“If two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:19-20)
At Living Hope, our theme for 2022 is Show Up! Showing up to worship is important! Yes, we want to be together, and that can be online or in-person – we exist in all of those spaces to be the church together. But wait! There’s more! We get to show up for one another because Jesus has shown up for us! The Word reminds us that whenever we gather, Christ is with us – no matter how far we go our how much we try to fight it or forget it. God’s love in Jesus has pursued us this far, and will not leave us abandoned. Sounds like good news to me.
Worship is where we hear the Word that binds us together as a faith community. This is not just for the lifelong lutheran, but for our neighbors, friends, visitors, and guests. We long to show up as we are, with all our faults and failures, seeking forgiveness and being sent out to share the gifts we’ve been given. We continue to worship in person and online – and soon hope to increase our hospitality Sunday mornings. We proclaim God’s grace – the free gift of new life for all. The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, March 2nd. We’ll gather for worship on Wednesday evenings 6:30pm for a time of praise and healing prayers.
We show up to feed people! Our new meal manager is Audrey, and last week we celebrated 7 years of the Senior Meal Program here at Living Hope! Thanks to all who help with this ministry and if you know someone who would like to volunteer, let us know! We continue to collect food and needed items for Lutheran Social Services of Nevada, and are grateful for the staff and servants who show up there every day!
We show up for students! While we were all disappointed with the cancellation of the Youth Gathering, we look forward to supporting trips to Leadership Lab (Rock, Island, IL) and Campformation (Flagstaff, AZ) this summer. Thanks to Marissa and Taylor for their care for our young people! Our Sunday school has resumed and kids are enjoying their time with Dana and Jacqui with crafts, lessons, and snacks! Save the date! Our ‘Monumental” Vacation Bible school will happen July 25-29th.
We show up for our city! We know housing scarcity and rising rents are affecting church members and our neighbors. We’ll host a Civic Academy with Nevadans for the Common Good for learning about these issues and how we can begin to help on Tuesday February 22nd at 7pm. We’ll have another session on Sunday morning March 6th at 10:30am. I’m also working on setting up meetings with our city council representative to discuss these and other local issues.
God’s love and grace shows up with us wherever we find ourselves! Let’s continue to show up with hearts and hands, bodies and minds ready to love and serve together! Thank you for your gifts, participation, leadership and prayers, and thanks be to God, and our risen Lord Jesus, who sends us the Spirit and is with us always!
In Christ,
Pastor Jason
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