in advent an exile

Waiting in a line of traffic on a cloudy and late november afternoon when the air outside is crisp and damp,
listening to the din of public radio talk or the crooning of Nat or Bing singing "Chestnuts roasting..." or "I'm dreaming...", I find myself dreaming, but not of  a white Christmas.  For what do I dream?  The car creeps forward and stops, and creeps, stops, creeps...the short distance lengthened by the slow motion of my leaders.  For what do I dream as I wait in the car alone among so many others who drive alone toward a familiar or unfamiliar place?  About whom do I dream?  What longings are within me now?  What promised land do I strive to enter?  What holy place to I hope to inhabit? 

a letter to the church. Do the work of an evangelist

Dear friends,
"May Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." I wish to keep you aware of the ministry to which I am called as a servant of the Lord Jesus because we are partners in this ministry. Besides worship, the ministry of Word and Sacrament, prayer and visitation of the sick and homebound, and teaching, I am also doing the work of an evangelist. I want you to know that I could and likely should be doing evangelism work full time. (For one thing, to grow a small congregation the pastor mst be an evangelist, meeting new people all the time.) So here is the work of an evangelist:

I received a call today from  the Akron elementary school guidance counselor. She told me the stories of two single parents and their kids. These families are isolated from and do not belong to any intentional communities. They are open to going to church. But is church open to them? They are not connected to any people of faith and love, who believe it is their mission to reach out to the lonely, lost, and least among them. I believe we are called to that mission for those people in Akron. We are called to be a spiritual home and a faith family for these folks. We are being called to welcome and encourage and bless them. I intend to call them, visit them, invite them, offer what I can to them. I intend to follow up with all of the households who received food at the last Peter's Porch, too--some 62 households. In a rare and faithful expression of discipleship, I intend to go to them, rather than wait for them to come to us. What would our world be like if Christian disciples initiated relationships with non-Christians and non-practicing Christians, with the intent to serve them?

We are not a bank. I do not go to offer bailout money or other forms of financial assistance. We are quick to jump to that conclusion, that all people need and want is money for bills and stuff. But I have so much more to offer them than money. I can offer Jesus and His beloved community-- the church. We are the people who love others, when they are struggling, with a love that reveals Christ's promise to make all things new. We are light in darkness, hope in despair. There is a lot of darkness, fear, and isolation going on around us. What people need is the alternative story of the gospel, the good news of God's grace. People are starving and we have food! I intend to share it with them. Do you see that Peter's Porch is a sign to us that people need Jesus and His people? Peter's Porch is not an outreach of the congregation. It is God's mission. We are either faithful to it or not. Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few."

I am also visiting four inmates at LCP this week. I believe the fruit of at least two of these visits is the salvation of their souls---not that I saved them by visiting, but that our Lord has rescued them by giving them faith, hope, and love. One of them will be baptized and another will be welcomed to us when he is released on Easter Sunday!

And also, we will witness two Baptisms on Sunday, December 6 at 10:20 worship. I am also working on preparation for Baptism with another family. They will be baptized in the Season after Epiphany. So, you see the spirit's work among us as we serve our neighbors, welcome them into the church, and offer them God's grace? May we continue in this ministry as long as we are able with the help of God.
in peace,

Pastor Matt