Pastor’s Desk
“Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.” – 1 Peter 4:10
One night many years ago, we received a phone call from some old friends and former parishioners seeking some feedback on a difficult decision they were suddenly faced with making: their oldest son, who was nine or ten at the time, was an extremely gifted singer and had been offered a position with the prestigious American Boys’ Choir. Now this was an incredible honor, and an even greater opportunity – truly, this could be the first step of a career as a world-class singer! By the same token, however, this would require that the boy leave home and attend a private school in New Jersey. As you can imagine, his mom and dad were struggling with that part of the decision – should he really be away from home and family so young; what would he miss by not having a “regular” childhood? But what possibilities would be lost by not pursuing this incredible opportunity?
To be honest, I’m not sure what I would have done in that situation, but in the end, these parents let their son sing with the American Boys’ Choir, and attend school far from home. Later on, his parents told us that what led them to finally, if reluctantly, give their blessing was that they always know their children were a gift on loan to them from God. “We’ve always known,” they said, “that there would be a time that we would have to give them to the world.”
I’ve always remembered this as reflecting a fundamental spiritual truth for our lives – that ultimately, everything we have or can ever hope to receive is a gift from God. There is nothing that we have by our own effort: our children, our sense of community, the work we are able to do and the love we are equipped to share; our life and health and food, every breath we receive and let go – these come to us only by the grace of God! So what we do in life is our reaction to what God has already initiated – in the end, all the decisions we make, the priorities we set for ourselves, the considerations and sacrifices we undertake make up our response to the “manifold grace of God.” If you want another word for that, it’s . . . stewardship, which is the joy and privilege of responding to what God has given us in such abundance.
We have just such a privilege before us here at St. John’s. We are indeed recipients of God’s manifold grace in this church, part of a shared ministry of Jesus Christ that regularly touches hearts and lives all around us. We’re blessed, you and I, to be kindred hearts dwelling in this community of love and faith – and now, in response to God’s great and fulfilling love, we have an opportunity to give of what we’ve been given, so that together we can be about the task of building up the church and increasing that ministry we share – understanding as we do that whether we have little or we have plenty “[we] can do all things through him who strengthens [us].” (Philippians 4:13)
As Christians and as members of St. John’s, you and I are called to the task of building up the church, increasing our ministry together, and establishing a clear vision for a bright and purposeful future for this congregation – but to answer this call requires our individual and collective commitment of time, talent and treasure; and for this to happen, each one of us needs to look deep into the spiritual storehouses of our hearts to survey the gifts of grace that dwell within. We need to remind ourselves of all that the Lord has freely given to us in such abundance, and then, with the kind of joy that is only reserved for God, respond with abundance of our own.
Indeed, in these uncertain economic times, this becomes even more of a challenge – but these are the times when who we are and what we do as a church is needed more than ever! For the ministry we share at St. John’s to not only be sustained, but to grow and thrive as God’s future unfolds in our midst, each one of us will need to respond to God in ways that are faithful, wise and responsible. My prayer, friends, is even and especially today we might always rise to that challenge, and that our response to God’s good gifts might serve to increase this ministry, as well as its joy! Thank you for all that you do, beloved, and may our stewardship always give glory to God!
Shalom, and see you Sunday,
Michael
Associate Pastor
Pastor’s Desk
God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to
us. Romans 5:5 (NRSV)
I appreciated the cut out editorial comments I found on my desk from the Times Reporter (our local newspaper). The news editor invited responses to the place of loud music in worship. My hunch is people who responded were not talking about the volume of the music, but rather change.
It reminded me of a visit to the new United Church of Christ church start near Cincinnati that our son recently joined. The church meets in a new YMCA gym. The folding chairs were set up on the three point line of the basketball court. Our son set up the power point projection on the movie screen, and shifted the visual image during worship. There was a group of lead singers, rather than a choir. Those gathered saw the words to sing projected on the screen. In the middle of worship, no one turned, and stared at the little girl who ran across the hard wood floor, in spite of the loud noise. When the donated laptop projector overheated and shut down, disabling the video image on the screen, there was not a melt down of those worshiping. After the sermon there was a time for anyone to share questions or insights. I thanked them, for the authentic experience of worship.
The day we were there, the Church Council President reminded people there was a letter available at the entry door table. It spelled out the financial short fall, and the need for prayer and immediate response. Within a week the church had new commitments to meet the need.
The music was not loud in worship. But the presence of God and the welcome, genuine acceptance of everyone was evident. But it was not because everyone was the same, but rather it was because they appreciated the differences that God created. It was obvious that there hearts were overflowing with God’s love.
God’s love is pouring through our hearts here at St John’s as well. Are you willing to make the effort to be present so together we can reveal God’s love to our community and world? Faith is not a spectator sport, so come and take your place so we can be the transforming community God calls us to be. We cannot do it without the active participation of each of us.
Yours and God’s
Assoc. Pastor Ed
