Monthly Message | August

“Make your ways known to me, Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth — teach it to me — because you are the God who saves me.” — Psalm 25:4–5 (CEB)

It is August, which means Grange Fair! And it also means (sigh or Yea!) back to school! This year, going back to school also applies to yours truly. From August 9 to 13, I will be attending Preaching the Paradox: A Festival of Lutheran Proclamation. The preaching event will be held at United Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg, which is where I took many of my classes when I was a seminary student.

Each year, I look to do several continuing education events to help me learn something new or improve in some way. Most of the events I attend are online, but some, such as the annual Bishop’s Convocation and this year’s preaching festival in Gettysburg, are in person. Besides enjoying opportunities to learn, I believe it is important for me to continue learning about preaching, being a pastor, and just about life in general. It is why I am appreciative that each year St. Mark’s budget includes some money for the pastor that is designated for continuing education that helps me better serve the church.

Whether you work somewhere or have your own business or are retired, I hope there are opportunities for you to discover and learn something new or improve upon skills and gifts you already have. Continuing education, continuing to learn, is a wonderful endeavor.

That also is something we are invited to pursue as part of our lives of faith and following Jesus. Our faith is that we are loved by God, that we are saved through Jesus Christ and given God’s mercy and forgiveness freely — there is nothing we do to earn those. Still, we are invited to grow in our relationship with God and to better know God. We can do that through learning more about who God is; learning about Jesus, his ministry, and what his life, death, resurrection, and ascension means for us; learning how Holy Spirit moves us toward God.

There are many ways to continue our education of faith. Many you know and may already do, including reading and reflecting on scripture, spending time in prayer, discussing scripture and faith with others. Some ways you may not know include that on the homepage of the St. Mark website is a link to Zeteo, a search engine for faith and the Bible. This isn’t just for preachers. It is a great resource for anyone wanting to dig deeper into the Bible and faith. The Go Tell It In The Mountains initiative and website also features many resources. It also isn’t just to help preachers or people feeling a call to preach. The program strives to help people hear and discern scripture and what is preached. I also come across so many other resources that help one learn more about God and our faith. Please contact me if you are interested in anything.

Learning, especially when it concerns God and faith, can be done alone, but it is probably best done with others, even a small group of two or three. I pray that as we are about to begin a new school year, we know that our great teacher, Jesus, is always with us and always looking to teach us something new about life with him and his love for us.

Pastor David