August Blog

It Used to be in September!

What used to be in September? 

Back to school. Now it’s in the middle of August. August 11, 2025, to be exact. Mom’s and Dad’s used to set their calendars by it. The day after Labor Day was the first day of school

Please note that I am not complaining. I am not being, as my daughter used to call me, “Grumpy Grandpa.” I am reflecting on my connection to “the way it used to be.”

And IT IS NOT that way anymore. Things change. Life changes. We can either wring our hands and harken back to “the way it used to be” OR we can embrace the present and anticipate the future.

We need to seize the day, take the bull by the horns, or any other cliché that will get us moving. I don’t know about you, but I have anxiety. It is an anxiety for the future; what and who Faith Lutheran Church and School is and will be. The past is the past. It is to be honored and remembered and learned from; the good, the bad, and the ugly. We need to embrace what works and works well and make it better. We need to learn from our bad choices and bad mistakes, learn from them and let them go. We need to jettison the ugly and forget about it. The more we dwell on the bad and ugly, the more stuck in the mud and we can’t get out.

So, what is next? Where do we go from here? The first step is that we LEARN! God gave us two eyes to see with, two ears to listen to, two arms and two legs to work with and walk with. And He gave us ONE mouth. Not to say, “Well, that was bad.” or “What’s the use?” or “Why bother?” God gave us ONE mouth to speak tenderly to each other. Yes, to point out sin AND point out the grace of God through Jesus. God gave us one mouth to speak the Word of God and His salvation. God gave us one mouth to tell of His wonderful love and two of everything else to do it.

God wants us to LEARN from Him and learn about ourselves as we “Equip the Faith.”

Next is to BE HOPEFUL. There is so much in the world today that would pull the hope away and leave us despairing. Satan wants us hope-less. Our human flesh trusts no one and hopes for nothing. Only through faith in God and trust in His Work of salvation, do we HOPE. Only by means of the Holy Spirit through our study of His Word do we receive HOPE. And HOPE does not disappoint us. 

God wants us to BE HOPEFUL as we “Encourage with Hope.”

Thirdly, God wants us working and serving and DOING the work HE wants us to do. We work because our salvation has already been worked out. Salvation is in Jesus Christ and HIM ALONE! And because of that, let us not “sit on our hands,” or wring them saying, “There is nothing for me to do.” BUNK!

There is always something to be done. There are people to be saved. There is grace to be shared by the sweat of our brow in pitching in when the world won’t. There is work to be done as we care for the “widows and the orphans,” showing them by our actions and sharing with them by our words that Jesus saved them and gave up His as a ransom for many. God opens doors, He moves our feet, our hands, and our tongues. God gave us His heart to be “Jesus with Skin on.”

God wants us DOING as we “Engage with Love.”

So, now you have your Mission Statement, “Equip the Faith, Encourage with Hope, and Engage with Love.” This is who we are. This is what we are doing and will do in the future.

LET’S GET MOVING!

Pastor Robert