I believe God is at work in communities, and in the world everywhere, trying to bring us all closer to the kingdom of heaven: to God’s ideal of love, liberation and inclusivity. This takes shape in different forms, but I believe God is working to help us each move forward, bringing us closer into line with God’s will. This means empowering people with gifts to help bring about acts of love and liberation, which will help unite people of different socio-economics, ethnicities, sexual orientations, genders, denominations, religions, and cultures. It means walking alongside one another to work for God’s common purpose: peace, wellness, love, liberty and unity. It means spreading hope, light, and joy, and sharing God’s love. It means working to free people from oppression and to create equality and work for justice. It means sharing gifts with one another and learning to both give and receive help when needed. It means loving one another as living beings who have intrinsic value and are God’s beloved.

More specifically, at JOY Lutheran it looks like a congregational member visiting people in the hospital, rehabilitation, or home who are in need of fellowship, and discovering the person they are visiting blesses them with their grateful spirits, stories, and words of wisdom. It looks like the people of God pooling together to feed the hungry.  It looks like a community meeting weekly to pray and listen, study and discern God’s direction for their lives, and who discovers God is speaking, present, and acting through the people in community.

Read Philippians 2:1-15, and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally!

Annie