In our mission statement we proclaim that we are a people gathered by God in the mountains for good.
And we are people continually experiencing the reformation of the church. A church that is passionate about personal and corporate expressions of spirituality and faith. A church which lifts up a life of prayer and wise stewardship.
Of course, we, as a congregation, as part of the body of Christ, can always be doing things to strengthen our prayer and stewardship practices. Yes, some of us have a strong, well developed prayer life…but if we are honest we will admit that some of us rarely pray outside of worship.
We know that developing a stronger prayer life involves discipline. Perhaps it means making prayer a habit the first thing each morning, before our meals, and before we fall asleep each evening. Prayers need not be long and involved or complicated. Prayers need to be simply sincere. By being in an honest conversation with God, by being in prayer, we are reminded that God is always involved in our lives…every day and every moment. The truth is, if we are conscious of God’s presence in our lives we will constantly find opportunities to pray throughout each and every day.
We can pray for our neighbors who are in need. We can pray for the victims of natural and human caused disasters. We can pray for victims of oppression. We can pray for everyone who gathers around us. There is no shortage of people to pray for. And the more we take moments to pray we will not only find that we begin to develop deeper relationships with those around us but that we find ourselves moving towards a deeper, faithful, relationship with God.
Of course, not all prayer is personal prayer. We also are involved in corporate prayer…especially on Sunday mornings. We also make prayer an important part of our team meetings. In prayer we share our concerns and our celebrations as well as ask God to hold in God’s arms those folks we care about and for which we have concerns.
We continue to pray for good and faithful stewardship practices. We pray that we will continue to be the generous people that God has created us to be. We invite each other to prayerfully consider how we will grow together in our giving of time, wealth, and talents.
I am grateful that Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church is a healthy congregation. During this season of reformation, let us pray that we will continue to grow in our ability to proclaim the Good News of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Christ’s Peace, Pastor Steve