September 2016 - Pastor Dan

 God created September and the Lord saw that it was good. September is the month in which a sense of the cycles of our lives and our living return to some sort of routine. There seems to be a sense of settled-ness that comes upon us. The lazy days of summer, travels, vacations and sleeping in (for the youth), have been replaced with the more structured days of the consistency of school and work schedules. And yet, there is there exists an underlying sense of change.

 The change which is visibly around many who can feel the change of air temperature and the colors slowly transitioning are a part of the day to day in September. Even though the weather doesn't change that much in the Old Pueblo, our 100+ degree days are less and school zones replace the changing colors of the foliage of which most of our nation experiences.

 At Mount Zion, much of our weekly activities return to the calendar and encourage us to participate in the opportunities to grow in fellowship and faith, instruction and outreach.The choirs are joining hearts and voices, the Wednesday meals are cooking away and always in need of servant hearts, Confirmation begins and our return to Bible Study on Thursday invites us into God's Word and fellowship with fellow disciples of our Risen Lord. So please prayerfully consider engaging with these, and other opportunities of fellowship and learning, as you continue to grow in faith and in relationship with our Lord.

My heart and soul contain many desires for all of us at Mount Zion. One desire which tends to overflow is the desire for each one of us be in the Holy Scripture every day. My prayer is that we all know the people and the stories within the Bible. When we know these people and their stories, we tend to relate our day to day engagements with the world around us through the lens of God's Word. Something may happen in which a loose occurs and we may say, Oh, that's just like the shepherd who lost a sheep. We may recognize a sin that has come back to visit us and we may realize, It's just like Zacchaeus when Christ spoke to him. The more we know God's Word, the more we see it in ourselves and in our world. In seeing God's Word in ourselves and in our world, we begin to see God's power at work in ourselves, in our neighbors and in our world. This seeing brings such a divine and supernatural comfort and joy and hope in our day to day lives. It is a gift and blessing from God.

 There are so many resources available to us that can aid us in our quest to be in scripture every day. One of them is our Facebook page which has the daily lessons on the top of the page. There are devotionals available in the narthex. There are websites which offer daily readings. I encourage all of us to be in a Bible study. To gather with others is vital to reading and learning God's Word. Even if that means you have to attend another church for a study that fits your time, please do so. You may even have to start one during a break or at lunch with friends and coworkers. Please, please read and study God's Word in the Bible.

 God's presence in our world is so vital for the well-being of humanity and there seems to be just too many who have no clue as to God's daily activity around us. My heart's desire is that you and your family are constantly aware of God's activity and love immersing and surrounding you each and every day.

In Christ's love and service,

Pastor Dan