July 2013 – A Seminarian’s Letters Home

To the membership of Circle of Faith Parish:

Greetings to you all from back in Trimont! First and most important of all, a hearty welcome to Pastor Anthony Christoffels and his family! May God be with us all as our journey together begins. It is a joy to have you and your family with us, Pr. Anthony. We have waited a long time for you to come, and rejoice that God has brought you here.

Something I am spending a lot of time doing this summer, and Pr. Anthony will do in the near future as well, is visiting you all, and getting to know you. This is one of the best things that pastors have the chance to do. Yet, surprisingly, in a number of places where I’ve worked, a lot of people think that the pastor only comes to see you when you are sick, or can’t get to church. I remember that from working as a student chaplain at the Mayo Clinic. Whenever the chaplain walked in, somebody would immediately assume that the worst was about to happen! It is certainly true that the Church (not just pastors, but everyone) always tries to visit when someone is ill. But there’s much more to it than that, particularly for we who are Lutherans.

Luther wrote a lot about “mutual conversation and consolation.” What he meant by that was simply getting to know people, learning about their families and their relationships with their congregation, and seeing what wisdom you might have to share. I’ve been amazed at the wealth of knowledge possessed by many who have been members of our churches for decades. To drink from that wellspring of insight, and to see if there is anything I can offer to the conversation – that’s what we do when we visit. So don’t be surprised when one of us calls and asks to come and see you – we know that you have so much to offer, and we want to share in that.

As we welcome Pr. Anthony and step bravely out into our new walk together, let us pray for God’s blessing, using these words:

By your word, eternal God, your creation sprang forth, and we were given the breath of life. By your word, eternal God, death is overcome, Christ is raised from the tomb, and we are given new life in the power of your Spirit. May we boldly proclaim this good news in our words and our deeds, rejoicing always in your powerful presence, through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. Amen. [ELW, Spread of the Gospel]

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Your fellow member and pilgrim,
Carl P. Rabbe, M.Div.