Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus…..13for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
-----Philippians 2:1-5, 13Last month, I asked all of you what kind of community you envisioned for our Parish. What kind of community you hoped we would be. What we discovered is that our vision was not something new, but rather something old. Our shared vision was the same vision that Paul had in mind when he wrote his letter to the Philippians, and what Paul had in mind was the mind of Christ, a mind that is set on self-sacrificing love. Paul reminds us that God calls us to have this same mindset, and in the coming months we will, as we come together, in full accord, for our Lutefisk Dinner and Smorgasbord. However, it is not only through events like this, where the mind of Christ is at work within us that we can lift up our brothers and sisters in Christ. Having the same mind that was in Christ Jesus, is something God enables us to do each every day. My challenge to you is to see all the places in your life that you embody a Christ like mind set. As you look, I think you will be surprised by all the opportunities that you have to live out God’s vision for community. So this Fall, look around you, examine your life, and be amazed by all the ways that God is at work in you.The Lord bless you and keep you,
The Lord’s face shine upon you with grace and with mercy,
The Lord look upon you with favor and grant you peace.
Pastor JT
