Dear Members and Friends of St. John,
People who watch politics will tell you that the
political climate in our country is getting much more combative, nasty even! For example, if you have an 8-year memory, just
think how we have been through a pendulum of political blaming. A little over eight years ago the news media
talked about how bad a president George W. Bush was . . . in their opinion. But, as soon as he took office, Barak Obama
became the villain. Now, Donald Trump
seems to be ‘public enemy number one’ for many people. I’m not saying any of these men were
perfect. Neither am I saying that people
cannot have political opinions. However,
no matter what a leader does, there are always people who are willing to
complain and criticize. People often criticize in personal ways. This criticism is becoming more and more harsh
in our culture.
I use these obvious political examples to tell you that
being a leader has never been easy, but leading seems more difficult today than
in previous decades. Consider the decline
in respect for teachers, for doctors, for police and other public officials.
Perhaps surprisingly, even leading God’s people has always
had its trials. Look at Numbers 16 to
see just some of the opposition Moses faced as he personally sacrificed to lead
the nation of Israel from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land. Ponder on what happened to the prophets. Most telling, consider our Lord Jesus
himself. Time and again, as Jesus was
living and dying for others, those same people opposed Him. Consider the opposition Jesus faced in recent
Gospel Lessons from our worship services.
Jesus received criticism when He healed the blind man in John 9. When Jesus
raised Lazarus from the dead in John 11, the religious leaders plotted at the
end of the chapter to kill Him. Jesus was
also betrayal by one of His own disciples.
Opponents lied about Jesus in order to convict Him unjustly. Even on the cross, others taunted Jesus as He
hung dying to forgive them. Jesus
taught, He served, and He led. But being
a leader also makes a person a target. Just
look at our Lord!
All these sobering truths, however, also lead to a
different thought. When God’s people
receive good and faithful leadership, we should offer thanks for those who are
willing to take on the burden of leadership.
Jesus describes his leadership, not so much as a commanding of others. Jesus led others through His life of service. Listen to Jesus talk about leadership in
Matthew 20:25-28. “25 Jesus called them together and
said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and
their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead,
whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever
wants to be first must be your slave--28 just as the Son of Man did not come to
be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Since we have seen leaders who have acted selfishly rather
than serving others, and since we have seen leaders who have been unfaithful,
what a blessing to have a leader who gives of themselves with the good of
others in mind. Because leadership is a
burden of responsibility for others, it is helpful to realize that good
leadership is a gift.
I share these thoughts on leadership so that you can join
me in thanking our St. John Director of Christian Education, Jamie Walters, for
her faithful, Christian, servant leadership.
Jamie came to St. John in 2004 as a DCE intern and continues serving
today. During that time Jamie has touched
the lives of many youth and children and other members of St. John. In addition, Jamie has not only led and
served God’s people at St. John, but she has also served faithfully throughout
our region and in our Northwest District.
Because of Jamie’s faithful servant leadership she is
being recognized with the Lux Christi (Latin for “Light of Christ”) Award this
Sunday, April 2, in worship. You see,
others have also realized that Jamie has taken on the difficult mantel of
leading through Christian service, even though such service comes with pitfalls. Because of Jamie’s service, all of us at St.
John have been blessed.
Jesus told a parable in Matthew 25 about 3 men who were
challenged to be good stewards or managers of the gifts of their master. At the end of the parable, the master’s
commendation to the faithful servant was, " . . . Well done, good and faithful servant!
. . .” (Matthew 25:23) Please
join me this Sunday in thanking Jamie for her faithful service in this
difficult task of Christian leadership. Thank
you Jamie for leading by faith and by service, and for bringing God’s blessings
to us.
A Child of God, Thankful
for the Service of Faithful Christian Leaders,
Pastor Rockey
P.S. The 2017 St. John Shane Woods Ice Fishing
Outing was held last Sunday, March 26. Here are some pictures of this outing. https://goo.gl/photos/EFBUg6ppMDfTMQnw6
P.P.S Then, .
. on Monday I went fishing again to a more remote, farther away lake. Here was Monday’s catch.
******
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