Celebrating 100 Years

Today we celebrated 100 years of the Lord's faithfulness. When the church was built, the community came together to help. Deep down in our DNA, there was a desire to be there for the community. So, you see, the name Community Lutheran Church was no accident. There is an emphasis on community. It was amazing to see both services pretty full. The voices filled the building when hymns were sung. Our Presiding Pastor of our association shared a message with us from Hebrews 13 declaring that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He shared how, through the Old Testament, Jesus is woven through it all. The message was followed by the hymn, “The Churches One Foundation” which it goes on to say is Jesus Christ, our Lord. There has to be a realization that this is not our church, but rather the house of the Lord. We are to be His stewards carrying out the work that needs to be done... directing, maintaining, and declaring the good news. After the worship, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch of fried chicken, potatoes, meatballs, etc. There was the feeding of the soul and then the feeding of the body. After dinner was done, we joined back again to celebrate God’s grace and faithfulness. We started with some special music, a prayer, a reading from Psalm 84 where the Psalmist declares, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than live a thousand years elsewhere.” It was a reminder that there is no better place to be than walking with the Lord and serving Him in any way He calls us. After that, there were memories shared which consisted of laughing, tearing up, remembering dear friends, and especially remembering how precious it was to grow up in a church that gave such a solid foundation in the lives of many. It was a good day to spend with brothers and sisters from years gone by and be reminded of all that God has done. We closed sing, “To God Be the Glory”. That is our prayer that everything we say and do would glorify Him. Now the seriousness of the day should rest on us... what will the next 100 years look like? Will we reach out to bring our community into God’s presence or will we sit and watch the church slowly fade away. Father, You have entrusted us with the task of making disciples of all nations. Help us to begin with our families, friends, and community. Amen