Stewardship MessageWe are truly a blessed people. The members of this congregation have enriched my life in more ways than I could ever recount in a simple article for the Augustanan and I know that the interactions I have with you are the Grace of God working in my life. In my opinion, although Lutherans believe in witness, we are weak on that front. I am stepping forward to encourage all of you to witness to the Joy we have through the power of the Holy Spirit and our risen Savior, Jesus Christ. I encourage you to share what your beliefs are with others.I believe in One God. I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s Son my Savior. I strongly believe in the power of the Holy Spirit because it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that I can accept Jesus. I am one of the doubters that Pastor Heinemeier spoke about on the Sunday after Easter. My favorite of the Church festivals is Pentecost because without Pentecost and the power of the Holy Spirit, the Breath of God in our daily lives, I do not think that any of us would know the love of God or the power of God. I fully embrace the power of the Holy Spirit. There came a point in my life that I realized that if I could accept the power of the Holy Spirit in my life, that I had to accept the reality of Jesus and work to make Jesus part of my life. I’m still working on Jesus, but the other two are absolutes. Actually there is a third absolute in my life and that is that I am saved by no merit of my own but purely by the Grace of God through the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through me daily. Sometimes I oppose this gift, but I know that it is always there waiting for me to claim as my own. This church gives us the opportunity to truly praise God and expand our faith as-well-as witness to and give thanks to God for the Gift of Grace. The Gift of Grace and the love that God shows us on a daily basis, quite frankly, overwhelm me. This is particularly true when I have the opportunity to worship with you. How each of us responds to the Gift of Grace is purely personal. I encourage everyone to think about their response to the Gift of Grace. I encourage you to expand your witness to the Gift of the Grace of God; be that an article for the Augustanan, a new pledge, an offering of your time as part of our ministry, or a conversation with someone you know or don’t know. I encourage you to make your faith known. Your Fellow Servant of the Risen Lord, |
Stewardship Message |
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Augustana Lutheran
Church Church Office
Hours: |
office
phone: 202-234-5315
voicemail: 202-234-5312 fax: 202-234-5724 email: office@augustanadc.info pastor@augustanadc.info theaugustanan@augustanadc.info |
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Updated:
July 18, 2004
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