Dear Siblings in Christ,
Do you have a favorite story? Maybe it is a book or a movie. Maybe it is an old story passed on through dinners around the table with your family. Maybe it is a long told legend that explains something familiar or a little spooky. We all have stories we know and love. Stories that begin with a beloved character that unfolds into a journey that they embark on often not fully ready to go, but necessary. The stories we tell, read, or watch almost always end with the person being changed. They are different somehow from the beginning. They have learned new things. They have walked through challenges to come out on the other side different, hopefully better, but different.
Oftentimes we think of January as the time of new things, but realistically for many of us as summer spins into autumn, September becomes the month of beginnings and change. Kids start a new grade. New schedules are created. Even in church we get busier. Confirmation and Sunday school begins again. More meetings appear and we jumpstart the new program year. We begin the process of preparing for the difference between the warmth of summer and the winter winds. I love autumn for the newness and fall colors in brings, but I know the autumn brings the dread of change.
In this time of newness and change, anxieties and stress arise as we are sometimes uncomfortable with the shift from the relaxing summer to the busy autumn. The author of 2 Timothy writes “God didn’t give us a spirit that is timid but one that is powerful, loving, and self-controlled (1:7).” When we feel overwhelmed in this time we are given confidence from God that we have a spirit of love and power and we are filled with his guiding light. My prayer for you this September is that in the midst of the change of the season that you are filled with the Spirit of God that guides us in love and power to get through all things that come our way. Maybe, you will have a good story in the end, too.
With God’s Grace and Peace,
Pastor Leandra
Thank you to everyone who helped deliver Meals on Wheels in August.
Confirmation – September 3rd at 6:30-8 p.m. at Red Oak Grove
September 10th at 6:30-8 p.m. at Community Lutheran
September 14th – Cowboy Church at 10 a.m.
This will be an outside service (weather permitting). Please bring your lawn chairs. Lunch will follow worship. This is a combined service with Community Lutheran.
September 21st – Sunday School will begin starting at 9 a.m.
Coffee will be served before church starting on September 21st at 9 a.m.
If you are running low on Offering Envelopes and need a new supply, there is a sign-up sheet in the narthex. Deadline for signing up is November 2nd.
We are looking for Lectors to read the scripture on Sunday mornings. There is a sign-up sheet in the narthex if you are interested.
Red Oak Grove Lutheran Church 