Joy in Worshipping

Kurt Gahan and Rev. Fred Lentz stand before the
altar at St. Andrew to celebrate a dedication of quilts
and the installation of Gahan as parish deacon.

Experiencing Joy in Worship


I love to worship at St. Andrew. There are so many Sundays when I come away from worship with a tune in my head and such a sense of welcome and love that I feel like I can handle anything the week ahead will throw at me. Of course, that’s how we should feel when we leave worship; fed and nourished by the body and blood of Christ, uplifted by the Word of God, and surrounded by the community of believers that loves and supports us because of who we are right now, not who we have been or could be.

It always amazes me when we talk to people about why they joined our congregation that the primary reasons are: 1) our being a welcoming and friendly place, and 2) they feel uplifted in worship here, and 3) they felt connected (to others, to God). Aren’t all churches this way? Isn’t this our responsibility to those who seek to know Jesus? Apparently not all churches actualize this calling, though there are many churches that do.  You just have to find the right one for you.

Yesterday was a special day of celebration at St. Andrew. We dedicated 24 quilts to Lutheran World Relief and 90 hand-knitted baby blankets to the Linus Project and an area hospital NICU. We also installed a member of our congregation as a deacon. Kurt Gahan has completed the diakonia ministry program and is now our official deacon, a specially trained servant of God. What wonderful things to celebrate! The music was wonderful! The Word of God was incredibly appropriate! The sermon by Pastor Fred Lentz was inspired, as it wove all the connections together in a joyful call to service. The joy of everyone present was infectious as we celebrated these two wonderful events. As a choir member I can see everyone from the front of the sanctuary. Looking out over the congregation yesterday, I could see the joy as we each took hold of a quilt during the dedication and as we all turned to watch Pastor Fred bless and install Kurt as our deacon. Oh that the world could have seen and felt the joy we shared yesterday!

Were you there? Tell the story! It’s a great one to share.

Missed it? Come visit us and be a part of the joy!
We worship each Sunday at 8:30 and 10:45 am.

St. Andrew Lutheran Church
335 Reynolds Ave.
Parsippany, NJ  07054
(973) 887-6713
http://www.elcaandy.org/