God's Work Our Hands

Next week 30,000 Lutheran youth will be blanketing the city of Detroit, dividing up in teams and engaging in service projects as part of the 2015 National Youth Gathering. For many of them this service will be one of the most memorable parts of the National Gathering. For some it may even be their first opportunity to live out the Good News of Jesus with their hands and feet. But the greatest impact it will have will be on the residents of a city who long for hope when all they see is rejection and depression.

Three years ago, I was with a group of youth when the National Youth Gathering returned for a second straight time to the city of New Orleans. The clean-up was still on, albeit in the poorer areas, from Hurricane Katrina. The amazing thing was the residents of New Orleans remembered "us" from three years before. They remembered us because they knew we were here to serve them - to help them when the world thought everything was back to "normal" in New Orleans. For them the name "Lutheran" was synonymous with "servant."

On September 13, the ELCA will celebrate "God's work. Our hands." Sunday. Imagine 4 million people from 10,000 congregations going out into their communities cleaning up neighborhoods, collecting supplies, serving those who long for hope when the world has all but forgotten them. We at CTK will be joining our Lutheran sisters and brothers and partnering with our local social service agency, The Place of Forsyth County, in making a difference in our community. Together we will do God's work with our hands.

On this day and beyond, we will have opportunities for people of all ages to make a difference - to be a church that rolls up our sleeves and gets to work! Please save the date - September 13 - on your calendars now and share a couple of hours of your time on "God's work. Our hands." Sunday. It's a great opportunity for us to join together and express our gratitude for God's grace in Christ Jesus right here in Cumming!

Grace and Peace,
Pr. Erik