As Christmas approaches, let me encourage you to be like Jesus by taking the first step towards another person.

What do I mean by this? Let me explain…

We understand that God took a step towards us when he came down to us (from heaven) in the person of Jesus. We call that the “incarnation.” God became human and took a step toward us to show us that we are loved.

Later, Jesus told the women at the tomb on Easter morning  to “go and tell” the disciples he had risen. After that, Jesus to the disciples to “go” and be witnesses to the love of Jesus.

Yet, we hesitate to “go” to others and show that love. Even at church.

Why?

In my sermon last week, I talked about the fact that we in the United States live in a “service-based economy.” In other words, we are accustomed to people catering to our wants and needs. We expect people to take care of us. From wait staff, to salespeople, to the person who rings up our groceries.

We are so used to people catering to us, we are surprised that doesn’t automatically happen at church. Suddenly, the church is labeled unfriendly because someone wasn’t treated like royalty.

Don’t get me wrong, hospitality is important, and it is something we value in our core value of “welcome.” The issue is not just welcoming others, the issue is “one sided hospitality.”

When an individual expects other people to do all the work but does not extend the same courtesy, it all falls apart.

We all should take a step toward each other. We all should take the time to greet and welcome people we don’t know. We have all the opportunity and choice to be like Jesus this Christmas and take a step towards others.

Oh and smile!

Merry Christmas and God bless you,

Pastor Ben

Yes, we are now in the unknown season of Advent. Most of the world is already in the season of Christmas but not us!

Most of the mainline Protestant churches and the Roman Catholic Church get ready for Christmas by entering into the season of Advent.

Advent literally means the “arrival of an important person or event.”

This is the time to prepare ourselves for the return of our King. We acknowledge in our creeds that Jesus will return one day. Advent is the time to prepare ourselves spiritually for Christ’s return.

We “practice waiting” for Christ’s return by preparing for Christmas.

As we await for the arrival (the advent) of Jesus, what else are you waiting for?

Beyond more money in your bank account, I would guess that you might be waiting for more: hope, peace, joy and love in your life.

I know it may be hard to believe, but you don’t have to wait for those things! They are available to you right now.

The issue might be where you are looking for those very things. If you are looking for hope, peace, joy and love in the world, you might come to the conclusion that those things are nowhere to be found. Maybe you are looking in the wrong place. Would you go to McDonalds for a ribeye steak dinner? Probably not.

What we are looking for is found in Christ. Hope, peace, joy and love are given by the Holy Spirit and available to you right now. Maybe it’s time to stop looking for these things externally and start looking upward (towards heaven) and inward (our souls).

Surround yourself with people who want the same thing and walk away from the negativity of others and even the media. In other words, draw close to Jesus and other faithful people as we await his return.

The next time you are in worship, take a moment to look at the Advent wreath in the chapel or sanctuary. The entire wreath has meaning.

• The circular shape: Represents eternity and God’s infinite love .

• The greenery: Symbolizes everlasting life and hope. 
• The candles: Represent the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love.
• The wreath as a whole: Reminds us of the immortality of our souls and God’s promise of everlasting life.

God bless you,
Pastor Ben

If you are a member of Community Lutheran Church, you know that I am a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s church council. Our church is a part of the ELCA.

I was appointed by our bishop over a year ago serve on our church’s national board. It is a great honor to represent CLC and our synod at the national level.

Every gathering consists of four days of meetings. I never knew there was such a thing as a four-day church council meeting before this!

I wanted to give you a snap-shot of the agenda items discussed and acted upon.

• We began by gathering in worship and celebrated Communion together!
• Update from the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church
  • This commission has been looking at how the church operates based on the constitution of the ELCA and other formational documents. They are bringing proposals for potential change to those documents.
• Reports from our Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, our Vice-President Imran Siddiqui, the Secretary of the ELCA, Sue Rothmeyer and the Conference of Bishops of the ELCA.
• A presentation of gender and racial inequality
• I sit on the Service and Justice committee where we heard the following reports:
  • World Hunger
  • Lutheran Disaster Response
  • Young Adult in Global Mission
  • Our ecumenical partnerships
  • Specialized ministries
  • Budget concerns
• Legal and constitutional review (revising and updating the constitution where needed)
• Information about the upcoming 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly of which I will attend as an ELCA church council member. After that event, I roll off the council.
• There will be a Presiding Bishop Election at the Churchwide Assembly in 2025
• Report from the treasurer of the ELCA
• Approved the 2025 budget for the churchwide organization
• Adopted a financial compliance policy for payments and re-payments.
• Report from the Vision Team that is shaping our future to be:
  • A Welcoming Church
• • A Thriving Church
  • A Connected and Sustainable Church
    
• Finally we heard reports from every committee and department within the ELCA.

A lot happens in four days! If you are curious about anything, just ask me!

We are a part of a great church body that cares about people and how we live out of the love of Jesus.

God bless,
Pr. Ben