“Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free; from our fears and sins release us; let us find our rest in thee. Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth though art, dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.” (Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus; ELW 254, Charles Wesley)
We have entered the season of Advent. In this season, we wait and prepare for the birth of Jesus.
“This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it! (This is the Day, Les Garrett, 1967)
I enter the month of October with this earworm stuck on repeat. I find myself humming and singing, “This is the Day” all the time. I sing, “Let us rejoice and be glad in it,” when I walk the dog, as I cook dinner,
This month, our confirmation youth resume their classes. Last year, they dwelt in the Small Catechism and learned what it means to be a Lutheran. This year, the youth are going to dwell in the scriptures. They are going to learn what the Bible is. They are going to experience the stories in the Bible. We start in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) in the year’s first half and move to the New Testament in the second half.
Grace Lutheran Church has had a vibrant summer so far. The community has come together to support the youth ministry of this congregation. As I mentioned last month, we hosted Day Camp. Fifty area children spent time in worship, Bible study, prayer, service, and play. With the support of Ewalu Bible Camp, our congregation came together to lift up and encourage these young children. Our confirmation students also spent a week at Ewalu,
“I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, God may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,