Dear Fellow Children of God,
There is somewhat sad joke about two pastor friends who
were talking with one another. The Baptist pastor in a small town had
found bats in his church. He tried all sorts of remedies, including
paying exterminators, but the bats remained. He shared his problem with
his friend, the Lutheran pastor. This Lutheran pastor offered to take care of
the bats. “Really?” the Baptist pastor wondered. “Sure,” assured
the Lutheran pastor. A week later the bats were gone. The Baptist
pastor asked his friend, “What did you do?” The Lutheran Pastor
explained, “I confirmed them. You won’t see them again.” This joke
is an overstatement. But, sometimes after a young person has attended
confirmation classes for a number of years and goes through the confirmation
ceremony they become somewhat scarce. The goal of confirmation classes is
to encourage a lifetime of Christian growth. But sometimes goals are not
fully realized.
I share this sad joke because of a source of joy I have
right now. We have over 30 middle school students in 4 confirmation
classes. The early teen years are a time when young people are full of
life. These confirmation students are positive about learning about Jesus
and working to become friends with other Christian young people. While
20-30 middle school students can turn up the volume, these students have truly
been positive and eager to learn. To see young people who are full of
life and excited about learning about Jesus brings joy to any Christian pastor.
So, thinking about the joke above, do you think that when
a middle school student finishes confirmation classes they know everything they
need to know for life? I think we all know that the need to learn and
grow does not end with a certificate or a diploma. Christian learning is
a lifetime need.
Most professions and trades include expectations of
continuing education because there are always needs to remember what has been
learned and to learn new information. That is not just true for
professionals, or even for middle school confirmation students, this is true
for all Christians. There is always room to grow.
God used St. Peter to share the need for
growth with the Church. Writing to a church that had faced persecution
and temptation, as a summary of his two letters Peter writes, “But grow in
the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory
both now and forever! Amen.” ( 2 Peter 3:18)
This growth Christians need is more than growth in
knowledge. We need to grow in maturity in facing the challenges of life
with the assurance of God’s saving love in Jesus. We need to grow in
wisdom to live as a child of God. We need to grow in mercy and
forgiveness. All of these needs are helped with increased understanding
of God’s Word, which shares His love and His direction for life. All of
these needs for growth are helped by the work of God’s Spirit in the lives of
people of faith.
But, when a professional person seeks to grow, they don’t
just expect that they will learn without planned effort. They enroll in a
class. When parents and young people seek to encourage growth at a vital
time in the life of an adolescent, they take part in a planned confirmation
class.
Do you ever recognize a need to understand the Scriptures
better? Do you ever wish for a stronger faith? Do you see a need in
yourself for godly wisdom in times of life’s challenges? What is your
plan to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus?
A Child of God, Seeking to Grow
in Christian Grace and Knowledge,
Pastor Jonathan
****
ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’ - I am
sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and
friends whose e-mails I have. (I am always adding new names of friends
and members – in case you are just receiving this e-mail for the first
time.) However, if you don’t want to receive this e-mail, please let me
know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for this message. . . Or, if
you know someone who would like to receive one of these e-mails, please send me
their e-mail address.
****
No comments:
Post a Comment