Dear Fellow Children of
God,
We don’t live in a perfect
world. That is why we need a Savior.
As I write this devotion,
I am in Portland this week for the District Convention that happens once every
three years for the churches in our denomination. At these conventions,
which every one of our congregations is supposed to attend, churches
gather together to renew their shared commitment to the mission and ministry of
our Lord. Congregations at convention also act on resolutions, like a
legislature that meets once every three years, in order to better focus the
direction of ministry. But, while I don’t know of any better way for
church bodies to make decisions, I am not always sure a convention is the best
way either.
In my devotions this Thursday morning,
one of my readings came from Ecclesiastes 3, where God moved Solomon to write, “Moreover
I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness,
and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness.” (Ecclesiastes
3:16 RSV). Imagine! King Solomon himself is surprised to find
wickedness even in places that make decisions, places like government.
And Solomon was king! And selfishness and disagreement can ever rear
their ugly heads in places of decision like church conventions.
But disagreement within
the church and meetings to settle matters are not new. We don’t live in a
perfect world. That is why we need a Savior. Such disagreement is
the whole background of Acts 15, where the early church had a heated meeting in
Jerusalem to decide if Gentiles had to become circumcised Jews before they
could become Christian. I share this because, even respecting the faith
and commitment of others attending the convention with me this week, from
experience I expect this convention to display some obvious difference of
opinions for the direction we take in doing the work of our Lord Jesus.
Thankfully, God sent Jesus
to forgive everyone, even Christians when we act in ways that we may think are
right but are actually selfish, or wrong. Even in the church, maybe
especially in the church, God’s people need the forgiveness of God. The
church of God is built, not on our righteousness, but on the righteousness of
Jesus, on the merciful sacrificial death of our Lord, and on His resurrection
victory. We don’t live in a perfect world. We are all sinful.
That is why we need a Savior.
I really appreciated the
prayer in my devotion for today. This prayer, written by Maria Hare, who
helped me to pray, “Have mercy on me, poor and needy as I am, and subdue in
me all that is perverse and wayward in my heart. So fill me with Thy pure
and heavenly love, that all my narrowness and selfishness may be done away with
in the wideness of Thy love. Amen.”
We don’t live in a perfect
world. That is why we need a Savior. Lord Jesus, we pray that you
would even bless Your Church, that we may accomplish Your will as we act to
focus and work together as your people to share the wideness of your forgiving
and saving love. Amen.
A Child of God , Thankful
I have a Savior,
Pastor Jonathan
****
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 always
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. . . Or, if you know someone who would like to receive one of
these e-mails, please send me their e-mail address.
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