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