Dear Members and Friends of St. John,
Our nation observes Labor Day this weekend. Public school is in full swing. The Alaska State Fair will soon be over for
another year. So, many folks settle in
to the school year schedule that seems to be the closest to “normal” the we experience
each year.
But, what is a normal schedule? Especially in our hype-fast changing world
what is normal? Rev. Dr. Dale Meyer is President of Concordia
Seminary in St. Louis, my alma mater – 2 times.
In a recent devotion Dale quoted Thomas Friedman from a recent book,
“Thank You for Being Late.” On this 10th anniversary of the
I-Phone, which made its debut in 2007, Friendman wrote about 2004.
“Facebook didn’t even exist yet, Twitter was still a sound, the cloud
was still in the sky, 4G was a parking space, “applications” were what you sent
to college. LinkedIn was barely known and most people thought it was a prison,
Big Data was a good name for a rap star, and Skype, for most people, was a
typographical error. All of those technologies blossomed…around 2007” (page
25).
Friedman continue to talk about change.
“The rate of technological change is now accelerating so fast that it
has risen above the average rate at which most people can absorb all these
changes. Many of us can’t keep pace anymore. ‘And that is causing us cultural
angst,’ said (Eric) Teller.” (Friedman, 31).
Meyer suggests this rapid change “helps explain why
everything’s going crazy.” So what is normal, and where do we find
grounding and a foundation for our lives in our rapidly changing world?
Jesus saw some of the same issues and shared His wisdom
for life in what we call the Sermon on the Mount.
24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words
of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on
the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat
against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the
rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into
practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came
down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it
fell with a great crash." (Matthew 7:24-27)
Please note, before someone can put Jesus’ words into
practice and find grounding they first must hear those words. Where do we “hear” God’s Word? We can hear the Word of God on our own
through personal Bible reading and devotions.
That is beneficial. But, God
intends for His people to be a community, to work together in facing the
changes and chances of life. Regular
worship gives us an opportunity to hear God’s Word with other believers, and
gives us a chance to help one another in facing the challenges in our walk of
faith.
Also, Sunday School starts its school year schedule on
Sunday, September 10. In our classes
people hear the Word of God and discuss it’s application to our lives in ways that
don’t happen in worship.
And, don’t forget, the Word of God is not just found in a
book. The best communication of God and
His love and His direction for our lives is found in JESUS, who is The Word of God. (John 1:1-3, 14)
That’s also why Dr. Meyer quotes Hebrews 10 in his
devotion. Meyer says, “We need our pastors and congregations to
gather as many people as possible into the peace of Christ’s Church.” “Let
us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting
to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all
the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25).
So how are you and your family facing the rapid changes
in our world? In your lives? Have you let the rock of God’s Word provide you
grounding in your rapidly changing world?
Are you worshipping regularly?
Will you attend Sunday School?
A Child of God, Seeking God’s Grounding in This Rapidly
Changing World,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Here is a
nice article on Rod Christiansen as head football coach at Palmer High. https://www.adn.com/sports/2017/08/17/palmer-football-coach-doesnt-seek-spotlight-but-he-deserves-its-beam/
P.P.S. Kimberly
McDowell played in worship on Wednesday, August 9. This high school member has been playing in
worship for a number of years. This is
the last time she will play before going to college. We got her a cake. Here are some pictures https://goo.gl/photos/Ga4DDWNK44uEQctF9
P.P.P.S. Here are
pictures from 2 recent fishing trips
August 16 – With Gerry Zellar and Paul Scott - https://goo.gl/photos/imU2rYubXwZzxksB7
August 23 with Mary’s friend, Aaron Smith - https://goo.gl/photos/Umg4sd5jXNM8mN9d9
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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 regularly
adding new names of friends and members – in case you are just receiving this
e-mail for the first time.) However, if you do not 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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