Category: From the Pastor

The except on our cover from Martin Luther’s treatise Concerning Christian Liberty highlights and reminds us that living a life according to Jesus (or as best we can replicate) is not a personal, solitary existence. Rather Luther appropriately reminds us that as Christ was called to serve, we too are called to serve each other, “…a Christian does not live in himself, but in Christ and in his neighbor…”

Luther was right on the mark with that statement. And I’m thinking of the truth of this statement particularly in terms of how the Holy Spirit community lives out that statement: first to the expression of the Gospel in the Lutheran tradition, and secondly how that same community provides for the ministries we have been called to participate in from year to year.

Times come when we must review how we contribute and participate in those ministries of this congregation. I’ve been thinking about this for myself, and I think it’s time all of us do so as well. I believe it comes down to some simple terms: Show Up and Step Up!

Show Up and Step Up means being present and active in the life of the congregation. Be present and involved at worship. Strive to grow through Christian education.  Increase how you contribute in both serving when asked and yes, in your weekly giving.  All of this is needed now in order to continue the ministry of Jesus from this place, and to further develop a congregational character that reflects how Luther envisioned Christian service and freedom.

Clifton D. Eshbach

Pastor

 

Starting Wednesday, September 16

Weekday Morning Bible Study withPastor Eshbach

9:30 a.m. In the Pastor’s Study

 

Come to the “The Study in the Study”

 

Welcome to our annual summer double issue covering the months of June and July. There is a lot to read in this edition. So please take the time to look at each article and schedule.

Every item in this newsletter helps us reflect on our life as a parish; how we worship, how we serve the world and how we serve each other.

At our recent congregation meeting I introduce five themes which will direct our ministry going forward from here. They are the concepts of:

Radical Hospitality

Passionate Worship

Risk Taking Mission

Extravagant Generosity

Intentional Faith Formation

Over the next year (and beyond) we will be exploring how we define these concepts at Holy Spirit and how we will apply them to our mission to share Jesus’ love in word and deed.

I think it is correct to say that if the church of the future wishes to have a future, it must embrace these themes with vigor and energy. Doing so will align us with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, making us a new, more open, more relevant house of faith to people who are seeking such a community from which to practice their faith and service.

I’m excited about what can arise from our efforts!

CLIFTON D. ESHBACH

Pastor

 

I hope you can remember back to the first weeks of the celebration of the Easter season. They were glorious celebrations of the resurrection! There was active participation in our word and sacrament worship. Singing children. Singing adults. Good weather to hunt eggs. Good attendance. And of course, the two week story of the chocolate bunnies!

There has been a very good spirit exhibiting itself at Holy Spirit. Now we are approaching the Day of Pentecost, the day when we recall how people of diverse backgrounds and nationalities came together and could, in their own voices, also exhibit a good spirit of proclamation as they went out to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

This is a good example for us to remember as we progress through these next months of the year. As the early church found their voice and worked together, so must we. We have some projects to take on, some planning to do. All are things which will move forward the ministry of Holy Spirit.

That’s the direction we’re headed. Forward. I look to your continuing participation in worship and the mission of the congregation, so that Christ may be shared.

CLIFTON D. ESHBACH

Pastor

 

In the days leading up to Ash Wednesday, I was privileged to have the opportunity to read something really important. After finishing my reading, I just sat quietly for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and gave thanks for what I just read.

What I had just read, at one sitting, was all forty of the devotions that appear in our Lenten devotional book. While the primary task was to make any edits that were necessary, I just marveled at the spiritual insights and spiritual depth contained in our little booklet.

In this booklet, there are prayers, meditations, text studies, poetry, and honest revelations of how God is working in your lives. I am very grateful to everyone who contributed to the book, and equally grateful to you who are spending a small part of your day reading each daily devotion.

Friends, this is what sharing your faith is all about. This devotional booklet is a perfect example of how we share our faith. You who contributed to the book as well as you who did not are capable of sharing your faith in a meaningful manner.

Therefore there should not be any hindrance to you sharing your faith with a neighbor, co-worker, friend, or family member, and then taking the next step, which is inviting them to be part of our weekly fellowship of the worship of God in word and sacrament.

This needs to happen. As we move through the remaining days of Lent and prepare for the most holy week of the year, give great consideration to your ability to share and invite. This is something all of us must do, as we share Jesus’ love in word and deed.

CLIFTON D. ESHBACH

Pastor