Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Leadership
    • Our History
    • The Rainbow Fish
    • Our Partners and Friends
  • Worship
    • CGS on YouTube
    • Digital Worship Bulletins
    • Music
  • Living Together
    • Calendar
    • Newsletter
    • Blog
    • Important Documents
    • Library
    • Facilities
  • Breeze
  • Contact Us
  • Donate

Butterflies and Easter

4/19/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture

Before a butterfly becomes a beauty that it is, it starts as a caterpillar fulfilling the purpose that
it knows – to eat and grow. But the time comes for every caterpillar when the urge to eat and
grow diminishes and it instinctively begins to encapsulate itself in a chrysalis. The chrysalis
hardens and you'd think that the caterpillar is gone. But a time comes when the life inside the chrysalis begins to struggle, the top opens, and a beautifully formed butterfly comes out. For a long time, it will stand stretching and drying its wings, moving them gracefully up and down.
And before you know it, the butterfly glides effortlessly riding the currents of the air, flapping
its beautiful and colorful wings from one flower after flower.

We find the miracle of butterfly fascinating perhaps because a butterfly is a living tale of the
promise of Easter.

On resurrection morning, the disciples saw Jesus; graveclothes lying on the rock still wrapped round the corpse. Only the corpse was gone, like an empty chrysalis left by a butterfly who has left to fly free. "He is risen as He said," an angel told the confused disciples. Later that day, Jesus appeared to the disciples, that even Thomas didn’t doubt for long that He was risen from the dead. And in the following weeks, Jesus also appeared to many more people.

As followers of Jesus, what do we say in the face of death, especially in this time of pandemic
when we are affected by death more than we used to? We have many questions, but a couple
of things some of us believe for sure. That death is an enemy, something to fear. But second,
and more important, Jesus' resurrection from the grave is God's proof to us that death is not
the end. The empty tomb and the Spirit within us testify that Easter morning is God's triumph
over death. And since Jesus is our Lord and our Savior, His victory is our victory. In celebrating
His resurrection, we celebrate our own assurance of ultimate triumph over death.

Rey Lambatin, Choir Director
0 Comments

Why Do You Attend Church?

4/13/2021

0 Comments

 
The San Jose Mercury News (April 4, 2021) published a viewpoint written by Leonard Pitts Jr., which stated that religious Americans who attend an organized church have dropped significantly. According to Gallup polls taken recently only forty-eight percent of people today are members of a church, synagogue, or mosque. Pitts goes on to state that there are numerous reasons why church attendance has declined. While he acknowledges that many people no longer associate with a specific organized religious group, belief in God is still strong!

As Pitts goes on to write almost eighty-seven percent of Americans have faith in God, that's good news, which got me to thinking, why do I or others go to church? Why is attending church important to us? How does attending Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church strengthen our faith? Attending church strengthens my faith by hearing God's word through scripture. “The Lord is my strength and my might, and he has become my salvation” (Exodus 15:2). I also love how Pastor Manda explains the history involving the bible passages. Receiving the bread and wine, that is the real presence of Christ through holy communion, lifts up my spirit and fortifies my commitment to love and to treat others with kindness. Hearing the choirs and instrumental musicians perform each week fills my heart with joy. Going to church builds us as a community and I love how we get together during coffee hour after Sunday service and check-in, laugh, joke, comfort, encourage, and tease each other. I am so thankful we are a Reconciling in Christ congregation who welcomes all including LGBTQIA+ people. I am grateful that we are working on becoming an anti-racist church through education and listening to and learning about other people in our community. 

​These are just a few of the many reasons, I belong to Christ the Good 
Shepherd Lutheran Church. Do I think our church is perfect? No, we are still broken and imperfect, both saints and sinners. We are all loved just as we are today. We are constantly changing and growing in our faith as we journey through life on earth. As stated in 1Corinthians 12:27: “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” 
​

Why do you go to Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church?

~ Susan Duran

0 Comments

Heart of Service

4/6/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
It is a truth universally known by all Christians that we are called to serve those in need. Which is why we are consistently fundraising, collecting donations, and volunteering for events such as our wonderful Safe Car Park. We understand the importance of serving others in the practice of living out our faith. We know what to do because we’ve seen those that came before us do it. There are flyers encouraging us to donate warm clothes, food, and funds. We saw Jesus himself serve and care for the sick, the poor, and his own disciples.

As a cradle catholic who attended Catholic Schools until I was 18 I was very familiar with service projects, service trips, and donation drives. But it wasn’t until I was in my mid-twenties that I came to understand what it meant to have a heart of service.

Yes, we are called to do acts of service for our brothers and sisters and to be extra mindful of serving those that are less fortunate and in need. But we are not called to simply perform acts of service, but to have a heart of service. And it is my opinion that to have a heart of service is to see the individuals we serve as just that, as individual persons.

Five years ago, I had the opportunity to exercise having a heart of service when I participated in a feed the homeless walk in San Francisco where everyone made sandwiches and then went out into the streets to feed the homeless, but we had specific instructions. We were to take two sandwiches, one for the person we would be feeding and one for ourselves. Once we found someone who accepted our sandwich we were to sit with them and eat with them. We were instructed to be able to come back and tell the organizer the person’s eye color, favorite food, and something we had in common with them.
How often do we look those we serve in the eye and take time to be in companionship with them?

I am so often guilty of being single-mindedly transactional in my acts of service. I’ll lead with the desire to be of service and to have a large quantitative reach, rather than leading with my heart and the desire to be in communion with those I encounter.  

So, Church, I invite us to reflect on what it means to have a heart of service? I invite us to reflect on the whole individual persons we encounter when serving, fundraising, or donating. Even if we don’t meet those we will be serving, we can still pray and care for the individual and say a special blessing over our donated items.
~ Aline Santos
0 Comments

    Christ the Good Shepherd 

    Various editorials, articles, and other items of interest.

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Choir
    Community
    Faith
    Music
    Pastor
    Pride
    Racism

1550 Meridian Ave. 
San Jose, CA 95125

(408)266-8022
​
church@cgslc.org
Picture
Picture

El Camino Real Conference

Photo used under Creative Commons from wuestenigel
  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Leadership
    • Our History
    • The Rainbow Fish
    • Our Partners and Friends
  • Worship
    • CGS on YouTube
    • Digital Worship Bulletins
    • Music
  • Living Together
    • Calendar
    • Newsletter
    • Blog
    • Important Documents
    • Library
    • Facilities
  • Breeze
  • Contact Us
  • Donate