June 2013
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Lena was complaining to Ole that he never told her he loved her. He replied, “I told you that I loved you when we got married. If it ever changes, I’ll let you know.” Sometimes we avoid stating the obvious because it is, well, obvious. Yet, often our assumptions about life together aren’t enough; we need to state them.
Nowhere is that more true than what we value as a church. Our values remind us of who we are and also tell others what is important to us. Sometimes, a value is more “aspirational,” meaning it is one we hope to live into. Last month, we began a review of the proposed core values developed by the church council in its March retreat. We started with an introductory preamble: “We are a community of faith…,” which we pointed out has both holy and human dimensions.
Our first core value is also the focus the council has chosen for the year, “We are a community of faith … Gathering in God’s Love.” An explanation follows:
Worship or service, fellowship or meals, we value coming together, just as much as the purpose of the gathering itself. The importance of gathering is shown in many ways, but particularly at the Lord’s Table, celebrated at every worship service, where all of the baptized are welcome.
As the council thought about the many times we assemble as a community of faith, they realized that people enjoy gathering and working together for an occasion just as much as doing the actual event. For example, the fellowship and relationship building that occurs to put on the lutefisk dinner was just as rewarding as serving several hundred hungry souls. I can personally vow for the fact that the men of the church had just as much fun getting together for fellowship as we did serving the Mother-Child Banquet. Furthermore, I can tell that the Grace Lutheran Church Women enjoy their time of companionship as much as the many ways they serve.
Nowhere is this gathering in God’s love more significant than in our commitment to celebrating Holy Communion at every worship service at Grace where God’s love is given to everyone. One way this core value has been lived out is in our recent decision to practice Communion of the Baptized, as all are welcome to the Lord’s Supper regardless of one’s age or ability to understand God’s amazing grace and love.
There is much more one could say about this core value, but hopefully this enough to get the conversation started. What do you think? Is this one of our values? Do we need to say more? Regardless, let’s talk. Oh, and by the way, have I told you how much I love you lately?
In Christ,
Pastor Olson
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