Dear Members and Friends of St. John,
Those who know me know that, among other hobbies, I like
to follow baseball. I was born in
Massachusetts so I have followed the Red Sox since the early 1960’s, over 50
years! (Though, having lived in St.
Louis I also follow the Cardinals.) Last
year was a dream season for Red Sox fans.
The Sox started out the season hot, and continued in first place all
year long. Their pitching was good. Team hitting was great. Their defense was above average, especially
in the outfield. The Red Sox set a team
record for wins in 2018. When playoff time arrived, many experts did not expect
the Sox to do well. But, they won all
their series convincingly and took home a World Series title!
This year, however, even though the Red Sox have pretty
much the same team, they are having trouble winning. They had a losing record in
April. Their hitting and pitching are not
as good as last year’s team, and in some cases it has been just plain bad. The team barely has a .500 record for
2019. It is a joy to see a team where
all its parts are working well. But, it
is frustrating to see talent go unused.
I guess, I have learned to be thankful when things do work together well.
With all that in mind I am thankful for the teamwork I
saw last Saturday at the St. John Colony Days’ Picnic. We had plenty of volunteers, even though many
of our regular volunteers from years past were out of town this year. Members donated plenty of food, and we even
had beans left over. And, in spite of
the fact that our big food order did not contain everything we ordered, we had
folks running to the store and our food supply was sufficient all day long. Community and church members were generous,
and donations covered all expenses. It
is a joy to see God’s Church work as a team where all parts are working together
well. I do know teamwork does not always
happen. So, I have learned to be
thankful when things do work well.
God speaks through St. Paul to describe the way His Church
is supposed to work. Instead of calling
the church a team, Paul calls the church a “body.” Each part or person in the church has
different abilities. And each part does
its work. Listen to what God inspired
Paul to write. “4 Just as each of us has one body
with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in
Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the
others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's
gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is
serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is
encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others,
let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it
is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” (Romans 12:4-7)
Churches are supposed to work together to spread God’s saving
love in Jesus. But, we all know this
doesn’t always happen – sort of like baseball teams. Sometimes, even when people want to work
together, it is unclear what God would have us do. And sometimes, people and personalities can
get in disagreements and conflict. We
see many instances of such disagreement in Scripture. So we should not be too surprised when
conflict occurs today.
We do need to remember, we are not God. He is the only one who is “all-wise.” We are not perfectly righteous in our
actions. God is the only one who is totally
merciful and holy. So sometimes things
don’t work the way we hope. Sometimes
things don’t work the way we think God wants them to work. That is why we need Jesus. He is our SAVIOR, who forgives our sins and
who leads us in the wisdom of God. But,
when God’s church does work as HE intends, like a body; when each person uses
their gifts for the good of the whole, it is a beautiful thing to behold such
teamwork in this world of disagreement and conflict.
This week after we fed about 1200 people, I am thankful
for all who contributed their time, their donations of food, and their
resources. I am thankful for the joy I
saw as God’s people worked together to serve our community. I am thankful for all the words of
appreciation I heard from those who ate the food, listened to the music, and
enjoyed a day “on the grounds.” I am especially
thankful that our Lord worked in our midst and brought honor to His name. 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and
each member belongs to all the others.
It is a joy to see God’s church function as team where
all its parts are working well. Thank you, Lord!
A Child of God, Thankful to See Teamwork in the Body of
Christ!
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. LAST WEEK WAS ESPECIALLY BUSY! But, I have PICTURES!
·
P.S. On Thursday the AMC held a farewell
dinner for Pastor Todd Roeske who is taking a call to Monroe, WA. St. John members served the meal. Here are some pictures from that event. - https://photos.app.goo.gl/yz7uxUfVSFntboz1A
· St.
John had an entry in the Colony Days Parade. Over 30 people handed out leaflets that invited
people to the picnic. (At the picnic we handed
out other leaflets that invited people to VBS and to worship.) THANK YOU TO ALL who marched in the
parade. Here are some pictures from the
parade. - https://photos.app.goo.gl/Hf6UeT2yMLEixDk58
· The St. John Youth held a Yard Sale on Saturday, June 8,
during the picnic. They made about $1500
toward costs for the National Youth Gathering.
Here are pictures from the Yard Sale. THANK YOU TO ALL who helped with the
yard sale. Here are some pictures of the
Youth fund raiser. - https://photos.app.goo.gl/nbdgVsKX1ukwptKF6
· Here are some pictures from the St. John Colony
Days Picnic. We figure we fed
about 1200 people. We had many
compliments and expressions of thanks for offering the picnic for the
community. THANK YOU TO ALL who contributed,
served, and worked at this year’s picnic.
Here are some pictures of the picnic. - https://photos.app.goo.gl/rrArnjaAg8gCNaKC8
· On Sunday, June 9, we had a baptism for Jessie (mom) and
Mallory (daughter) Ford. Here is a
picture from the baptism. - https://photos.app.goo.gl/FWh7HYnHsESCruEG7
· I had TWO fishing trips with grandkids this past week.
· On Thursday evening, June 6, I took grandkids to a local
lake and fished from shore. - https://photos.app.goo.gl/iCEBFWozPzhFNcfu5
· On Monday, June 10, I took two grandchildren in a canoe with
me. They both caught a limit of trout! - https://photos.app.goo.gl/b5AjajMq72z5UdXj8
******
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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