This year we will cross over boundaries.
We live in a world that builds walls between us, that seeks to separate us from
one another. It can be a gym class that separates boys from girls, or gated
communities that separate haves from have-nots, or borders that separate United
States citizens from Mexicans who would work here. Those walls have a way of
defining who we are and enslaving us where we are. You're on the inside,
they say, and you're on the outside. You belong, they point out
- and you don't.
We've let those walls creep around us at Good Shepherd. We are Lutherans,
they say; we're too shy to invite strangers to worship with us. There
are other walls that say we are just a little church - we can't afford staff.
Still other walls say we had a shortfall in donations last year - we
can't afford to build a building for the church. Together they say some
churches thrive - but not yours.
The world of scripture tells a different story. We are entering the season of
Epiphany, the season of light that shatters the dark boundaries that enslave
us. It begins with the story of the wise men traveling from the east to honor
the newborn king, whose star has appeared in the night sky. It continues with
stories of Peter and John's journeys to Samaria, to bestow the Holy Spirit upon
new followers there. It reveals Jesus breaking down walls between women and
men, the powerful and the marginalized, family and stranger, clean and unclean.
If we are true to Christ, how dare we hide behind these little walls? If Jesus
can follow God into a bold new future, so can we.
Join us in the season of Epiphany, my friends. Have courage, trust your God,
and dare to burst through the boundaries that would enslave this church and
your soul. Travel to new places with Christ, and see how big and bright God
makes your world to be!
Pastor Jim
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. Isaiah 9:2
From the Shepherd's Song Newsletter -- January 2007
Copyright 2006 by Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
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E-mail your comments and questions to Pastor Jim in care of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church at gslc@sirus.com.