Readings for: 
Friday, August 9: Isaiah 54 – 58

Ho, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and you that have no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
    and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me;
    listen, so that you may live.
(Isaiah 55:1-3)

What an invitation! What generosity! What a model to life by as we are called to welcome everyone! No matter what race or ethnicity . . . Come! No matter the language you speak . . . Come! No matter how many treasures you may have stored up, or if you only live with the cloths on your back . . . Come! No matter what level of education you may have . . . Come! No matter what sexual orientation you may identify with . . . .Come! No matter how perfect, imperfect, right or wrong you may feel you are . . . Come!

Come . . . Because God accepts you just as you are!
Come . . . Because God loves you just as you are!
Come!

Therefore, as humble broken people longing to be in the arms of God we should . . .

Seek the Lord while he may be found,
    call upon him while he is near;
(Isaiah 55:6)

And when we fail to seek him, know that God still seeks us, and claims us as his own through the death and Resurrection of Christ!

Peace,
Pastor Bailey

Readings for the next few days: 
Saturday, August 10: Isaiah 59 – 63
Sunday, August 11: Isaiah 64 – 66
Monday, August 12: Jeremiah 1 – 3
Tuesday, August 13: Jeremiah 4 – 6

During our last full day at our Churchwide Assembly in Milwaukee, we elected Deacon Sue Rothmeyer as Secretary of the ELCA. May God’s blessings be with her as she begins her work in this capacity. We adopted amendments to the Constitution which now states that Deacons within the ELCA will be “ordained” into their various calls. This is a significant milestone especially as much of the the day was spent celebrating and reflecting upon the 50th anniversary of ordination for women in the ELCA, 40th anniversary of the ordination of a woman of color, and 10th anniversary of the ordination of individuals in same sex monogamous relationships. It was another exciting day to be Church together.