Your shepherd knows who you are

In this world, so often we are unknown to each other.  We live our lives with few people knowing who we really are.  Hardly anyone takes the time to listen and understand us.  But Christ, our shepherd, knows exactly who we are.  He came so close to us so that we could know him as he knows us.  And he's calling us to let go of our fears and anxieties so that we might get to know those around us as well.

GOD SIGHTING!

Attention people of Christ Lutheran, our God has been sighted at work!!  Sue Maser has a story to share about some Easter grace in the world and in her life...(this was written during Lent, FYI)

You are all witnesses of these things

Today in worship we witnessed the baptism of three of God's children, as they were named and claimed by God forever.  We are witnesses to this inbreaking of God's grace into the world, just as the disciples were witnesses to the risen Christ who came to have a meal with them!  See...taste...touch...hear...and speak the God who comes to have a meal with us, who sends us to share his meal with others...

Prophets of a Future Not Our Own...

March 24 was the commemoration of a twentieth-century saint, Oscar Arnulfo Romero, who was the archbishop of San Salvador (capital of El Salvador), when he was killed while celebrating mass in a hospital chapel.  He had taken the side of the people in a time of great political upheaval and even civil war in his country.  He also was a faithful and insightful spiritual leader, and the following meditation is one attributed to him.  It has often spoken to me, but I think it speaks to all of us.  In our efforts at CELC, we cannot do it all, but what we can do, we can do well through the God who strengthens us.  Sometimes, we can only plant the seeds.  Often, we must take the long view.

We declare to you...what we have seen!

Most of us who have heard this story from John's gospel today know that it is about "believing," that is, about our faith.  Thomas, like the rest of the disciples, and like us, needs an encounter with the risen Christ in order to believe.  And so we ask - where have we felt the marks of Christ's hands and side?  How are we BEING those marks for others?  How are we embodying the resurrection so that others might come to believe and have life in the name of Christ?

They didn't tell anyone?

When we hear Mark's account of the resurrection, we almost cannot believe that the faithful women who come to visit Jesus run off in fear, sharing the good news with....no one at all!  Mark's story leaves us unsatisfied, waiting for someone to come and pick up the gospel to take to the world!  Sometimes we also run off in "terror and amazement," but it is us, you and me, who get to bear this gospel message.  We get to go to Galilee with our risen Lord Jesus to be about the good news in our actions and also our words.

Surprised by grace...

At Maundy Thursday, we hear the story of Jesus stooping down low to wash the feet of his disciples.  We see our Lord humbling himself, as he prepares to empty himself on the cross.  We ought to expect judgment from our God, but instead we find him at our feet, washing us in his grace.  Just another time we're surprised and astounded by the unending love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Epistle of James

Luther may have called the epistle of James "the epistle of straw" because it seems to contradict some of Paul's teachings, but it is filled with insights for our lives of faith.  In fact, James speaks of good works as the fruits of a firmly rooted faith.  We will be studying James in the Tuesday afternoon Bible study beginning today, and we would love to have you join us!  Click below to see what we'll be discussing: