Granville-Norwich Lutheran Parish

08/29/2026

But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ
Philippians 3:20

Are you ever homesick for heaven? It’s hard, isn’t it, being so far away from where you truly belong?
Getting to know Jesus made you an entirely new creation. You’re loved, accepted, forgiven and saved. Nothing can separate you from His love ever again.
But sometimes, it still feels like He’s a million miles away. There are times that being on earth makes you ache for the kingdom of heaven. To be where Jesus is, where there are no tears and the memory of suffering is wiped away.

Because you’re part of God’s worldwide family, this world is no longer your home. It’s a temporary dwelling where you remain for the length of your pilgrimage. Throughout your journey, it’s only natural to long for home. It hurts to see the world through Jesus’ eyes, to be aware of all the things He died for, all the suffering and the brokenness that creation is subjected to because of our choices.

Being in a committed personal relationship with Jesus as our Lord and Savior isn’t always easy. Following God means we’re different from the rest of the world. Our lifestyle has to reflect this. The choices that go along with our faith often clash with what’s easy and comfortable.
Growing closer to God also makes us aware of how much our souls still must mature. Thanks to His Spirit within us, we learn to hate our human nature, the part of us that keeps holding on to our worst instincts. Being God’s children makes us fighters in a spiritual war, and we need His armor to protect us in battle.

The realization that we’re so far away from our Father’s house can weigh on our souls. Being a target for the powers of evil requires constant vigilance and can be exhausting if we don’t take good care of our spiritual health.

It’s hard to hear God’s voice and feel His presence if you’re tired and beaten down. That’s why Jesus invites you to find rest in Him, where your strength is renewed and your courage is restored. To keep up the good fight, to be able to keep running this race, you need to spend time with the Lord. At His feet, you’re at home for awhile and you can be at peace.

08/28/2026

🏫𝐓𝐆𝐔 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬🏫
August 31-Sept 5, 2026

08/28/2026

“The members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.” — 1 Corinthians 12:22

One of the things I have the privilege of doing is serving as the Protestant chaplain at the North Dakota Life Skills and Transition Center in Grafton, a place many people in my part of North Dakota still simply call “the state school.”

Over the years, the institution has had different names, and society has used different words for the people who live there. Some of those words we no longer use because we have learned, or at least are learning, that people should never be reduced to a diagnosis or disability. The people I serve there are people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

And if I am truthful, there are days when chaplaincy does not fit very conveniently into my schedule.

There is always something else to do. A sermon to write. A meeting. A visit. An email waiting. Sometimes I look at the calendar and wonder how I am going to fit chapel into everything else.

And then I get there.

Chapel is loud.

Many of the people who worship with us do not use spoken language, but when the music begins, the room comes alive. There are sounds of excitement. Bodies move. Faces light up. People clap, sway, and make joyful noises that become their own kind of praise.

It is holy noise.

And nearly every time, I leave thinking about Paul’s words: “The members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.”

Jesus consistently moved toward people others pushed to the margins. He noticed those others overlooked, touched those others avoided, and gave dignity to people society had learned not to see.

That matters when we talk about people with disabilities, because they have too often been treated as if they belong somewhere off to the side.

The Gospel keeps telling us otherwise.

I have presided at funerals for people who lived at the center. There are graves connected to that history, including unmarked graves of people who were brought there and, in some cases, essentially left behind. Some people lived much of their lives without family remaining closely involved. Even at the end of life, there may not always be relatives gathered around.

But that does not mean they were without family.

I think about members of my own congregation who have worked at the center for 20, 30, even more than 40 years. They have watched people grow up and grow old. They have celebrated birthdays, sat beside hospital beds, grieved deaths, learned personalities and routines, and loved people through whole seasons of life.

Over time, the line between caregiver and family can become very thin.

That kind of faithfulness matters.

We have come a long way. The center has worked to become a place of dignity, community, care, and inclusion. But there is still work to do, because people with disabilities are still too often left at the edges of our churches and communities.

Paul says they are not at the edge.

They are indispensable.

And not because we need something from them.

Not because they inspire us. Not because they teach us to be grateful. Not because their joy makes us feel better about our own lives.

They are indispensable because they are part of the body of Christ.

Their dignity is not earned by what they can contribute. Their place in the church is not dependent on whether they can speak, sing, serve on a committee, understand every word of a sermon, or give anything back.

They belong because Christ says they belong.

So perhaps the question for us is not simply, “Are we welcoming people with disabilities?”

The harder question is: Have we built churches and communities where they truly belong?

Do we notice who is missing from our tables, classrooms, worship, friendships, and care? Are we willing to stay long enough, love deeply enough, and show up faithfully enough that nobody is left alone?

The room was always theirs too.

And when that chapel fills with joyful sound, I hear more than noise.

I hear the body of Christ.

And I hear God calling the rest of us to make sure no one is forgotten, no one is disposable, and no one is left without a place to belong.

—————— Pastor Carter Hill, Grafton ——————

(The image is two pictures joined together. The church on the campus of the LSTC is on another end of town from the cemetery where graves are marked with one flat brick engraved with the name of the beloved child of God buried there.)

08/27/2026

"Becoming a Christian is a profound, personal, and permanent encounter with the risen Christ that leaves us in no doubt that what we once were we no longer are, and we have been made radically different." —Alistair Begg

Listen to today's program: https://tfl.to/4hDMXTv

08/27/2026

08/26/2026

"The fact that our loved ones are with the Lord lightens but does not remove the experience of loss and loneliness." —Alistair Begg

Listen to today's program: https://tfl.to/3Shl60T