Growing as a family in Christ

From the Pastor

Look at our church logo to the right. The raised arms of a group of people reaching up toward the cross in praise says a lot about what a Christian congregation is. This dynamic graphical representation fits well with our theme, "Growing as a Family in Christ."

These six particular words are relatively new, but they describe what has always happened at Our Savior, and they reflect our mission statement to seek and save the lost. "Growing" can mean many things, and "Family" can mean many things; all of it is centered on the "main thing"—the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Growth

God’s people gathered around Word and Sacrament will grow spiritually, so we as the members of Our Savior are growing in our faith, growing as individuals, growing in sanctification and good works, growing in our life, growing in our worship and praise of Jesus Christ, reaching upward and outward, like in our logo. The Lord promises growth through His Word, the Bible, which we will read in its entirety in 2003 (see page 4). The Lord promises growth through the sacraments, as we remember and re-experience being washed in our Baptism, and as we receive the sustenance of Christ's body and blood in Communion.

Growth happens for us as individuals, but we are not isolated; we are in community. As we grow in Christ, we grow closer together as a congregation, as brothers and sisters in Christ. That means that there is family here, among God’s people—not that you have to be married with 2.5 kids and a dog to fit in, but that there is support for you in the relationships that you form here in your church family, and perhaps especially in a home group (see page 4). As a family, we celebrate birthdays together, and we grieve together when we lose someone close to us. We have all generations at OSLC—to share wisdom and to inspire innovation, to provide stability and to bring freshness.

A Family in Christ

Now for those who are in a family situation, OSLC is the place for you to grow as a family that is in Christ. Parents come with their children to raise them in the ways of the Lord, and to receive strength and encouragement from other families who face the same struggles on a daily basis. Being a family is the single most difficult thing that we never receive training for; you need a license to drive a car, but there is no test to pass to prove you can be a parent, and being a kid is just on-the-job training the whole way. But to say that your family is a "family in Christ" means that you have direction, purpose, and hope; the kids are with others their own age to grow in understanding of what it means to live out their faith at this point in their lives, and as parents grow in their faith, Christianity is something that is shared in life together as a family that is in Christ.

A Growing Family

Jesus came "to seek and save the lost" (Luke 19:10). As we continue His mission, we can expect our family to grow in numbers as well, but not at the expense of existing members. All are valuable to our Lord. Outsiders will see what we have and say, "I want that." By the grace of God, we will be able to freely give what we have freely received (Matthew 10:8). If our numbers increase, we will still remain family, not despite the growth but at least in part because of it. Growth means more connections and increased opportunities for people to belong. In this way we will all grow spiritually and support and encourage one another on the way to our final destination, an eternal family reunion in heaven with our Lord.

Pastor Young