Weekly Word
What happens here does not happen anywhere else. It does not happen at the country club, it does not happen in the public schools, it does not happen at Rotary or Soroptimists. What happens at TLC does not happen anywhere else.
This Sunday, the young and old will gather. This Sunday, new widows and new mothers will sit side by side. This Sunday, people of varying ability will unite their voices in song, and prayer.
This Sunday, words of grace and forgiveness will be spoken. This Sunday, the doors will be opened and no one will be keeping score of sins, or social status, or sexual orientation, or political affiliation, or checkered pasts.
What happens at TLC does not happen anywhere else. This Sunday, we will be completing our commitment to give $100,000 to people we don’t know in Bihar, India; we will be giving $20,000 to our local foodbanks, $2,300 to Friends of Friends Medical Support, and $7,000 to hurricane relief. A new TLC Scholarship will be announced this Sunday.
These are not isolated events. This is a part of the rhythm of our giving, this is part of understanding that we are BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING to others.
What happens at TLC does not happen anywhere else. The afflicted are comforted, the comfortable are afflicted. Death is understood as a gateway to life. Meaning and purpose are found not in possessions or accolades but in loving service. The goal of our discipleship is not to have servants, but to be a servant like Jesus. Washing feet is the goal.
What happens at TLC does not happen anywhere else. And it would not be the same without you. Your Church needs you more than it ever has before. In the United States there is a shocking decline occurring in the Christian Church. The decline is across all denominations and movements. The projections within the ELCA indicate that we are likely to have an 85% decrease in worship attendance in the next 21 years.
What happens here does not happen anywhere else. It kind of makes one wonder what Whidbey Island would be like without TLC? Make a difference in your family, your community, and the world. Be people of light in the midst of darkness. Be people of hope in a world that is becoming more calloused and apathetic. Be a part of something that can change the world. It starts this Sunday.
I hope to see you this Sunday at TLC!
Pastor Jim
