OCTOBER PASTOR’S PEN
This will be the last Pastor’s Pen article written by someone in our congregation, as Pastor Lars will be returning from sabbatical in a few weeks. I would like to take this opportunity to look at what I’ve seen at Lord of Grace in the last couple of months. Obviously, there have been changes during this sabbatical period. Changes in our sanctuary, changes in responsibilities for worship duties, administrative duties, spiritual duties, etc. But what I’ve noticed most is the change our congregation. Good changes I guess you could say. Or maybe it would be better to call them spiritual growth changes. I’ve seen a wonderful amount of spiritual growth in our congregation.
Before Pastor Lars left on his sabbatical, I think many people were worried about who would take up the slack, who would handle any problems, who would be the leaders, who would be the teachers, and what would that all look like. Could we do it? Could we all, as a congregation, pull together and really be a church??? But isn’t that what we are always supposed to be?
Our Pastor, Pastor Lars, has an incredible amount of responsibility for our congregation, as many of us covering some of his responsibilities have found out. But I want to point out that nowhere in the bible does it say that a Pastor should be solely responsible for our spiritual growth and for bringing the love of God to the world. Spiritual growth is something we all should be seeking for ourselves in our own walk with God, along with the spiritual guidance we receive from our Pastor. It is also the responsibility of each of us to help others in their walk with God in our congregation and in the world. Yes, we have a spiritual leader in our Pastor and God does speak to us through him. We are very blessed to have Pastor Lars. However, we are all called to be the church.
So, what did I see in the last few months? I saw people face difficulties with fear that were overcome by prayer and trust in God. I saw people learn they could do things they were afraid to do before, but learned that God was with them through it all. I heard people say, “hey we’re all doing this church thing pretty well”. They were excited to see how God has been working through all of us. People have seen they can trust in God and see that He is with us no matter what. So, yes, I have truly seen spiritual growth here at Lord of Grace and I’ve seen people really excited about it. So, shouldn’t we want to continue that?
This is my challenge to all of our congregation. Really seek God, with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind. The minute you start doing that, God will be showing you how to overcome fear, how to trust in Him, and how to love others. If we all truly seek God and His ways, we will truly be the church.
Blessings,
Cindy Stein