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Weekly Word

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

This past Sunday, January 15, was not a very good day for me. Because of the forecast of the impending ice storm and fear of icy streets and dangerous driving conditions the ice might cause, we decided it would be best to cancel worship (along with about 600 other churches in the KC area).

Now, I am sure for some it was a nice excuse to stay home, but for me it made for a bad start to the week. Over the years, whether I am leading worship or just attending worship, I have discovered that I need to start my week with God’s Word and with God’s community. It is in worship that I am reminded that I am God’s child and that I am loved, just as I am, broken and a sinner, yet, made perfect in the waters of my baptism. I have come to realize that I need to hear God’s Word of promise in the biblical stories. I have come to need the support of a faith community that gathers, and I have come to truly need that meal of the bread and wine (Christ’s body and blood) that offers each of us that incredible promise of God’s forgiveness. In short, I need to participate in communal worship.

Oh, I don’t need to come to worship to be saved, or to be forgiven, or because someone said I have to go to worship every week to be a “good Christian.” No, I have come to need it because, after years of just going through the motions to say that I attended worship, I have now come to that point in my life where worship has become an incredible way for me to experience God’s love and presence in powerful and meaningful ways. I experience God and am fed by God in the community that gathers, in the Word that is spoken and sung, in the meal that is offered, and in the sending of all of us into the world to be Christ to the world. In worship each week, I feel empowered and strengthened to go back out and serve for the sake of Christ’s mission.

Not worshiping in community this past Sunday made me realize how important the Salem faith community is to me. I know at times we can have our disagreements, and I know at times it can seem like we just have too many struggles to overcome, but at the core of this community is a deep desire to serve and to be in relationship with each other and with Christ.

So as we prepare to gather again this Sunday for worship and for our annual meeting, may each of us come to know how truly blessed we are to have each other, and how much of a blessing we are to the world.

Shalom, Pr. Dave

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