In the beginning of this new year I have read one of the more remarkable books in the Bible: The Song of Songs. Eight chapters on pure love. The book is written by King Solomon, whose name means “peaceful”. He is also called “Jedidja”, a name that means “The beloved of the Lord”. In the New Testament Jesus mentions Solomon for example in the sermon on the mount when he describes the lilies of the fields and says: “…not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these” (Matth. 6:29). Solomon was king David’s son and when the queen of Sheba, a woman from present-day Yemen, came to see Solomon, she was totally fascinated with his wisdom. And this wise man is at the same time full of love. What a combo!

In Song of Songs Solomon describes what the bridegroom, the bride and the friends say. The bridegroom is a picture of God and the bride a picture of Israel or the church. What fascinates me is that the bride, the church, in the text is so sure about being completely and perfectly loved. “I am very dark, but lovely”, she says about herself. “Draw me after you”, she asks. She is loved but she wants more. She is completely rooted in love but still not satisfied. This is my prayer for the new year: To become 100% convinced about being loved all the way through by God and still dare to ask for more.

And the bridegroom, God, in the text is not slow to answer: “You are most beautiful…”. That is the thought we receive today. Loved and blessed, that is our name.

Pastor Camilla

Advent is an important season. But there is indeed a risk that our enormous focus on Christmas will make us forget the meaning of Advent. We hurry to get to the ham, the stockfish and the gifts and we miss what could have happened during the weeks before Christmas.

The first Advent we read about Jesus entering Jerusalem while the people sing Hosannah. This year I noticed two things in the story: Jesus rides on a donkey and it looks like He is crying?

A donkey is a small animal. If you try to ride on a donkey you will notice that your feet almost touch the ground. It is a big difference to ride on a horse, the way many kings in history have entered the cities. “See, your king comes to you… lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey, Zechariach prophesies 520 years before Christ (9:9). Jesus did not come as a king on a horse. He came humbly on a donkey to show that He “…lives in a high and holy place but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit” (Is. 57:15). This continues to be His attitude. He sees the pain, He sees the need and He comes down to our level to carry our pain.

In Luke’s version of the story about Jesus riding into Jerusalem it says that He cried when He saw the city: “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, ‘If you. even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace” (19:41-42). Jesus, the Messiah, cries when He sees the city and the people – these who did not understand who He was and what He wanted to do with their lives. Jesus cries because the message does not hit home. My prayer for this Advent is that I would not miss what He wants to do, His will and whatever is on His heart. My prayer is also that my heart would be moved to minister to those that do not understand who Jesus is.

Advent is a meaningful time – keep eyes and ears open.

Pastor Camilla

In one of his psalms David says – and it is a quite amazing statement actually – ”He put a new song in my mouth” (40:3). The words can be understood in different ways of course: God changed the atmosphere on David’s inside and added the sound of a new song. David went from minus to plus. Or then David really made a new song, something that is very likely, if you think about all the texts David produced in the Psalms.

This fall I got an idea: I have contacted musicians and singers and asked them to contribute with a new song to a “Christmas calendar 2021” on Facebook and Youtube. My dream is that we would present a new song daily and maybe some of the thoughts behind the song: how was it born, what happened in life right then? At the same time we give these people an opportunity to say “A blessed advent” to all who listen. I don’t have 24 singers yet, but I am working on it. Exciting, isn’t it?

Pastor Camilla

During the last days I have been thinking about distractions. There are various sorts of them. Something unexpected happens, someone says something that creates a frustration or you get angry with yourself because you forgot something important. Many things may upset us. The problem is that distractions often grow in size and become huge if we don’t control them.

The Bible says that Mary chose the good part, while her sister was lost in distractions. (Luke 10:41-42). The good part was the peace at the feet of Jesus, the focus on the words that came out of His mouth. That part was not going to be taken away from her. The good part always needs to be chosen, it does not happen all by itself. You have to choose the peace close to Jesus and turn your face away from that which causes stress and frustrations. But when you’ve found your place close to Him you sit by the well. And it always overflows.

Pastor Camilla

About a month ago I started a one year training in coaching and it is extremely interesting. A word we have talked about is the word GROW. As you mirror yourself in that word, you can ask yourself the following questions. The risk in life is, isn’t it, that the development and growth stop at some time? And then everything continues like before. I am so happy that Jesus challenges us growth and development. That makes life so meaningful!

Take the letters in the word GROW and you get this: G as in GOAL. What do you want to do of your life, where are you heading? What kind of development and growth would you like to see? R as in REALITY. What does your life look like right now? Is there anything that needs to happen in order for growth to happen? Anything you need to let go of, anything you need to add? O as in OPTIONS. What are your options? Do you see them or are you looking so much in the old direction that you miss the opportunities? W as in WILL. In order not to get stuck where you are, what changes will you make, what steps will you take? Remember, growth usually happens outside of your comfort zone.

Sit down with a pen and a paper before God. Ask Him to speak to you as you think about the questions. You choose how deep you let them challenge you. They might sound over-easy and superficial but they are, perhaps, deeper than you think. Have a blessed day!

Because of the corona-situation we have very few activities in the church, but try instead to publish program on the web (unfortunately mostly in Swedish). We meet, however, every Tuesday for prayer at 6pm, starting again at 5.1 2021. Welcome!

In March 2020 we made a fast decision to bless various people working at the hospital in Vaasa with some candy, fruit and nuts. Today (25.3 2020) four huge bags with goodies have been delivered and well received. Thank you to all who contributed to this! We hope that all who work at the hospital in Vaasa feel remembered and encouraged.

Tuesday 24.3 2020 at 10 am we start our prayer-meetings on Zoom. This week we have one meeting, during the coming weeks we will probably add some more. If you want to participate do like this:

If you have downloaded the app please click:
Meeting ID: 522 697 6536

If you have not downloaded the app, click on: https://zoom.us/j/5226976536

ALL are welcome! Also if you are new or have not prayed with us before.

When Copernikus in the 16th century said that it is the sun, not the earth, that is the center of the universe, his discovery resulted in a paradigm shift. People had to start to think anew and the change was radical. I believe all old institutions and fellowships need something similar. It is a real challenge to keep a work fresh and vibrant. This is so true for the church as well. About a year ago I made a small investigation concerning how many people generally participate in the lutheran parishes that are close to us, in Vaasa and Korsholm. They both had approximately 40 persons worshipping with them each Sunday. The number often went down to 20 per Sunday. In some (fex Sion, the Pentecostal church) the number is higher, but generally most churches end up with the same figures as the lutheran churches. The big difference, of course, is that the lutheran churches have up to 10-12 000 members. With that in mind 40 participants in a Sunday service is a very scary number.

We live in a rapidly changing society. When I was around 10 years old in the 1970’s everyone was riding his or her bike without a helmet. Today, almost 50 years later, this is something unthinkable. Most people on their bikes use helmets (except me that is stuck in the 1970’s) and no one drives a motor bike without a helmet. Times change.

We long to see God’s kingdom touch lives. The real challenge then is to think about the following: When we look at everything we do as churches, what can and should be changed, what should remain as it is? My responsibility as a pastor is to create a place that can touch also a young generation. They are, unfortunately, not among the 40 that sit in church on Sunday.

So we continue to work. We pray, we prepare, we want to learn how to reach out boldly, we try to remain fresh and updated. Updated in our faith and updated in our way of expressing it. We can not afford anything else. Welcome to be part of the team!

Pastor Camilla

When I turned 50 I got a new phone as a gift from my church. I have really appreciated it. Every 4-6 weeks a text has appeared on the screen saying: ”This phone has not been updated during the last six weeks. Do you want to do it now?” The question always comes when I am terribly busy or just at the ”wrong time”. Every time I get equally frustrated and think: 1. ”NO, I don’t want to update anything now. Don’t disturb me”. Even worse, I think: 2. ”This phone really does not NEED any updating. It works perfect”.

1998 the hubby and I bought a charming, little house in Parainen, outside of Turku. The house was built in the 1930’s and no real renovation had been done since that. There was no running water and the electricity had been installed perhaps in the 1950’s. An old man sold it to us. He was a little drunk and cried of joy when we signed the contract at the bank in Turku. He said: ”You don’t need to fix this house in any way, just move in”. Bernt and I looked at each other and thought: ”My goodness. Everything needs to be thrown out, repaired and renewed”. The house was indeed charming but it was in terrible shape. But the man who sold the house to us loved it and saw absolutely no need of an update. He was totally in love with his house and completely blind to its’ real needs.

Every church needs to be updated regularely. We need to update and rethink how we receive new people, how we create a loving, welcoming atmosphere, our cafés, our teaching, our way of teaching, our music, the whole church-building, the interior – everything. Nothing is kept fresh and updated automatically, not even we ourselves. If we are not updated we lose the ability to see the reality around us and we become “passé”, without realizing it ourselves. We maybe think we stand for something that is relevant and fresh but every new, normal human being that enters the church thinks: This feels like 1982 or 1997. And 1982 or 1997 was not yesterday.

Soon we meet for a conference in Vaasa (6-9.6 2019). Then we will talk about being updated, representing something fresh and alive. I think the theme is extremely relevant and fresh. I hope you come!

Pastor Camilla