No matter what the coming months may hold in store for us, let us focus on the day of the Lord in faith! We firmly believe that the Lord will come in order to take us to Himself. Hence our motto for 2022 is: Together in Christ.
Let us examine this togetherness a little more closely. I see four levels:
- our fellowship with the triune God
- our fellowship in the divine service
- living together in fellowship
- the fellowship of the living and the dead
What does it mean to have fellowship with the triune God? Divine life is a life in fellowship. The triune God is a God of fellowship between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And this God calls human beings into fellowship with Himself. Those who carry divine life within them will long for fellowship with God and His people.
This fellowship we experience in divine service. In the divine service Jesus Christ grants us His word, His grace, His body, and His blood. We have fellowship with those who share the same goal and the same path with us.
Living together in fellowship prepares us for the return of the Lord, because we grow together here as a bridal congregation and learn to overcome the things that separate us. Being together in Christ means: agreeing to give to others and to also receive from them.
There is still the fellowship of the living and the dead. Fellowship in Christ is stronger than death. The living and the dead are prepared together for the return of Christ through word and sacrament. And then the living and the dead will be together with Him forever.
That is our goal, which we work toward collectively! Please be assured: God is with His own. And the Apostles pray for you.
I wish you all a blessed year 2022, which will lead us closer to our goal: together in Christ.
With heartfelt greetings
Jean-Luc Schneider