Dear Fellow Children of God,
This week, while I am hunting moose, I am sharing
something someone else shared with me.
Actually, my wife Kathy was attending the Hebrews Sunday School Class
taught by Jim Summers and he shared some thoughts by, or all people, President
Teddy Roosevelt.
It seems that in 1917 Teddy Roosevelt wrote an
article for the Ladies’ Home Journal entitled “Ten Reasons For Going To
Church.” Jim and Kathy thought this was worthwhile. After I read this I agree.
Kathy, however, found the Roosevelt article on the
internet in a blog by a Pastor Larry Pray from Minneapolis, MN. I will share
part of his blog as an introduction to Roosevelt’s article.
“I know how to become a very rich man. All I have to do is to ask for a nickel,
every time someone says, “I just don’t find God in church. I find “God”
out there, so I’ll go hunting” If everyone paid up, I’d be a millionaire in
about two seconds flat.
With those exact sentiments, Theodore
Roosevelt might well agree. He came of age on the stunning western plains
of North Dakota. Theodore Roosevelt National Monument has long been one
of my most favorite national parks . . . I love the place. So did TR.
At my church of well over 100 members, only
between 20 and 30 bothered to attend church this summer. The others had
reasons. Good reasons. For all of us, TR has a word the Ladies Home
Journal recorded in 1917.”
Ten Reasons For
Going To Church, by Theodore Roosevelt
1.
In this
actual world a church-less community, a community where we have abandoned and
scoffed or ignored their religious needs, is a community on the rapid
downgrade.
2.
Church work
and church attendance mean the cultivation of the habit of feeling some
responsibility for others and the sense of braced moral strength which prevents
a relaxation of one’s own moral fiber.
3.
There are
enough holidays for most of us which can quite properly be devoted to pure
holiday making…Sunday’s differ from other holidays—among other ways—in the fact
that there are fifty-two of them every year…On Sunday, go to church.
4.
Yes, I know
all the excuses. I know that one can worship the Creator and dedicate oneself
to good living in a grove of trees, or by a running brook, or in one’s own
house, just as well as in church. But I also know as a matter of cold fact the
average person does not thus worship or thus dedicate him or herself. If we
stay away from church we do not spend our time in good works or in lofty
meditation. We look over colored supplement of the newspaper.
5.
We may not
hear a good sermon at church. But unless we are very unfortunate we will hear a
sermon by a good person engaged all the week in a long series of wearing and
humdrum and important tasks for making hard lives a little easier.
6.
We will
listen to and take part in reading some beautiful passages from the Bible. And
if we are not familiar with the Bible, we have suffered a loss…
7.
We will
probably take part in singing some good hymns.
8.
We will meet
and nod to, or speak to, good, quiet neighbors…We will come away feeling a
little more charitably toward all the world, even toward those excessively
foolish young people who regard church going as rather a soft performance.
9.
I advocate
that we join in church works for the sake of showing our faith by our works.
10. The person who does not in some way, active
or not, connect him or herself with some active, working church misses many
opportunities for helping our neighbors, and therefore, incidentally, for
helping ourselves.
“Across the country, pastors are invariably
asked how many members they have, and how many attend church. The
difference is daunting. Who would have
thought Teddy Roosevelt might have something to say about that?”
Teddy Roosevelt was a very important and influential
man. God, however, far outranks
President Roosevelt. God also has some
words on this subject of worship attendance.
Exodus 20:8 - "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping
it holy.
Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you
teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns
and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”
Hebrews 10:25 – “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are
in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-- and all the more as
you see the Day approaching.”
I hope to see you in worship, and I pray our worship is a
BLESSING to your faith and life in Jesus!
A Child of
God, Blessed by Worship,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. I was hunting
myself last Sunday. Yes, we spend time in
daily devotions in camp. God is good!
****
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.
****
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