As we are in the sewing of the fall and a new season of school and ministry.  I wanted to share with you what we are focusing on as a church at Proclaim for our theme of the year. With wars, political divisions, financial troubles, the election, we can grow weary and disillusioned. But Christians are People of Hope. Hope is our theme for this ministry season.  We are going to consider Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians and for us Ephesians 1:15-23 this week to delve deeper into the Hope that is inside of each of us.

1 Ephesians 1:15-16 “Therefor I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:”

Have you ever been in a conversation where someone is so excited about something that he or she keeps on talking and talking, and you are so drawn into the story that you find yourself almost holding your own breath on his or her behalf?

Well, Paul begins his sentence with the word “Therefore”, which obviously connects WHAT he is about to say, to his previous sentence. And in the original language the previous sentence starts in verse 3 and goes all the way to verse 14. One long sentence where Paul, full of excitement, praises God for what He has done for us in Christ. Take time to read it for context.

Throughout this week’s devotional, we will often use the term “behold”. To behold is more than just seeing; it’s to observe, to ponder, to perceive. In a sense this is what Paul is doing in verses 3 to 14: He is beholding Jesus Christ – pondering what God has done in Christ. And when we behold Christ, we discover that we are called to be a people of faith, hope, and love.

Paul continues his prayer in the verses we read, by giving thanks to God for the faith and love in the lives of his readers. Later in the prayer he prays for them to grow in hope. Paul refers to faith, hope and love several times in his different letters and he refers to it as a sign of a person’s maturity. But personal maturity is not a goal in itself. The larger calling is to reflect God’s glory into our world: that is our homes, places of work and communities by bringing faith, hope and love to people and societies.

And for Paul the starting point in order to grow, also to grow in hope, is to behold Jesus Christ. One of the ways we behold Jesus is in prayer. thanking Him for the impact He has already made and praying for things that God has already blessed us with in Christ in order to grow. Things like faith, Hope and love. We focus this year on hope but remember the bigger purpose.

So, we pray with Paul: Father, we praise you as we behold Christ. In Christ you blessed us with so much: to belong to you and your family, to be forgiven, to share in your purposes for our world, to be indwelt by your Spirit. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the work you have already done in me. Help us to continue to grow in faith, hope and love as we behold You. In your name we pray. Amen

And remember Jesus loves you and so do I.

Pastor Will 

Imagine watching a horse race and seeing the leather squares over the horses’ eyes. These blinders serve a critical role, blocking out everything around and behind the horses so they can focus solely on the path ahead.

In many ways, we navigate life with our own blinders, fixated only on what directly impacts us. This narrow focus can make us oblivious to the broader world and the people who are suffering within it. It’s time to remove those blinders. We are meant to live for something greater than ourselves.

Humbling ourselves before God is vital, but we must also extend that humility to others. When we do, we shift our focus from our own needs to asking, “How can I serve others?” The ultimate expression of love is prioritizing the well-being of others and taking action, just as Christ did when He sacrificed Himself for us. Look around you. When you see someone in need, take the initiative to love and support them.

Demonstrate the love of Jesus by making your life less about you and more about your readiness to be His hands and feet.

Be encouraged to go and prioritize the needs of others today.

Pastor Chance

Luke 14:28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?

Peter had a deep love for Jesus. When Jesus talked about His upcoming death at the Last Supper, Peter boldly said, “Lord, I am ready to go with You both to prison and to death!” (Luke 22:33). It was a heartfelt declaration, but when the moment of truth came, Peter denied Jesus three times out of fear.

It’s easy to make big promises when we’re feeling close to Jesus. Statements like “I’ll go anywhere You lead” and “You can have it all” feel right during worship or church services. They sound good, and we might even mean them sincerely. But saying the words is just the beginning.

Are we making these passionate promises without thinking about what it really takes to live them out? We often confuse enthusiasm with true commitment, forgetting that real passion includes enduring hardship. Many of us Christians quickly say we’re ready to lay down our lives and follow Jesus. But like Peter on the night before the Crucifixion, do we back down when challenges arise?

If we truly want to follow Christ and fulfill His purposes for us, we have to be ready to give up our comfort. Are you prepared to make that payment?

In what ways is God calling you to get out of your comfort zone today?

Pastor Chance

The good news is that we don’t get our value from things but from the creator of all things! The good news is that Jesus can heal this insecurity, just as He gently rebuked Peter when he asked about John. Jesus reminded Peter that he was valuable and unique. Jesus says you are worth the cost, created to be unique, part of the royal family, and good enough because He made you so. You are set apart before time and he likes you. We have no reason to look at others because we are not like others! Focus on your own race, your own calling.

To live the abundant life Christ desires for you, listen to the voice of truth and tune out the lies. Remind yourself daily that comparison kills joy, what God has given you is enough and it makes you special, and that you are a unique gift to the world. 

A song from Casting Crowns: 

“But the voice of truth tells me a different story The voice of truth says “Do not be afraid!” And the voice of truth says “This is for My glory” Out of all the voices calling out to me. I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth”

Mark is is a character in my musical, El Camino, who may be a little inspired by my own journey. He’s a pastor with many years of service who is wondering If he might have “lost his way along the way.” The call to be a pastor is a blessing, but it can also be confusing and frustrating. Mark admits that “I started out with confidence, everything was clear,” but “I lost my way along the way. My heart and soul have debts to pay.” Like many other pilgrims who have ventured to walk the Camino he hopes that he will encounter the spirit of St. James, one who know how to walk the way of Jesus.

God has high expectations for those who accept the call as a pastor. But God also showers abundant blessings upon them. When I was ordained a pastor by my bishop to serve Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Chicago he said, “remember Andy, you are called to be a good shepherd but Jesus is the Good Shepherd.” Sometimes the best thing a pastor can do is simply follow Jesus hoping the flock will follow. Mark asks Santiago “Will you go with me all of the way to the end? I will need your courage my good friend.” We can all take comfort from these words of The Good Shepherd:

Matthew 11: 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Pastor Andy

Trevor is a man on the run. He’s got places to go and people to see. He’s “pushing the boulder slowly up the hill.” But he’s “starting to wonder if he has the strength or the will.” He’s a true success story on the job but in life he’s on the way to a heart attack. Forced to take vacation, he decides to “do the Camino” and add the 500 miles of the trip to his growing list of achievements. We all know the type. We may be the type. We like to blame life for our frenetic pace when the truth is, we wouldn’t know what to do if we actually slowed down and smelled the roses.

Jesus knows the type and shares this advice: Luke 12:27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,[a] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! Trevor’s problem is that he’s running scared when he could be peacefully walking the way with his loving Savior. On the Camino, he has a powerful experience, like that of St. Paul, of the sun blinding his eyes. That turns out to be the moment he truly sees the life is not a race, its an opportunity to experience the marvels of God’s creation in the company of fellow travelers.

We should carefully watch ourselves and those “Trevor’s” around us. They may seem to be “running for fun,” when they are “just running scared.” Invite them to walk, not run, through this life we have been graciously given.

Pastor Andy

It’s so easy to plan the journey until you have to leave. Leading You

In my musical “El Camino,” we meet a young women named Penny who should be excited and optimistic about her future. Instead, she feels anxious and apprehensive and, most of all, alone.

We may joke about young people in this situation as being “failures to launch.” But most of us can recall times at that age when we wondered if we really were up to the challenge of making our way in the world. Although I had finished three years of seminary training and a year of internship, I recall feeling totally unprepared when I began leading my first congregation. What business did a 26 year old have preaching to people two or three times my age?

Penny is blessed on her Camino by a middle-aged woman named Selah. Selah does not coddle or comfort Penny’s fears. She does something greater-she believes in her. Selah has no problem making Penny get up and get on the road despite her protests. And Selah pushes the pace each day, challenging Penny to realize that “you were more than you had dreamed.” Complaining to Selah, Penny accuses her of “leaving her.” Penny replies, “ I was not leaving you, I was leading you.”

So often when we think of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, we think of him protecting us, feeding us and bringing us comfort. We forget that Psalm 23 also says “He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley…” Sometime following the Good Shepherd will take us where we must go, not always where we want to go. If we choose to follow Jesus, he will train us to go faster, further and farther than we ever imagined. Those who believe in him will discover he believes in us.

Pastor Andy