Summer is upon us and with it comes vacation time, trips to the beach, Valleyfair, cookouts, town celebrations, the State Fair and much more. It is a time when activities in the church community take a break from the hectic pace of confirmation, JAM, Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. But soon we will ramp up again with our fabulous Vacation Bible School which this year will feature the “Rainforest.” I can’t wait to see what great designs take over our fellowship hall and altar area. It is jam packed within a five-evening timeframe – exhausting for many, exhilarating for many more.
June brings the annual Synod Assembly the first Friday and Saturday. This year will be extra special and humbling for me personally as I will be commissioned as a Synod Authorized Minister at the worship service on Saturday. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that someday I would be asked to:
Commit myself to the new trust and responsibility in the confidence that it comes from God.
Preach and teach in accordance with the holy scriptures and with the confession of the Lutheran church.
Carry out this ministry in harmony with the constitution of the ELCA.
Be diligent in my study of the holy scriptures and faithful in my use of the means of grace.
To love, serve, and pray for God’s people, nourish them with the word and sacraments, and lead them by my own example in faithful and holy living, and
To give faithful witness in the world, that God’s love may be known in all I do.
And I will with great emotion answer: “Yes, with the help of God.”
I definitely rely heavily on the help of God in this role I have been blessed to do, but I also know that I can only do it with the help of each one of you. Your encouragement and support over these last two years and hopefully for many more to come is what makes this life journey I have embarked on so enjoyable and I am thankful every day for the ability God gave me to do it.
So as the summer many times brings fewer people to church each Sunday morning because of activities we only get to take on in the short time of nice weather, take time to thank the God that gave us this creation to enjoy the beaches, the prairies, the picnics (ants included) and remember he is always with you. As we do every Tuesday at Living Meadows, remember to pray without ceasing.
My goal for the summer is to take time in meditation and reflection with God, to thank him for allowing me this responsibility. And to ask him to give me the words he wishes me to share with you each time we are together. Also to thank him for what he has given me. I sometimes wake up and wonder – what did God see in me that he chooses me to be on Jesus’ team. Whatever it was, may I always be a good teammate.
Enjoy the summer, in Minnesota we never know how long the warm weather will last. Thank God we get what we get, and we cannot have a fit! (Per Mary F.)
Just one of you in Christ - Ralph
