Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Building Disciples Together
So, if someone asked you
what was happening at Shepherd of the Hills, what would you say?
You might answer about
Generations in Faith Together (GIFT), our total-family Sunday school. You could talk about the Faith 5 becoming a
part of our worship and devotional lives, or our striving to think in terms of
discipleship not membership. Perhaps
you’d tell of our efforts for the food bank for October or look ahead to the
Alternative Giving Fair coming up in November.
You might talk about weekly youth meetings or youth preparing for the
ELCA Youth Gathering, an intergenerational game night, confirmation off to a
great start, or the wide variety of worship styles on Sunday mornings. Or Bible Fitness or choirs or Stephen
ministry or RE:New worship on Saturdays or the group going to the HPI soup
supper or men’s Bible study or women’s Bible studies or the “date for eight” fellowship
event-groups that are starting. Or, or, or…
There are so many things
happening at SOTH right now! Thanks be
to God!! We are a busy place but not
just a busy place. We seem to have
purpose in the things we do, like we are doing…mission!
So, how would I describe
our mission? Fair question, since I
asked you. The phrase that sticks in my
head right now is Building Disciples Together.
This is what I believe that God is calling us to do and be here at
Shepherd of the Hills.
Building
At SOTH we seek to grow
and build our faith, to pursue a deeper understanding of God’s will in our
lives, to press on to see what God has in mind for us. The Christian faith is dynamic, that is it’s
always moving and changing and we seek the presence of God to build up the body
of Christ (Ephesians 4:12) in this place.
Disciples
We’ve been saying it for
a while now—the great commission was not to go and make members! Jesus calls us to be disciples—followers,
learners and servants. We give because
God has given to us and instilled in us a need to give; we serve because Jesus
became a servant and we love because Christ’s love has been poured into us
(Romans 5:5). Being disciples takes
effort but we are fueled by the Holy Spirit!
Together
Shepherd of the Hills
values community—we do this disciple-building in community! We want folks to hear the invitation: you are
welcome at Shepherd of the Hills. We
value all generations and we celebrate the variety of people who have found
community among us. We also know that
faith happens in community, that is, we learn how to grow and love and serve
best when we are among others on the same learning journey.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
I never get tired of looking west. From my window, 
Long’s Peak and Mount Meeker
stand perfectly between the trees, as if someone had framed them just for
me. The Mummy Range peaks over the
foothills when the sun shines, providing a hint of their massiveness.
Mountain can evoke powerful emotions. They are symbolic—massive, unmoving, strong,
or cold, dangerous, foreboding.
Awe-inspiring and breathtaking, their grandeur reminds us of our
miniscule place—in status and location—on this planet.
But , in truth they are ever
changing, ground by wind and water, moving ever so slightly, pushed by subterranean forces unseen by human eyes.
They speak to us of larger things; of weather systems and tectonic plates, of ecosystems and microclimates.
And then there are the small things, mosses and marmots, petals and pikas.
You hike and walk and walk and hike and still, the mountain
is before you, as though it has taken a step for every one of yours.
To stand at the top of a mountain is to experience the
magnitude of creation in a way like no other.
When I see the mountains, I am reminded that the earth is a gift to us from God, the
Amazing Creator of this vibrant earth, with its myriad complex systems, given to us to steward and care for. We are called by God to take on this vital role as stewards of all we have been given. This call is wide and varied, from thinking about our “carbon footprint” to our footprint on mountain tundra.
As summer approaches and the mountains call us, go with
senses tuned to see and hear and touch and smell, even taste, the greatness of
our Creator in the majestic peaks and verdant forests of this amazing place we
live.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Hot Dogs and Cross-Cultural Dialogue
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/23/pastor-pitches-reality-show-about-dinner/
Monday, January 31, 2011
Salt and Light
David Lose, professor at Luther Seminary, has an interesting suggestion: he says "We have a hard time believing that we are good, worthy, and lovable and therefore will perhaps nod politely when you call us salt and light but not really believe it. (And while I think this is true of all ages, I think it's especially true of adults! We know ourselves too well; moreover, we believe our pastors are nice people paid to say these kinds of things!) For this reason, we need to actually show people that they are, in fact, salt and light. So I suggest starting a "Salt & Light Log." Really. Start asking people to collect examples of where God has worked through them to help someone else.
"Now, I warn you: this may be difficult for many of us who were taught never to boast. (Or, more accurately, we were taught that saying anything good about ourselves publicly is boasting.) So you may have to tell people that you really need them to do this. You know, to help you with your sermon. Or you might say that they can practice by pointing out where they see someone else being salt or light, but encourage them also to look and see where God is using them as salt and light, too."
Thanks, David, for the idea. Will it work? I have no clue, but that isn't going to stop us! We’re going to give it a try. How has God been using you as salt and light? Post it here or send me an email. I'd like to know. And, I have to preach on Sunday!