Hello 2021

 As we say goodbye to the year 2020 (some will say good riddance!) it is good to remember that our God is in the midst of all that we do to further the kingdom of peace. This past year was a challenging one. A challenge to see where God was at work and a challenge to find much hope. With a divided country and misinformation taking the place of science it has also been a frustrating year.

As we say hello to the year 2021 not much will have changed. Our country is still divided and we still are struggling to convince people to physically distance, wear a mask, and now that we have a vaccine, to take it when it is your turn. Yes, we will have a new President, but it is still the same struggles. Yet, God continues to be in the midst of the work we have ahead of us.

For First Lutheran Church, we should be immensely proud of what we have continued to do to be a part of God’s kingdom work. We continued to support all of our social work through Lutheran Immigration Services, Lutheran Community Services, Compass Housing Alliance, Lutheran Disaster Relief, Lutheran World Relief, and our local organization HopeLink. We did all of this while not being able to physically be together to worship and serve our God. Yet, God is in the midst of this.

My prayer for the New Year is this: Lord God, what we do in this world matters. We ask that you continue to bless us in our endeavors to bring peace and justice to our communities. Help us continue to grow in our understanding of destructive structures that harm your people. Bring us peace. Amen.