Your Church Family Loves and Misses You

To those of you who have stepped away from your church family over the years, as well as those brothers and sisters in Christ whom we do not see very often…

We love you. We miss you. We desire nothing less than to have you join us again so that together we may receive Christ’s gracious gifts as a family. We’d love to welcome you back with open arms and great joy.

There are many reasons why someone steps away from a congregation, or makes the receiving of Christ’s gracious gifts in Word and Sacrament a low priority. Life is busy. Schedules are full. Work. Sleep. Family. Sporting events. People said things they shouldn’t have. Feelings were hurt. Was asked to volunteer. Wasn’t asked to volunteer. Don’t like the pastor. Don’t like the service. Don’t like so-and-so or such-and-such. I can be spiritual without going to church. They’re all hypocrites anyway. And so on and so forth.

Whatever your reason(s), we ask you to remember who we are and whose we are.

We are a congregation made up exclusively of sinners. People who have hurt others by our words and actions. People whose hearts have been filled with anger, hatred, resentment, lust, greed, envy, jealousy, selfishness. People who have idolized all sorts of false gods. People who have taken God’s name in vain. People who have despised preaching and the Word. People whose sinful nature too often gets the best of us. There are sinners of every stripe in our midst. Young and old. Extrovert and introvert. We are far from perfect. Never have been. Never will be on this side of death. In fact, we are a family of poor, miserable sinners. We are neither better nor worse than you. Each of us is broken. Each of us is weak and weary. Each of us is in need of God’s grace. We do not have all the answers to life’s questions. Nor can we solve every problem.

But this we do have. A God who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. A God who has compassion on us and loves us unconditionally. A God whose love for us moved Him to take on our flesh and blood, walk this sinful earth, breathe this poisoned air, shoulder the entire burden of our sin, and die in our place on a cross so that we would never taste of eternal wages we deserve. A God who grants new life to those dead in trespasses and sins. A God who loves, forgives, and shows mercy without end. A God who creates clean hearts and willing spirits. A God who claims us as His own at the font, fills our ears with His life-giving words and promises, and feeds us the very body and blood of Jesus that unites Him to us and us to Him. A God that gathers His children together into a household—a congregation—wherein He abundantly pours forth His gracious gifts.

It’s easy and convenient in our day and age to want to go it alone. To think that Christianity is simply “me and Jesus.” But God’s Word says otherwise. God the Father—through His Son and in His Spirit—adopts us into a family. His family. As His family, the Lord calls us to gather together in His house around His table for His meal. That’s why the apostles established congregations. Why Saint Paul addressed his letters to congregations. Christians congregate. They meet together. They gather together where the Triune God comes to bless in Word and Sacrament.

By His grace and in His name, on Christ’s terms and not our own, we gather together on the Lord’s Day to hold His Word sacred and gladly hear and learn it, to hear anew the story of our salvation, to eat from His table, to put to death our selfishness, to be transformed by the love of Christ, to sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, to pray for the needs of all, to bear one another’s burdens, to encourage one another, to build one another up in the one true faith, and to promote works of love and service to those whom God places in our path.

We love you. We miss you. We will not stop reaching out to you. We desire nothing less than to have you join us again so that together we may receive Christ’s gracious gifts as a family. We’d love to welcome you back with open arms and great joy.

Will you join us?

Graciously,
Your Brothers and Sisters in Christ