From the Pastor’s Desk 

Hello from the Pastor’s desk. Welcome to spring. Now that we are on this side of Easter, I can officially say this. Sure it is still brisk outside. The wind is a bit blustery. Nevertheless, it is spring. And you know what comes out in springtime? The grill.

Have you dusted off the ol’ grill yet? Have you fired it up? It is important to fire up your grill for a few minutes before cooking with it. One must do this to burn off all the living and dead insects inside, as well as any cobwebs that have formed over the winter months. Yes, nothing says springtime like the cracks and pops emanating from a grill cleaning itself with fire. Or, you could use soap. That’ll work too.

Last Sunday was a very nice day, and I could smell my neighbors’ food cooking on their grill. It smelled great. I could picture their family gathering inside, all blessed and enhanced with a meal. Meals bring people together. Meals unite us. Meetings of minds happen over meals. Reconciliations happen over meals. Reunions with friends happen over meals. Celebrations happen over meals. So many gatherings happen over meals.

This Sunday, we will gather around a table, and we will share a meal. We have many names for it. Some of us call it Eucharist. Some of us call it Communion. Some simply call it The Meal. Whatever we call it, something special is happening here, over this meal.

This is a special Sunday meal, too. Why? Because a few of our youth will celebrate their first official communion after completing our Understanding Communion class. They spent the past few months preparing for this day. And we will celebrate with them…over a meal.

I’m dubbing this Sunday “Communion Sunday.” We will not only celebrate sharing a meal with our youth, but we will also review why we share this particular meal every Sunday. What is communion all about? The answer may surprise you. It has nothing to do with having a proper theological understanding, and everything to do with how we practice our trust in God through Jesus Christ. Practice over theology.

So come out on Sunday to celebrate with our youth, and reflect on why we do all this to begin with.

See you Sunday,

Pr. Matt

pastor@ourshepherd.com