August Blog 07/29/2010
 
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 
      Our God has blessed us in so many ways…  I think back on Vacation Bible School and the Church Picnic--praising God for the fellowship and joyful service that he works among us.  I thank God for our Monday Night worship service as it continues at 6:30pm each Monday.  I look forward to the St. Matthew Rummage Sale, coming up before you know it.

      Soon, summer will slip by.  Routines will resume.  May our God refresh us and renew us through the rest of this summer, preparing us for routines that are healthier than ever.

      What has your routine for worship attendance been?  Maybe it’s been every week, and you can continue.  Maybe it’s been less often and you can increase your participation in worship with your brothers and sisters.  You can come at 7:30 or 9:45 Sunday morning or 6:30pm Monday.

      What has your routine for attending Bible Study been?  Now’s the time to attend Bible Study in August at 8:45 am Sundays.  It’s as simple as staying after early service or coming early before late service.  Now’s also the time to resolve to attend Bible Study at the eleven o’clock hour when it resumes in September.  Then, you’ll simply be following through on plans already made.

      What has your giving routine been?  May we also grow in this grace of giving…

      C.S. Lewis said, “There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way.’ ” As redeemed children of God, of course, we desire to belong to that first category, “Thy will be done.” 

      On the first four Sundays of August, the theme of our worship services and our Bible studies will be the lifestyle of faithful stewards.  We will learn how the Holy Spirit, working through Word and Sacrament, transforms us to be more like our Chief Steward, Jesus, Who willingly poured out His life in giving and serving, ultimately sacrificing His very life for our eternal lives.

      As your pastor, I pray that each of you will take advantage of these opportunities to grow in the grace and knowledge of your Lord that you might be strengthened in faith both for eternity and for a fruitful life here on earth.

      The particular themes for the four Sundays are as follows: 


Sunday August 1st (and Monday August 2nd), “Building Relationships”

Sunday August 8th (and Monday August 9th), “Witnessing for Jesus”

Sunday August 15th (and Monday August 16th), “Living as a Servant” 

Sunday August 22nd (and Monday August 23rd), “Giving Joyfully and Generously” (Commitment Sunday) 


“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).  

Yours in Christ, 
Pastor Gary
 
June/July Blog 06/07/2010
 
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,    

    What a joy to experience the beautiful, warm summer sunshine…
    It’s so fascinating to me to realize that the sun is the same--Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall.  The sun doesn’t get hotter for us in the summer, we just get a little closer to it.  Actually, that’s not quite the reason for the extra sun and heat, either, I suppose.  Being tilted closer to the sun in the summer doesn’t make a big difference in terms of our distance from the sun.  It does make a big difference in the angle of the sun’s rays toward us, though.  The sun shines more directly on us in the summer.  The sun comes to the center of our sky--not because the sun changed, but because we‘re angled toward the sun.
    The changeless sun may seem different only because of an Earth that changes with its seasons.  That reminds me of our changeless Savior…  “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
    May our hearts be angled toward the Son…    “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17b-19)
    May the unchanging Son come to the center of your “sky.”  “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
    That is my prayer for your lives individually, as well as for our life together.  For Vacation Bible School teaching this June…  For the fellowship of our Church Picnic this July…  May our hearts be angled toward the Son, and may He be at the center of our “sky.”

Yours in Christ,


Pastor Gary
 
April Blog 03/31/2010
 
Dear Brothers and Sisters In Christ, 
      
       As we celebrate the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I’m reminded of His disciples.  They faced great challenges.  They were locked together in hiding, afraid…  Now that their leaders had killed Jesus, what was to keep these disciples from losing their lives, too?

      Their heavenly Father kept them alive--that’s What--or, rather, Who.  Until each of them had accomplished the witnessing  He had for them, God kept them alive.  And, when He let them die in further witness of His Son Jesus, it was only to bring them into heavenly rest and bliss.

      Jesus appeared to His disciples and visited with them numerous times after His resurrection to encourage them.  And, He gave them His Holy Spirit to live in them and empower them.  But, in between, He did something else for them that was also very encouraging.  He let them watch as He ascended into heaven.  I invite you  to celebrate that tremendous occasion with me, as well, as we gather for midday worship (12:10pm) on Ascension Day, Thursday, May 13th, 40 days after Easter. 

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Gary

 
February Blog 02/01/2010
 
Dear Brothers and Sisters In Christ,

             Back in January, I took a trip with my older sons Oscar and Simon to Washington DC.  This was not a pleasure trip, though we did have fun on the trip, too, and saw a few sights while we were there.  This trip was for a very important matter--a matter of life and death.
             We’ve encountered death recently in the news.  Not as those in the nation of Haiti have encountered it, but we’ve had some small glimpse of the devastation they’ve experienced.  In the face of such agony, we wish that there had been some way we could have stopped this, but we can’t.  We offer our prayers and our monetary, physical and spiritual support through relief agencies like LCMS World Relief and Human Care--we try to help now, but we can‘t stop what already happened (at the time of my writing, I see that the estimated deaths from the earthquake in Haiti have reached 200,000 people).  200,000 people dead.  If only we could have done something to prevent this.
             We could not prevent Haiti’s earthquake, but we can try to prevent an equivalent earthquake every season in our nation.  Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall…  Each season in the United States more babies die from abortion than those who died in Haiti from the earthquake.
             Both in Haiti and in the US, both in the face of the earthquake and in the face of abortions, people are wounded, too.  So many die, yet so many are wounded and grieving.  Will you join me in opposing this devastation?  One simple, yet helpful way is in signing the Manhattan Declaration.  In addition to life issues, marriage/family and conscience issues are also Biblically and compassionately addressed in the Manhattan Declaration.  You may read and sign it at manhattandeclaration.org, or ask to read and/or sign it at church.  There are well over 400,000 signatures there in support of life, marriage, and conscience already.
             Unofficial estimates range from 250,000 to 400,000 pro-life marchers at the March for Life. You can see some of them below. I just held the camera over my head, aiming backwards for the shot of some of my fellow marchers.  The sign visible in a couple of the pictures shows “Men Regret Lost Fatherhood,” and on the other side of each of those signs was “Women Do Regret Abortion.”  May God bless our witness, help those wounded by abortion, and save those whose lives have not yet been killed.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Gary

 
 
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

This post comes as we enter first a new church year, then a new calendar year.  Isn’t it wonderful how the church year starts just about a month before our calendar year?

(To explain, the 22nd of November is the last Sunday of the church year 2009.  The 29th of November is the first Sunday of Advent, the season that begins each church year with the anticipation of Jesus’ coming.)

To me, it’s wonderful because it reminds me that Jesus always comes first.  Yes, in our priorities, too, but I have a different thought in mind about Jesus coming first, now.  Before I enter into a new calendar year, I’m reminded how Jesus entered this world as one of us.  So, no matter what comes in this next year, Jesus came first--He has gone before me.  He lived an entire life, here, and then died to save mine and yours, so we can live with confidence.  Not only has He personally been through life, suffering and death, but he also came first into the details of our lives.  Ephesians two verse ten explains that we’re His workmanship--created in Christ Jesus to do good works that he already planned for us ahead of time.  When you face trials, joys, and opportunities, in which you have the privilege of serving Him, you can remember that Jesus came first and got it all set up for you.  Praise God!  

May our Savior bless your celebration of His birth, life and death, and this next year, reminding you always that He came first…

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Gary

 
 
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Looking forward through October and November, we anticipate the celebration of the Reformation, Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving.  We do have so much to be thankful for…

Most of all, we thank God for our spiritual freedom from sin, death and all the power of the enemy.  Jesus won this freedom for us as the cross almost 2000 years ago.  Then, almost 500 years ago, he began to restore the pure teaching of this Good News in His Church through the Reformation.

Let’s not take this great gift for granted.  Let’s come to church on Sundays (or on Mondays at 6:30pm starting October 12).  Let’s listen to God’s Word as we receive, at church, little albums of 13 cds that will play the New Testament for us to hear in the car, at home, etcetera, from October through December.  Just one cd per week, just 12 minutes per day, and we’ll be listening to the entire New Testament in this last quarter of the year. 

Let us also not take the next greatest gift for granted: the freedom of our nation, given by our God through the noble sacrifices of our veterans.  May we continually thank God for them and honor them.  George Walker Jr. sings a song I wrote about a Christian soldier going off to war, and he made an excellent video of images to complement the song.  I pray that it’s an encouragement to soldiers and a tribute to veterans.  Please view it below. I welcome you to share it with others, especially Christian families with soldiers deployed or facing deployment.

Again, I encourage you to come to church and listen to God’s Word on cd.  Maybe you’ve only personally read God’s Word, not listened to a cd before.  How fitting that we’re starting our worship service on Columbus Day, and our audio Bibles just before that!  Sometimes great ventures are worth infinitely more than the investment of time and resources that goes into them.  Let us give thanks for them!

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Gary