Pastor Zorn - Nov 9

“Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39

On Sunday, November 12, ten members of our congregation leave for our third hurricane Katrina relief trip to Slidell, Louisiana. We have received our work assignment. This time we will be working at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Chalmette, right outside of New Orleans. This church was destroyed in hurricane Katrina and they are hoping to have the church restored in time for worship on Thanksgiving this year. We have been told that they received a delivery of several hundred sheets of sheet rock that need to be hung. My back is already sore!
Virtually every member of our congregation has come back from our prior relief trips saying that it was an incredibly powerful experience. Experiencing the monumental devastation of others first hand and becoming vulnerable to their grief and suffering has a deep impact on our lives as Christians.
Personally, what I learned from my participation in our relief trip last November was that Jesus’ teaching about losing life to gain it is true. Quite honestly, I have struggled with that passage of Scripture my whole life. In my life, losing has always meant… losing! But Jesus says that when we lose for His sake (and the sake of our neighbor) we will gain. What I discovered was that I had been trying to understand that teaching intellectually rather than spiritually. Last November, along with the other members of our relief team, we gave ourselves away for an entire week to those who were suffering in Slidell. During that week I did not think or worry about what was happening back home. I was fully immersed in the lives of those whom we were helping. And yet, at the end of our week I felt as if I had gained something beyond words; a deep sense of peace and spiritual connectedness to my “neighbors.” This is the peace of Christ which surpasses all human wisdom and understanding. It is a gift!
So we prepare to leave for Slidell again, vulnerable and open to our neighbors, vulnerable and open to God’s peace. Please hold us up in your prayers and please pray for the faithful of Peace Lutheran Church in Slidell (our hosts) and Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Chalmette (our neighbors).

Pastor Zorn