From Pastor Steve
February, 2010
                                                   MARKS OF THE CHRISTIAN
  The book of faith initiative of the ELCA invites and encourages us to become more fluent in the first language of faith, the language of scripture, in order that we might live into our calling as a people renewed, enlivened, empowered and sent by the Word.
  This year at our Wednesday evening Lent services (beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 17th ) and at our Sunday morning adult forums, we will be engaging in a slow prayerful reflection on Romans 12:1-15. 
  David Miller, who authored the Book of Faith resource that we will use as a guide during Lent writes:
  “The Spirit of Christ breathed the apostle’s message and will breathe life fresh and full into you as you meditate on God’s mercy and call in your life.  That’s God’s promise, and God will keep it….”
  “So often we read the Bible moralistically and legalistically. Our eyes fix on words that tell us what to do and what not to do, on what we have done wrong or failed to do. Read this way, the Bible quickly degenerates into a nagging kill-joy, pointing out our weaknesses and failures to be what we think God wants of us. It also becomes a book that is primarily about us, not about God—and what God, in incomprehensible love, is doing for us and all creation.
  “A theme like ‘Marks of the Christian’ could easily fall into this trap, devolving into a  finger-shaking rant about the ‘marks’ we should be working up to show we are           followers of Jesus.
  “But ‘Marks of the Christian’ are not God’s ‘must-do’ list for our lives. They are God’s work in us. They are what happens in a human soul under the impact of a love that knows no boundaries, a grace which constantly seeks and wants us, a God who has treasured us since before the dawn of time.”
  You are invited to take a 40-day journey exploring Romans 12.  Why not buy the “Marks of a Christian” book and pray through it with a friend or small group, practicing the presence of God  together?  Make a commitment to attend Wednesday worship as well as Sunday worship and the adult forum in Lent.
                                                                                                           Pastor Steve