Devotion 10.3.18

This fall we’re examining our faith through the lens of football.  If you have any favorite football teams, themes, moments, etc, send them to me and we’ll work them into the series. 

Two Announcements:

1.       We’re going to have a Men’s Ministry Fellowship and Planning meeting Tuesday, Oct. 9^th from 6:30-8:15.  “Happy Hour” from 6:30-7:30 and business at 7:30.  We’re going to enjoy the hospitality of the Baldner Home. Bring a beverage to share.

2.       Another Chance to Serve- One of our members, Terry Nielsen, has to make a move to Seattle to live closer to her daughter after a series of health issues.  She needs a couple of men to help Saturday at 9 am.  Please contact us to let us know you can help!

So now Dez Bryant is hinting that he’d like to come back to the Cowboys.  What do you think about that?

Should a team take a player back, especially after some rather divisive moments?

They say politics makes strange bedfellows. Sometimes sports does as well.  Players have certainly returned to teams before.  And the Mavericks actually welcomed Deandre Jordan to the team this year after the infamous free agency rejection a few years ago.

What does this look like within the church?

Sometimes people walk away from a church too.  Sometimes they simply become less involved.  In other cases, they get mad and start going to other churches, or quit going to church altogether.  What do we do in these cases?  Do we go after them?  Do we let them be?  How do we feel about people who leave our “team”?

There’s certainly a place for boundaries in relationships, even in churches, but one of the themes that resonates throughout the Scriptures, and especially in the parables of Jesus, is the theme of welcoming and pursuing God’s children.  Think about the Lost Sheep or the Prodigal Son.  Maybe you’re at church and you notice you haven’t seen someone in a while.   Could God be putting it on your heart to bring them back to the “team”?  Say a prayer, reach out, and let them know you were thinking of them recently and missed them.  We can be a church that welcomes the newcomer as well as those who are missing.

Blessings!

Dan Borkenhagen

Associate Pastor

Hope Lutheran Church & School