From The Pastor

Grace and Peace be with you all.  

“Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people” 1 Peter 2:10a  

On September 9, we had our welcome back Sunday here at Augsburg. It was wonderful to see so many folks that I hadn’t seen over the summer. In my sermon that day, I asked “Why do we come to church?”  

I’ve heard it said that some people come to church because they like to sing. Great! But why don’t they just join a community choir? I’ve heard it said that people like to come to church because they enjoy the social and service aspect. Terrific! But, why don’t they join a club like the Lions or the Optimists or one of the countless other community groups?

At the end of the day, we need to remember that church, Augsburg Lutheran Church, is more than just a choir, service or social group. Yes, we sing together and we are social together and we serve others; but we are all of these things because God has called us together to sing our praises and be servants to others and to come together to as a community. We are called to be part of God’s community.

Being part of God’s community means that we look at the bigger picture. God’s call for us is one that makes us strive for a new way, a way that is life giving to all creation. Together as God’s community we share our whole lives, the good and the bad. God’s community is a place where we are able to be vulnerable with one another, and question and challenge each other.

The whole Bible is filled with stories about people coming together to be a community. Jesus could have wandered around Israel by himself, but he did not, he called his disciples to come together as a community. We come to church because God calls us here. We are called to be God’s community.