We all understand life. It has its highs, beginning with births and baptisms. It has its lows, marked by disappointments and death. As Jesus would tell us in Matthew chapter 6, we know that each day has enough worry (and we might add joys) of its own. Yet as baptized children of God, we live this life a bit differently than the way the world would live. We do not see life in the same way as the rest of the world. For the world, life is lived and death is the end. Not so with us. We die to sin and rise to an unending life rooted in the forgiveness of sins.
This is the life that we as the Church live. We live, that is we exist, to deliver the forgiveness of sins to a lost and dying world. This is true of our local congregation. It is also true of the South Wisconsin District of the LCMS. This is highlighted in the theme for our 2012 District convention, "Life Forgiven … Life Together." We are joined by our common call to faith in a commitment to the Apostles teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:42). This partnership is one that we share at the direction of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who started it. He is the one that continues it and brings it to completion (Philippians 1:6).
We will convene June 10-12, 2012, around the apostles' teaching on what it means to be the Church, have the fellowship of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, sharing in the Bread that is the Lord’s Supper and raise our voices in the prayers all for the common goal of being faithful in our life together for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This will be a time to thank the Lord for those who have served, encourage the service of those in our shared ministries at the present time and have an eye toward any future opportunities for forgiveness and life together which the Lord will open up for us in the coming triennium.
We all understand life. It has its highs, beginning with births and baptisms. It has its lows, marked by disappointments and death. As Jesus would tell us in Matthew chapter 6, we know that each day has enough worry (and we might add joys) of its own. Yet as baptized children of God, we live this life a bit differently than the way the world would live. We do not see life in the same way as the rest of the world. For the world, life is lived and death is the end. Not so with us. We die to sin and rise to an unending life rooted in the forgiveness of sins.
This is the life that we as the Church live. We live, that is we exist, to deliver the forgiveness of sins to a lost and dying world. This is true of our local congregation. It is also true of the South Wisconsin District of the LCMS. This is highlighted in the theme for our 2012 District convention, "Life Forgiven … Life Together." We are joined by our common call to faith in a commitment to the Apostles teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:42). This partnership is one that we share at the direction of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who started it. He is the one that continues it and brings it to completion (Philippians 1:6).
We will convene June 10-12, 2012, around the apostles' teaching on what it means to be the Church, have the fellowship of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, sharing in the Bread that is the Lord’s Supper and raise our voices in the prayers all for the common goal of being faithful in our life together for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This will be a time to thank the Lord for those who have served, encourage the service of those in our shared ministries at the present time and have an eye toward any future opportunities for forgiveness and life together which the Lord will open up for us in the coming triennium.