Today’s author is Prince of Peace member, Anne Christ.
Have you felt it? This new energy around Prince of Peace that arrived about the same time as a big brown bus arrived on our parcel of land? There’s an excitement and sense of purpose that is so good for all of us – for the folks who’ve just arrived and for the ones who’ve been here for generations. I know we think of ourselves as a welcoming congregation, but I can also see that for the most part, we are pretty typical midwestern Lutheran folks. I know that this is how it goes for me: When worship is over, I hustle over to find my friends to pick up our conversations from where we left them yesterday or last week. I see someone I don’t know well across the room, so I smile and nod, but I don’t really say anything to that person, because, well, I’ve seen them here a few times, and I should know their names, but now it’s been too long and I’d feel weird asking, so I don’t. Raise your hand if this is you, too!
I know our new neighbors in their tiny homes have felt very welcome here, and so many of you have gone out of your way to get to know them, to share love and warmth, and meals and time together. Could it be that God is calling us too MORE of this? I have a feeling we’ll be getting to know many more new people here at Prince of Peace in the coming months and years. I feel the Holy Spirit calling me to reach out beyond what’s comfortable, to extend a hand of welcome to my neighbor, no matter if it’s a person living here on the church campus, or someone who’s just here for a day. Do you feel that, too?
If you’ve got a minute, go listen to a song called “Could it Be” from my friends in the group Storyhill. CLICK HERE to listen now or you can find it on Spotify or Apple Music. Some of the lyrics have been sticking in my head recently: “Could it be you were called for a time such as this? Could it be you were called to be hope for the hopeless, light for the darkness, love for the enemy?”
Gracious God, thank you for the Prince of Peace community. Continue to stretch us, to give us compassionate hearts and a sense of hospitality. Help us to find ways to build relationships and offer friendship to one another. – Amen.