Wednesday, March 23, 2022

​8  Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9  Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 10  Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.
1 Peter 4:8-10
 
When my husband and I first walked into Grace Lutheran Church in 2012 with our two-year-old twins, we were hopeful that we might have finally found the right place of worship for us.
 
I grew up attending a United Methodist church and Ryan a Catholic one. We “church hopped” through college and our early married years, but it never felt right. I considered converting to Catholicism, but that wasn’t right either. As we got busier with our careers and then with the arrival of our twins, finding the right church for us got put on the back burner. 
 
We walked into Grace on a sunny winter day with nervous smiles and silent prayers that our girls could get though the service without making a scene. As soon as we entered the narthex, I felt something. It was overwhelming and I couldn’t immediately place it. We shuffled in and were warmly and genuinely greeted by many. The service was meaningful and just as we’d hoped, it felt right. 
 
I pondered on the overwhelming feeling I had that day and quickly realized what it was. It was love. It was not only the love of Jesus, but the collective love of the pastors and of a congregation that I had never experienced before. It was pure, easy and inspiring. 
 
Gather. Feed. Send. - Is really the verses from 1 Peter, chapter 4 in a nutshell, isn’t it? 
 
Gather, as we all know, has been difficult. The creative use of technology and Return to Worship team’s safety protocols has given everyone an option to gather. We’re fed by promises, guidance and love and then are inspired to be sent to serve one another with our gifts. 
 
We truly are “The One Body of Christ.”
 
Kristin Knowles