Dear Fellow Children of God,
What would you do if you were hit by illness and could no
longer work? Or what if you experienced an
accident which caused you to lose income and support? What if life troubles came crashing down on
you and you ended up being unable to afford a place to live, at least for a
period of time? For many this situation
is hard to comprehend. But, there are
those among us who have faced severe financial trials and know this possibility
and this pain.
For Americans who are so self-sufficient, and for many
Christians who value personal responsibility, losing income and losing a place
to live can seem like a horrible personal failure. But, who chooses to become ill? Who chooses to have an accident? Accidents by definition are unexpected!
Life is always a struggle and those struggles often hit in ways that
we did not plan and did not want. The loss of even housing can and does happen.
This past week St. John hosted families without housing
through the ministry of Family Promise Mat-Su.
A total of 5 families and 14 people ate and slept at St. John as they
received Christian help toward a more secure financial standing and toward permanent
housing from Family Promise. Between 15
and 20 people from St. John cooked, or spent time, or spent the night so that
we could host these families. I
personally spent Monday night at St. John and facilitated helping these fellow
children of God.
It is one thing to talk generally about the needs of
homeless people in the Mat-Su Valley. It
is another thing to meet moms and dads and children and see the faces and hear
the stories of those who don’t have current housing.
I personally am thankful that St. John has stepped up to
help those in need. I am thankful for
Family Promise who deals with the logistics of finding those in need and making
it possible for churches to safely help those who are homeless. And, please know that it can be extremely
difficult to admit need and accept help from others. So, I
am also truly thankful that those in need were willing to let us give our
feeble and hopeful efforts to help.
In His last week of life, Jesus taught His disciples that
we have a calling and responsibility to help others in need. Jesus teaches, 34 . . . 'Come, you who are blessed
by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the
creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I
was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you
invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you
looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' (Matthew
25:34 b – 36) This is not a new teaching, but Jesus continues the directions of
God in the Old Testament.
But, please notice that helping others is not only a
responsibility, but even more, helping others is a blessing. Jesus begins this dialogue with the words, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father . . .” We
are blessed, first, because when we were in need of help with the ravages of
our sin God sent His Son who gave His own life for us. We deserved punishment, and the Father gives
Jesus and offers forgiveness and life. All
of us are recipients of the grace and help of God.
But, we are blessed by the Father in another way. As I talked to the folks who did the
organizing, or cooked the meals, or spent time visiting, or stayed the night,
they were all thankful for the opportunity to help and serve. You see, God’s math doesn’t make sense. But, by the working of God, in giving of
ourselves we actually gain and grow. We
grow in our relationship with Jesus and that is the grace of God.
We should not be shocked that we live in these surprising
blessings. The Lord brought eternal life
out of the crucifixion of Jesus, and then His resurrection. God can and does bring blessings through the
trials of life. May God bless each of us
with growth as we share with others the grace given to us through our Lord,
Jesus!
A Child of God, Growing through Giving,
Pastor Jonathan
P.P.S. Here are pictures from Confirmation Day
2016, which was last Sunday, April 3. https://picasaweb.google.com/114993745799525883148/ConirmationDay2016#
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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 regularly
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.
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