Here, on the 8th Sunday after Pentecost, we hear Jesus’ warning about the lure of greed and his profound parable about a “foolish” man who receives many blessings, but decides to build bigger barns to keep these blessings for himself and his own future security (Luke 12:13-21). The New Testament lesson from Colossian 3 encourages us as followers of Christ, to “seek the things that are above” and to put aside all those earthly behaviors that distract us from being one in Christ with one another and all people!
You would have been so proud of our youth this past week on their Mission Trip to the “mystery” destination of Washington, DC. They endured bus challenges, slept on church floors, walked thousands of steps in the heat, shuttled on public transportation, began and ended each day with worship, shared powerful faith conversations, all on 5-6 hours’ sleep per night, getting up before 7 each morning. They delivered your donated canned goods to the 2nd Harvest Food Bank, supported by our first host church, St. James Lutheran in Fayetteville. They moved on to Redeemer Lutheran in McLean, VA and spent an entire night selecting & purchasing 100’s of items from funds they had raised, to pack blessing bags to distribute themselves to dozens of people experiencing homelessness. They toured the capitol building & learned about the N Street Village ministry serving 100’s of women at Luther Place Lutheran Church, only blocks from the White House. They engaged in deep reflection on what they saw at the Holocaust Museum, the African-American Museum, the Museum of American History.
They witnessed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, prayed over names they found etched on the Vietnam & Korean War Memorials, held candles of hope standing on the spot where Dr. King spoke about a dream, and shared holy communion their last night at the Lincoln Memorial. Their Mission theme was “See More Clearly” – and every day they engaged in Scripture to help them see themselves, others, and the world more clearly through the eyes of Jesus. Go back and check your special edition daily e-mails from this past week to see photos and more.
On Sunday, we hear another inspiring message from Pastor Carl, with a special anthem by Seminarian Adriana McMurphy. If you can’t be here in person at either 8:15 or 10:30, you can still worship online at 10:30 or from the parking lot with FM transmitter. Whatever way is best for you … “When Peace like a River” won the vote for this week’s Sending Hymn. We look forward to worshipping together on this Sunday to experience the true peace of Christ, in our hearts & souls!
