SOTP-Newsletter Archives - Shepherd of the Prairie

September Note

From Pastor Mark

1 Peter 4:7-11

We are heading into another year of learning and leaning into the promises of God. One of the many ways we are called to lean into the promises of God is using the spiritual gifts we’ve been given to bring heaven to earth.

Shepherd of the Prairie is so blessed to have nearly 100 people serving on ministry teams. These teams include, Worship, Property, Community Outreach, Children, Youth and Family, Stewardship, Fellowship, Wellness, Mission and Finance. Wow…what a blessing!!!

Spiritual gifts: our talents, those things that we love to do, that we do well. These are the things that put us “in the zone.” Some of us are “in the zone” when we’re caring for others who are sick or lonely. For some, it’s cooking or baking. For some, it’s creativity. For some, it’s business. For some, it’s speaking or writing. For some, it’s solving problems or diffusing conflict. For some, it’s being a welcoming presence.

We all have spiritual gifts that we are called to use as we go about God’s work in the world.

What are your gifts?

How do you use your spiritual gifts in your daily life?

The early Christian church faced tough times. It was their hope and belief that Jesus would return soon, and their suffering will end. You’d expect, given that belief, that they might tend to wait it out, to focus on “life after death” instead of focusing on their neighbor.

But Peter instructs them to love one another, to serve each other and work for God’s Kingdom during all of their time in this life.

God calls us to use our gifts throughout our daily lives. Peter’s words remind me of a poem I read a few weeks ago called “Abou ben Adam” that I would like to share with you

Abou ben Adam (may there be more like him)

awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,

And saw, within the moonlight of his room,

Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,

An angel, writing in a book of gold.

Exceeding peace had made Ben Adam bold,

And to the Presence in the room he said:

“What writest thou?”

The vision raised its head,

And, with a look made of all sweet accord,

Answered, “The names of those who love the Lord.”

“And is mine one?”said Abou.

“Nay, not so,” Replied the angel.

Abou spoke more low,

But cheerily still, and said,

“I pray thee, then, Write me as one who loves his fellow men.”

The angel wrote, and vanished.

The next night It came again,

with a great awakening light,

And showed the names whom love of God had blest,

And lo! Ben Adam’s name led all the rest.

– James Henry Leigh Hunt (public domain)

Abu ben Adam found peace by being kind, generous, compassionate, loving, and tender.

Just so, Peter reminds us to model our lives after Jesus, to use the gifts God has provided, and pray for strength to love each other with forgiveness and humility.

Grace and peace to you as you continue to learn, lean into and share the promises of God!

Pastor Mark

Email Pastor Mark: pastormark@sotpmail.com

September Note

From Pastor Ryan

Get ready for October!
This coming October, we are going to be celebrating what it means to be Lutheran. We will look at our rich history, learn more about what we believe, and celebrate how SOTP is an important part of shaping the Lutheran church going forward.

Our Lutheran heritage will be explored and celebrated each weekend through worship, presentations, a movie, a dinner celebration, and even a party at Sew Hop’d! Events include, Lutheranism 101 with Pastor Bill, a screening of the movie Luther, a book study, a dinner with Rev. Rev. Dr. Martin Lohrmann from Wartburg Seminary, and the party at Sew Hop’d will feature a German band!

If you ever check out the ELCA website (elca.org) and read the sections on what we believe, you’ll find that the most influential documents for our church, outside of Scripture, are found in the Book of Concord. It is a hefty book that contains many documents from the Protestant Reformation that are critical to our faith. It looks overwhelming, but the Reformers who wrote the documents (Martin Luther, Philip Melanchthon, and others) wrote in ways that remain very readable for us, even today. Even so, it can be intimidating to pick up such a formidable text and try to read it. Fortunately for us, one of my seminary professors, Dr. Lohrmann, wrote a book called The Book of Harmony that serves as a companion to the Book of Concord. (Concord means harmony). It is fun read, and it gives us a great overview of our faith without having to mine the depths of other theological writings.

I brought this book to the attention of our other worship leaders, and all agreed we should incorporate it into our October plans. We will cover chapters 1, 2, 4, and 5 throughout the month. We are encouraging our 7s groups to adopt a discussion of the book as their plan for the fall. We are also looking for others who would like to form small groups to engage with the book. If you’re interested in getting such a group together, please reach out to Donna Kelly or me. By the time Dr. Lohrmann is with us on October 26 and 27, we will be more than ready to hear his remarks and engage him in great discussion about matters of the Lutheran faith. Pastor Mark is securing many copies of the book. You can contact either one of us if you’d like to purchase one.

We chose chapters 1, 2, 4, and 5 out of the seven total chapters because they cover topics relevant to where we see SOTP now and moving into the future. These chapters model the theme of the month; understanding where we come from while we discern how our faith moves into a flexible future focused on mission.

We will encounter a broad overview of the Book of Concord and explore themes from the early Lutheran Reformation We will learn about the Augsburg Confession (the cornerstone document that outlines our core beliefs) and see how it grounds our church in a shared faith, and gives us the kind of foundation that allows us to be flexible in how we serve others and worship in ways that are relevant for today’s culture. Lastly, we will dig into the Apology of the Augsburg Confession (a document Philip Melanchthon wrote to defend the Augsburg Confession against attacks from the Roman Catholic Pope and those loyal to him). Through the Apology, Melanchthon reinforces the relationship between faith, love, and good works (the church finds its life and mission not in its own strength or purity, but in the self-giving love of Christ – Book of Harmony, p. 87).

All this promises to fulfill an exciting, spiritual, energizing, and educational month. I hope this little teaser has given you some idea of what to expect and piqued your desire to take in as many of these events and opportunities as will fit your schedule! Please look for a more detailed schedule, slides, and registrations as we get closer to October! I look forward to seeing you as we celebrate who we are and where God is calling us to go!

Peace,

Pastor Ryan

Email Pastor Ryan: pastorryan@sotpmail.com

September Note

From Donna Kelly

Let us build a house where love can dwell and all can safely live,

A place where saints and children tell how hearts learn to forgive.

Built of hopes and dreams and visions, rock of faith and vault of grace;

Here the love of Christ shall end divisions:

All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.

Let us build a house where all are named, their songs and visions heard,

And loved and treasured, taught and claimed as words within the Word.

Built of tears and cries and laughter, prayers of faith and songs of grace,

Let this house proclaim from floor to rafter:

All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place. ELW 641

This is one of, if not the number one favorite hymn of mine. In it we proclaim God’s and our love for all people. Those who sit next to us in the pew, watch online. Longtime members, new members; old, young, and in between. Those who look and dress like us, those who don’t. Those who talk like us, those who speak differently. Those who fit our ideal of who a ‘Christian’ is and those who do not. But does what we proclaim in this song match how we welcome? I found this poem on, of all places, TikTok.

“You got hammered at the bar on Saturday but came to church on Sunday…