I’ve just returned from the annual Fall Bishop’s Theological Conference. The attached picture is of a small portion of the Gull Lake shoreline. I love Fall. It is a beautiful time of year. There are apples to pick, pumpkins to gather, and fireplaces to gather round.
But on my drive up north, as I witnessed all the changing colors, a familiar melancholy feeling settled into me. The world around is changing again. One season is passing and a new one has begun.
The St. James faith community is experiencing a season of change. Change can be unsettling. Transition stirs up uncertainty and feelings of loss. It’s important to name the emotions we feel. Recognizing them helps bring the work of this faith community into focus.
The mission that lies at the heart of the faith community at St. James Lutheran Church is none other than God’s mission. The pastors, the staff, even the congregation as a whole, do not own a mission. The mission here is God’s. Together you are invited to participate in that mission within the building where you congregate, in the surrounding community and around the world.
God is just as present with you now as at any other time in your history! This time, this “interim time,” is not wasted time. It is a time you are gifted with to renew your identity as the daughters and sons of God in this place. This is a time for you to remember that it is upon you, each one of you and all of you together, that the Spirit of God is poured out. It is a time for you to revitalize your commitment to live into and out of the mission of God in this place.
As we use this interim time to do these things, and do them well, you will prepare yourself for what God has in store for you next. Refocusing again on who you are as God’s people will help you see more clearly who it is that God is preparing to walk alongside you on the next phase of your faith journey. This is not wasted time. It is God’s time, God moving you from life to life. Thanks be to God! - Pastor Lamont