Finding Faith ... in Rally Sunday

EDITOR'S NOTE: Since becoming the clergy leader at Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn., in November 2017, I've written a monthly column for our church newsletter. This column originally published in the September 2018 FLC Newsletter.

In his old age, King Solomon writes to us that everything here on earth has its time. In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, he reminds us that there is a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted, a time to weep and a time to laugh … and the list goes on. There’s even a time to mourn and dance and throw away stones and, yes, seek or even lose. … A time for everything.

Or maybe some of you are more partial to the very same lesson that the ‘60s rock band The Byrds taught us in their hit “Turn, Turn, Turn” … which, of course, found its origins in the verses of Ecclesiastes!

To everything (turn, turn, turn)

There is a season (turn, turn, turn)

And a time to every purpose, under heaven

A time to be born, a time to die

A time to plant, a time to reap

A time to kill, a time to heal

A time to laugh, a time to weep

To everything (turn, turn, turn)

There is a season (turn, turn, turn)

And a time to every purpose, under heaven

A time to build up, a time to break down

A time to dance, a time to mourn

A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together

Now for us here at Faith, the season that is upon us is one of renewal. Unbelievably we already are talking about Rally Sunday (Sept. 16) barreling down on us like a runaway train, and by the time that many of you receive this newsletter, your kids will be back in school, and the days of summer will be in our rear-view mirror.

Yes, there’s a certain melancholy that hangs in the air about this this time every year, as we transition from our all-too short summer days to the new year ahead. But, I must confess, in secret, as my wife, Shelley, is the biggest fan of summer you’ll ever meet, that I am thrilled that we are moving ahead as I love fall! … But more importantly, not am I only excited about fall rolling around, this year I am thrilled to be a part of the start of a new program year here at Faith Lutheran! You may recall that I didn’t get my start here until October of last year, and so the plans for most of our ministries for the year were well in hand. And I thought it important to just take some time to get to know everyone.

But this year I’ve gotten the privilege of working with our various ministries -- including the Church Council, the Education Committee, the Music & Worship Committee and the LYO -- on our programming for the upcoming year. And I’m excited about the plans we have in place! I’m also excited to get to take a more active role in our Education and LYO ministries, as well as helping the Music and Worship Committee plan out our services. … And, admittedly, I might be biased, but I think we have some exciting things planned for service this year, including the return of a regular children’s moment. (More on that to come later.)

Anyway, I hope this newsletter finds you as excited about the return of the new program year here at Faith as I am. There was a tremendous amount of energy and momentum that we built up last spring, and I am excited to see that energy return after our slower period this summer. And that is OK! … After all, a peaceful and relaxing recharge is good for everyone, because it prepares us for our next chapter of activity. … And, lo and behold, that next chapter is now upon us!

Things will get rolling in a hurry as we kick of summer with a wedding on the afternoon of Sept. 2, confirmation the following Sunday on Sept. 9 and then Rally Sunday on Sept. 16.

So I hope that you have the opportunity to soak in a few more rays and just a little bit more downtime before we shift into another gear here at Faith! … Looking forward to seeing you all in the coming weeks!