“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Wise words for the space in between what was and what will be.

When will we reopen for worship in person? That's the question of the day for many of us. One of the most challenging pieces of social distancing and quarantining has bee the loss of in-person gatherings, especially for worship. I feel it everyday at the church. I long for the vibrancy and community that comes with a people gathered in Christ's name. I'm sure you miss hugging friends, getting updates on life from others, and sharing Holy Communion in worship. We all do.

So when will we reopen? Our siblings in Christ of the Archdiocese of Dubuque have developed their own criteria for opening. Does that mean we will reopen, too? Not exactly. Here's what I need you to understand in order to fully appreciate our timing and plan. The council presidents and pastors of the ELCA congregations of Greater Dubuque met recently to have an open and honest conversation about reopening our buildings. As you might imagine, there were differing opinions ranging from folks wanting to open as soon as possible (defining "possible" is the key) to others convinced that only time will allow for a safe return to gathering in our buildings. Some suggestions included holding services outdoors to minimize the impact. All of our congregations are developing a formal policy for what it will take in order for us to worship in person. Things like cleaning and sanitizing between services and following, who can enter the building and who will be encouraged to continue worshiping online, and where can folks sit in worship to maintain safe distancing, etc. I think you can see the challenge.

So here's what I promise you. We will do our best to make sure that we have thought through all of the necessary details in order to ensure the safest possible environment for our people. We will pray together and talk together, as leaders in this congregation, to make decisions based on the well-being of our people and not rush into the process. We will work hard to tend the awesome responsibility of providing worship for our people. And even when we do reopen, we will continue to offer worship online so that everyone, ALL OF US, are able to participate in the life of our church, together.

Stay tuned. Pray. Reach out to your friends and fellow church members. Pray some more. And soon, sooner than later, we will be together again when it is safe. In the meantime, let us embrace the kind of love the Apostle Paul encourages.

In peace and hope,

​Pastor Paul

 

Loved by God, Sent to Serve
Grace and peace to you, friends.

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change... The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge."
~Psalm 46:1-2, 7

First and foremost, we continue our Lenten journey in a truly wilderness way moving forward. Let us not lose site of God's faithfulness in the wilderness for the Israelites (on multiple occasions) and God's faithfulness with Jesus in his wilderness after baptism, and through the cross for us. We are persons of faith and that is important. The people you interact with each day will be looking for hope and comfort. Respond in the confidence that God is faithful and goes with you, with all of us, in the corona virus wilderness. 

Things will look different, faith will be lived out differently, but faith abides and God is good. 

Your congregational council has determined that the best path forward will be to enact our Phase III plan in order to support the wellness of all in our community. Our three part plan was distributed to your mailboxes at church, via email, social media, and resides on our website here.

What does this mean? Well, as the early church adapted to its ability to gather, we, too, have been thinking about the best ways to gather virtually. I have met with the pastors of the Water of Life Conference and chapel leadership for Wartburg Theological Seminary. In what I can only call the Holy Spirit at work for a time such as this, the seminary has received a grant for the study of and development of digital worship. We could not have hoped for a better outcome for our time in the wilderness! We will have a full and robust worship service each week until we are able to gather together again.

We have developed a plan for online worship using The Service of the Word. You will be able to click this link on Sunday morning and join the service OR call 646-558-8656 and enter these numbers [887 508 411#] to join the service and listen via telephone. The service will begin 9:00 a.m. For those watching via Zoom online, the words and liturgy will appear for you. We will also have music and a cantor.

What about Lenten Midweek services? I will host evening prayer in its spoken form. We will provide the words on screen for your participation. We still plan to have sermons provided by seminary students and based on the Psalms. We will forego the midday prayer service in the hopes that everyone can join in for the evening option at 7:00p.m. Please visit the website for a link to join evening prayer.

Social isolation does not mean a lack of community and belonging. Our community will look differently for a time, but it will not be our forever story. Join us online or by phone and let's explore how the Holy Spirit will work through this wilderness time.

And one final word. Lord of Life is dependent upon the tithes and offerings of its people. There is perhaps no more important time than this to ensure continuity in our giving. Will you join me in committing to giving as usual during these days? If you currently give online or by auto-deduction, you will not need to do anything different than usual. If you give by check, feel free to mail a check to the church, or consider giving online via our website.

The primary communication portal will be our website. Links and updates will be posted there. Confirmation youth and families will need to check there as well. We are looking at doing some creative things with Zoom online.

This is a time to embrace hope and not fear. It is God who saves us, who is present with us, and who will guide us through to the other side of this current challenge. I continue to pray for you all.

In peace and hope,

Pastor Paul

​Dear friends,

We are all well aware of the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

The leadership team at Lord of Life has been paying close attention to what is going on, and we have information from medical experts and the county health workers and the State of Iowa.  We have developed a congregational response plan with three stages.
In the first stage, which we are currently in, we will continue all of our ministry programs.  In addition, we will take the following steps:

• We will increase the frequency and intensity of the cleaning and sanitizing the public spaces of the church.
• We will suspend the shaking of hands during the sharing of the peace.
• Pastor will no longer shake hands at sanctuary doors as people exit.
• We will encourage individuals who are not feeling well to stay home.
• We will place hand sanitizer units around the building and encourage all of us to wash hands frequently.
• We will require that all people who are handling food wear protective gloves.

In the second stage, if a case of the COVID-19 virus is confirmed within our community, our response will increase:

• We will suspend the serving of food, including treats between services and other meals
• Instead of passing offering plates, we will put them in stationary locations.
• We will provide online worship for those who choose to stay home.
• If the Dubuque Community Schools close, we will cancel extra-curricular activities outside of worship.

And in the third stage, if there is a confirmed case here at church we will:

• Suspend all worship.
• Provide online worship only.
• Cancel any meetings taking place in Lord of Life’s facilities.

Throughout this process, we will stay in close contact with the Dubuque County Health Department and the Dubuque Community and Western Dubuque Schools.
Uncertainty creates anxiety.  And while we want to be careful to not overreact to what is going on, we also want to be responsible in how we handle this very fluid situation.
In the short term, I have two requests for you:

1. Please pray.  Pray for those affected by this virus.  Pray for the young and the vulnerable.  Pray for medical professionals who tend and care for them.  Pray for those who are affected by this health crisis economically.  And please pray for health and well-being for all of God’s people.
2. Don’t be afraid.  This is an anxious time for our whole nation.  At times like this, we lean in to the promises of God.  God tells us, “Do not be afraid!” We always rely on the foundation of God’s love and grace.  God promises to walk through this with us.  Rely on that promise.

If you have any thoughts or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
In peace and hope,

Pastor Paul                        Jon Dienst, Council President
PS – Now go wash your hands.

Ash Wednesday is the Wednesday of the seventh week before Easter and the first day of Lent. The day is named for the practice of imposing ashes, a practice that many Lutheran congregations have found to be a very meaningful part of the Ash Wednesday liturgy.

Using ashes as a sign of repentance is an ancient practice, often mentioned in the Bible (e.g., Jonah 3:5-9; Job 42:6; Jeremiah 6:26; Matthew 11:21). The early Christians adopted the use of ashes from Jewish practice as an external mark of penitence. 

Ashes symbolize several aspects of our human existence:

• Ashes suggest cleansing and renewal. They were used anciently in the absence of soap. Even on Ash Wednesday, this most penitential day, we receive ashes in the form of the cross, the same symbol placed on our bodies with water in our baptism. Even in this ashen mark of death, we anticipate the new life of Easter.
  
  
• Ashes remind us of the shortness of human life. "We commit this body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust” (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 284).
  ​
  
• Ashes are a symbol of our need to repent, confess our sins, and return to God.

So I invite you to join us this week, this Ash Wednesday, to remember, reflect, and look ahead to what God is up to.