Dear Members and Friends of St. John,
Have you ever heard someone say, “I need a vacation from
my vacation!”? Kathy and I returned on
Monday night, Tuesday morning, from visiting my dad and family in Florida. Actually, after boarding our flight in
Florida around 11:30 a.m. Alaska time, the plane landed just after midnight in
Anchorage. We had our luggage around
12:30 a.m., and our heads hit our bed around 2:00 a.m. Alaska time, 6:00 a.m.
Florida time. I calculate that from the
time we arrived at the airport in Florida, till when we arrived home, we spent
16 hours traveling. Monday was a LONG
day!
So, I confess I was somewhat in a fog on Tuesday as, in
the morning, I tried to pay bills, unpack, and pick up at home. (Our dog had left some visible evidence that he missed us.) At noon I attended a Kiwanis meeting, my
first as President for the 2017-2018 year, and then also led a Kiwanis board of
directors’ meeting. I spent the
afternoon handing out dictionaries at Finger Lake Elementary School, and was
also in the office to catch up on phone calls and other tasks. Finally, on Tuesday evening we held our first
Promise Keepers men’s Bible Study for the year.
I went through the motions and tried my best on Tuesday. But I know that, had I been adjusted to
Alaska time and not a little sleep deprived, I might have been a little more
functional.
However, just because we may not be at our peak for
functioning and performing, that doesn’t mean we just ignore what lays before
us. There is still work to be done and
life to be lived. We still have people
to love and faith to share. So, even if
“we need a vacation from our vacation” we keep going, we persevere.
I find that the quality of perseverance is one that we
all need in our fast-paced lives, but one that gets little attention in today’s
world of instant gratification. A few
Sundays ago I told our “Basic Teachings of the Bible” class that I hear a lot
about “passion.” We do all need to be
convinced, convicted, and committed in our lives. But passion can be a passing emotion. Perseverance, founded on godly convictions,
keeps going. For most of us, life is not
a short sprint, but a long marathon. We
need to keep going. We need
perseverance.
The virtue of perseverance may not seem attractive or
popular in today’s self-absorbed world, but the Scriptures, especially the New
Testament, speak a lot of perseverance and endurance.
The
Epistle Lesson assigned for this Sunday, The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost,
is from Philippians 3. Paul talks of his
pursuit to obtain the eternal blessings of God found in Jesus. In verse 12, Paul tells the people of the
city of Philippi of his efforts, and his perseverance. “I press on to
take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”
In
Paul’s first letter to Timothy he gives encouragement to the young pastor who
is shepherding the people of Ephesus, “Watch
your life and doctrine closely. Persevere
in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (I Timothy
4:16)
In Romans 5 we are told that God’s children can
even rejoice in suffering, because suffering produces perseverance, among other
virtues. “3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know
that suffering produces perseverance;
4 perseverance, character; and
character, hope.” (Romans 5:3-4)
And
one of my favorite sections of Scripture is found in Hebrews where, after the
writer has taught the Hebrew exiles in chapter 11 about the examples of faith
found in the lives of God’s people, He then encourages these exiles in chapter
12 to live in faith which shows in perseverance. 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a
great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin
that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on
Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him
endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the
throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)
We all understand why perseverance may be unpopular. Why would anyone want to continue in struggle
and continue in suffering? But,
following the example used in Hebrews 12, we also know that athletes persevere
through the rigors of training for the goals of their competition. We know that God has eternal joy and life
waiting for us who finish the race, as the writer of the Hebrews says. And we know that because of Jesus’ perseverance
of living and dying for us, even when we stumble, we have the love of God to
forgive and strengthen and encourage. We
may fail, but God perseveres in His love.
Our Lord’s love never fails. So,
we can keep going. We can persevere
because of the love of God shown in the perseverance of Jesus.
I woke up on Wednesday morning, early because my body is
still partially on Florida time, yet more alert and ready to go than on
Tuesday. But, no matter the day, my Lord
Jesus persevered for me. He is with me
to love, to forgive, and to save me. I
want to live for Him, even when I may not be all there.
A Child of God, Pressing on and Persevering Because of
Jesus’ Unfailing Love,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Here are some
pictures of our vacation with my dad and family in FL. https://photos.app.goo.gl/uKQLddqM0SBgGx1q1
P. P.S. I know I
included these pictures last week, but in case you didn’t see them, here are
some pictures from the celebration of my dad’s 90th birthday party in
FL. https://photos.app.goo.gl/QOj2riPTdCZK14mc2
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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 do not 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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