LUTHERAN CHURCH OF HOPE
  • Home
  • About
    • Who is Welcome?
    • Visitors
    • Faith and Care
  • Contact
  • Give
  • From the Pastor
  • Calendar
  • Newsletter
  • We Support
    • JOIN
    • Food Bank of Alaska
    • Little Free Library
    • Lutheran Social Services
    • Lutheran World Relief
  • Study
    • The Other 4H Group
    • 10W
  • Harvest of Hope Memorial Garden
    • Harvest of Hope Blog
  • Hope Lutheran Church Women
  • Home
  • About
    • Who is Welcome?
    • Visitors
    • Faith and Care
  • Contact
  • Give
  • From the Pastor
  • Calendar
  • Newsletter
  • We Support
    • JOIN
    • Food Bank of Alaska
    • Little Free Library
    • Lutheran Social Services
    • Lutheran World Relief
  • Study
    • The Other 4H Group
    • 10W
  • Harvest of Hope Memorial Garden
    • Harvest of Hope Blog
  • Hope Lutheran Church Women
LUTHERAN CHURCH OF HOPE

From the Pastor

the spirit is with you

6/8/2021

0 Comments

 
Dear People of Hope,

Pause. Take a breath. Let it out slowly.

I thank God for you. I thank God you are here, in this moment, reading these words and that God has brought us this far along the way. Because it has been a difficult road, and we still have a way to go. 

I am thankful for each of our council members who, on top of all the troubles of the past year and a half, gathered each month to discern where God was leading us and trusted God in the making of our decisions. I am thankful for those who gave their gifts in artwork, worship planning, music, community care, garden, property, technology, office administration and so many other areas. I am grateful for the ways you have called each other, sent cards and ministered to one another along this way. I am thankful for all the actions I did not get to see, but know you did in loving your neighbors and your community.
Pause. Take a breath. Release slowly. Hear God also saying, “thank you.” 

Julian of Norwich talks about discovering, in her revelations, God’s gratitude for her. Isn’t that a wondrous thought? May we discover God’s gratitude for us, the children of God, who have pressed on following our Shepherd’s lead. Though we were in the valley of the shadow of death, we kept walking. 

We still experience the shadow, and our world is still heavy with grief and sickness, but we are perhaps witnessing new places of rest and green pastures. We move forward on this way, returning to in-person worship, different people than we once were. And that’s okay. Because whatever new hurts and griefs we may have, God is still our healer. And whatever ways we fell short of who we hoped to be, God is still our merciful deliverer. And whatever we have learned or not learned from this past year, God is still leading us into our new future. 

And in God, we will find our footing along the path and rest along the way.

Breathe. The Spirit is with you. Keep walking, people of God. I am thankful, though we have trekked through valleys, that we are companions as we follow our Savior’s lead. 

Peace,
Pastor Liz
0 Comments

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    November 2024
    May 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    November 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Copyright © 2023
Lutheran Church of Hope, 1847 W. Northern Lights Boulevard, Anchorage, AK 99517
PHONE: 907-279-7714           FAX: 907-278-2737          EMAIL: [email protected]
       Home          Contact          About          
Powered by Weebly