Dear Friends of the Milton Lutheran Parish,

A prayer from God, A vision for the future. Did you know that God prays for us? This week in John 17:6-19, Jesus is preparing to say goodbye to his disciples. Imagine if you will what Jesus must have been feeling. Imagine, the words he wanted to say, the worry he had for the people he was leaving behind, the sense of hope he felt for what was to come. What would you do if you were in Jesus’ shoes? 

Yep, I would want to stop what I am doing and pray, and that is just what Jesus does. God prays for us. And what is his prayer? “God, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” (John 17:11). 

This week we have a special celebration. On May 16 our parish will celebrate together as Christ Lutheran Church dedicates the 50 year anniversary of its church building. We will gather on Sunday morning at Trinity Lutheran Church for worship at 9:30 A.M. Following worship everyone is invited to come to Christ Lutheran Church as we join together with Saint Paul’s United Church of Christ for worship at 10:30 A.M. At the beginning of worship, we will rededicate the church building to the glory of God and God’s mission for us in the world. Following worship everyone is invited to stay for a time of fellowship outside. Everyone is welcome! Both services will be livestreamed for those that wish to participate online. Links to both worship service will be provided. 

Did you know that God prays for us? “God, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” Yes, this week we are celebrating the anniversary of a church building. More importantly we are celebrating God’s prayer for us to know that we may be one as Jesus and God are one. We are brought together through God’s grace, with God’s grace, and by God’s grace as one people of God. 

There is also a second part of this prayer. Did you catch it? God’s prayer for us is also a vision for the future. We hear from God the desire that God has for us to be united. In my experience there can be a lot of things that can divide us like our competing values, things that are important to us, physical objects, personal connections, memories, and so much more. At the same time there are a lot of things that unite us. Over and over again people of faith have been united as we worship, laugh, sing, cry, serve, learn, forgive, challenge and overcome together. 

So this week I pray for our community. I pray that as we celebrate this special occasion in the life of our parish that we are reminded of how God unites us in love as one people. I also give thanks for the many ways God reminds us of our oneness. We are reminded this week as we gather for worship together, the Milton Lutheran Parish and Saint Paul’s United Church of Christ. We are reminded as we work together to feed people in our community. We are reminded as we celebrate friendship. 

May God’s love go forth with you today and each day. 

Gary Schaeffer, Pastor