Welcome to New Hope Lutheran Church

New Week Message

Greetings New Hope Lutherans and Friends
The future isn’t here. The past is gone. What we have is now.
Seems to me…..the intersection, for Christians, is our worship experience in our congregations.
Worship draws lessons, music, liturgies from the past to enlighten us. Worship anticipates the
future with hope, guidance. New music and liturgies. Many prayers seek God’s blessings
upon the future and empowering us to participate. We focus during worship on the present
moment by praises, confessions, absolutions, scripture, sermons, participating in Holy
Communion and Baptisms….right here, right now.
For much of Christianity, worship has become an emotional pep rally. For others worship is
largely about inclusion of themselves, and exclusion of others. For some worship is about
being prosperous, wealthy. Some even handle snakes. Yikes!
Martin Luther and many reformers, most of early Church writers, plus Saint Paul and the Gospel
writers who taught Jesus, all invite us to worship by gathering and spiritually grappling, now,
with the Jesus message. They tell us, per Jesus, that we’re beloved by God.
If we want authentic Christianity, drawing on the past, anticipating the future, whilst spiritually
bolstering us right here, right now, then doors to New Hope worship beckon us all. Little
children too!

Here we go!
Interim Pastor Jeff Swanson