Dear Members and Friends of St. John,
I was watching a baseball broadcast the other day and
heard the announcers ask a question which stuck me. They asked, “Who was your favorite baseball
player when you were growing up?” My
memory went back to my early childhood, to the 1960’s, to Boston Red Sox
players Carl Yastrzemski and Carlton Fisk.
Later in life in the 1980’s and 90’s I watched Ozzie Smith play many
games in person for the St. Louis Cardinals.
I enjoyed thinking of the answer to that question. I also enjoyed remembering the great plays of
these gifted athletes.
I began to think about a Christian corollary to that sports
question. “Who is your favorite person
in the Bible?” In the New Testament I’ve
grown to appreciate the struggles and the faith of the apostle Peter. He was impetuous, bold, and flawed. But he lived by the grace of God which he found
in Jesus. However, in my daily devotions
right now I am reading in the Old Testament, in 1 Samuel. I have recently read God’s word about King
David. Like Peter, David was a flawed
and sinful follower of God. But, like
Peter, David also sought, by God’s grace, to follow God faithfully. I choose both Peter and David as people whose
mistakes and whose faith instruct me.
So, in 1 Samuel 16, when King Saul had failed to follow
the Lord in obedience, God directs Samuel to find a replacement for Saul. The Lord sends Samuel to the home of Jesse in
Bethlehem. Samuel at first wants to
anoint Jesse’s oldest son, Eliab, as the new king. But God prevents Samuel. We are told in verse 7, “But the LORD said to Samuel,
"Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.
The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward
appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." Listen to this
wisdom from God! The Lord is primarily concerned
about the heart of His people. Ultimately, God directs Samuel to anoint Jesse’s youngest
son, David, as the next king of Israel.
Then, in chapter 17 we get a look at this heart of David
which God saw. The Israelite army has gathered for battle against their enemies, the
Philistines. But, when David visits his
brothers in the army, the soldiers of Israel are, somewhat understandably, paralyzed
in fear because of the Philistine giant, Goliath. David, in contrast to the soldiers, trusts
the Lord to give victory to the people of God.
When others shrink in fear, David speaks words of faith and courage. “David said to Saul, ‘Let no one lose heart on
account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.’" (1 Samuel 17:32)
David trusts God, and the Lord gives him courage.
The youth, David, does face the Philistine giant. Only, David does not trust in his own
strength or skill. David points to and
trusts in God. We read later in chapter
17, “45 David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear
and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God
of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will hand
you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will
give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the
beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in
Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear
that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you
into our hands.’" (1 Samuel
17:45-47) David does not trust
himself. In his heart David trusts the strength
and the faithfulness of God to win the battle.
This week St. John children are attending Vacation Bible
School. Daily VBS lessons focus on
Daniel, on Esther, on Jesus telling the parable of the Good Samaritan, on Jesus
healing the 10 lepers, and on Jesus speaking promises of hope to disciples on
the road to Emmaus. The lessons use these
accounts from Scripture to teach “heart lessons.” The children are encouraged to develop faith, to grow in boldness, to put on kindness,
to live in thankfulness, and to have hope.
But these are not traits any of us develop by ourselves. When these fruits of God’s Spirit are found
in our hearts, they are grown through the power, the love, and the faithfulness,
which God shows to His people. So, the
VBS children are taught about God’s love, and THEN called to faith, boldness,
kindness, thankfulness, and hope. It is God
who grows these qualities in us.
Amazingly, God still shows His power, and love and
faithfulness even to and through sinners like us. We are children of God by creation. But, we each have our warts and our
struggles. Like Peter and David, we are
sinners. So, God the Father sent His
Son, Jesus. We may be sinful, but Jesus
lived a righteous life. We deserve
punishment, but God forgives us in the sacrificial death of His Son on the
cross. We all face death, but God gives
eternal life in heaven through the resurrection of Jesus. We are called to live for God, therefore Jesus
sends us His Spirit to give us faith and boldness, kindness and thankfulness
and hope. It is God Who works His
righteous purposes in sinners like us, through His grace in Jesus.
So, who is your favorite Bible character? Do you find encouragement from stories about David
or Peter, Daniel, or Esther, Abraham or Moses?
In the Biblical accounts of all these people, the real hero the Bible is
God. The Lord took sinful people like
David and Peter, and worked His grace in their lives. Thankfully, God also works in us, through
Jesus.
A Child of God, Asking God to Transform My Heart,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Vacation
Bible School is happening this week. Here
are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/wUW9D724LMQeEj1h9
P.P.S. I had TWO fishing trips this past week.
· On Friday, June 14, Mary and I flipped some flies on the
Kenai River below Skilak Lake for reds.
Here is a picture of Mary fishing. https://photos.app.goo.gl/qRxETPVHCDCUnPaN9
·
On Monday, June 17, I
took two grandchildren, Jackson and Emma this time, fishing with me in a
canoe. They both caught a limit of
trout! Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/TEFPgLCjtiaKVB5s8
******
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.
******
MINISTRY AND
ACTIVITIES THIS WEEK AT ST. JOHN
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL - Vacation Bible School is held this week, June
17-21 from 9:00-noon. There is
still room if people want to attend!
HIKING
FELLOWSHIP -- I was asked to remind you that St. John members and
friends have had a tradition of a weekly hike during the summer months when
school is out. This year, with Sara out of town much of the summer, Dawn
Brettrager and Dorothy Jacobson are leading this hiking ministry.
THIS Wednesday, June 19, the
group will hike the Butte after VBS. Meet at church at 1:00 p.m.
to go hiking.
Also, I am told, as always,
bring children and dogs. J
BLOOD MOBILE – JUNE 23 The Alaska Blood
Bank will have their Blood Mobile present on Sunday, June 23. They will
take donations on that day from Palmer United Protestant – Presbyterian, St.
John, and St. Michael Roman Catholic Church, all located beside one
another. Sign up sheets will be available soon.
There is a signup sheet on the BULLETIN BOARDS at both entrances in
the narthex. PLEASE CALL THE OFFICE IF
YOU CAN VOLUNTEER. NO ONE HAS
SIGNED UP YET!
ON-GOING OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH,
SERVICE, AND FELLOWSHIP
THE TRUSTEES NEED
YOUR HELP MOWING THE LAWN THIS SUMMER -
Maintaining the Church property grounds is a task which
the Trustees need your help with. Our goal is to mow once a week. This results
in a work task larger then the Trustees can handle by themselves. It takes
approximately 4+ hours to mow these lawns. We do have a John Deere riding
lawnmower for the task and your enjoyment. If you can volunteer to help out
with this job, a sign up sheet is
posted in Narthex. If you do sign up, please contact either Cliff
Proetz (907-715-6780) or Peter J. Probasco (907-351-0085) for instructions.
Thank you!!
SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR THE 2018-2019 SCHOOL YEAR IS FINISHED! Our
last day was May 12. However . . .
·
There are Adult
Sunday School Classes.
o
Jim Summers is teaching a class on the book of Luke, which began June 2 with 28
people in attendance! Come and grow!
o
Pastor Rockey is teaching a “Basic Teachings of the Bible / Adult Membership Class” in
his office on Sundays at 9:45 a.m. This
class reviews the basic teachings of who God is, what He does, and His call of
grace to us. It is the class someone
would take if they want to join St. John (though it is not necessary to join
the congregation just because one attends the class). You are invited to attend, even if you just want to refresh your
knowledge of Scripture.
·
Classes
for the Youth are also being held in the portable building on Sunday
mornings!
WEDNESDAY WORSHIP is offered at St. John each week
at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday worship is a both a replacement
opportunity for worship for those who cannot attend worship on Sundays,
and also an additional opportunity for worship for those who
would like extra time for worshiping our Lord. Wednesday worship uses the
Bible Readings for the following Sunday, but has a different sermon than
Sunday’s sermon. Communion is also offered the Wednesday before The
Lord’s Supper is served on Sundays, Communion is served the Wednesdays
before the 1st and 3rd Sundays.
Come and join us for worship on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m.!
AMC VBS IN EEK - Members of St. John are planning
again to go to the village of Eek, AK, to conduct VBS for the children
there. Our tentative dates are July 23-29.
Please pray for God’s blessings on this mission trip.
If you want more information, please speak to Rod or Temple Christiansen,
Marilee Nufer, Sara Guhl, or Pastor Rockey. (New participants this year
are Aaron Christiansen and Margaret Runser.)
PRAYER MINISTRY OPPORTUNITY!! – There are Elders
in Pastor Allen’s former office between worship who are available for prayer
each Sunday between services. Prayer is one of the greatest gifts God
gives His people. Come bring your prayer requests. Come join in
praying for God’s work, and for others.
PRAYER CHAIN – St. John has an e-mail prayer chain
administered by St. John member, Jacki Rose. Jacki lives in Anchorage and
cannot always get to Palmer on Sundays. However, she serves God at St.
John in this way. If you want to share and receive prayer requests you
can ask Jacki to be part of her distribution list. E-mail your request to
jrose@bluecrestenergy.com.
STEWARDSHIP NEWS – MISSION OFFERINGS - As
part of our regular budget St. John plans to reach out with the good news of
Jesus to the world around us. Some of that is done through our regular
budget. Last year we sent
·
$6011 to Alaska Mission for Christ.
·
$6011 to the Northwest District, and
·
$3000 to local missions. Most of that went
to Family Promise. Some went to the St. John Mission trip to Eek.
HOWEVER, we also plan to have
various special offerings to give members of the St. John
Family an opportunity to support God’s work in other
places. This year’s schedule is like last years. However, here is
our schedule of MISSION offerings for 2019
·
January –
April- Heartreach Crisis
Pregnancy Center baby bottles. (Those are on the counter in the narthex.
·
May
Alaska Mission for Christ – Eek AMC VBS (May 19 and 26!)
·
June
St. John Youth National Gathering and Mission Trip
(cannisters are on the sound booth.)
·
July
Military Bible Sticks
·
August
Family Promise
·
October
LWML
·
November
Canned goods for Thanksgiving Blessing / Christmas shoeboxes
·
December
Special offering for community ministry at the Community Advent
Service
The Stewardship Board wants to inform you ahead of time about these
opportunities to spread the love of God in Jesus. Our hope and plan is
that through the regular budgeted offerings, and through the designated special
offerings we can be faithful stewards and share the love of Jesus.
JUDY IS BACK IN THE OFFICE. Our
administrative assistant, Judy Stahancyk is back in the office part time.
She does still have active cancer, and is on a treatment schedule. So we
have multiple people serving in the office. Libby Brock (Peter) is in the
office from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Ophie Hart is working on our
Shepherd’s Staff data base and helping with administrative duties.
THANK YOU to those who
filled in for Judy Stahancyk in the St. John office while she has been battling
her cancer. Thank you, also, to those who continue serving and
volunteering.
UPDATING THE ST. JOHN DATABASE – For quite a few
years, St. John has owned a member data base produced by our church body for
the purpose of keeping our congregational records. However, our
“Shepherd’s Staff” database is not up to date at this time. The Elders
and Church Council have hired Ophie Hart to update this data base. (Libby
Brock Peter may also help Ophie.)
St. John members will have an
opportunity to update their information either by filling out forms or through
phone calls to get the information. Church records can actually be used
for legal purposes. Please respond when asked to share this information.
ALASKA
MISSION FOR CHRIST
AMC VBS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR OTHER SITES - We are
still in need of a couple of volunteers to fill summer teams:
·
Pilot Station: July 20-27. Consider
joining this team of 3 to serve in this southwest Alaska village sharing Jesus
through VBS ministry.
·
Chitina: July 15-19. We are in need of
4-5 volunteers to plan a VBS program in this small village located on the road
system.
Above all, please keep these
needs in your prayers.
Trusting in Him to provide,
Jan Bruick, Servant
Event Coordinator, Alaska Mission for Christ
402.641.9691
AMC JOB
OPPORTUNITIES - Alaska Mission for Christ is searching for several
mission-hearted individuals to fill vacant staff positions. Please refer
to our website link to learn more:
Any questions can be directed
back to Jan Buick. Please keep these needs in your prayers and share with
those who might have an interest, as well.
May God
continue to bless our efforts to boldly share Jesus' love in every community in
Alaska.
Jan Bruick, Servant Event
Coordinator
Alaska Mission for Christ
402.641.9691
SEEKING AMC COORDINATOR OF MINISTRY – AMC Coordinator
of Ministry, Todd Roeske, has accepted a call to be pastor in Monroe, WA.
AMC is therefore seeking a new leader. Below is our publicity as we seek
a new leader.
Alaska Mission for Christ is seeking a visionary LCMS pastor/lay person
with a missionary heart to serve as Coordinator of Ministry. This person will,
prayerfully, lead Alaska Mission for Christ to make a bold
culturally-appropriate witness in Alaska. He/she will work in partnership with
local LCMS congregations, full-time missionaries, and a wide LCMS volunteer
network. He/she will be responsible for maintaining a Christ-centered
atmosphere as he/she leads and equips staff and volunteers. He/she will raise
prayer and financial support to help Alaska Mission for Christ work toward
making a bold witness for Christ in every community in Alaska. For a complete
position description please go to: https://www.alaskamissionforchrist.org/current-needs. If you or someone you know may be
interested please contact: Gerry Zellar, Board Chairman at rzellar@mtaonline.net or 907-841-8495
OTHER MISSION OPPORTUNITIES
OPEN YOUR HEART
AND HOME
to a Christian exchange student from Spain
for the coming 2019-2020 school year
to a Christian exchange student from Spain
for the coming 2019-2020 school year
Good afternoon,
We are a small non-profit, foreign-exchange student
organization looking for caring host families in your community, and we need
your help! We have 2 Christian
students from Spain who would like to come for the 2019-2020 school year
and are waiting for their match with a volunteer host family. Many
school districts in the United States limit the number of exchange
students they are willing to accept to just a few. This is why it is important
for host families to apply as soon as possible. I do believe that sharing the life of an American host family and
going to school contributes to a better world understanding and is an
unforgettable experience for both the student and the host family. American
students benefit from meeting foreign students. In the past, churches
have been very helpful in assisting us in finding volunteer host families.
We would appreciate it if you
could help us by making an announcement at church, forwarding my e-mail to
families in your church community, or printing the following information in
your church newsletter as often as possible until school starts.
Volunteer host
families (with or without children) as well as single parents are needed to
provide food, a bed and a loving home for the coming school year, one or two
semesters, starting in August. EMF students have medical insurance,
spending money for their personal expenses and expect to share their host
family’s daily life including household responsibilities. They speak
English, are well-screened and eager to experience life in America. Their
stay here is sponsored and supervised by EMF (Educational Merit Foundation), a
non-profit, educational exchange organization. For more information on
EMF students, please call Marie-Claude Dijoud now at 1-800-467-8363 or visit
our web site at www.emfusa.org
Thank you very much for your help! I have attached our
students mini profiles to this email and you are welcome to forward them to any
family who might be interested. These four students are eager to learn that a
home has been found for them. Your contribution to this cause is most
appreciated.
Kind regards,
Marie-Claude Dijoud
Program Director
6526 Lakecrest Drive
Sachse, TX 75048
1-800-467-8363
mcdijoud@emfusa.org
Program Director
6526 Lakecrest Drive
Sachse, TX 75048
1-800-467-8363
mcdijoud@emfusa.org
++++++
DID YOU KNOW THAT MUCH
INFORMATION ABOUT ST. JOHN is available on our church website? On our web
page you can find sermons, newsletters, and these weekly devotions. The
link is: http://www.stjohnpalmer.org/
In fact, IF YOU WANT TO
RECEIVE YOUR MONTHLY CHURCH NEWSLETTER BY E-MAIL please e-mail Judy Stahancyk
and let her know. You can call at 745-3338, or e-mail Judy at judy@stjohnpalmer.org. If you receive the newsletter by e-mail it saves
printing, postage, and time compiling the newsletter. Also, you receive
the monthly newsletter more quickly!!
Jonathan Rockey
Child of God
Husband, Father, Son, Grandfather
Senior Pastor, St. John Lutheran Church
907-841-4066 - cell
907-746-5131 - home
907-745-3338 - church
907-746-6117 – fax
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