"For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" Galatians 5:13-14
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
In this month between Memorial Day and Independence Day we celebrate and give thanks for the freedom we have in this country.
Freedom, An important word. A life giving word. Maybe even a word that inspires us to dream of the future. Sometimes we think, "If I were free to do what I want, I would...." It's fun to dream. Sometimes though, we struggle with the concept. We think that freedom is found in the ability to do whatever we want, whenever we want. We think that freedom is a right for the individual.
But Paul in his letter to the Galatians wrote about a different kind of freedom. He was talking about a freedom from the regulations and traditions that hinder our ability to live fully as God has created us to live. He was talking about the gift of love and grace that we have received. A gift that removes the fear for the future so that we can freely live for today. This is not an individual freedom to do what I want but rather a freedom from worry about tomorrow. This freedom is centered in a concern for one another.
I was reminded of this the other day when I watched the movie, "The Book Thief." The setting of this movie was Nazi Germany and we see that as the war progressed the people lost more and more of their civic freedom. The story shows how as individual freedoms are peeled away, there are some who continue to find ways to live with another kind of freedom. A freedom that is found in caring for one another.
One day, a store owner is arrested for being Jewish. It is a difficult scene because most of the people are standing aside in fear. Then, the father in our story steps forward and tries to defend the store owner. He is not successful and is even injured as he is pushed to the ground. Later he laments his decision to act because he of the fear that his family (and the Jewish man they are hiding) were in increased danger. The young girl, Lisle, asks, "what did he do wrong?" To which she is told, "he reminded people of their humanity."
To be reminded of our humanity is to remember that we are all precious children of God. To be reminded of our humanity is to remember that even in the midst of fear, we can choose to love our neighbor. We do this not because we have any great power in ourselves, but rather we have received great power through that awesome love of God. We even have the power to stand up for another. That is holy freedom.
When I think about some of the issues that we face in our community and our country, I am thankful for this reminder. God has given us the power to see the humanity in one another. To recognize that we can disagree on political issues and still love one another as sisters and brothers. We can have different visions for the future and yet make the effort to dream together for a shared future. We can use our freedom to love one another, even when it is difficult. Thank you Jesus, for this wonderful freedom.
Peace and grace to you.
Pastor Nancy
Worship News
Mark your calendars for June 29th, for our 5th Sunday
Organ Music Sunday.
An invitation and Summer Small Groups
Last M
arch we receive an invitation from Lutherans Concerned to considered becoming a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Congregation. Congregations that identify this way are stating that our LGBT brothers and sisters will find welcome in our congregation. We are part of a synod that is RIC. For more information on this please visit socallutherans.com
I and the council believe that this is a decision that needs to be made by the congregation. But the decision should me made with some careful thought and deliberation. You, as a member or friend of Our Redeemer are important to this process. For this reason we are hoping to gather all of us into small groups for a summer small group Bible study. The title of the six-session study is, "Love is an Orientation" and is based upon a book of the same name. Please prayerfully consider joining in a group so that we, as a community, can learn, pray, and decide.
We have three groups: Sundays at 9am; Thursdays at 10am; and Thursdays at 6pm. Please contact the office for specific dates.
Thinking ahead - God's Work. Our Hands
September 7th will be another volunteer Sunday for the ELCA:
God's Work. Our Hands. We will pass out water again at the Ventura Marathon and we could use more volunteers for this. Also be thinking about other volunteer activities for the day. Make more GPS (homeless) kits? Do something in the neighborhood? Let me know your thoughts.
Read below for some information from the ELCA
What is "God's work. Our hands." Sunday?
"God's work. Our hands." Sunday is an opportunity to
celebrate who we are as the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America (ELCA) - one church, freed in Christ to serve
and love our neighbor. On Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014, the nearly 10,000 congregations of this church gather to serve
communities in ways that share the love of God with all
of God's people.
We are a church that rolls up our sleeves and gets to work. Whether it's 30,000 young people doing community
volunteer work at an ELCA Youth Gathering, the passionate volunteers of the ELCA homeless ministry network or the devoted members of our congregations who fight for peace
and justice in their communities every day, we are a church
that boldly does God's work of restoring and reconciling communities.
When one congregation or a group of congregations
gather for service in their local communities, they are
the church in that place, taking care of that part of
God's vineyard. But this is all work that we do
together. When one congregation works to feed
people who are hungry, that is also the entire church
coming together, says ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton.
