Fellow ministers of Christ, I am writing today on the subject of STEWARDSHIP!

Frankly, this scares me and while I cannot speak eloquently on the topic that I have been given, I feel that I can speak from the heart.

When I was getting ready to put my thoughts down on paper – or in my case because my writing is often illegible, by keystrokes to computer screen. I did read the four chapters of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. I also bought a book titled “Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate: A New Vision for Financial Stewardship” by J. Clif Christopher.

And while these gave me insight and inspiration, they didn’t tell me what to write.

When I think about Stewardship, I think about examples in my family, of my Mom writing a check every Sunday to drop in the offering plate, this happened at Woodlake Lutheran Church, at the lake, and in Florida while snow birding. I think about my Dad who spent most of one summer, after retiring to his lake home, helping build a new church building for Bone Lake Lutheran Church. I think about my sister who, with her husband and two year old son, left her family farm in St. James, Minnesota to move to Papua New Guinea in support of Lutheran Missionaries. Then she spent four years in a variety of jobs: house parents for the children of missionaries who were in the bush, to performing well baby clinics, and teaching sustainable farming techniques.

When we speak about how to support the church, it always comes down to our time, our talents and our treasure and I get that. My family gets that. And yet, here I am trying to explain why your giving – your stewardship is so important now. The impact of the Government shutting us down, sheltering in place and decreasing or eliminating our work is having a direct impact on the ministries and missions that we support. I can’t go pack meals a Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) and I can’t fill the VEAP box in the narthex, but I can support these mission partners financially. Did you know that FMSC is still packing and shipping meals? They are paying for a manufacturer to pack the meals in lieu of volunteers.

​I believe that like these providers, we, the St. Luke’s mission outpost, are obligated by our faith in Christ Jesus to keep the lights on, keep the coffers filled and be ready for more change and to be able to embrace our future as a Congregation busy making Christ known to others!

Craig Brandt, Stewardship Team

This Sunday was scheduled to be Music Sunday. As I write this, I would normally be preparing for the final rehearsals with The St. Luke's Choir and Bells of Praise. And while I am disheartened over this. It's hard to be away from people--we weren't meant to be alone--but I also cannot write an article about sad I am about our situation.

The power of music is well documented and Music Sunday celebrates that. There are over 140 verses in the Bible referencing music, of course many in the Psalms. Music in the time of the Bible is like music today. Some celebrates, some mourns, and some just is. Music lifts us up. Music brings us down. Music helps us heal.

Before we readied ourselves for Coronavirus, before some of us had heard of COVID-19, we, the staff, came up with 2 social media posts involving music, one was songs of hope and the other was hymns for those dealing with anxiety and depression. It was interesting the way people reacted to those two. Most positively, some negatively. I invite you to look at those posts on Facebook, and comment or share them, if they speak to you. Tell us which songs give you hope and which hymns help you when you are feeling down.

One of my good friends who is a pastor has stated that even if he was told that the resurrection wasn’t true he would still be a follower of Jesus. What difference does the resurrection make in your faith?

It was a point of disagreement for the two of us. Professing the faith using the words of the Apostles’ Creed is one of the most powerful things I do each week; and it deeply moves me during funerals. “I believe in…the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen” It is a truth that I cling to in this life with all the pain and suffering, injustice and inequities, the shortness of life on earth, which has been amplified during this pandemic.

We are in the midst of a six-week series on the Risen Lord. Jesus promised his disciples that he would rise again. Jesus met them on the mountain, walked with Cleopas and his friend back to Emmaus, returned to dispel Thomas’ doubt, joined his disciples for breakfast on the beach, reinforced his love for Peter, and commissioned the disciples to be his witnesses before ascending to heaven. The Apostle Paul writes, “…then [Jesus] appeared to more than 500 believers at one time.” (1st Corinthians 15:6).