Be God's watering can
Pastor’s Ponderings
As we enter into late spring we have been blessed with bountiful and refreshing showers and with cool weather. I am looking forward to the greening of creation here in the valleys and on the hills as the dry earth responds to this life giving rain and warm sun.
Late spring also heralds the arrival of our friends who come to enjoy summer here in the valleys of the Rosebud and Stillwater Rivers. We welcome them as we see them in Absarokee or Fishtail and give thanks and praise that they join us in worship at Immanuel Lutheran Church on Sunday. We very much enjoy the fellowship of our “summer bird” friends here at Immanuel and we joyfully welcome them.
But there are many people in our community who are like the dry ground before the rains came this spring. They are parched and they desire the life renewing moisture of God’s baptismal promise. We can be like the rain the refreshes, revives and renews God’s creation. By our welcoming and engaging those in our community who are seeking a spiritual renewal, seeking spiritual refreshment we are like the rain that can nourish, sustain and grow people who are spiritually dried up. To paraphrase Paul in 1 Corinthians: we may water, but God gives the growth. Let us be faithful in our being a blessing to others, being the water that sustains and refreshes those who are thirsty for the Word of God, thirsty for a community and fellowship. A community proclaiming the Gospel by living the Gospel. The baptismal font holds the water, we spread the life giving waters around to others so they may not thirst.
I would ask each one of you to reflect and contemplate how we can share this life giving gift with others. How can we at Immanuel be more inviting? How can we be helpful to those who come, who may not have grown up in a church, let alone a Lutheran church? In many ways we do a good job in welcoming others; we are friendly; we joyfully engage in worship through song and our participation; we reach out, in, with, and through the Love of God to each other. This is truly a precious and gracious reflection of our faith and Love of God. We can always work at improving and fine tuning what we already do well. We should never be content with “good enough” we should always ask ourselves: is this the mission and ministry God calls me to, and is this the best I can do? By the grace of God we are always given another chance, another opportunity to respond to God’s love in our life. Jesus will continue to reach out his hand to us and bid us to go out and be faithful disciples to each other, each and every day, through the gifts God has so blessed each and every one of us.
Go out and be God’s watering can to those who are parched, thirsting for God.
As we enter into late spring we have been blessed with bountiful and refreshing showers and with cool weather. I am looking forward to the greening of creation here in the valleys and on the hills as the dry earth responds to this life giving rain and warm sun.
Late spring also heralds the arrival of our friends who come to enjoy summer here in the valleys of the Rosebud and Stillwater Rivers. We welcome them as we see them in Absarokee or Fishtail and give thanks and praise that they join us in worship at Immanuel Lutheran Church on Sunday. We very much enjoy the fellowship of our “summer bird” friends here at Immanuel and we joyfully welcome them.
But there are many people in our community who are like the dry ground before the rains came this spring. They are parched and they desire the life renewing moisture of God’s baptismal promise. We can be like the rain the refreshes, revives and renews God’s creation. By our welcoming and engaging those in our community who are seeking a spiritual renewal, seeking spiritual refreshment we are like the rain that can nourish, sustain and grow people who are spiritually dried up. To paraphrase Paul in 1 Corinthians: we may water, but God gives the growth. Let us be faithful in our being a blessing to others, being the water that sustains and refreshes those who are thirsty for the Word of God, thirsty for a community and fellowship. A community proclaiming the Gospel by living the Gospel. The baptismal font holds the water, we spread the life giving waters around to others so they may not thirst.
I would ask each one of you to reflect and contemplate how we can share this life giving gift with others. How can we at Immanuel be more inviting? How can we be helpful to those who come, who may not have grown up in a church, let alone a Lutheran church? In many ways we do a good job in welcoming others; we are friendly; we joyfully engage in worship through song and our participation; we reach out, in, with, and through the Love of God to each other. This is truly a precious and gracious reflection of our faith and Love of God. We can always work at improving and fine tuning what we already do well. We should never be content with “good enough” we should always ask ourselves: is this the mission and ministry God calls me to, and is this the best I can do? By the grace of God we are always given another chance, another opportunity to respond to God’s love in our life. Jesus will continue to reach out his hand to us and bid us to go out and be faithful disciples to each other, each and every day, through the gifts God has so blessed each and every one of us.
Go out and be God’s watering can to those who are parched, thirsting for God.
posted by RevLev at 8:23 AM
0 comments
