NORTH CHICAGO OUTREACH UPDATE by Gerardo & Delin Hernandez
“And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.’” (Luke 1:30 ESV) The Hispanic ministry, by the grace of God, continues to see the power of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit work in every person we encounter. The point that we want to share today is “Do not be afraid, God is with you”. This is the Gospel message of Saint Luke that we are sharing at Bible study in the homes of North Chicago and Waukegan. We are also sharing this with the homeless people we meet on the streets and in community laundromats. We have followed a series of studies in the point of view of Luke, the Good News towards humanity, when the angel appeared to Mary. Her reaction was to be frightened when she looked at the angel–the fear that human beings face because of sin. The angel told her “do not be afraid, that you have found favor before God”, although Mary did not take it that way since doubt entered her. So today as we face situations here on earth, God can speak to us with His Word from the Gospel of Luke that God is with us. This can be realized when we participate in His baptism and the Holy Supper and experience that His presence is real and that He is with us. We may see that our situation is more than what God promises us, we may enter into doubt and fear that it does not come from Him. The Good News of God is that Jesus is in the church; He dwells in the church. Preaching His Word, the catechism, Baptism, the holy supper and the coming of Jesus for the second time are important things as believers we should know.
Let us strengthen hearts with the grace of God of what we learn in Luke 1:30-34, “And the angel said to her, ‘Do not fear, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you are going to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will call his name Jesus. This child will be great, and fully son of the Most High will be called, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will be King over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end. But Mary said to the Angel, ‘How will this be, since a man I know not?.” The great message, the great news of hope from our Savior Jesus, to be able to rest in the Word of God. Our Jesus is powerful, to be able to see how the Hispanic community is nourished by the Word from Luke’s point of view. We see how people want to learn and know more about the Word in the times we face. It is necessary to know that God is with us and that He is real and that He lives in His church. We know that the Word of God will bear fruit in its time. Let us not tire of doing good because sooner or later we will reap. God is doing great things among us at Faith Lutheran Church.
If you have any questions, please contact Gerardo & Delin Hernandez at https://faithlakeforest.org/people/gerardo-delin-hernandez/.