St Thomas Lutheran Church of Cheboygan Michigan: Seasonal Message

Welcome to St. Thomas!

God comes to us where we live.

He loves us as we are.

Our hearts are his birthplace, our lives are his home.

We welcome all to join us in worship each Sunday at 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

We invite to the Lord's table all baptized people who believe Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior

and acknowledge the Real Presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Sacrament.

Vision and Mission

That every member of St. Thomas be a minister who…grows in knowledge."

We continue our journey through the mission and vision statements with this call for St. Thomas members to be intentional about growing in knowledge. The intent and purpose of this part of our mission is not only an intellectual pursuit, though it is in part intellectual. The intent of this goal to grow in knowledge is to turn us towards a vibrant, life consuming relationship with Jesus Christ.

Prayer is one such avenue that would bring us to a greater awareness and knowledge of God. Prayer connects us to the Holy One, and would direct us towards watching and listening for God in the midst of our day. Martin Luther wrote, "When we pray, the heart and the conscience do not pull away from God because of our sins and our unworthiness, or stand in doubt, or be scared away. When we pray we hold fast and believe that God has heard our prayer. It was for this reason that the ancients defined prayer as …'an ascending of the heart to God.'" Prayer connects us to God. We can do nothing but grow and have our faith nurtured when our hearts, and our whole being, are connected to God in such a way.

Another faith practice that would bring us to a greater knowledge of God is to be in community with others of faith on a regular basis. Having a close group of Christian friends that would help to give you direction and support, all the while you yourself give direction and support to others, are important for those that would grow in their knowledge of God. One of my seminary professors once gave me a handout speaking of the importance of a spiritual community: "'The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer' (Bonhoeffer wrote in Life Together). What he said is reminiscent of those inspiring words of Simone Weil when she wrote, 'Nothing among human things has such power to keep our gaze even more intensely upon God than friendship for the friends of God.'" (Simone Weil, Waiting for God).

Prayer and a core group of relationships with others of faith are two of many ways to grow in our knowledge of God. There are, of course, many more: Bible studies, finding and using your God given talents and gifts, worship. I challenge each of you to list the ways that you are currently in the process of growing in your knowledge of God, and in particular how you are currently growing in your relationship with God. Our mission statement would have us draw up such a list regularly, as we are constantly called and invited into a raging love affair with our God.

Pastor Scott

Home · Who We Are · Ministries · Calendar · Newsletter
Seasonal Message · Guest Book · Links