From the Desk of Pastor Diehl

February

It's been a little over a year since we began using the new hymnal of the ELCA, Evangelical Lutheran Worship, and you all have been wonderful about learning new settings and some new hymns. Of the 10 settings for worship, I think we've used about 4 or 5 already! And as 2008 unfolds, we'll probably try out some more new things along
with the more familiar hymns and settings for worship.

As we try these things, I encourage you to both be patient and give them a fair try. Just because something is new, doesn't mean it can't become much loved. One example I always think of is "Borning Cry". That is one of our relatively "new" hymns, which has become a real favorite. Or, I think of some of the hymns our music director has chosen for us to sing during the offering for a particular season
of the year, such as "Christ be Our Light" during Epiphany, or " We are Called" which we sang this past summer. We didn't know these hymns at the beginning of the seasons, but as we learned them, they became near and dear.

But that doesn't mean everything works or becomes much loved.

During this past Advent we tried a new setting for worship which included the Lord's Prayer set to music. While a few liked it, it proved to be much too challenging for non-music readers to ever
get a hold of. You were good, long-suffering Lutherans about this, but many were relieved when we opted to use the traditional spoken translation after trying the sung version. Some things work, some things don't.

The reason I mention these things is to let you know that we will continue to try to maintain that balance between using what is familiar, comfortable and meaningful, along with some things that are new and maybe a bit challenging In this process, we welcome your thoughts, input, suggestions and conversation. Worship is so central to who we are as God's people that we take it very seriously and work very hard to make it a meaningful balance between basking in the familiar and growing in our faith.

As 2008 unfolds, may we look forward to both of those dimensions of our worship life. And who knows what "new old favorites" we might discover as we continue to worship and grow together in God’s
amazing grace?

+ Living in God's Amazing Grace +

Pastor Jack

Biography

December November October
September