Hello, Peace! Happy Friday!
You may have noticed that I’ve mentioned my family a few times already, so I thought it was time to put some faces with the stories! This is my husband, Anthony, and our three adult kids (Emma, Maddie, and Jeremiah). Our youngest turned 20 this week which means we no longer have a teenager in our home/family for the first time in 13 years! A strange ending of an era…with them being adults these days means I can no longer simply tell them where to be on Sunday morning. 😉
So with my own children mostly grown, I am grateful to celebrate the children and youth of this congregation! This Sunday, we’ll celebrate some of the youngest members of our community as they receive their Bibles during worship! We also have just kicked off both Sunday School and Confirmation in the last week, and I’m so excited to watch our young people learn, question, grow, and discover what it means to live out their faith.
As I look at our Bible passages for this coming Sunday, I can’t help but notice that there is something wonderfully uncomfortable about the Gospel reading. Jesus tells a story about two sons: one says “no” to his father but eventually goes and does what he was asked to do; the other says “yes” but never actually shows up. It’s a pretty good reminder that there can be a significant difference between what we say and how we actually live. And then our Philippians passage also reminds us that following Jesus isn’t just about what we say; it’s about how we live.
So we’ll spend some time wondering: What does our “yes” to God actually look like? Our calendars, bank accounts, and even our browser histories might tell us more about how we actually live than our words do. Thankfully, Paul reminds us that we aren’t doing this alone: God is already at work in us.
I’m looking forward to celebrating the work God is already doing within each of us and worshiping with you Sunday!
Grace and Peace,
–Pastor Anne Schaefer
P.S. If you haven’t yet, I invite you to print out this game, fill it out, and drop it off back at church in the offering plate or the church office. Printed “Getting to Know You” game sheets are on the nametag table.