Living in Christ's Love

It has been quite the summer at Community Lutheran Church. Over the last few months we have celebrated Confirmation, Vacation Bible School, Mission trips, Leadership Lab, and much more. There have been a number of moments to rejoiced in. However there have also been difficulties. Many people close to us have faced a lot of problems and real tragedy in the last few months. Through the ups and downs, we are called to follow Christ and put our faith in the Love that God offers.

I was reflecting on all of this with my kids as their summer vacation was winding down. They will go back to school next Monday, and they have done a lot. I want them to remember every joy, and I hope they can give thanks for all they have experienced. However, they also have friends who lost loved ones, and they know others who have lost their homes. We are never free from pain in this world. There will always be difficulties, but we can still choose to share the love of God. Personally, I hope my kids can learn that love is critical to everything that we do. It is amazing to have new experiences, but without love, they mean very little.

This week at CLC we are taking some time to talk about this kind of love. 

As Christ followers, we put our hope in a love that does not fail. There are times when our hope fails, but Jesus came to share God's Love through it all. As a pastor, I have the opportunity to see this everyday. As I visit church members in the hospital, I will regularly meet other church members there to do the exact same thing. It is wonderful to be a part of a community that loves one another. 

Today I hope we can all share a bit of this love. Christ loves us even when things fall a part. Let's open our hearts to all the grace God offers.

Blessings,

Pastor Brian

Summertime

I love summertime. Yes, it is hot in Las Vegas. It is also pretty busy here at Community Lutheran. We have a ton going on, and there were a number of unexpected difficulties that our church had to face. However, the summer offers a change of pace. There are new opportunities for people to grow and learn, and many are taking time for vacations. 

Over the last couple of weeks, I went on vacation to Minnesota to be with my family. I was able to visit my 98 year old grandfather, my children got to spend plenty of time with their cousins, and my parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. On top of all of that, we caught fish, went water skiing, caught fireflies, and ate lots of sweet corn. It was a great trip! It was wonderful to relax and enjoy each day. I think there is something really important about living in gratitude for the moment we have, and living in hope for tomorrow.

This week at CLC, we are going to be talking about hope. There are times when we can get stuck in a rut. We live just to get by, and it feels like we keep getting hit by one bad event after another. The story of Jesus asks us to stop and look around. We are to notice that we are beloved children of God. There are all kinds of gifts that we can embrace. It is important to take a breath and really look at the world. We are to notice the difficulties and the trials. We are also to notice that God's love is always near. 

Today, it is my prayer that we would all embrace God's promise of love. Perhaps it is hard for you to find hope in this moment, but Christ is calling us to open our eyes. We are asked to trust in the promise and believe that there is a light in the darkness.

Blessings, and here are a few picture I wanted to share from my MN trip!

-Pastor Brian

The whirlwind of the Spirit

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind. Earlier this month, our congregation celebrated Vacation Bible School. Our church was filled with children and volunteers, and we shared the wonderful news of Jesus Christ! After this, we celebrated the day of Pentecost and the arrival of the Holy Spirit in the church. This is always an important celebration and we also took time to lift up our confirmation students. These kids made a decision to let the Holy Spirit work. Confirmation gives these students a chance to confirm their faith, and it allows the church to stand beside them and embrace the journey that they are on... with all of its ups and downs.

After all of this, we welcomed pastors and leaders from all over Arizona, Nevada, and Utah into our church for a Synod conference last week. This gathering gave space to churches from all over to share stories of hope. It was such a blessing, but it was also a lot of work for everyone involved. 

When everyone from our synod went home, the church didn't stop. We pulled out a number of chairs from our sanctuary and we began our carpeting project. All of this is wonderful stuff, but the schedule is not slowing down. I am still looking forward to a couple of big trips for the youth group. They are heading off to leadership lab and their mission trip in just a few days. It is a lot, but good things are happening. (However, I feel like before I know it we are going to be getting ready for Christmas!)

As I look over everything that is happening, I am excited about all the ministry that is taking place. There is so much good news to share. However, I am also mindful that there are a lot of problems in our world. Over this past week, our church grieved the loss of Arthur Bergren our Senior Pastor's brother. This news was difficult to hear, and it reminds that there is always darkness to face. However, Christ is going to walk with us.

Today, I hope you can all remember that Christ is with you. It does not matter if you are in a busy season or a slow season. You may be in a season of hope or a season of despair, but Christ is walking with you. I pray that we would all open our eyes and see Christ's presence.

Blessings,

Pastor Brian

VBS Week!

This is a fun week at Community Lutheran! We are celebrating Vacation Bible School. If you never attended a VBS week, it is a time that welcomes all elementary age kids into the church. The kids have a chance to sing, hear a Bible lesson, do science experiments, and play games. The church has been transformed into an Alaskan wilderness, and we do our best to make everything extra special for each child. 

Every year we welcome all kinds of people into the church. Many of these kids do not have any religious experience, and they each are dealing with something in their lives. However, we make sure that each child feels that they are welcomed and loved. Jesus wanted his disciples to experience grace everyday, and he is still encouraging us to share these blessings with the world. I love these opportunities to reach out to others. I love seeing kids light up with joy. I love seeing our volunteers smile and make everyday special. Sometimes little acts of love will make a big difference in a child's life.

Today I hope each and every one of you can experience God's Grace. I hope you can appreciate the love around you, and believe that God loves you!

Blessings!

Pastor Brian

Radical Grace

 At Community Lutheran Church we are in the midst of a sermon series looking at our mission statement:

Every year we take time to examine God's call for our congregation. We are each blessed, and God is transforming us every day. This week we will discuss what it means to be a people of Radical Grace. I think the church has a reputation for demanding perfection. Many seem to believe there is no room for anyone who messes up or doesn't fit in. Jesus stood against that. Jesus came into the lives of people who didn't fit in. His disciples were not known to be the most influential or powerful. They were ordinary people. They made mistakes, but Christ walked alongside them. 

Today there are still a number of people who don't feel like they fit in. I have personally talked to a number of individuals in our church who almost gave up hope. They did not believe they would ever find a welcoming place. Some had been rejected at other churches. Others were told they did not fit in, and they could not use the gifts they were given to serve God. 

It is heartbreaking to think that so many incredible people could not find a home. We each have so many gifts, but unfortunately so many are led to believe that they don't matter. Today I hope we can all open our hearts to God's Grace. I hope we can let go of our burdens, and share more love into the world.

Blessings,

Pastor Brian

Share God's Love

A couple weeks ago, I had to opportunity to baptize my youngest child. Baptism is a special gift. It is a time to recognize that God has chosen us. Even when we can't fully comprehend this, we trust that God is working. 

I believe it is so important to live our lives with God's call on our hearts. There are going to be plenty of moments when we don't understand the greater plan. There will be times of suffering, and we will all face situations where we will feel like complete failures. I would never wish any bad event on another person. It feels terrible when we have to pass through the dark valleys in life. However, I also don't want my own children to live their lives in bubble wrap. I want them to be able to explore and make mistakes. I don't want them to face great pain or difficulty, but that is also part of what makes us human. I don't think it would be a good thing to simply slide through life without facing any kind of adversity. My personal prayer would be for each person not to lose hope. 

This world can feel pretty dark. It is possible to lose sight of the plan at any moment. However, even when we don't understand, God is present and walking with us. Today I am so thankful for this promise. As we celebrate Mother's Day weekend, I am also thankful for all the love that women have shown. Their love offers hope to the world. To me, it does not matter if you are a biological mother or not. We need all kinds of people sharing God's promise of hope in the world. Let's lift that up today!

Blessings,

Pastor Brian 

Christ is Risen!

Happy Easter Everyone! Christ is Risen!

I have always loved this season. Growing up I loved watching the snow melt and the plants start to grow and show signs of life. I also loved sharing the Good News. I loved the music, and I loved the joy people felt as we proclaimed that Christ has triumphed over the grave. 

Today I still love to share this Good News. I loved seeing my own children light up on Easter morning. I loved watching them search for eggs and sing their hearts out on Easter! There is so much to be thankful for this season. It is so easy to let the burdens on the world drag us down. The Good News of Jesus Christ is still needed today. 

For the next few weeks, we will live in the Easter season. We will continue to lift up this Good News. My question is: What burdens are you carrying instead of the hope of Jesus? Personally, I know there are a lot of things that can overwhelm me. Two weeks ago my wife came down with a case of vertigo. (I have never experienced vertigo before - but even watching someone go through it is miserable.) As she recovered, I was torn between taking care of her and all the other daily concerns. Between the kids, work, and regular chores... life was getting out of control. It took a few people connecting with me to says that I didn't need to do everything. I needed simply to be present where I mattered most. It was just helpful to hear kind words from others who let me know that they cared. 

Our words can offer comfort and hope. We still need to take time for the people who matter most, and we still need to reach out to tell these people of our love. All of this shares the Good News that Christ offered. Today I hope we can all open our eyes to the things that matter most. I hope we can hear the Good News from the people around us, and I hope we can take a little time to share the Good News with others. We can share a word from the Bible, or we can even share a smile with a stranger. Let's offer hope to the world!

Blessings!

Pastor Brian