All Are Welcome in This Place

By Pastor Sarah Anderson

Among many celebrations, like the official first day of summer, June is also Pride month. Like Black History month, Asian American and Pacific Islander and Hispanic Heritage months celebrate culture and race alongside pointing to the inequities in our society, Pride month is part celebration and part protest, drawing attention to the issues still facing the community.

At the February 2018 annual meeting, CtK voted to approve a Welcome Statement that continues to guide us. This statement also led Christ the King to become a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Partner, which you can read more about at Reconciling Works. CtK’s Welcome Statement is three paragraphs long and for the next three blogs, each paragraph will be highlighted.

Paragraph one begins, “The congregation of Christ the King Lutheran Church affirms that: All are welcome in this place,” and it continues, “Our faith is based on a life-transforming story that is both ancient and timely. It is a story of a compassionate and patient God who has boundless love for all people. It is a story of Jesus Christ changing lives and transforming hearts. It is a story of God’s Spirit bringing us comfort and strength.”

This week, you are invited to wonder more deeply about the life-transforming story God invites each of us into. Questions to ponder:

• Have you experienced transformation because of God’s love and grace? Did the transformation happen all at once, or did it occur over time?
  
• ​Can you recall a time when you encountered compassion from God?