Newsletters

August - September 2026 NEWSLETTER

Dear Members & Friends of Zion,

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psalm 136:1 KJV

For what are you thankful – personally, on behalf of friends/family/community, or at Zion? When did you last consider this question for yourself or pose it to others? Perhaps you engage in a gratitude discussion once a year around the Thanksgiving table or more regularly as part of daily prayer.

In my personal journey and pastoral ministry, I have witnessed the power of gratitude towards God acknowledged at happy celebrations and, more poignantly, as a source of comfort in the midst of trial. Looking back over our lives, we can often give thanks to God for growth and lessons learned from past challenges.

Yet when the going gets tough, complaints—or worse, outrage—seem to overrun any expressions of thanksgiving. What might we discover about family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, ourselves, and others if we opened a dialogue about giving thanks for all we have received from our loving God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit? We don’t need to wait until a Thursday in late November.

Recently, I was reminded that in our Lutheran Small Catechism and in other Christian traditions, we are encouraged to pray to the Lord BEFORE AND AFTER a meal. I confess that in trying to adopt this practice, I still often forget to return thanks to God after the meal; rushing off to the next important-in-my-mind thing I need to do. Yet, even a moment of silent prayerful gratitude, alone or in company, may more closely connect us to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in the hours that follow.

To encourage the practice of offering prayer at meals, two sets of meal prayers are printed at the conclusion of this letter. Another option is to ask the question, “For what are you thankful?” before or during the meal and incorporate the answers into one of the meal prayers.

May we join with the Psalmist in proclaiming, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever” Psalm 136:1 ESV.

In the Peace and Love of Christ our Savior,
Pastor Karin

August - September 2026 Newsletter (PDF)

Previous Newsletters:

2026
Lenten-Holy Week 2026 Newsletter (PDF)
Holy Week & Easter 2026 Newsletter (PDF)

2025
November-December 2025 Newsletter (PDF)
September-October 2025 Newsletter (PDF)
August 2025 Newsletter (PDF)
May-June 2025 Newsletter (PDF)
March - April 2025 Newsletter (PDF)
December 2024-January 2025 Newsletter (PDF)

2024
September-November 2024 Newsletter (PDF)
July-August 2024 Newsletter (PDF)
May-June 2024 Newsletter (PDF)
February-April 2024 Newsletter (PDF)

2023
Winter 2023 Newsletter (PDF)
Fall 2023 Newsletter (PDF)
May-August 2023 Newsletter (PDF)
February-April 2023 Newsletter (PDF)

2022
November/December 2022/January 2023 Newsletter (PDF)
September/October 2022 Newsletter (PDF)
May/June/July 2022 Newsletter (PDF)
March/April 2022 Newsletter (PDF)
February 2022 Newsletter (PDF)

2021
December 2021/January 2022 Newsletter (PDF)
October/November 2021 Newsletter (PDF)
September/October 2021 Newsletter (PDF)
June/July/August 2021 Newsletter (PDF)
May 2021 Newsletter (PDF)
February/March 2021 Newsletter (PDF)
December 2020/January/February 2021 Newsletter (PDF)

2020