Dear Members and Friends of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd,
The great Spanish poet Antonio Machado wrote, Wanderer, your footsteps are the road, and nothing more; wanderer, there is no road, the road is made by walking. By walking one makes the road, and upon glancing behind one sees the path that never will be trod again. Wanderer, there is no road– Only wakes upon the sea.
The poet reveals the truth that We Make the Road by Walking. We do not know exactly what the future will look like; in our ever-changing cultural landscape, it is difficult to make one-year plans, much less five-year plans. And yet, we are called to walk together, to live and share Jesus from day to day, week to week, month to month, year to year – individually, and as a congregation, a synod (synod means ‘walk together’), and the whole church, united, empowered, and guided by the Holy Spirit. Often, it is only as we look back that we can see the path on which we were led.
For this next year, our weekly focus will center on Brian McLaren’s book We Make the Road by Walking: A Year Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation, and Activation, with 52 short chapters (4 pages) that lead us through key passages of the Bible through the church year. The book is $10 if you want a copy (sign up at church or call the office), though if that amount is a burden, order one anyway.
Here are the first five weeks of We Make the Road by Walking: Alive in the Story of Creation
Aug. 30. Awe and Wonder: Genesis 1:1-2:3, Psalm 19:1-4, Matthew 6:25-34
Sept. 6. Being Human: Genesis 2:4 – 25, Psalm 8, Mark 3:1-6
Sept. 13. A World of Meaning: Psalm 145:1-16, Proverbs 8:1-36, John 1:1-17
Sept. 20. The Drama of Desire: Genesis 3:1-13, Psalm 32, Philippians 2:3-11
Sept. 27. In Over Our Heads: Genesis 4:1-17; 6:5-8; 7:1-5; 8:1; 9:7-17, Psalm 51, James 4:1-8
We will mostly focus on these texts in worship during the next year, unless other texts take priority. I invite you to join your brothers and sisters in this spiritual journey as we live and share Jesus,
Pastor Eric Lemonholm