Messiah Lutheran Church

School's out for summer! What a great way to end the school year with In n Out, Mustache Mike's, music and fun! Wishing our preschoolers and families a wonderful summer! #messiahyl #lovegodloveoneanother #messiahpreschool #summer #schoolsoutforsummer #picnic #lastdayofschool #yorbalinda #yorbalindabuzz #placentia #placentiabuzz #anaheimhills #anaheimhillsbuzz #fullerton #fullertonbuzz #brea #breabuzz

Feeling island vibes!! Thanks to volunteers from Caring Hands Food Pantry for helping Werth our Drive Thru this week! Your donations continue to feed hundreds of families each week. Thank you for being the hands of Jesus. Come see us every Monday 9-11am. #messiahyl #lovegodloveoneanother #caringhandsfoodpantry #feedthehungry #mondaydrivethru #fritolovesmondays #yorbalinda #yorbalindabuzz #placentia #placentiabuzz #anaheimhills #anaheimhillsbuzz #fullerton #fullertonbuzz #brea #breabuzz

WELCOME TO MY SUNDAY MORNING WALK: Over the past 15 months we have been isolated from one another in a variety of ways. Keeping physically distanced, masked, n...o touching, sanitizing everything we come in contact with. I am not criticizing these protocols and our community effort to beat back this deadly pandemic. In the first few months of the pandemic I remember hearing people comment about how life will never be the same, that handshakes and hugs as ways of greeting people will never come back. As we are gathering again perhaps the number one question I am getting on a Sunday morning, or when I am meeting with people for pastoral counseling is "can I get a hug?" There have certainly been unintended consequences of the isolation, some positive and some negative. As much as I missed the direct and personal contact with people, and as tired as I am of Zoom meetings, I did come to enjoy the stillness and quiet that was often a part of this time. Even though there was plenty of work to be done, life at times seemed to slow down and give me and us the chance to evaluate what is really important and what we do that is non-essential and busy. Through all of this many of us came to the realization of how much we actually crave personal and meaningful interaction and personal contact. One of the great lessons of these past 15 months is just how much we actually need one another. An unintended consequence of the pandemic response is the rise in depression, mental illness issues, and suicide. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it is is estimated that at least one in four of American teens have thought about killing themselves in the past 30 days, and 40% of Americans are dealing with at least one mental health or drug related problem. The isolation is breeding an environment where we are not seeing the warning signs, where the unnecessary shame of needing help seems to germinate deep in the soul and mind. It has created an environment where people are not availing themselves of the resources to reach out for help. Yesterday some of our Messiah family gathered to celebrate and remember the life of a 43 year old dad, Jeff, who died by suicide about a month ago. I want to share with you today my opening statements at the funeral about how important it is that we are checking in on each other and how important it is for us to bring this all out of the shadows and talk openly about these important mental health issues. I started by thanking Jeff’s family for the openness and transparency about not only Jeff’s life but also about his death. I want to encourage anyone who is struggling or knows someone who is struggling to reach out to someone for help.

Thanks to these awesome and patriotic volunteers from our Coffee Ministry for helping with our Drive Thru this week! They sold Fair Trade Coffee and collected lots of food for Caring Hands Food Pantry! Thanks for your ongoing support. Come see us every Monday 9-11am. #messiahyl #lovegodloveoneanother #caringhandsfoodpantry #feedthehungry #fritolovesmondays #yorbalinda #yorbalindabuzz #placentia #placentiabuzz #anaheimhills #anaheimhillsbuzz #fullerton #fullertonbuzz #brea #breabuzz

WELCOME TO MY SUNDAY MORNING WALK: Names are important, they have meaning, they in some ways help define our relationship with others. As many of you know I hav...e a great love for Uganda and for our Ugandan daughter Josephine. A few years ago on one of our trips there a number of people were purchasing Uganda Soccer Jerseys and having their name printed on the back. Josephine told me she would pick the name for the back of my JerseyEtyang, when it is delivered I ask her what the name means and she tells me wild dog in the bush. I have been called a lot of names in my day but never wild dog in the bush. I am still not sure if she was pulling my leg about is or not. Names can reveal thins about us. Throughout the Bible, when God revealed a new aspect of His character it was often done by introducing people to a new name. Through these names, like people of old, we too can come to know the character of God. God is like a diamond with an infinite number of facets. God’s many names are like windows that reveal God’s beautiful and amazing character and nature. As we learn to embrace each of these names of God,our relationship with God can be enriched and strengthened filling our life and days with hope and resiliency to face any and all of life’s circumstances and challenges.

We're almost full! Don't delay and sign up at our lowest price. Price goes up on June 1st. It's going to be an amazing week filled with the FORCE of God's love! Sign up here: https://www.messiahyl.com/event/2021-07-12-9am-vbs/ #messiahyl #lovegodloveoneanother #messiahvbs #starwars #starwarsvbs #thespiritawakens #yorbalinda #yorbalindabuzz #placentia #placentiabuzz #anaheimhills #anaheimhillsbuzz #fullerton #fullertonbuzz #brea #breabuzz

Our Staff had a Winter Pajama Party this morning at our Drive Thru! We handed out coffee, hot chocolate, donuts and Christ in our Home devotionals. Thanks to everyone who came and donated to Caring Hands Food Pantry helping to feed hundreds of families each week! We are back on Mondays again next week. Come see us 9-11am when our 'Soup'er Bowl competition begins! #messiahyl #lovegodloveoneanother #caringhandsfoodpantry #feedthehungry #yorbalinda #yorbalindabuzz #placentia #placentiabuzz #anaheimhills #anaheimhillsbuzz #fullerton #fullertonbuzz

Find something that brings joy to you today and take a picture of it. Then share it here. Not looking for pictures you have taken in the past but a picture from today. The goal is to be mindful of the joy and goodness around us all the time.

Savor today, because this life, this day, and this moment, is a gift!Savor today, because this life, this day, and this moment, is a gift!

Snow Day for our Preschoolers! #messiahyl #messiahpreschool #snowdays #snowmuchfun

"Surrounded truly and silently by powers of goodness protected and comforted wonderfully thus I would live these days with you (all) and go with you into a new ...year Sheltered wonderfully by powers of goodness We are looking forward confidently to what may come God is with us in the evening and in the morning and for sure on every new day" - Dietrich Bonhoeffer