Many of us carry treasured memories of the church’s “good old days.” We remember pews filled nearly every Sunday, offerings that regularly met our every need, the echoing laughter of children in Sunday school, and sharing Holy Communion with family, friends, and neighbors gathered around the same table. These memories are gifts. They warm our hearts and remind us of how God has blessed us.
But as dear as these memories are, time does not move backward. We cannot recreate the past, nor can we live in it. Nostalgia is natural—and often healthy—but dwelling too long on what once was can keep us from seeing the wonder of what God is doing among us now. It can even become an obstacle as we strive to move faithfully into the future. The church we grew up in, loved deeply, and hoped to pass on to future generations has changed and continues to change. Some of these changes come from shifts in technology, culture, and society. Some come simply because God’s people themselves have changed. The body of Christ is living and growing, and living things do not remain the same.
Does that mean we should abandon our heritage and traditions? No. But it does mean we have to be more open to new ideas and expressions of our faith.
Again and again, Scripture tells us that our God is a God who brings forth new things. The Lutheran Confessions also remind us that the Holy Spirit is always calling, gathering, enlightening, and sanctifying the whole Christian church on earth. God has not stopped doing new things—and God will not stop. So let us trust in God’s faithfulness even amid change!
How I wish I could tell you what our church will look like in ten years, but I can’t. I trust that the church and its ministry will be something new—perhaps different from what we expect—and that God will be present in it.
Let us forgive one another as we have been forgiven and love one another as God in Christ first loved us. Jesus calls us to this blessed way of life for it leads those who believe to peace, joy, and the promise of eternal life.
Let us boldly follow Christ into God’s future—a future shaped not by fear or a longing for the past, but one grounded in God’s love and marked by God’s grace.
Peace, hope, love, and joy to you in Christ.
Pastor Mike
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