Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ!

It has been a tradition at St. James Lutheran to share prayers of blessing with our High School graduates as they prepare to open the next chapter of their lives. Over the years, this has taken various forms. Most recently, we have offered the opportunity for a personal prayer at the font with family. We have done this at the start of worship and it has been a special time for families. What a joy to pray with young men and women as they head off to college, boot camp, or enter the workforce.

Given our online reality during Covid, we will be taping these blessings and then playing them back during worship. We have mailed letters to all our 2020 graduates, inviting them to participate. On designated dates, I will share a prayer with them and their parents. Over the coming weeks, you will be able to witness these blessings as a part of worship.

Please keep in your prayers all our young men and women who are in times of transition. These moments are always stressful but especially so during the pandemic. We trust in God’s guidance and steadfast love for them. I pray that they will know of God’s presence as they head out, no matter their destination. I also pray that they will remember that they have a church home that loves and cares for them.

In Christ’s Light,

Pastor Walt