Dear Fellow Children of God,
Last Monday I took
four middle school Confirmation students ice fishing. It was one of those Chamber of Commerce
days. The sun was bright. The snow was new. The temperatures were cold enough to be
invigorating, but it was warm enough that we didn’t need our gloves to bait the
hooks. It was hard not to feel refreshed
after a day outdoors in the beauty of late winter.
The time of late
February and early March is one of my favorite times of the year in
Alaska. The daylight hours have grown so
that the darkness of winter begins to fade, giving way to longer hours of
sunlight. Yet, winter is not yet
over. A whole season of snow has dropped
so the extra sunshine reflects off the white snow of a full winter, giving even
more light. The crisp winter
temperatures combined with the long hours of light provide an opportunity for
really appreciating the outdoors and God’s gift of winter. These are some of the best days to walk, or
ice-fish, or ski, or snow shoe, or snow machine. The days of darkness when we feel like
hibernating have given way to a sense of being awake and being alive.
I am convinced God
uses many different voices to speak to us.
God’s clearest message of love comes in the life and death and
resurrection of Jesus. Today, we hear
God’s plan for us in Jesus most clearly and faithfully in the Scriptures. God also speaks to us through acts of faith
and love in His children. God’s powerful
acts in history also speak. For example,
Scripture tell us that the Old Testament events of the Flood and the Exodus
communicate to us God’s ultimate plan to save us.
The awakening from
winter which happens this time of year is one way God speaks to my heart of the
new life He gives us in Jesus. We awaken
from the darkness of sin and death and live in what God has won for us in the
forgiving death of Jesus, and his victorious resurrection. Yes, this new life is totally fulfilled in
heaven, but we get to live in the beginning reality of new life in Jesus today.
That is what God tells
us through Paul, in 2 Corinthians 5:15-17.
Jesus’ saving life and death and resurrection give us new life. We begin to live in that new life now. “15
And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves
but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard
no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this
way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if
anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
This time of year
awakens my heart and speaks to me of new life.
That new life comes from Jesus.
May the growing light of late February and early March be a blessing to
you, and speak to your heart of the new life God gives us in Jesus.
A
Child of God, Enjoying the longer daylight hours, rejoicing in Jesus, the Light
of the World,
Pastor
Jonathan
P.S. Here are some
pictures from the fishing trip. https://plus.google.com/photos/114993745799525883148/albums?banner=pwa&gpsrc=pwrd1#photos/114993745799525883148/albums/5847903403474505313
P.P.S. This weekend Jamie, our Director of Christian Education,
myself, and some other adults will take between 15 and 20 middle school
children to Victory Bible Camp for a retreat.
This is another opportunity to enjoy God’s blessings this time of year,
and grow in faith and love.
****
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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