Electing Values Elected: Welcoming

A few days ago I went to a pastors event at Concordia Seminary. Those can be interesting, especially the initial entrance and greeting. I know enough people from the area that it can be difficult to decide who I greet first? Other times I wonder who will greet me & just how will all this play out? At this particular event, a pastor that I knew from my time at the Seminary came up and started talking to me. We were not overly close back then, but we talked a lot that day about our churches. It was a nice conversation. I had heard about a Call he received recently so I was able to ask him about that too. It was nice to be greeted so kindly by someone, especially since I was feeling a little out of my skin that day for some reason.

Did you know that on our website you can send us a prayer request or note? Just recently, Janis Wendt Risch sent us a note talking about her family and her memories here at Mt. Calvary where she grew up. She even mentioned that her mother helped make some of the church’s vestments. It was such a kind note. It was like the culture of this church had impacted her, and the welcoming community was something she wanted to reconnect with and just send us a note to touch base.

This week we begin a new series called Electing Values Elected. I know all these tenses seem mixed up. In this case, I felt it was important to acknowledge both the past tense (elected) and the present participle (electing). We already elected the values we will discuss this month (past), but we also actively elect to display these values every day (present). As a church, we have said these values are important, but if we don’t keep acting on them, we lose the focus and benefit of them. In our Scripture readings this month, we will spend time in the little books of John (1, 2 & 3 John). Our verse today from 3^rd John acknowledges both the special way being welcomed can impact others, but also the impact that not being welcoming can have on a community. We’ll take time to unpack all of this.

In a culture so connected by technology, a human welcome is a pleasant & necessary part of interacting. People notice how a human welcome can touch their lives in so many ways. At Mt. Calvary, acknowledging it and making it a priority it is something God has gifted us with. Now we seek His direction and ask how we can continue to nurture it.