I entered the clearing on the edge of the river one sunny, summer morning with my lawn chair and a bottle of water. Seated in a circle around a portable keyboard were members of Faith and Grace Lutheran Churches of Hazard and Pleasanton, Nebraska.  Rev. Dean Hanson, pastor of both congregations, stood in the center welcoming members as they arrived. 

As the service began, the wind moved through the tops of the trees, much like the Spirit must have moved through the streets of Jerusalem that first Pentecost. Sitting in the shade of trees hundreds of years old, the congregation sang hymns of praise to the Lord for his marvelous creation and the gift of His Son, the greatest gift of all.  As if on cue, the birds began to sing with the congregation, adding their voices to the praises being lifted to the Father.

During the sermon, Pastor Hanson asked each member to reach down and pick up the first thing their hand fell on, “a stick, a blade of grass, a rock, or maybe the mosquito you just swatted from your leg,” he suggested.  As we held our object, he asked us to think about a time when it didn’t exist, a time when there was nothing at all except an eternal triune God. The Creator chose to make all things from nothing, creating the world and all its wonderful complexities in six short days by the Word of His mouth. What an awesome God we have to create such a wonderful world and to create us to live in it!

Even more amazing is the love God shows us through His Son, who came to this earth as a man to fulfill God’s plan of salvation. Before time began, God the Father knew God the Son would have to suffer, die, and rise again to give the gift of salvation to fallen mankind. As we left the service, we were urged to let the nature around us always serve as a reminder of the loving God who creates and sustains all things and who redeems us all.

Following the service, covered dishes appeared as if from nowhere to cover a flatbed trailer. Members gathered around the clearing to ask the Lord’s blessings on the food, and the potluck began. Members and visitors alike enjoyed good fellowship over plates full of food, while the youth of the congregations splashed in the river behind us.

Soon a loud whirring was heard coming down the river toward us. A member pulled up to the bank on his airboat and eager passengers scrambled aboard. Shortly, two other airboats arrived and tours began up and down the river.

The “Lutherans on the Loup” service has been held annually the past seven years and is always planned for the second Sunday in July.  All are welcome to join the congregations for this uplifting service held in the midst of God’s creation, followed by a church picnic reminiscent of years gone by.  If you would like more information, please contact Pastor Dean Hanson.