From the Pastor’s Desk: Living the “New Song”
Dear Family of God,
In the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah shares a heartbroken song from God about His people: “When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?” (Isaiah 5:4). It is a vivid picture of human brokenness—a vineyard producing sour, wild fruit despite God’s perfect, loving care. We often do the same, bringing sourness into a world where God desires justice and love.
But God did not abandon His vineyard. In Jesus Christ, He gave us a new song. Martin Luther beautifully explains this rescue in the Small Catechism, writing that Jesus “has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil.”
Jesus didn’t rescue us just so we could sit idle, though. The Catechism reminds us that He redeemed us “that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.”
This is the heart of our church’s life and mission. We don’t serve out of guilt or obligation. We serve out of pure joy because we belong to the One who saved us. When we help a neighbor, share our faith, or care for the hurting, we are branches connected to the True Vine, allowing His sweet fruit to grow through us.
This October, as we remember our roots in the Reformation, I encourage you to look at your daily life through the lens of this gift. You belong to the King. How is He calling you to produce sweet fruit in your home, workplace, and community this month?
Walking with you in the New Song,
Pastor Ron Cox
