PJ's September Blog

Dear Friends,

“Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 40:5

What a joy it has been to see so many gather on Wednesday evenings during the summer around these amazing stories of faith This last week our attention was focused on the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. He once said, “The churches should be the first to champion the cause of the oppressed, but they fail to support the oppressed until it becomes fashionable to do so.” Is that still true today? Are we ready to pick up the cross and follow where Jesus is going? I wonder – just what is Jesus’ dream for Atonement? Just what is Jesus’ dream for the neighborhood around Atonement?

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said this about a dream he had for all people:
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all people are created equal’.”
“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.”
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
“I have a dream today.”
“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”

Do you see how God is bringing this dream into reality here at Atonement? The walls that divide because ethnic background are coming down as the Holy Spirit brings us together as one people. WOW! Last Wednesday evening was one such time when people who came from so many different ethnic backgrounds came together around the table of the Lord. It did not matter if we were German, Irish, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish, or _______. In God’s eyes we were brought together around the table of grace and forgiveness! The dream is coming true! Praise God!

In the months to come the Atonement Family will look different on the surface from what it looked like 50 years ago when the ground was broken and this church was started. But – have you noticed how the neighborhood has changed? Yet with all that is different the message we proclaim is the same. It is a message of grace and forgiveness for all people. Do you see what God is doing? The dream of Isaiah and of Martin Luther King Jr is starting to become a reality! Praise God!

In Christ,

Pastor Jim Gerth