Elim Lutheran Church
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Petaluma, CA 94952
707-762-4081
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Devotion From Pastor Kathryn: January 7, 2021

1/7/2021

 
​“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” (Isaiah 60: 1–3)
 
We will hear these words of comfort and hope from the prophet Isaiah this Sunday as we celebrate EPIPHANY. He is writing around 580 BCE (Before the Common Era) to a people who are in despair, and who feel hopeless. They have left Iraq, where they were in exile, and have arrived into their sacred city of Jerusalem which is in shambles. Their temple has been destroyed.

The prophet is bringing to them an “unrestrained promise of salvation” as my Bible footnote phrases it.

I wanted to give you a fun, Epiphany Test with this devotion. But instead, I have found myself sitting in front of my television, with our two sons, watching as protestors/rioters break into our capitol. It is something I wish my boys didn’t have to witness.
  • A woman has been shot in the chest
  • Officers have been wounded, one taken to the hospital
  • Protestors have gone into the offices of our elected leaders
  • Our elected leaders, who serve us, are in an undisclosed, safe place as I write.
At this point, the scene is chaotic and doesn’t look at all like the country we
all love. I am waiting for our friend from South Africa to call us up and ask us, “Hey! What is happening in your country?”

Our President Elect, Joseph Biden, in his speech to the country, quoted from Abraham Lincoln: “The way forward is plain: peaceful, generous and just.”

We trust and believe in Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world. We trust and believe in Jesus who followed a path of peace and justice in his life, and was executed for that.

As we move forward, may we carry the light of Christ within us.
People of God, be the light. Let your light shine.  And trust that God is with us all.

In Christ’s Love,
Pr. Kathryn

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    Pastor Kathryn Gulbranson

    Interim Pastor

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