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

My two previous blogposts express the importance of integrity and truth. I want to add another character trait that Jesus lifts up as important for every child of God.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5

Meek? Really? We don’t use this word very often and it only shows up in the Bible a total of four times. How significant is this characteristic of the Kingdom of God? Very.

Before, I share with you the importance of incorporating meekness into your life, let me define the word for you.

Meekness relates to gentleness or having a mild disposition. Being meek towards God means to surrender and submit to God’s will without grumbling or complaining.

In a lot of ways, meekness is a polar opposite of self-interest and arrogance.

Jesus said that God’s favor rests on those who are gentle and fully submitted to God. People who possess that trait will be leaders in God’s Kingdom.

This reflects what King David wrote about in Psalm 37. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. Psalm 37:11

There is a promise associated with meekness. That those who are gentle and perceived to be weak by the self-interested and arrogant will one day be “calling the shots.”

I don’t know about you, but I have very little time or energy for those who think they are more important than others and are loudly arrogant about their superiority.

I am weary of those who need to brag and think they are the smartest people in the room. When I think about the words of Jesus, I realize people like that are far from God. It’s more than their spiritual distance from God, they have no interest in a true abiding relationship with Jesus.

Remember what Jesus said about such people, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21

Jesus knows that there are people who claim to be Christian and use that title to influence others. Ultimately, they are not in relationship with Jesus, and it is evident by their “fruit” (see Matthew 7:16) i.e., their actions and attitude.

If being meek was not on your “radar” this week, it’s time to incorporate gentleness into your character. It is time to seek out the gentle people in your life and spend time with them.

Why? Because they are blessed by God. We can learn from them.

God bless,
Pr. Ben