A Few Words on Life

On August 15, the church will observe the Festival of St. Mary, the mother of our Lord. The Propers of the Day are: Old Testament - Isaiah 61:7-11, the Psalmody - Psalm 45:10-17 (antiphon: v. 6), Epistle - Galatians 4:4-7, and the Gospel - Luke 1:(39-45) 46-55.

While your congregation may not formally observe this Festival, this can be a good time to pause and ponder all the things that Mary went through when she was found herself with child. God reveals some things to us in His holy Word, but not everything that she and Joseph experienced. Pause for a moment and imagine if the "fullness of time had come" today (Gal. 4:4). Imagine all of the pressures that she would face in our modern day which does not hold human life in high regard - cultural pressures, familial pressures, pressures from Joseph, pressure from her peers, and the list could go on and on. Of course, we know that just as God's will was done some two thousand years ago, it would also be done today if this was "when fullness of time had come". But it does cause one to stop and wonder.

So how do you affirm life in your personal life, within your congregation, and within your community? What are you doing to uphold God's view of life in the face of all the pressures in our modern day? Maybe you are already doing quite a bit. If so, keep fighting the good fight. Perhaps you wondering what you might be able to do to help uphold the sanctity of human life in our culture. If so, let me give you a couple of ideas.

First, check out the Lutherans for Life website, click here (https://www.lutheransforlife.org/). They provide lots of information and a wide range of resources to help individuals and congregations affirm life in their communities. You can sign up for their E-Newsletter here (Here) and their weekly Life Notes email here (https://www.lutheransforlife.org/media/life-notes-email/). They also have a great resource called "Life Thoughts in the Church Year" related to the Propers of the Day for both the Three Year and One Year Lectionary Series, click here (https://www.lutheransforlife.org/media/life-thoughts-in-the-church/). I find these very helpful as they help people see how God's transformative Word still speaks to matters we face today.

Second, I encourage you to consider talking with your pastor and congregational leadership about forming a Life Chapter and/or Team within your congregation or area. You can find more information about this here (https://www.lutheransforlife.org/life-teams/).

Third, consider connecting up with your local Right to Life organization to stay abreast of life-issue legislation being considered in your state and to help you contact your state representatives and senators regarding upcoming legislation. They will also be a good source of information regarding candidates' stated positions on life issues and their voting records.

Lastly, consider attending a Right to Life event, like the LFL National Conference (https://www.lutheransforlife.org/conference/) or the 2019 LC-MS Life Conference, "JOY:FULLY ALIVE > Body & SOUL", January 17-19 in Washington, D.C.

If you would like further information, or would like to discuss this matter, please contact me by email (pastor@stpaulhammond.org) or phone, 985.345.6008 (office) or 985.956.1766 (mobile). I will be glad to help in whatever way I can.

God's Peace!
Rev. Louis Boldt (Hammond, LA), Southern District Life Coordinator

THE IMPORTANCE OF A CHURCH'S CULTURE

How we perceive and act is shaped by the culture we live in; our families, communities, institutions, beliefs and role models. That makes a church's culture largely what determines its member's stewardship practices, both as individuals and as a group. It becomes the prime Ministry input devoted to strengthening our abilities to recognize and overcome the obstacles the Devil places in lives. The Devil's use of obstacles to create the nature of men is not a new, monstrous phenomenon. It has been fundamental in Man's struggle for existence and resistance to sin from the beginning. It will be with us until the very nature of man changes, more dangerous than earthquakes and hurricanes. Our struggle to overcome evil and sin can be successful only when using the gifts God has given us as we battle our own aspirations, ambitions, successes, and failures; as well as the trickeries of men and governments. We, fortunately, do have the means to strengthen ours and other's use of these gifts. He provided it when He established His church with the two missions--caring and reinforcing each other and spreading His words and the sacraments of salvation. How we do these two things is our record as stewards of his gifts, and directly reflects our church's enabling culture. How we respond when side by side to combat the obstacles the Devil creates in today's consumer/materialistic culture is also our record of stewardship, just as much as how a church determines and uses the individual gifts of its members. This includes how we identify and use our member's time and effort, just as much as how we manage finances. Another way of putting it is a church's culture is how a congregation teaches and enables people to employ the resources given them, including those stemming from their vocation and labor. Many Lutherans have grown up with the concept that stewardship is mostly about money and is a private matter between them and God, with some church cultures even discourage discussion of financial matters, let alone use of His other gifts. That is why our church cultures of today must successfully address participation as well as managing finances.

Don Panzenhagen,

Stewardship Committee Chair