Where Are We?

After worship on Sunday, March 25, a large group of our members gathered to discuss their feelings and perceptions about our congregation at the moment. The questions considered are listed below, along with individual responses to each question, which have been copied verbatim here. There were more thoughts during the meeting than just those represented here, but from these you will get a sense of our conversation. See the “From the Vicar” article in the April newsletter for more of my reflections, but as you can see below, the Holy Spirit was at work in these honest and faithful thoughts!

- Vicar Evan

Unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies...

Yesterday we heard Jesus confront us with something we try most of the time to avoid - death.  These days we do a pretty good job of keeping death at arm's reach.  However, as baptized Christians joined to the death of Christ, we find that death is not something to fear.  We need not run away from our humanity.  In the end, death is the seed of new life.

What does it mean to be a Christian?

Yesterday in worship I asked some questions.  Why do we come to worship?  Why are we Christians?  Why should we be Christians?  Who is God?  This passage from John 3 gives one of the clearest insights into the heart of God in all of scripture: God so loved the world....that he gave his only Son....God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him....

Journeys to the Cross: Enough Already!

As I mentioned in worship, Christ Lutheran is part of the northwest ecumenical cluster in Lancaster City, and this year we took a perhaps more active role in what has been an annual tradition for the cluster - the Friday Lenten luncheon and worship series.  I was so blessed to have the privilege of preaching on Friday, March 9, at St. John's Episcopal Church at Chestnut and Mulberry Streets.  The theme for this year's series is "Journeys to the Cross," and I chose to focus on the wilderness journey of Israel after God led them out of Egypt, and specifically on the manna story.  Check it out below!

Disappointed by the Cross

Today's reading from Mark 8 is the turning point in the gospel and an extremely important text for us who seek to follow the crucified and risen God.  Peter is deeply disappointed with Jesus' prediction of his suffering and death, just as we often are disappointed with what God brings our way or allows to happen in our lives.  But we will find that just as Christ is risen to new life, so God may resurrect our faith by creating a new future out of what seems hopeless to us.