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

Trusting God

I have learned a lot in my years of ministry, but one of the hardest lessons to grasp is the understanding that I am not in charge. Sure, that should seem obvious. We confess every week that God is the only one who knows what is to come. However, I can still convince myself that I can control my own destiny. If I do everything right, I want to see the results. It doesn’t matter if I am talking about my own personal life or if I am talking about my profession as a pastor. I want to believe that I am in control. 

I had all kinds of plans going into this summer. I thought I knew everything about the mission trips we would be going on with the Youth Group, and I thought I knew what would be the most impactful ministry. I believed I knew the best ways to travel and connect with my family. However, everything was flipped upside down when my family got Covid. I had my plans, but I was forced to change to see how the Spirit was going to work. 

The Youth Group wound up discovering all kinds of new gifts, and we saw new opportunities for mission as we reached out to God’s people in new ways. My family had to change our vacation plans four times to accommodate all the ups and downs of life, but it all worked out. I was not in charge, but God’s Spirit was working. There was all kinds of ministry taking place from the mission trips, Vacation Bible School, and one on one time with family and friends. God is always there for us, but we have to be open to new possibilities.

Today I hope we can trust in the Good News of Christ. I hope we can listen to God’s Word, and I hope we can trust in God throughout this journey of life that we are all on. 

Blessings,

Pastor Brian

Trusting the Wisdom of God

Our current sermon series is focusing on the Biblical book of James. This is a fascinating letter filled with wisdom and insight. In fact, it is often considered the only wisdom book in the New Testament. However, the book has been the source of a lot of controversy. James encourages people to live their faith out loud. Faith is not a secret that people can somehow discover and tuck away like a magic key. Faith is about living life, making mistakes, and choosing to grow everyday. James makes it very clear that we are all walking this path of life. At times, we will choose to trust God. At other times, we will fall short and miss out on on the blessings God offers. 

Some of the early leaders of the Protestant Reformation did not fully appreciate everything James said. They had been so badly hurt by the church they found the message of James too harsh. They thought James was telling people what they needed to do to get to heaven, and they couldn't hear the hope James was sharing. The church, at that time, had given people a great burden of fear, and it tainted how they saw God. 

Today, James is still offering wisdom. There is a lot of hope that can be found in living and trusting in God. However, we still have a lot of baggage. Like the people long ago, if we don't understand God's Grace first, we will not be able to fully appreciate James' message. Our fears can make us see God as angry or unhappy, but that is not who God truly is. God is encouraging us to make mistakes and continue to learn. Christ will always be there to pick us up.

Last week, my youngest son turned four years old. He was delighted to play with his friends, eat birthday cake, and generally run around like a crazy man! :) We all had a great time celebrating. Looking back, it is hard for me to believe he is four years old. In many ways, the time has gone way too fast, but it is just as unbelievable to think that four years ago he was a newborn baby. Children are always learning and growing. It is exciting to see my boy climbing and doing the monkey bars, but it is just as amazing to hear him say that he is sorry for hurting someone else. He is not perfect, but he is wants to help others. He is doing the best he can in a messy world to find his own way of sharing God's blessings. 

As an adult, I don't always look for new ways to grow. Instead, I will look for ways to prove that I am right. I hope we can all take a little insight from James. I also want to take some wisdom for children. We all need to be willing to grow. We all have the ability to make an impact, and we are all loved by God. Let's open our hearts to this love today!

Blessings!

Pastor Brian

The Wisdom to Grow

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to spend some time with a 90-year-old member of our congregation. He invited me into his home, and I was blessed to simply chat with him. He didn’t have me over to complain or worry about the world. I was there because he wanted to ask questions and listen to the Spirit. He wanted to ponder the blessings of baptism and he wanted to give thanks for all that the Lord has done. I was astounded by his desire to grow in faith. There are days I know I can become complacent. I stop looking for surprises, and I can become bogged down by the complaints or frustrations of the world. I walked away from our time together inspired. Christ calls us to see the blessings, and I am thankful for the opportunity to share these moments with others.

This weekend we will be continuing our sermon series on the Book of James in the Bible. James is a wisdom book, and wisdom has a special place in our scriptures and in our lives. We are taught to learn from our experiences and grow from our mistakes. Biblical Wisdom does not shame us for our failures, but it does call us to grow. We are taught to listen to the voice of God, and we are told to incorporate God’s love into our lives. 

Are you at a place where you can listen to God? Are you open to receiving the gifts of the Spirit? God calls each of us, whether we are 2 years old or 92 years old, to grow. Christ wants us to learn lessons from the world around us, and we are taught to believe that the Love of God surrounds us in all we do. Today it is my prayer that we would all open our hearts to these gifts. If we realize that our hearts are heavy, may we give those burdens to Christ? There are new blessings for us each day. Let us cherish all that we have. 

In Christ,

Brian Ward

A Monumental Week!

We are celebrating Vacation Bible School at CLC, and this has been a Monumental week! VBS is a time to welcome kids from the neighborhood into a time of ministry and grace. There is fun, excitement, and a lot of God's Love. I remember going to VBS when I was a child. I made all kinds of new relationships, and I experienced God's Blessings in all kinds of new ways. As I got older, Vacation Bible School offered opportunities to serve, and I still love sharing the Good News in the midst of this exciting week. 

I meet regularly meet people who believe God is irrelevant to our world. What could God possibly have to offer me in my life? However, I also read that things like loneliness, anxiety, and depression are becoming more and more prevalent, and I also understand that many people feel like they are falling out of control. 

I believe the church has always offered hope to the world. There is joy in the community here. Sure, there is also brokenness. There are moments of failure, defeat, and even death. However, the church is a community that says we believe in hope over death. We believe that we can always stand with Love. We believe that God Loves us so we can love each other. 

This week we are beginning a new sermon series on the Book of James in the Bible. James is know for being a book all about putting faith in action. It is important to share the Good News of Grace, but we are also told to go out and live with God's Love in our hearts. This should not be a burden. It should be exciting to share the blessings.  

Personally, I feel Vacation Bible School offers this love to the world. It is an opportunity to show how God feels about us. Today I hope we can all take a little time to experience God's Grace. I hope we can believe God loves us, and I hope we can put our faith into action!

Blessings!

Pastor Brian