The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Recreation of Re-creation? Pastor Richard Zimmerman First United Lutheran Church With spring "almost" here, summer can't be far behind! Our thoughts turn toward that week at the cabin with the grandchildren, or all those long days for boating or fishing or water-skiing. Everybody needs recreation, a break from the daily routine, the chance to do things we really enjoy! Recreation! But take a closer look at that word and it will tell you what it really means: re-creation! And that's exactly what times off does for us - a chance to re-charge the batteries and catch our breath. God is in the recreation, the re-creation business! While you're busy trying to cram all the activities of spring and summer into these short weeks, remember where your church is located! And if you're not part of a community of faith, do something about that! Especially in summer, I'm sure there will be room for you in a pew at church! That's where His work of re-creating our lives from the inside out starts! Martin Luther said, "Anyone who is looking for Christ must first find the church, because where the church is, there is Christ." And all of us need to have our lives re-created and made new every day in the forgiveness and peace Jesus gives to people who have faith in Him. The Apostle Paul writes, "Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new" (II Corinthians 5:17). Through His Holy Spirit, God in Christ re-creates our lives and gives us that new beginning, that fresh start which we all need. What kind of person do you really want to be? Who wants to go through life enslaved to broken relationships and an appetite for material things that's never satisfied, because the more we get, the more we want! What wants to go through life shackled to the past, gripped by guilt and fear? Jesus can re-make your life to be like Him! You can be a "new person" by placing your trust in Him, by simply putting yourself into His hands and asking Him to do what is best for you. The Christian churches in our community can help you do this! To be a new person, you need to "belong to Christ." So enjoy all the recreational opportunities our area offers us in the weeks ahead. But remember what the word "recreation" really means! Allow God to re-create your life, forever new in Jesus' love!
