June 23, 2026
Dear fellow redeemed,
Not long ago, my wife and I were planning to go to a nice restaurant. I had made a reservation a few days before. Shortly before we were to leave for the restaurant, I checked on my reservation (mistake #1). I noticed that the time of the reservation was two hours later than I had made days before. The restaurant had changed the time. So I called them, told them of my concern, and they did not have my earlier reservation made. I then began to show my complaint, and I may have raised my voice a bit (mistake #2). So the hostess hung up on me and immediately cancelled the reservation made. It was very disappointing. But thankfully we made another reservation at an equally wonderful restaurant (in fact a better restaurant, as I may never go back to the restaurant that hung up on me and cancelled my reservation).
So jump ahead now to the next worship service you attend; to a gathering of God’s people; to the Last Day when our Lord receives us into heaven. Imagine having the same I had with the restaurant in the previous paragraph:
“You are NOT welcome at this worship service.”
“You are NOT welcome at the Lord’s Table for Holy Communion.”
“You are NOT one of God’s people.”
“You are NOT able to enter heaven.”
Let it be said here, clearly, and loudly: YOU ARE WELCOME here at Redeemer Church, and at the Lord’s Supper, and as a dearly loved and redeemed child of God, and into eternal life with God in heaven!!
That’s the Good News that I get to share again and again and again. And so do you! We have wonderful news for all of God’s creation. God loves all of us. God has redeemed us all. There is ALWAYS room at the Lord’s Table for you, your neighbor, and each and every one of us!!
Sitting at the Table of the Lord, with you,
– Pastor Steve
Pastor Steve’s 2-Minute Devotion – 6/10/26
Pastor’s Monthly Update – June 2026
Dear fellow redeemed,
Hopefully by the time you read this, it is well into the warm summer weather! And that means that everything is. green, growing, and alive all around. Not only the plants and animals, but also people as we gather outside for walks, picnics and all kinds of outdoor recreation.
The life of the Church also continues through the summer. As God continues to bless us with His presence and love and grace! With this in mind, I have a couple of things to bring to your attention:
1). I am thinking of adding a monthly Wednesday evening event at Redeemer. Similar to the “Conversations with God”, as it will be a casual gathering to pray, read the Scriptures, and discuss and share our lives in Christ. It will be called “Dwelling in the Word”. I welcome your response to this idea. I am hoping to reach those who are not available during the day. Please let me know your thoughts!
2). As we continue in the “Adventures in Renewal”, I am always looking for new ways to interact with our community, bringing the love of God to all. Our Council is reading a good book on this topic (“Leading Faithful Innovation: Following God into a Hopeful Future” by Zscherlle, Binder, Pinkstaff). I encourage you to consider joining us in reading this book. I really appreciate how it focuses our attention on God’s work, through us, in our community. I welcome your participation in the service that we can do together as the Body of Christ!
The bottom line: God is here and doing His work in our congregation, community and world. I look forward to joining you in the service and fellowship we have as people whom God so dearly loves!
With you in Christ,
Pastor Steve
Redeemer Lutheran Church - Hartford, WI 