The Joy of Christmas

This is an exciting week. I love the energy we have at church. Everyone on staff is brainstorming new ideas for all the services coming up, and there is Spirit of Joy that surrounds this time of Christmas. It's hard to put all the excitement into words, but I am certainly feeling the wonder of the season. 

In my home, my kids are counting down the days. Christmas break has started and my boys are running around with so much energy that I'll be surprised if we have much a house left by the end of their break. They have a lot of energy, and they can't wait to open presents. However, they are also are drawn into the mystery of it all. They are delighted by the magic of Santa Claus, and they are also asking more about the Christmas story. "Where did all of this come from?" There is a mystery to this story that began with Mary and Joseph so long ago. Mary started the journey believing she knew how her life was going to look. She was an ordinary peasant girl. She thought she understood everything she needed to know about religion. She believed God was far away, and God would only show up for a priest in the temple. However, through all of this, God comes to her. God becomes present in her life, and God completely changed her perspective of faith. Instead of being far away, God came to her. Love came to her. Divine Love came into the world to transform everything.

There are so many aspects of faith that I try to understand. Sometimes I pride myself in thinking I have it all figured out. I want to understand where my life is going. I want to understand religion. I want to understand everything. However, my children are focused on the mystery. They are open to beauty of the season and they are excited to see where all of this goes. 

I wonder what would happen if we opened our hearts to this kind of childlike faith. What would happen if we had the faith of Mary. What if we said, "Yes" to God's Love. Perhaps we could open ourselves to the exciting new opportunities of Grace that exist everyday.

Blessings,

Pastor Brian

Advent Joy

Are you ready for Christmas?

The Bible speaks of the importance of preparing ourselves for the coming of a King. Jesus showed up in the world two thousand years ago, but most of the people at the time were too busy to notice. They were too preoccupied with important decrees from the Emperor, new taxes they had to pay, and the daily frustrations of life. There were so many things demanding their attention that very few of them noticed a young family and their new baby being born in a manger.

Do you think you would notice the coming of a Savior? 

I have come to expect influential people to arrive with all kinds of pomp and circumstance. However, Jesus came into this would with the deepest humility. Today the Good News is that God is still with us. Christ is here. However, we may still find ourselves busy with other things. At Community Lutheran Church we are celebrating the season of Advent by taking a deeper look at our To-Do lists. Many of us have lists a mile long of things we feel like we need to get done. However, we are looking at what really matters this season. Are you so caught up in decorating and buying presents that you have forgotten to take a breath and remember the true meaning of it all?

This week we are remembering that God created us to be the light. We are commissioned by Jesus to share God's Hope and Love with others. This is incredible news. A week ago when I was setting up the Christmas lights on our house, I found myself getting into the spirit. However, I really felt the light when my kids came out and helped me hang the lights. The awe and wonder they shared inspired me. Today I hope you can all find that God's Light is shining on you. I hope you can feel God's Grace, and I hope you can share a bit of this love with others.

Blessings!

Brian Ward

Giving Thanks!

As I write this, I am preparing for Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas. There are all kinds of projects and worship services that we are gearing up for as a church, and I am really starting to get into the spirit. Some years, I feel like the holidays come too fast, but this year has been exciting. I love seeing the church's Glitter Team decorate. I love putting things on the calendar and rehearsing the services with kids. 

I am also planning a quick trip to Colorado to visit my wife's family over Thanksgiving. (Hopefully we have arrived by the time you read this. :) Presently, we are trying to pack the car, find snow clothes for our kids, and praying we can all stay healthy! There are a lot of things we could worry about, but there is still a sense of excitement in our house. It is hard to know exactly how everything will work out, but we are trusting in the Spirit!

I hope we can all open ourselves up to the blessings God is offering this season. In the church, we are celebrating Thanksgiving, and we will be lighting the candle for the first week in Advent. We have set aside this time to prepare for the coming of Christ and give thanks for all that we have. Far too often I can get lost in the busyness of the world. There are just too many things to do, and I lose sight of the things that really matter. Other times, I can get bogged down by all the little things. A negative comment that shouldn't cause me any concern can rub me the wrong way for days. One of the reasons I love getting away is to notice all the blessings in my life. I am so thankful for my family and my two boys! Even in difficult moments my children can become excited over some of the smallest blessings. 

Today I am praying that you would open your hearts to the goodness of God. When we find ourselves bogged down with heavy hearts, I hope we can reflect on the things that really matter. If our hearts are burdened, I hope we can turn this over to Christ. God wants to take away our pain, but we do have to turn it over. Let's give our worries to Christ and cherish the wonder all around us.

Blessings, 

Brian

Surrounded by Blessings

This past Monday, the electricity went out for a few hours at the church. At the time, I was preparing for a funeral, and fifteen minutes before the service started, the lights went out. I realized that many of the plans we had were going to change. The sanctuary was completely dark, and the microphones and videos were not going to work. Sometimes I fall into a trap... I start to think that the church is a building. It's easy to assume that if there are no lights, no microphones, no screens, then everything has to be canceled... However, this is never the case. The church is the people. When we gather together, Christ is with us. It is very convenient to have a building with electricity, but it is the people who create the church.

The funeral turned out to be a beautiful. We had to move a piano and set up chairs in the crossroads, but we had everything we needed and more. There was an opportunity to grieve, share memories, and celebrate the life. 

There are so many moments where we lose sight of the things that really matter. The Bible says that God is bringing an abundant Kingdom of Heaven to this world. We can miss out on God's good gifts because we are too worried about our own plans falling apart. 

This week in worship we are once again going back to our core values. We are taking time to think about serving others. When we see other people as part of the body of Christ, we live more fully into God's Kingdom. Instead of living only for ourselves, Jesus asks us to consider others. If we want to become great, God calls us to be a servant to all. I hope we can all ponder what it means to be a servant this week. I hope we can listen for God's Holy Spirit, and I hope we can open our hearts to all the Love that Jesus is sharing.

Blessings!

Pastor Brian

Blessings of the Spirit

 What are your core values?

Where is the Holy Spirit working in your Life?

We are in a sermon series that is taking a deeper look at who we are as a church. We all have gifts, and God's Spirit is working in us to reach out to the world. Christianity is not about memorizing facts to pass a test. Christianity is a walk of faith. It is learning to trust Jesus everyday and letting go of the fears that detract us. 

It strikes me to how easily we can be controlled by our small fears or concerns. This sermon series is taking some time to let go of the junk that is holding us back, and it is uncovering the image of God that we all have inside us. We are taking a deeper look at the Core Values that should guide us everyday.

Earlier this week, I was rushing my two boys out the door. We were scrambling around, trying brush teeth, look for lost shoes, and pack lunches. I was so concerned with trying to get out of the house that everything seemed like it was getting in my way. My two boys on the other hand couldn't care less about my concerns. My seven year old was having a blast telling a story, and my three year old was laughing hysterically. My older son wasn't really even trying to be funny; the two of them were just were just enjoying the time together. Sometimes I wonder why I am always in such a rush. Why do I need to plow through everything? Why not enjoy the Spirit that is right here?

This week we also remember the Reformation of the Church. The Reformation is a celebration where the Church returns to the Core Values that Jesus gave us. As a church, we can remember that the Holy Spirit does't require perfection or purity. The Holy Spirit is with us and we all have the opportunity to share the love that is in front of us.

Blessings!

Brian Ward

Confirming our faith

Over the past few weeks, I have had the privilege of working with our confirmation age students in the church. Confirmation is a special time that commemorates the journey of faith, and it is an opportunity for people to declare their trust in God. Usually this takes place in 9th grade, but after the pandemic we are opening the experience up to anyone who is interested.

I love working with this group of kids, and I love having honest conversations that guide and encourage us. Each person's story is sacred. Everyone is on a journey with Jesus. The only thing I wish I could change about confirmation would be the age limits we often put on it. I would love it if we all took a little more time to dig into our faith journey wherever we are at in life. So often, confirmation can turn into a class we feel like we have to take in Middle School or High School. We have a ceremony on a Sunday, and then we move on. We check it off the list, and people can feel like they are done. 

My hope is for confirmation to be a continual practice in our lives. Everyday we face different trials, and we see different blessings. The ups and downs of life are going to sculpt us. We can take time to talk to God and open our hearts to what Christ is doing along the way. It is often easy to ignore Christ's calling for us. We can become stressed out by the everyday forces that push us forward through the rat race.

Jesus tells us to stop and listen. Just as Christ called to his disciples in their fishing boats long ago, Jesus still calls to us. He is telling us to stop what we are doing and look at the opportunities we have around us. God is near. It is my hope and prayer that we would all take time to listen and remember that our lives are sacred and holy.

Blessings!

Brian Ward

The Blessings in Life

Last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to lead a retreat for the youth and families of Community Lutheran Church. We left on Friday for a whirlwind trip to Camp Lutherwood in Utah. The camp is located just outside of Duck Creek Village in a beautiful location around 7,000 feet. We left on Friday afternoon, and we came home on Sunday. Over those three days, we packed in a ton of wonderful opportunities to explore, worship, and experience the Goodness of God.

We didn't arrive to camp until around 10pm on Friday, but as soon as we got out of the van we were greeted with amazing views of the Milky Way in the night sky. The youth stayed up looking at the stars, laying on the grass, and just cherishing the beauty of our world. 

The next day we spent a lot of time exploring caves and climbing up slot canyons. The kids built new relationships, and they learned to work together. We also took time for worship, fellowship, and laughter.

I find that camp ministry is incredibly important. I grew up going to Green Lake Bible Camp in Minnesota. My wife and I met at Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp in Colorado. Today, I still see all kinds of opportunities to grow and experience the blessings of God in the abundance of nature. 

I find that it is so easy to fall into a rut in life. Routines can be a good thing, but I think we have to find times to break free. There is so much more to the world around us. God's blessings are everywhere, and spending time outside can remind us that we have so much to cherish and love everyday.

Today, it is my hope that we can all take a little time to acknowledge God's Gifts in our world. Let us open our hearts to the everything that God is offering!

Blessings!

Pastor Brian