Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for calling us to be your children and for the opportunity to belong to your family. May we fill our life with acts love and faith. Amen.
Reading: Romans 1:1-7 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: This passage begins with Paul’s traditional introduction, so that those hearing his letter know that it is from an Apostle of Jesus Christ. This particular introduction also gives a quick summary of the story of God’s Holy son, Jesus Christ! Which is who the season of Advent is all about! My favorite part is verses four and five where it says, “Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. And YOU also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.” This is a great way to remember that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, not by our works. I know a lot of students who would benefit from hearing that at the end of the semester. It is something we should all be reminded of in today’s “busy” culture. I just finished a book called “Fiercehearted: Live Fully, Love Bravely” by Holley Gerth and this was something that stuck with me: You do not have to do everything to be worthy (I am also speaking to myself here), you belong and you are loved just the way you are. If you find yourself overwhelmed by how busy you are, ask yourself “am I doing this out of fear or out of love?” And if the answer is fear, take a step back and reconsider adding it to your To-Do list. All that you do, do out of love. You are loved and you belong to Jesus Christ, as a Child of God! --Anne Harshbarger
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