Our Blog

By: Pastor Schlicht

There’s something about home. Home is where you relax after a long day of work. Home is where you can let your hair down, because you know the people there will love you, even with your quirks and flaws. Home is where you feel most safe, in a world which is anything but.

Jesus intended for his church to be more than a school where we learn about God’s Word. He intended it to be more than a cathedral where we praise our Creator. Jesus intended for church to be a home, a place where we gather with Christian family and enjoy all the blessings of home.

On October 27^th, we are celebrating Welcome Home Sunday. We will talk about the importance of having the support of a Christian community. One major goal for this Sunday? We want to have 100% of our members in attendance. Let’s pack the house! Let’s see what that looks like, when every member comes together. Please do everything possible to set that date aside so you can join your brothers and sisters in Christ. We will have just one service at 10:00am which will followed by food and a band outside on our church parking lot and lawn.

The goal is to have 100% of our members in worship that day. “So, why is that a good goal?” Have you ever been to a family reunion? Large families get pulled in a million different directions. It becomes hard for everyone to get together. Even on major holidays like Christmas it can be a challenge. So, periodically, families designate a time in the future when they will make it a priority to get together… to have a reunion. When a family plans a reunion, the goal isn’t to get a quarter of the family together. You don’t just want half of the family to show up. You want 100% of the family to do all they can to try and be there. It’s a reunion.

God says the Church is a family. Scripture calls believers “brothers and sisters” constantly. It frequently refers to “the family of believers.” The Holy Spirit is not a sloppy speaker. When he says something again and again, he is telling us truthfully, “This is what you are!”

Welcome Home Sunday is a spiritual family reunion. It is hard for all our members to get together. Even at Christmas or Easter, members travel to be with biological family. So, we have picked October 27^th as a day for the Eastside Lutheran family to get together. Because it is a family reunion, our hope is not to have a quarter of our members show up. We want more than half. All. 100%. Because we are family. It’s time to have a reunion!

If you have been to a family reunion, you know how wonderful they can be. Uplifting. Welcome Home Sunday will be no different. It will be a chance to catch up with friends you perhaps have not seen in a while. Best of all, your Brother, Jesus, has already promised that he is going to be there with all his love and forgiveness, enough for our whole family of believers.