Dear Members and Friends of St. John,
On Sunday, November 11, I worshiped with Kathy at First
Lutheran Church in Gainesville, FL. I
grew up and was nurtured in my faith in this congregation in my youth. It is always a blessing to worship with folks
I’ve known for over 50 years. It is a
blessing of joy to go “home” and see familiar faces who ask how I am doing. (On this Veterans’ Day Sunday we were also treated
with some beautiful patriotic music in worship.
And, an old seminary classmate of mine, Pastor Dennis Bartels, was guest
preacher.) Worship with God’s people was
a blessing on this day.
After worship I took Kathy to eat at a favorite
restaurant of hers. Since Kathy grew up
in Memphis, TN, she still has a place in her heart for “southern home
cooking.” We ate at Cracker Barrel. It seems, even though our worship was
finished around 11:15, we were not the only ones who had that idea. When arriving around 11:45 a.m., many groups
of people were waiting outside the restaurant talking with one another. We were told there would be a 30 minute
wait. Yet, even with 3 or 4 groups of
families or friends being called for a table every minute or two, with some groups
as big as 11 people, our wait may have been 40 minutes. A lot of people must like southern
cooking! When we were seated I watched as
people were greeted and served, as tables were cleared, as families and friends
enjoyed their time at the restaurant. They
were not rushed, but there was a constant stream of customers.
I asked our waitress how many cooks they had working that
day. She said, “Six cooks, I think. Maybe one other cook, too. And, there are managers all over the place,
and probably in the kitchen as well.” I
was impressed. To prepare and serve that
many people and that much food in a comfortable atmosphere with just 6 or 7
cooks speaks well of the teamwork at this restaurant.
Then I got to thinking.
Since we were on vacation in FL in November for maybe the first or
second time in almost 30 years, my sister, Martha, hosted a “Rockey Family
Thanksgiving” at her house on Saturday, November 10, two weeks early. Our meal included 8 households, over 20
people, and at least 8 cooks. We had
much for which to be thankful, and the abundant food helped us celebrate. I think our meal may have gone even smoother,
and the wait for food was less than it was on Sunday at the Cracker
Barrel. We had pretty good teamwork too.
I also began thinking how I might have been part of the
teamwork for that meal, how I might helped.
Kathy made the food we brought to the Rockey Family Thanksgiving. She made cornbread dressing, cranberry and
orange relish – ground by hand, 2 pumpkin pies, 1 pecan pie, and pumpkin
cupcakes and fixings for the younger children to decorate. What did I do? Hmmm.
I helped shop. I helped pick out
cornmeal. I found the cranberries and
paid for them. I bought a bottle of
white wine. I didn’t really do that
much, but I guess I did do something.
God’s plan is that His church works like a team. In 1 Corinthians 12 (and Romans 12) God
inspired St. Paul to instruct the church, “4 There
are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds
of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the
same God works all of them in all men. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of
the Spirit is given for the common good.” (1
Corinthians 12:4-7) In other words, God
created each of us differently. We have
different abilities, talents, and gifts.
But God expects us to use these gifts as part of all God’s people, “for the common good.” Later on in this chapter the family of
God’s church is also described as a body. “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one
of you is a part of it.” (1
Corinthians 12:27) Each believer in Jesus is part of Christ’s
body, part of the Church. And, God
expects us to do the part we are gifted to do.
In fact, when Jesus
was teaching His disciples on the night before His crucifixion, He instructed His
disciples, 1 "I am the true vine,
and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no
fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be
even more fruitful. . . 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed
you to go and bear fruit-- fruit that will last.” (John 15:1-2,16) God
expects disciples of Jesus to bear fruit.
We are not just spectators in a worship service. We are part of the body, part of the vine,
growing disciples and spreading the good news of Jesus’ love so that there is
eternal fruit. We bear eternal fruit
when people learn of Jesus, when people believe in Jesus, and when by God’s
grace people are saved to go to heaven.
That is eternal fruit.
Ultimately
Jesus, the true vine, is the source of all fruit. Jesus is the Son of God who left heaven to
endure the poverty and suffering of this world.
Jesus is the sinless Savior who nevertheless died for the sins of all
people. Jesus is the one and only who
overcame sin and death and Satan when He rose from death and from the grave. All eternal fruit comes from the true vine,
from Jesus. But we are branches. We have received gifts. We are part of the body. And God expects us to bear fruit.
After eating
at Cracker Barrel, but even more after being part of the “Rockey Family
Thanksgiving” feast, I asked myself
how I
might have been part of the teamwork of the meal, and how I might helped. The answer is that I probably could have done
more. I could have used my gifts to
serve others in my family a little better (even though I did keep giving
updates to everyone about the FL Gator football game.)
How about you? Do you know how God has gifted you in Jesus
with love, with forgiveness, with eternal life, and with His Spirit? Do you know that God has blessed you with
knowledge and faith, with gifts and abilities?
How are you part of the teamwork of Christ’s Church? How are you helping spread the love of Jesus?
A Child of God, Thankful to be Part of Christ’s Church, Seeking
to Bear Fruit that Lasts,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. I didn’t take
many pictures, but here are a couple of pictures from our Florida Rockey Thanksgiving
on November 10. https://photos.app.goo.gl/CXm4EkXSZNd4Hdp28
P.P.S. I bought my
plane tickets to FL in July when my dad was still alive, but failing some. I would be in Portland for a November District
Board of Directors’ meeting and thought that, since I was halfway to FL, I
should go to see my dad. I didn’t know my
dad would pass away in August. I ALSO
didn’t know my brother, David, would have a heart attack when I was in
Portland, and bypass surgery when I was in FL.
Being in FL allowed me to visit David in the hospital 3 times. I see God’s hand in this trip in a way I
didn’t know about ahead of time. Thank
you for your prayers, David had 4 bypasses, and a valve replacement. He went home on Tuesday!
P.P.P.S. GROWING
IN FAITH SO WE CAN BEAR FRUIT - As pastor I am serious about helping our folks
grow in their faith in God’s love for them in Jesus. I strongly believe that personal devotions
make a difference. Here are some devotional resources you may want to use in your home.
·
Little Visits with God is the book we used most
often. Here are copies of that book, and
OTHER home devotional materials for families.
(There are also some copies in the church library. - https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=little+visits+with+god&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Alittle+visits+with+god
·
Advent devotions – I recently bought 4 copies of
these Advent devotions, 1 for each home where I have grandchildren, one for my
own home, and one for the church. You
may want to purchase one of these Advent devotions for your family. https://www.cph.org/c-2703-children-and-youth-books.aspx?pagenum=1&sortby=Rank%20Desc&rename=Sales%20%26%20Seasonal&Lk=0&rlk=0&plk=2700
·
PERSONAL DEVOTIONS FOR 2019-2020? Will
you to join me in studying God’s Word together? I plan to use the “Today’s
Light Devotional Bible” from Concordia Publishing House in 2019 and 2020. . If
you want to buy one of these Bibles and study with me starting in January here
are links for the Bible.
o From
CPH (Our Church’s publishing house) for $26.39 + $7.00 shipping - https://www.cph.org/p-22950-todays-light-devotional-bible.aspx
o
From Amazon for $32.99 + free shipping - https://www.amazon.com/Todays-Light-Devotional-Bible-Fryar/dp/0758643519/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1540403689&sr=8-1&keywords=Today%27s+Light+Devotional+Bible
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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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