Dear Members and Friends of St. John,
That very
first Christmas, after the angels appeared to the shepherds, those shepherds went
to Bethlehem to find Mary and Joseph, and to find Jesus. God tells us in Luke 2 that the shepherds shared
with Mary and Joseph what they themselves had been told. Then, after the shepherds left Jesus and his
family, there is an interesting sentence about what Mary did with this
information from the shepherds. “But Mary treasured up all these things and
pondered them in her heart.”
(Luke 2:19) Mary thought about the
things that had happened. Mary purposely stored these thoughts in her
memory. So, let’s ponder and
treasure this past Christmas ourselves.
What
was your favorite Christmas present you received this year? My wife and I did not buy presents for each
other this year, again – sort of. I did
buy Kathy a dated Christmas ornament again, for the 41st year in a
row. But that ornament is not a large
gift, and after 40 years she knows that this gift is coming. Kathy also says I have purchased her Christmas
gift earlier this year in a number of ways.
However, I don’t like to count those other gifts of love for Christmas. Anyway, Kathy and I planned to put our
resources into giving gifts to others this Christmas.
I do
have 4 grown children with 2 (almost) spouses.
Each one of them did give both Kathy and me a nice personal gift, which
I can tell they thought about before giving.
In fact we have already used most of these gifts in one way or
another. Truthfully, however, I believe
I am even more thankful for the gift of family.
On Sunday night we were blessed to worship together at the Children’s Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. (There is a picture link below from that
service.) Then, on Monday night, after
picking up my sister Martha and her husband Mark from the airport, we had a
family Christmas gathering at our home with 16 people, including 6 grandchildren. We were able to catch up and visit and just
enjoy one another’s company while watching the children open their gifts. When Kathy and I buy gifts for our
grandchildren we often stay away from giving toys. We try to buy gifts that will last, gifts that
have faith or educational value. We gave
Josh’s children and Andy’s children each a telescope this year. One of my favorite moments at our family
Christmas was when we asked the grandchildren to pull the blankets off the
telescopes as a way of unwrapping these gifts.
There was a group reaction from the grandchildren. “Woooo!”
I enjoyed their excitement. But,
again, even more than the gifts, the greater blessing was just the time to be
family.
A 2017
Christmas blessing for which I am thankful is the worship we experienced on
Sunday and Monday at St. John. Including
Sunday morning worship, Sunday evening Christmas Eve services, and Christmas
morning worship, the family of St. John gathered in one way or another 5
different times. Some expressed concern
for me as pastor because I led all those worship services. But, I have developed a philosophy over the
years. I try not to wish Christmas celebrations
to be done and over because of busy schedules.
I work to enjoy the worship and to receive the blessings of the reason
for the celebration. Each worship
service this Christmas had a different group of people. In each service someone attended who did not
attend the other services. For me,
Christmas worship was not a chore, but a gift from God, another gift for which
I am thankful.
Part
of the gift of Christmas worship is also the opportunity to spend time with our
church family. Over the years we have worshiped
and served our Lord with some truly special children of God. In many ways, especially here in Alaska, God’s
people have become our extended family.
When we get to enjoy the gift of God’s Son together, and when we encourage
one another through worship and through the encouragement of just catching up,
I receive the relationship of family with my fellow Christians as another
wonderful Christmas gift.
As
Kathy and I grow “more mature” I also become more thankful for our relatively
good health. When I attended my 45th
high school re-union in the summer of 2016 there was a list of over 80
classmates who are no longer with us. (Of course, my high school class numbered
almost 1000 people.) Some of my
classmates died by accident. But many of
my classmates, including some good friends, were called home by cancer or other
illnesses. Yes, Kathy and I have both spent
time with doctors this past year. Thankfully, God has blessed the doctors in
caring for us. A real gift we received this
Christmas is the gift of health.
As I
personally ponder and treasure this past Christmas, I feel guilty, in a way, to
be so blessed. I know that some people,
perhaps many people, have none of these blessings. But, there is one blessing or present that
each of us have received, a blessing I haven’t mentioned yet. The angel told the shepherds, "Do
not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the
people. Today in the town of David a
Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke
2:10-11) God has given the gift of His Son as our Savior. Actually, all the Christmas gifts I mentioned
above, the family gatherings, the worship services, even our health, can be traced
to God’s love for us in Jesus. I am
truly most thankful for the gift of my Savior, Jesus!
And,
as the angel said, this good news of a Savior from sin and death, this gift of
a Savior who brings us back to our Heavenly Father, is a gift to “all the people.” Receiving the gift of Jesus helps us to
see all the other blessings which God gives! I am thankful that even those who
did not receive a present or have family, are part of the “all people” to whom God gave His Son!
When
all the parties are done, when the worship services are completed, and when the
presents are unwrapped, the greatest gift this Christmas and every Christmas is
Jesus. So, where do your ponderings and treasurings take your mind and your heart this
Christmas?
A
Child of God, Thankful for all the Blessings Surrounding Jesus’ Birth,
Pastor
Jonathan
P.S. I was tempted to
write this week about the upcoming wedding of my daughter, Mary, to our new
son-in-law, Aaron Smith, this coming Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at St. John. I’ve been told, however, that sometimes my
family stories may embarrass. So not
today, maybe next week.
P.P.S. Here is a
picture taken at Christmas Eve worship of our Alaskan Rockey family. https://photos.app.goo.gl/4wNzubLNi3lqezQR2
P.P.P.S. Here is a
picture taken last Thursday morning of the sunrise as seen from my front
porch. https://photos.app.goo.gl/Dsg4bghyj4azFdP93
P.P.P.P.S. It seems a long time ago, but last Wednesday was
our last Advent Fellowship Meal. Here
are some pictures https://photos.app.goo.gl/h6fDJQlYwcQWnkmh1
******
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.
******
No comments:
Post a Comment