Zion is a congregation filled with people who are committed to serving with Jesus. Each time we gather for worship, we conclude with a statement of who we are and what we do: “With all we are and with all we do, we will trust in Jesus, live for Jesus, And serve with Jesus Christ our Lord.” We are people who trust Jesus for all things. Trusting Jesus in all things means that we live knowing, as Julian of Norwich
Promises made, promises broken. Promises regretted, promises treasured. There are many kinds of promises, aren’t there? Some cut deep to our heart; we make them and would never want to break them. Some are made flippantly, some solemnly, and sadly some are made falsely. The flippant ones come in many forms. I promise you I love the Vikings more than life itself. I promise you won’t hate the movie that much. And, sometimes, flippant promises come in the form of a
A new year always brings that fresh perspective of possibility. People use different descriptions: a new start, a fresh perspective, a new beginning, or a clean slate. All of which point to the joy of looking forward with hope. Looking forward with hope is a wonderful way to describe what it means to live as a baptized child of God. That hope is for today, not just for the future. In fact, all the above descriptors could just as easily
So much to be thankful for! God’s faithfulness to Zion is abundant and we are seeing it in concrete ways all over this place. If you ever doubt that there is hope for the world, I invite you to pause on a Sunday morning or Wednesday evening here at Zion and observe all that is happening. The building is alive with more and more people, and I find it so refreshing to be in a place where smiles, hugs, genuine care,
Joshua spoke: As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord! Joshua 24:15 Traditionally, Minnesotans have thought of summer as a “slower” time of the year. What a misnomer that is especially at this “house” we know as Zion Lutheran of Buffalo. Zion is a household filled with people who serve the Lord. It is amazing to see the many ways that manifests itself. A glimpse of one “slow” summer day at Zion reveals exactly what I mean:
“Making all things new.” Take note of the verb tense. Making. In the Greek, that active voice of the verb is emphasized even more than our English language can portray. God is “ongoing-ly” making all things new. It’s not translated, “I made all things new,” but rather, “…I am making all things new.” The trajectory is clear—God is still working. God is still creating, still redeeming, and still blessing our world. For our God, it is not just a one-time
Giving thanks to God for the work of our Sr. Pastor Call Committee, Zion welcomed Pastor John Hulden, Assistant to the Bishop in the Minneapolis Area Synod to preach the sermon and install our Senior Pastor. It was a day of celebrating a long-awaited new chapter in the life of our congregation. The fourth Sunday in Easter is always Good Shepherd Sunday. It couldn’t have been a better day for an Installation! Every year, the same Gospel text is read from the
And Many, Many Thanks For 16 years, Angela Bengtson has served as Zion’s Communications Coordinator. In that time, she has led Zion into a new era of communication mission, vision, and implementation. Angela has not only been key in sharing Zion’s mission, but she is also seen as a leader in church communications circles throughout our Synod and beyond. Her development of Zion’s newsletter was often lifted up as the example of “how to do a newsletter well”. Of course,
My first Call was to serve a rural parish in North Dakota. The location was further North than I had ever traveled. I felt like I had gone to the ends of the earth. Still, I wouldn’t exchange those first years of ministry in North Dakota for anything else. The ministry was challenging, but the people were warm and kind. They put up with my rookie ideas and my foolish mistakes. The parish was a three-point, which means there were
“Jesus said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” John 19:30 If this is where our story ended, we would be living a very different kind of life. Death would have the final word. Where would our hope be? Dead. Where would our joy be? Dead. We would stand at a crossroads that offered nothing but a dead end. Thanks be to God! This is not where our story ends. This is just the
