Dear Fellow Children of God,
I heard quiet feet sneaking up the stairs early this
morning. Actually, it wasn’t that
early. I was a little lazy this Saturday morning. Or perhaps I was catching up on rest after
being gone for a month facing the challenges of the church at large and
recovering from long hours of work and travel.
I had already awakened numerous times earlier in the night, but St.
Louis time is 3 hours ahead of Alaska time!
So, as I lay there around 7:00 a.m. enjoying not having to get up and go
right away I heard quiet feet sneaking up the stairs. I thought it was Tim, but actually it was
Mary. After visiting with our oldest
son, Josh, and their family last night, Mary and Josh had gone fishing. At 7:00 a.m. she had placed 3 silver salmon
in the sink ready for cleaning.
How do you react to a sink full of fish needing cleaning? Actually, I was struck with
thankfulness. I’m thankful for the
blessings of God that all my children love one another. I am truly thankful that my children have
grown to love the Alaskan outdoors as I do.
I stood there a little overcome to think that I don’t deserve these
blessings of love which my family has received, but God is good in spite of my
failings.
“O give thanks unto the LORD;
for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” (Psalm 136:1 – Sometimes I like the
King James wording better than other translations.)
All attending our national church convention last week expended much time and
effort. Those of our denomination from the
Northwest District worked hard to make sure that the work of God is able to
flourish in our region, by God’s grace, keeping the unique nature of this part
of the country in mind. But decisions
did not always go as we hoped. There
were disappointments in some of the direction of the convention. However, as I talked to a good friend and we realized
that nothing catastrophic (in our minds)
had happened, we were also encouraged to remind one another that, in spite of
the sometimes clouded judgment and direction of God’s people, Jesus is THE Lord of THE Church. The Church is Jesus’ body and He is our Head. So, we are in good hands. “O give
thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for
ever.”
Friday would have been my mom and dad’s 61st
Wedding anniversary. I got an e-mail
from my dad on Friday reminding me of that occasion. My dad also shared that he misses his loving wife
of so many years. But, while visiting in
Florida I was encouraged to see that my dad is healthy. In spite of my mom’s death a year and a half
ago, our family can be thankful for years of love and blessings. And, God promises life in heaven eternally for those who believe in Jesus
as their Savior. “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he
is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
I have been gone from
St. John and from Palmer for 4 weeks. A
majority of that time away was time for work, but some of that time was also vacation
with family. I have been in the office
each of the last two days; vacation and traveling are over. But I am not disappointed. I love
being pastor of the people of St. John Lutheran. You are people of faith in a wonderful
community. It’s really good to be home!! “O
give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for
ever.”
Can you see God’s love
and mercy in the every day events of your life?
I hope so!
A Child of God, Thankful
for the eternal mercy and love of God,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Here is a
picture of Mary and her fish: https://plus.google.com/photos/114993745799525883148/albums/5905392385835642545/5905392388628753154?banner=pwa&pid=5905392388628753154&oid=114993745799525883148
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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 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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