Pastor Scott's Message
A pastor friend of mine took me out to lunch this week, wanting to know how my mission trip was. He asked me, “What is your number one take away from Uganda?” I thought about it and said, “I have more in common with a Christian in Uganda then I do with my neighbor in St. Louis who doesn’t know Christ. I believed this before I went but I said this to my students at the Lutheran seminary there.”
I got to experience Lutheran life half way around the world. My group worshipped with the locals. The service was in another language but it contained the same word and sacrament. We spoke the creed, sang familiar hymns, repeated the liturgy, read an Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel reading, received confession/absolution, received communion and baptized people in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We weren’t in a sanctuary with walls but under a canopy of trees. It was the worship I’ve always known but in a new beautiful setting with new and beautiful people. We shared all of the good things of Christ. I instantly felt the bond of the Holy Spirit.
They allowed me to join in the work of the Gospel. When I was at the seminary there, I was charged with teaching a chapter on the Mission of the church. The basic premise is that mission work is not a committee. It is not one of the things the church is called to do. It is not an evangelism campaign. Mission work is simply joining God’s plan for saving the world which he began in the garden of Eden. Everything God has done since then is to restore his kingdom. I usually help restore his kingdom in America but I got to help restore his kingdom in Africa.
I have no idea how God will use my contribution to further his mission. I pray those kids I baptized become active members of the church. I hope the kids in the school were encouraged that fellow believers flew thousands of miles just to hug them and bless them. We planted seeds of faith there that we may never see the results of. But I also believe we are being called as a congregation to continue this relationship that God has created. I’d love to support His church in Uganda. Pray for direction for our efforts there. Our Lord’s plans are always bigger than we can imagine.
