Dear Members and Friends of St. Timothy Lutheran Church,

I learned some years ago in my seminary studies that Martin Luther believed in a ubiquitous presence of Christ in the communion. Christ is present “in, with and under” the bread and wine of the Holy Sacrament of Communion.

This idea of Christ’s universal presence has remained with me all the years I have served in ministry…and it has served me well as a way to remind me that Christ is the ever-present North Star, the guiding light for my life and work.

In this Sunday’s message I want to talk about the presence of God to Moses in the form of a burning bush. But in order for Moses to have that encounter with God, the bible records that he had to go to the far side of the mountain to meet God:

“…led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.” -Exodus 3:1-7

As your Interim Pastor, I am very excited about exploring with you what God is planning for all of us here at St. Timothy and the community we serve and as we journey together to the far side of God’s wilderness.

I am looking forward to walking around that mountain with you, as Christ present with us, as we make our way to the top to get a vision for the future.

Jesus, one day jumped into Simon Peter’s fishing boat with him, gave a talk about God to a crowd gathered on shore, then suggested to Simon Peter to “Push out into deep water and let your nets down for a catch.”  Peter complained that they had been working all night and didn’t catch a thing!

After some equivocating Peter finally did as Jesus said and came up with a catch big enough to break the net!

Together let’s push out into the deep water and cast our nets down deep. Let us work for and be ready for the Lord to fill them.

But first let’s take a short break as we take a little time to rest from our labors. I find Labor Day the most restful, established in 1882 (it became a federal holiday in 1894) as a day to celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of American workers, but it has also become a way for us all to rest from our labors. May you have a blessed and safe Labor Day, see you Sunday.

Your Interim Pastor,

Pastor Bernd Weishaupt