Known By Love?

What’s the hardest thing about being a disciple of Jesus?   Love.   Jesus said, “A new commandment I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  John 13:34-35

We are to be known as Jesus’ disciples by how we love one another.  Just think about that.  There are so many other things Jesus could have said His disciples would be known by.  He could have said we are known by our faith.  Then we could carry a big Bible, wear a Christian T-shirt, memorize some church teachings and be known by our faith.  That may not be easy, but compared to being known by love, it would be a breeze.  Or Jesus could have said that we would be known by our morals.  Being known by morals would give us an achievable standard.  That may not be easy, but it would be easier than being known by our love.  Morals are good and we should teach them.  But they are not what we are to be known by.

Jesus said that what we are to be known by is love.  And then He gives us a standard:  “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”  Wow.  That’s hard.  How do we begin?  By getting to know the God of love. 

Come get to know the God of love in a Bible class, in a small group, at LifeTree Café, in worship, in fellowship and service along side other brothers and sisters in Christ.  Together we seek to be known by love.

Polly Wegner,

Director of Discipleship

pwegner@peacelutheran.net

303-424-4454

The Punches Hurt

I recently attended a Conference that didn’t hold back the punches.  We church workers were hit with realities of the coming years… and the punches hurt.   The statistics showed that 80% of next generations will not go to church.  Today on surveys nearly 20% of Americans are already selecting “no religion” as their affiliation preference.  These punches should knock us to our knees praying for God’s mercy and direction for His Church on earth.  How can we equip tomorrow’s believers to reach the 80%, that some may be saved?  How can we, who have been entrusted with the great commission to “go, baptize, teach” reach those today whose preference is no religion?  I would love to hear what your thoughts are on this. 

The reality of these statistics is what makes the LifeTree Café approach very exciting to me.  The safe environment offered at LifeTree Café allows you and me to invite those we know who have questions, those who struggle with spiritual stuff, those who have chosen “no religion”.  LifeTree Café weekly presents an experience packed with stories, fascinating video testimony on trending topics, and lively conversation that feeds the soul.  It is just one way we may reach the 80% who will not go to church.  It is an easy and safe way to listen to others and share God talk with them.  I pray as this opportunity becomes available at Peace, that you will take the challenge to reach out and invite a searching soul to come along with you for some God conversation.  “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”  John 20:31

Worshiping, Connecting and Serving with you  –

Polly Wegner, DCE

Director of Discipleship

Peace Lutheran Church

pwegner@peacelutheran.net

Go quickly and tell

“Go quickly and tell.” Matthew 28:7

On that first resurrection day the angel at the tomb delivered the most important message anyone can ever hear: “He is not here; for He is risen.” Death is a defeated foe! Christ has won the victory. Jesus is our resurrection and life. How hopeless our lives would be if these words were not true. Every cemetery and every grave site would be a mute witness to the futility and despair of human life. But His words are true! What a glorious hope we have because Jesus is alive. We must not keep this to ourselves. We are to do as the angel said, “Go quickly and tell” this fabulous, life-changing information to others.

At Peace and in many churches throughout the Denver area, the week following Easter we have a “neighboring” theme. Sunday worship, Saturday workshops, and even small group studies will focus on how to build great neighborhoods. The idea of loving your neighbor is SO simple, yet SO powerful, and how we can respond to the angel’s direction to “go quickly and tell”. Be watching for more information on these events and studies to take place after Easter. Even better, invite your neighbor to celebrate the resurrection with you at Peace Lutheran Church!

He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed. Alleluia!

Polly Wegner, Dir of Discipleship

pwegner@peacelutheran.net

Because I’m Not Perfect

Visiting with new people to our church is the favorite part of my job. I love getting to know them and hearing their “story”. No two stories are the same but a few themes emerge. One I hear often is “I stayed away from church because I’m not perfect and I didn’t want to be a phony Christian.”

It makes me sad to think that a person would stay away from church because they thought they weren’t good enough. Church is where we go because we are not perfect. Church is where we receive hope and encouragement straight from the Word of God. Worship, holy communion, Christian fellowship and connecting around God’s Word is where we receive strength to live for Jesus and forgiveness when we fail. I can’t fix all my imperfections and countless failures, but through the grace of God I am changed into something new and beautiful. Jesus’ sacrificial death for me makes me perfect in God’s eyes.

This Lenten season, let’s make a point to invite someone who has been away from church for awhile. Let’s encourage them to look to the cross for forgiveness, come to God’s altar, hear His Word, and get to know a whole lot of other imperfect people at Peace. Because we are not perfect, we all need Jesus.

Polly Wegner

Dir. of Discipleship

pwegner@peacelutheran.net

303-424-4454

Faithfulness

“The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made.” (Psalm 145:13) Faithfulness is God’s dependability in action. All the time God is allegiant, dedicated, devoted, loyal, loving and steadfast to us.

We respond to His faithful acts with words of praise and thanksgiving and by mirroring His actions. The definition of faithful is “A firm adherence to the truth; loyalty; constant in performance of duties or service.”

Faithfulness is passing along the faith – the Good News that Jesus is Lord and Savior. Though it may seem our contribution is insignificant, our faithful actions are indeed significant. Our faithful telling and retelling of the mighty acts of a dependable God is important – even critical. “One generation will commend your works to another, they will tell of your mighty acts.” (Psalm 145:4). In 2 Timothy we are reminded, “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power of love and of self-discipline.” (v. 7) No one individual’s place is insignificant.

Day by day, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we grow in our knowledge of God’s faithfulness and the ways He faithfully works in us and through us to touch the lives of others with His love and care. God’s faithfulness to us, and ours to Him, draws us in an even deeper relationship with our Lord and with one another.

To that end we pray as did Richard of Chichester, an English bishop of the 16^th century: “Day by day, dear Lord of Thee, three things I pray: to see Thee more clearly, love Thee more dearly, follow Thee more nearly, day by day.”