach, contact Chris Kollen at lizzykollen@comcast.net or at 520-419-7475.

Continuing Events

Marana Food Bank
The Marana Food Bank would like to request that we collect canned tomato sauce, instant rice, mac and cheese, jelly, cereal/oatmeal, tuna/chicken, and instant mashed potatoes.

Spring is a time for renewal and renewed hope.  Let’s do our part to serve our neighbors in need.

Donated items can be placed in the wooden cabinet located in the hallway outside the Fellowship Hall.  Please remember that the food bank cannot accept any food items that have been opened/used or expired.  Also, please no glass containers.

If you would like to donate and keep your gift for the needy of Marana, you can send a check to:

MFB-CRC

c/o Sahuarita Food Bank

PO Box 968

Sahuarita, AZ 85629 

Please make checks payable to Marana Food Bank – Community Resource Center or MFB-CRC.  You can also donate online at mfb-crc.org.

Your monetary gift goes a long way. 

Upcoming Events

Butler’s Pantry – Roadrunner Elementary

Lord of Grace will be collecting personal hygiene items for Butler’s Pantry, to support our friends at Roadrunner Elementary throughout the month of April. Personal care items are essential for maintaining good health and hygiene. These items may seem small, but they can make a significant impact on a person’s daily life.  Maintaining adequate personal hygiene is among the biggest challenges of those living with limited means. When we donate these items we allow individuals to feel appreciated and valued, which can help boost self-esteem and confidence!

 The items that we will be collecting include:

●     Bar soap

●     Deodorant

●     Shampoo

●     Body wash

●     Feminine hygiene products

●     Toothpaste and Toothbrushes

Help us reach our goal of 100 bottles of shampoo during this spring drive!  Thank you so much for supporting this important outreach in our community!

Past Events

LSS-SW Zoom meeting on 3/19/2025 – Update on status of refugee support

Chris Kollen attended a Zoom meeting on the status of LSS-SW with the loss of federal funding for refugee services. 

Refugee resettlement was paused with the new administration. LSS-SW and all other refugee resettlement organizations received a stop work order; no expenses will be paid. During the 90-day review, there will be no reimbursements. Just in January, LSS-SW had 180 refugees (116 refugees were settled in Tucson) that LSS-SW needs to support. In the last 90 days, 388 refugees were settled in Arizona. LSS-SW is owed $1.3 million for refugee services provided in December and January. As a result of a lawsuit by an LSS sister organization, half of the payment has now been made to LSS-SW for December and January.

There are two phases of services for refugee resettlement. All Phase I services (reception/placement) have been paused. Phase II (employment etc.) will continue, but the money will be sent to states directly if states want to continue the services.

In January, LSS-SW asked the community for support and received about $300,000 in funds from 436 congregations and individuals. They are also looking for privately funded sponsors.

As a result of these cuts, on March 30th they will be stopping one of their services – IHELP (Interfaith Homeless Emergency Lodging Program) that is offered in Phoenix.

How can we help:

·         Advocacy – contact senators and representatives for support.

·         Become a co-sponsor for a refugee

·         Help identify employment opportunities, talk to employers about hiring refugees

·         Volunteer with LSS-SW to help refugees find jobs

Lutheran World Relief Baby Care Kits – A great group of volunteers put together the baby care kits on March 9th! We were able to collect enough items to send 11 baby care kits. Last year they distributed baby care kits to Angola, Lebanon, Peru, Senegal, Turkey, Ukraine, Zambia and the US.

Sister Jose Women’s Center - We cooked a wonderful evening meal for the residents on March 12th. We served lasagna, salad, bread and dessert to about 50 women. They were all very appreciative! Thanks Norma Suchomel, Gail Nicewander and Phyllis Teager for volunteering! We were a great team!

Lotsa Pasta results

We received a note from Interfaith Community Services (ICS) about the Lotsa Pasta drive we participated in.

The ICS Outreach team would like to extend a huge THANK YOU for donating Lotsa Pasta this year! We received approximately 7925 packages of pasta and 4387 cans of sauce! Your contributions allow our food bank to continue serving those who need it most in our community.  We truly appreciate the time and effort you devoted to our food drive. 

Time to Help our Neighbors at Roadrunner

Lord of Grace will be collecting personal hygiene items for Butler’s Pantry, to support our friends at Roadrunner Elementary throughout the month of April.

Items Needed:

●     Bar soap

●     Deodorant

●     Shampoo

●     Body wash

●     Feminine hygiene products

●     Toothpaste and Toothbrushes

Help us reach our goal of 100 bottles of Shampoo!

Thank you so much for supporting this ongoing outreach in our community! 🙂 

Holy Week Schedule 2025

Hiring: AV Coordinator for Sunday Services

Lord of Grace Church is looking for someone to operate the audio and visual for Sunday services. Duties include:

• Running the audio

• Running the visual software and slides

• Operating the three PTZ cameras for the livestream

Skills preferred: knowledge of audio and video livestreaming.

• Propresenter

• Resi

• Soundboards

• PTZ cameras

Pay: $100/Sunday and $50/special service

Hours: 8am-12noon Sundays

Contact Pastor Lars Hammar if interested.

Preschool Enrolling

Lord of Grace preschool is enrolling for fall 2025. Classes for 3-5year olds with options for 2 day, 3 day, and 5 day. 8:30am-12noon. Small classes, new playground, great teachers, kindergarten prep, and Christian values. check us out at lordofgrace.org/about-log-preschool

email preschool@lordofgrace.org or call 520-744-7400 to arrange a tour.

Outreach March 2025

Outreach Team – March 2025

Our members include Chris Kollen as lead, Carol Buuck, Phyllis Teager, Patty Clymer, Janette Carollo, and Gail Nicewander. We have a recent addition to Outreach! Sandy Mitchel will be joining us on the Team. She has been providing us with monthly updates for the Marana Food Bank. Welcome Sandy!

We are planning new and exciting projects this coming year. If you’d like more information about becoming a member of Outreach, contact Chris Kollen at lizzykollen@comcast.net or at 520-419-7475.

Continuing Events

Marana Food Bank
The Marana Food Bank would like to request that we collect canned spaghetti sauce, jelly, cereal, oatmeal, tuna/chicken, Spam/ham, mac and cheese, and instant rice.

 What a great way to show God’s love – by providing a nourishing meal to our neighbors in need.  

Donated items can be placed in the wooden cabinet located in the hallway outside the Fellowship Hall.  Please remember that the food bank cannot accept any food items that have been opened/used or expired.  Also, please no glass containers.

If you would like to donate and keep your gift for the needy of Marana, you can send a check to:

MFB-CRC

c/o Sahuarita Food Bank

PO Box 968

Sahuarita, AZ 85629 

Please make checks payable to Marana Food Bank – Community Resource Center or MFB-CRC.  You can also donate online at mfb-crc.org.

Your monetary gift goes a long way. 

Butler’s Pantry – Roadrunner Elementary

We will continue to have a work day each month and to staff the pantry the first Saturday of each month during 2025. We are always looking for volunteers to help with this ministry.  If this is something that you would be interested in getting involved in, please contact Phyllis Teager 520-906-1837.  Thanks to all at Lord of Grace for your support.

Past Events

Feed My Starving Children – A group of 11 members from LOG participated in one of mobile packing event for Feed My Starving Children at Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene. Our group packed 234 meals. It was great to be able to work together with Lutherans! Overall in the span of 5 days, there were 1.55 million meals packed at Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene.

Lotsa Pasta Food Drive – we participated in the Interfaith Community Services Lotsa Pasta Food Drive during the month of February. We delivered 50 boxes of macaroni and cheese, 78 packages of pasta, and 39 cans of pasta sauce. Thank you everyone!

Upcoming Events

Lutheran World Relief Baby Care Kits – The drive ends on March 2nd and we will put together the kits on March 9th, volunteers are welcome! We’ll organize the items between services and put the kits together after the 2nd service. Last year we were able to collect enough items to send 11 baby care kits. Last year they distributed baby care kits to Angola, Lebanon, Peru, Senegal, Turkey, Ukraine, Zambia and the US.

Sister Jose Women’s Center - We plan on cooking an evening meal for the residents on March 12th. There is a signup sheet in the Narthex starting next Sunday. We need 4-5 people to volunteer. We also plan on signing up to cook another evening meal in May. Any questions, contact Chris Kollen.

Prayer Connection March 2025

Prayer Connection

Psalm 75: 1

1 We Praise you, God, we praise you, for your Name is near, people tell of your wonderful deeds.

 There have been so many things to be grateful for.  I try to remember to thank God for the blessings that I have experienced lately when I start to pray. And then sometimes thanking God for the goodness I have experienced in the past.   With the 20-20 view, one can see where God was right there beside a person and it is good to remember those blessings. 

I remember learning the Parable of the 10 lepers years ago.  There were 10 lepers, or people infected with a skin ailment, who asked Jesus to heal them.  And they received the blessing.  Jesus told them to go to the temple for cleansing.  They were healed as they went.  And one came back to thank Jesus.  I suppose there are many truths to learn from that story. 

Lately, I have witnessed special blessings to friends and to myself.  I try to come back to my Lord, like the one that returned, and thank Him for those blessings. 

Dear Gracious God, thank You for the good news of friends who are healed.  Thank You for being near and always listening to our prayers.  Amen

The Lord of Grace Prayer Team is always here to help you with any prayer requests you may

have!  The Prayer Team continues to pray over all prayer petitions sent our way, including the

requests entered in the prayer journal in the Narthex.  The Team will also continue to offer

individual prayer times after each worship service on the 4th Sunday of each month.

The Ongoing Journey of Discipleship

Pastor’s Column - March 2025

When Jesus calls people to be disciples he is very direct. “Follow me”. Sometimes he adds a line, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”. It’s not much more. The details of what you do come later, and the instructions will come as you go with him from place to place and encounter the different situations he deals with.

I’ve wondered if Jesus knew the guys he called to be disciples before hand, and had shared some of his vision with them first. His hometown was only a few hundred people. Even if you counted the towns around it’s still just a few thousand. The odds that he had lived there for 30 years and they were strangers seems remote. I think he fished with Peter, hung our with Bartholemew, paid his taxes to Matthew etc. When Jesus comes and says, “Follow me”, I have to think he was also partly saying, “Now’s the time, let’s do this.”

Discipleship, the Jesus way, feels a little like being an intern or apprentice. You can take classes, to a point, and learn the basics that way. But eventually you have to follow around a veteran and watch them deal with things as they come up. I know the plumber we called learned all sorts of things fixing our plugged toilets (toothbrushes, toys, and one time roots had grown through the space between the pipe and the foundation – millimeters – and had filled the pipe). The apprentice got knowledge each time, and eventually showed up by himself. Our kids trained him well.

There’s something very individualistic about discipleship. Jesus calls individuals. It’s one person to one person. It’s Jesus and Matthew, not Jesus and all of Matthew’s family or town. Just one to one. And Matthew has to make a big break with his life, his income, everything he knew. There is no way this was not painful. But he did it.

The individualistic nature of being called is what leads us down theological rabbit holes, locking horns over whether one is saved when one accepts Jesus and makes a personal profession of faith, or whether faith is something that grows slowly without the clean “decision”. Both happen, of course, depending on your life. Most of us grew up with faith, but some decide later to commit to it. At the same time, even if we grew up in the church, we had to decide to stay with it. Every Sunday we make a decision to worship or not. Every day we have to re-decide if we’re going to make Jesus a part of that day. And every time a decision comes to us, is forced on us, we have to decide to follow the Jesus way or not (and discern what is the Jesus way). It’s as if it doesn’t matter if you have always believed; discipleship is re-committed every decision we make.

We are also called into a community. Jesus makes a call to the individual, who is then brought into a new group. It’s not a solitary quest, but a new family to live out this calling with. This is the community side of it. It’s why you aren’t really a disciple of Jesus if you just practice by yourself on your own time all alone. That’s not how following Jesus works.

Calls to discipleship can get turned into legalistic sessions of billy-clubbing people with guilt and pressure to “step up” and “do more” and “put yourself out there” from the pulpit. By themselves, those are good things. But discipleship is about so much more than simply increasing volume of service. It’s much more the “what” of our service, the things we do. Maybe it involves fewer things done differently. It’s our culture, and our program-driven church culture, that is always craving more time investment. Sometimes, we should. But at a deeper level, what things are we doing that mold our lives the way Jesus commands?

In Lutheranism we shy away from talk of personal decisions and clean breaks and making big faith statements. They give us vibes of “decision theology”, where we believe that while God’s grace is a free gift that saves, it’s our decision that makes it work, and thus that is the act, the deed, the good work, that saves. Fair enough. We don’t save ourselves by choosing to save ourselves. But at what point does this become a hair-splitting abstract argument. Is giving yourself up and surrendering to Jesus doing nothing, or actually something? Is choosing not to act an action? Does it matter?

Like a lot of these theological arguments, I worry we overreact to an abuse one way with an overcompensation the other. Just because we cannot earn salvation through making a choice, does not mean we should not be making a commitment to Jesus, or making choices, as individuals, to act upon our faith.

Lent is coming in March this year, starting with Ash Wednesday on March 5th. We’ll do our traditional service for the day with imposition of ashes, same as every year. Some things are worth doing over and over. For mid-week services we’ll explore in depth topics of discipleship, with some original art to augment the theme, though without the discussion so focused on the art, and more on sharing individual stories and insights. And Sundays will be built around themes from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book, The Cost of Discipleship. You don’t need to read the book to understand the sermons. It’s just the bouncing off point for ideas. Hopefully we’ll all be able to see discipleship as something that is a way of life, a joy (not a burden) to take up, a concept that brings joy and freedom along with responsibility. I hope as well we can all come away from it with tools for finding our paths to discipleship in our lives.

Pastor Lars

HIking Group

Do you like to get out and enjoy the Arizona natural world?  Do you want to spend time in God’s creation.  On February 15th at 10:00 a.m. we’re inaugurating the 1st hiking event for Lord of Grace.  This activity is for casual hikers who like to meander a bit, get in a little bit of a workout , enjoy some good company and fresh air.  The first trail we will tackle will be the “Thunderbird Trail” in Saguaro National Park West which is on the east side of the park.  To get to the parking lot, take exit 252 off I-10 and head west on Camino del Cerro for 5.6 miles until you arrive at the dirt covered parking area where we will meet at 10:00 a.m.  Don’t forget your hiking boot, water, sunscreen, snacks and of course more water.  So, we have an idea of who will join us, please contact via text either Joy Folkvord or Laurie Graham to let us know you’re coming or if you have questions.  (Note: this will also serve as a contact list in case weather causes us to cancel).  We’re hoping to put together an event once a month so if you have other favorite places to go let us know.

Hope to see you on the trail.

Joy Folkvord

Outreach February 2025

Outreach Team – February 2025

Our members include Chris Kollen as lead, Carol Buuck, Phyllis Teager, Patty Clymer, Janette Carollo, and Gail Nicewander.

We are planning new and exciting projects this coming year. If you’d like more information about becoming a member of Outreach, contact Chris Kollen at lizzykollen@comcast.net or at 520-419-7475.

Continuing Events

Marana Food Bank
The Marana Food Bank would like to request that we collect jelly, cereal, oatmeal, pancake mix and syrup, and cans of tomatoes for spaghetti. Hygiene items are also always needed as well.

 What a great way to show God’s love – by providing a nourishing meal to our neighbors in need.  

Donated items can be placed in the wooden cabinet located in the hallway outside the Fellowship Hall.  Please remember that the food bank cannot accept any food items that have been opened/used or expired.  Also, please no glass containers.

If you would like to donate and keep your gift for the needy of Marana, you can send a check to:

MFB-CRC

c/o Sahuarita Food Bank

PO Box 968

Sahuarita, AZ 85629 

Please make checks payable to Marana Food Bank – Community Resource Center or MFB-CRC.  You can also donate online at mfb-crc.org.

Your monetary gift goes a long way. 

Butler’s Pantry – Roadrunner Elementary

We will continue to staff the pantry the first Saturday of each month during 2025. Another group, Mary Butler’s sorority group will be staffing the Pantry one Saturday a month, so the Pantry will now be open every other Saturday.. We are always looking for volunteers to help with this ministry.  If this is something that you would be interested in getting involved in, please contact Phyllis Teager 520-906-1837.  Thanks to all at Lord of Grace for your support.

Upcoming Events

Lutheran World Relief – Baby Care Packs

We will be holding a drive during the month of February for baby care packs to send to Lutheran World Relief. We held a drive last year and were able to collect items for 11 baby care packs. In 2023, LWR provided baby care packs to Angola, the Dominican Republic, Mali, Tanzania, and Turkey. We will start the Baby Care Pack drive on February 9th and will end on March 2nd. We’ll put together the baby care packs on March 9th and mail them to Lutheran World Relief.

Sister Jose Women’s Center

We plan on cooking an evening meal for the residents of San José Women’s Center on March 12th. There will be a signup sheet in the Narthex. We need 4-5 people to volunteer. We plan on signing up to cook another evening meal in May. Any questions, contact Chris Kollen.

Interfaith Community Services 

Lotsa Pasta Food Drive – this year we’ll be participating in the ICS Lotsa Pasta Food Drive. We’ll start the drive on February 2nd and it will end on February 28th. They are asking that we collect pasta, pasta sauce (only cans or plastic, no glass), and macaroni and cheese. Please help them meet their goal of 5000 packages of pasta, 5000 cans of pasta sauce, and 5000 boxes of macaroni and cheese. You can also shop using their Amazon Lotsa Pasta Wishlist! You can easily add items into your cart and then select the Front Office Coordinator Address to have your pasta donation mailed straight to ICS!  Thank you!

Empty Bowls – ICS is having their annual fund raiser, Empty Bowls, on March 1st. You need to purchase tickets before the event. Attendees of Empty Bowls will enjoy signature soups, breads, and desserts generously donated by local restaurants and food partners, while also having the chance to bid in a silent auction featuring jewelry, artwork, home décor, unique experiences, and more. Plus, each attendee will also select a handmade pottery bowl to take home, crafted and donated by Tucson’s talented local artists. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to https://www.icstucson.org/emptybowls/. 

Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest – Refugee & Immigration Services Program     

LSS-SW Refugee and Immigration Service Program’s Refugee Youth Mentorship Program (RYMP) provides a wonderful volunteer opportunity to mentor refugee youth (ages 15-24). The program pairs volunteers with youth to help them adjust to life in the U.S., set personal goals, and thrive in their new community. Mentors meet with their mentees regularly, focusing on building language skills, supporting academic progress, and guiding them through the challenges of resettlement.

How You Can Help:

• Commitment: Mentors meet with their youth once a week digitally and twice a month in person. This is a year-round program, and we’re looking for people who are willing to build meaningful, lasting relationships. The commitment is for four months.

• Impact: Through mentorship, we have the opportunity to empower these young people, help them gain confidence, and show them tangible love and hope.

How You Can Get Involved:
These programs are an incredible way to make a meaningful impact on the refugee families and youth we serve—and also on our own growth. Serving others is one of the most powerful ways to live out our faith and reflect love.

Get Started Today:
To begin volunteering or to learn more, visit lss-sw.org. If you have any questions or need additional details, don’t hesitate to contact Peter Lopez at plopes@lss-sw.org.

We’d love to help you get involved!

 lved!

New Hexagons for Sanctuary Liturgical Arts

With the remodel of the sanctuary, one of our plans was to have a cable-pulley system that can be used to hang liturgical art projects from. I copied the idea from one at Our Saviour's, where I would be in charge of lowering and raising the advent wreath each week. So I asked my dad to make two big hexagons that attach to a carabiner. He came up with the idea of using old pew wood, and made two of these. Right now one is hanging with Epiphany stars that the preschoolers made. They can be for Pentecost doves, Christmas garland, anything we want to make and hang and not have to get up on a lift. 

So big thanks to Rev. Paul Hammar for constructing the hexagons. Big Thanks to Laura Tanem-Hernandez and the kids for making the stars, and the help from the Preschool Advisory Board in hanging them up.

Pastor Lars

Clothed in Honor

“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.””

— 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

This Epiphany season (technically, the “Sundays after Epiphany”) I’m doing a sermon series called “What is Love”? It’s based mostly on First Corinthians 13, the famous “love is patient, love is kind” passage. The last two will be about the Beatitudes and loving your enemies. The impetus was partly the lectionary: first Corinthians is often the Epistle readings for the season, and lots of my own concern to take back the word from the culture.

The whole section on love is squished into the middle of a section on spiritual gifts and living in Christian community. The church in Corinth is in conflict, as people are jockeying for status and position, arguing that their spiritual gifts make them higher or closer to God in some way. It was what people did in the Roman Empire all the time; it was how their world worked. Powerful people gave status to lower status people who kissed their ring and did them favors. It was a whole culture that ran much like prison gangs or high school cafeterias. Now that they are Christian, where do they stand? Who’s on top? Who do I kiss up to? Who do I push down? How do I assert my position?

As a camp counselor you would see this with some cabins: the first day and a half was social jockeying, establishing in and out groups, using secrets to form boundaries between insiders and outsiders. Then I would take my cabin to morning worship, and see another one in a circle on the lawn having a “talk”. It was the counselor calling them out on the politicking, and forcing them to name it in the open. Rarely did it last once it was named. The popular always seem to want to look like they’re ordinary. Rip off the veil, and they look like ordinary people who are just mean. At Bible camp, of all places, there should be no hierarchy. It should be a safe place for all, where nobody is the loser or the outcast like in school.

Paul encountered exactly this. The first letter to the church in Corinth is essentially a cabin “talk”, where they’re being called out for using this wonderful outpouring of spiritual gifts for social positioning. I have tongues, so I’m better than the one with hospitality etc. They could be forgiven for doing this, because it was second nature. But it isn’t the Gospel.

So Paul gives a lecture first on the different spiritual gifts, chapter 12. They get named, and then he gives this one verse in there that never gets enough traction:

On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.

1 Corinthians 12:22-26

The weaker are indispensable. The inferior are honored more. If one is honored we all rejoice.

That sounds so collectivist. Doesn’t it?

You go through the community and deliberately give more to those who have less, and less to those who have more.

Now you can see why it gets glossed. Shouldn’t those with more be honored more, because, obviously, they are more hard working and deserving? Shouldn’t the inferior be told to clean up their lifestyle habits and quit being so profligate with spending? Doesn’t the presence of superior gifts prove that God is blessing them, that God’s favor proves their superior worth?

So I look around today and see an interesting contrast.

I ride my bike down The Loop, and homeless camps are all over. I’ve had to stop on underpasses to avoid riding over people passed out. I’ve almost hit people stumbling out on the path – who then saw my “live generously” shirt and laughed at it. There was some sort of irony there.

Research shows that the ranks of the homeless are disproportionately veterans dealing with untreated PTSD, people with childhood trauma and abuse, people fleeing domestic violence, people born in poverty. Many opioid addicts started with work injuries and the Vicodin for the back pain turned into an addiction. Yes, there are some who had it good and blew it through drinking too much or recreational drinking or drugs; I’ve met them. But the data doesn’t lie: the hard circumstances of birth and chance have put most where they are. It wasn’t too much Door Dash and video games.

Then I turn to the news and see who is getting elected to congress and getting nominated for positions in the cabinet, and I see behavior that is the worst of every moral vice and personal sin. Serial adulterers, accused rapists, men who blow the family savings on strip clubs and bankrupt businesses, cocaine-fueled parties. Decadence and profligate spending everywhere. and instead of getting the same judgment heaped on them that goes to the homeless, they get lionized for being “real men” who are just “so manly they can’t help themselves”. What was a scandal is now proof of virility and strength. Double standard.

Is it that hard to believe that they are no better or deserving, they just have a huge financial and political cushion to fall back on when their bad choices catch up with them. People dealing with a childhood of abuse and poverty don’t get to just say, “well, I wasn’t a perfect person, but that’s in the past”.

Which brings me back to First Corinthians. Paul’s church had people very wealthy, and very poor. Traders and owners came to the same church as slaves and prostitutes. Then the Holy Spirit comes and the Word of God pours fourth in prophecy and tongues and visions. And the Spirit doesn’t seem to honor wealth and class. Of course those on the world’s bottom of the ladder would be excited to finally have their shot at status. But that’s still not the Gospel.

Not entirely.

The point is that the Spirit is not trying to replace one social hierarchy in Greece with a new hierarchy in the church. It’s that the Spirit is spreading out the wealth and evening the scales by giving more to those who the world deems as less. It’s distributing to the have nots where the haves already have.

This is what the late theologian Gustavo Gutierrez called the “preferential option for the poor”. It’s that God chooses to take a side in the struggles of the poor, and advocates for them. God does not hate the wealthy and powerful. They just don’t particularly need God’s help with money and social problems. And, of course, God is challenging us to ask about the structures of our economy that leave some poor for doing the same things that make others rich and powerful.

The Spirit gives honor to the less honorable, and raises up the inferior. And when the least are raised, we all benefit. It’s one of those paradoxes of Christian faith, that the path forward for the church does not lie in finding the most beautiful, wealthy, and popular and using their status to attract more people (a strategy that many churches employ). It’s to seek out those that the world clothes in less honor, and clothing them with more honor (and sometimes better clothes). It’s to raise up the lowly, and in doing so, the Spirit pours out and the Word of God is shown to the world. The way to more is through those who have less.

It's all rather counter-intuitive to us, but very Biblical.

So this will be our walk this Epiphany – to see what love means in a context of competition, rank, class, and conflict. To see what love means in Christian community and social interaction. And to see again the beauty of a God who is so full of love that the most suffering and clothed with the most from our creator.

Peace,

Pastor Lars

Prayer Connection February 2025

‘ Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.’  John 14:27

     This morning I read the above verse as part of my daily devotions.  It really spoke to me.  Last evening’s news was troubling and left me so concerned for our country’s future.  This verse reminded me to give my fears to God and He will give me peace.

     My sister and I pray every week together over the phone as we live in different states.  We usually spend about an hour between catching up on each other’s week and sharing prayer concerns.  We always end in prayer.  Last week she reminded me about the time we were young girls due for our immunizations at our doctor’s office visit.  She carried her white leather covered Bible with her name inscribed on the front.  She had us place our hands on the Bible and she sang out  a song we had learned in Sunday School in a clear voice, ‘I will not be afraid.  I will not be afraid.  I will look upward, travel onward, and not be afraid.’  I can picture those two small girls, knees shaking, yet encouraging each other during a difficult time. 

     I have decided to make a plan as we face trying times ahead.  I will seek God’s peace through daily prayer, devotion time, and meditation.  I will put on the armor of God as instructed in Ephesians 6:13-17.  May God bring each of us peace and hope in the new year ahead.  Blessings to each and every one of you in Christ Jesus.  

    The Lord of Grace Prayer Team is always here to help you with any prayer requests you may have!  The Prayer Team continues to pray over all prayer petitions sent our way, including the requests entered in the prayer journal in the narthex.  The Team will also continue to offer individual prayer times after each worship service on the 4th Sunday of each month.  

Prayer Connection January 2025

Immanuel, God With Us All Through the Year!

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”). Matthew 1:23

As we turn the calendar to 2025, many people see it as a time for a new start -- new year, new you; a time for making lists, and setting goals and actionable challenges. It can sound a bit overwhelming, or like a media meme.

The Scriptures offer us another way. Our life in Christ is already a new start for us: “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are God’s new creations, not just a new year’s resolution.

It is a blessing that January comes after the Christmas season! As we step forward into the new year as new creations, we can rest in the joy and assurance of God’s love for us and take heart in the message contained in the Scriptures: God is Immanuel, God With Us. Yes, God is with us, in the good times and the hard times – that is part of the hope and joy of Christmas that we can carry with us throughout the new year.

Let us approach God’s throne of grace with thankful and hopeful hearts. This month, the Prayer Connection would like to connect you to two prayer resources (links below). May the Holy Spirit guide you and inspire you as you pray in the coming year, knowing that you are God’s new creation, and God Is With YOU. 

Here are the first six days of prayer from Prayer Ventures for January 2025, taking us to Epiphany: 

1 New Year’s Day  Ask God to grant us strength, wisdom and patience to accomplish new goals this year. Give thanks for God’s forgiveness and for the support of others, which help us to continue when we fail, grow frustrated or are redirected in our pursuits.

 2 “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Our newness in Christ is realized in our present life and in the future, when we enter the kingdom of God. Pray for the Spirit to strengthen our faith and to help us embrace our new selves — every day.

 3 Pray for the Spirit to stir our patience, understanding and respect for others when we find ourselves in conflict with our neighbors or siblings in Christ.

 4 Pray for our synod bishops attending the Bishop’s Academy in Puerto Rico as they study and reflect on the challenge and promise of Lutheran mission and theology in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

 5 Give thanks to God that Jesus Christ lived among us, that we might believe in God’s grace and truth and be filled with joy and relief as children of God who are set free to live as Jesus did in service to our neighbors.

 6 Epiphany  “This star, as bright as day, that will never lead astray with its message so appealing, is the word of God, revealing Christ, the way, the truth, the life” (ELW 301). Praise God for the gift of Jesus Christ, who reveals to us the way, truth and life of God’s love, forgiveness and promises.

We close this month’s Prayer Connection with “A Simple Prayer for the New Year” taken from 15 Power-filled Prayers for the New Year:

Use the word AWARE as an acrostic prayer to direct your attention to God.

A - Abiding in Awe. God, I am in awe of You and I am ready to abide in You today.

W - With me. I celebrate that You are with me today.

A - Alert. I am alert to Your presence and Your voice.

R - Rest. I am resting in Your love for me. I do not strive because I have a secure and glorious place in Your kingdom,

E - Expecting. I am expecting Your miraculous within the ordinary of my day. I await Your wisdom, Your generosity, Your leadership, and Your power to be made perfect in my weaknesses.

The Lord of Grace Prayer Team is always here to help you with any prayer requests you may have!  The Prayer Team continues to pray over all prayer petitions sent our way, including the requests entered in the prayer journal in the narthex. The Team will also continue to offer individual prayer times after each worship service on the 4th Sunday of each month.

Resource links:

Prayer Ventures for January 2025. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America provides inspiration and guidance for daily prayer in a variety of formats - -this is one of them! https://resources.elca.org/prayer-ventures/prayer-ventures-january-2025/

15 Power-filled Prayers for the New Year. These prayers were compiled and edited by the Crosswalk Editorial Staff. They include prayers for hope, prayers after a hard year, prayers for strength, and the Holy Spirit’s direction in the new year. https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/14-power-filled-prayers-for-the-new-year.html