Why are we here?
This isn’t simply a question that a forgetful person asks when entering a room for something. This is a question of intention and purpose. Life has a way of sweeping us up with the “who” and the “what” and the “when” and the “where.” Too often though we don’t slow down to contemplate the “why.” Too often we are so busy “doing” that we forget to ask questions about our deeper “being.”
So, why are we, Calvary Lutheran Church & School, here? What is God’s intention and purpose for placing us here?
- We are here to grow in our faith.
- We are here to grow in our service.
- We are here for the sake of our community!
Many times we clearly remember reasons #1 and #2, but there are times that we can forget #3. We are here not simply for those who are a part of our church or school. We are here for the good of our wider community. The church is to be a “light in the darkness” and a “city set on a hill.” We are called to something greater because God is greater than this world. He created us with intention, purpose, and with a mission in mind.
If we then have this calling, we cannot half-heartedly pursue it. When it comes to our service to the Lord, I don’t think we can declare that we did the job “good enough.” God both desires and deserves our best. And so as a church of the Reformation, we are always committing ourselves to live in line with the Scriptures, especially as they call us to… 24 consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another…” (Hebrews 10:24-25a).
It is for these reasons that we are in the midst of two important sermon and study series within our congregation. We have already started our “For the Sake of Others” series based upon our ministry year theme. But we also will soon launch our congregational study, “The Being Challenge,” as we contemplate our relationship with God. Each of these series go to the core of who we are and what we are to be about. We are not simply a service organization seeking to “do good,” for we have the life-changing good news of the Gospel that comes along with every act of love that we share with our community and world. Nor are we simply a place that people come to worship and learn, for we are sent with specific callings and vocations as we carry the good news of Christ with us in our everyday lives.
May God bless our church and its unity as we live together in his mission and as we serve, “For the Sake of Others.”
May God open your eyes to his calling in your life.
Pastor Kurt Ebert
2022-23 Ministry Year Theme:
“For the Sake of Others” What are we doing to…
- Welcome the guest?
- Challenge the connected?
- Serve our community?
For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. … I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:19, 22b-23).