The church year comes to a close this month as we come to the end of the Season after Pentecost and enter into the Season of Advent. Our New Year celebration is Christ the King Sunday on November 22nd. Often at the coming of the new year we take stock of where we have been over the past year and where we hope to go in the year ahead. Perhaps it is a good time for us at Trinity to do that together.
This past year we have said goodbye to saints, our family and our neighbors dear to our hearts. We commend them to the Lord’s care as we do together the first Sunday in November each year on All Saints Sunday. They are gone from us but not lost to us. God holds them in His arms as he will one day hold each of us who are united to Him through faith in Christ.
We have also welcomed new saints into the flock here at Trinity through transfer of membership from other congregations; and we have welcomed new saints into the family of God through Holy Baptism.
In both life and death we are partakers in the communion of saints that God calls us into through the Holy Spirit. God deserves all of the Glory, honor and praise for both life and for death for through both we are His. As He gives and takes away, we bless His name, and thank Him for the good we receive. Good like the blessing of our Associate Pastor Benjamin Mollohan who now serves us fully as the Pastor He has been called to be. And good like our Vicar Gage Garlinghouse, whose growth in preparation to serve in the Office of Holy Ministry we have all witnessed. He will no doubt be a good and godly Pastor when He is called and ordained perhaps as soon as this year.
I know some are wondering about our affiliation with the NALC. While we have concerns which we have addressed openly about support, cooperation, and direction of the synod, the council is not planning on addressing the matter in the immediate future. We are focused solely on the work God has set before us as a congregation. Thankfully there is plenty of good Kingdom work for us to keep busy with. In the upcoming year we will be looking ahead to what God will do next. I believe He will continue to bless us with both spiritual and numerical growth. He will continue to provide for us just as He has, giving us all that we need for a Godly life and a vibrant Christian witness here in Ashland.
In Christ,
