Dear brothers and sisters in Christ –
There is a parable told in India about the selfish man who inherited a rice field. The first year the man irrigated the field and it was fruitful. The water, in fact, flowed into his neighbor’s field and this too produced a bountiful harvest.
But the next year the selfish man decided: Why should I let this water flow through my field into his? Water is precious and I must keep it. So he built a dam. This prevented the water from flowing into his neighbor’s field, but it proved disastrous to his own crop as well. Irrigation water nourished the field only if it flowed. When it did not move because of the dam, the water became stagnant and the field a swamp.
We own no rice fields. Still the parable is clear. Think of what we have inherited from God. Think of all He has given us. If we are selfish and keep it all for ourselves, our lives become stagnant, a dismal swamp of mere existence. But if we give back to God by giving to others, both the giver and the receiver share in the fruits of God’s love. I saw two clear examples of this principle in the last week.
First is the Vicarage program. Peter Adelsen served as Vicar here and now he serves as Pastor in Minnesota. Andrew Wolfgram served as Vicar here and now he will be installed as Pastor in South Dakota. Soon (okay, not until July 29th), Vicar Sheele will return to the seminary and Vicar Otterman will arrive. You, the members of Our Redeemer, have been able to give to others – our Vicars – and now they are sharing the fruit of God’s love with others across this country. What a joy it is to be part of the Vicarage program!
Second is this facility we call Our Redeemer. During the construction we have learned the joy of sharing – sharing one room, one Fellowship Hall for worship, for fellowship, for classes, for coffee hour, for quilting, for everything. Like the water that flowed and was shared with the neighbor, by sharing one room we are not becoming stagnant. Creative and thought-out solutions are achieved.
Soon we will have our facility back. May 12th and 13th are set aside for celebrating and commissioning the sanctuary, chapel, and gathering place. We know the facility will not be 100% complete on this weekend. Nevertheless, we will celebrate and commission. On the 12th there will be a 12 hour prayer vigil in the chapel. We would like every member to commit to 30 minutes of prayer in the chapel that day. Details and a sign-up sheet are coming. During worship on the 12th and 13th we will consecrate the new places to God’s ministry. These places are not ours, but God’s. Therefore, it is important that we remember: If we give back to God by giving to others, both the giver and the receiver share in the fruits of God’s love.
May God continue to richly bless you!
Pastor Hartwig