Dear Fellow Children of God,
I was at the gym on Tuesday of this past week and saw a
flyer that I picked up. The flyer read, “All
in for 2017, Make a Commitment!” The
idea of commitment struck a cord with me.
I want to grow in my relationship with my Lord and Savior. I want to grow in my service of Him. As a pastor I want to help others in such
growth. My thought was that maybe this
flyer had a point worth considering when it comes to commitment. I picked up the flyer expecting that such a message
posted just a day or two after the first of the year was an encouragement and
help for people to be committed to working out and committed to taking care of
themselves. To my disappointment the
flyer was instead an advertisement for exercise supplements.
My Friday devotion in my personal devotional readings was
about Noah. (I’m reading through the
Bible again, so my devotions are now in Genesis.) The devotional writer pointed out that Noah
and his family had weathered the storm of the flood, but there was a much more
sinister storm brewing with which they struggled. This was the storm of the evil desires of sin
in their hearts, desires we too face.
This struggle tends to lead us to focus on ourselves and our desires and
to lead us away from God and His plan for our lives. Noah’s family not only needed help in
weathering the storms around them, they also needed help facing the struggles
inside themselves.
I share these various situations and vignettes with you
because I expect that most of you who are reading this devotion are children of
God who want to grow. As we are in the
New Year we may have made commitments to ourselves and to God. But we need help. Where do we find that help to work this
growth of faith and service in our lives?
When I picked up the flyer I was looking for some special
insight. But I did not find an answer on
the poster. It seems like the key to
good health in the gym is still what it has always been; regular exercise and a
healthy diet. We may look to God for
some new clue to how to live as His children.
Actually, God has given this help.
Often, we even know the help God gives.
But, we have heard God’s message so much that we look for something
else.
Listen to 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24. 23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you
through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and
he will do it. God is faithful and He will help us in our desire
live holy lives and to grow in our relationship with Him.
If you want to grow in the coming year here is God’s
consistent advice for growth and health.
First, worship regularly.
God has given us a day of worship every week. In worship we hear of God’s love and His direction
for our lives. In worship we are
strengthened. God did not set aside a
Sabbath each week because He needs our attention. God gave us the gift of a weekly day of rest
and worship because we need His help. So
plan to worship regularly, weekly.
Second, spend personal time in regular, daily devotions. Time
and again God tells us that His word grows and strengthens faith. (See Romans 10:17, 2 Timothy 3:14-15, 1 Peter
1:23.) God promises to answer our
prayers with His wisdom and love and power.
God has given these gifts because we need assurance of His love and
forgiveness. God has given these gifts
because we need help as we struggle with the temptations of this world. Even if you planned daily devotions and missed
every other day of devotional time, you would still spend 150 days a year with
this special help from God. Plan to use
the help He gives through His Word and prayer.
Thirdly, realize your struggle with sin and receive the
help God gives on a regular basis in the Lord’s Supper. We stumble and we need encouragement and
forgiveness. In the Lord’s Supper God
gives Himself; We receive the body and the blood of Jesus in the bread and the
wine! (Matthew 26:26-28, 1 Corinthians
11:27.) In the Lord’s Supper we don’t
just have the assurance of forgiveness, but God promises to work forgiveness as
we receive this gift from the Lord.
God gives us this wonderful gift so that we have His help
in our efforts to grow in faith and in service.
Come to the family meal and receive God’s help and strength and love.
Finally, spend time with the people of God. Christians are not perfect people. We are fellow sinners, but people who have
also found God’s forgiveness and help.
God has given us His Church because we need one another. Find ways to spend time with other believers,
whether in Bible Study, or small groups, or just with Christian friends. The church, after all, is not the invention
of people. The Church is the plan of God
to help us in our walk with Him.
Maybe you made resolutions this year. Maybe you didn’t. Rather than one specific goal I am focusing
on the process. I will spend time in
worship, and in personal devotion and prayer time. I will receive the promised help that God
gives in His sacraments and in His people.
I know God has the strength and love to help me grow in my faith and in my
service to Him.
A Child of God, Seeking God’s Help to be
Committed,
Pastor Jonathan
****
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 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.
****
OTHER NEWS FOR THE FIRST OF 2017
CHRISTIAN
COUPLES / YOUNG FAMILIES – The St. John Christian Couples
and the Young Families Group will be meeting at St. John on Saturday night,
January 7 at 5:30 p.m., sharing encouragement and fellowship.
SUNDAY SCHOOL
AND BIBLE CLASSES FOR begin again on Sunday, January 8. Plan to attend classes beginning on January 8,
at 9:45 a.m. each Sunday! In addition to regular Sunday School the following
Adult Classes will be taught.
·
Proverbs
taught by Jim Summers
·
Chip Ingram, “Your Divine Design – How to Discover and Deploy Your Spiritual
Gifts” - Dave Nufer
·
No
Women’s Class will be held at this time.
·
Basic
Teachings of Scripture taught by Pastor
Jonathan
COMMISSIONING AND
INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS will take place in worship on
Sunday, January 8. Officers and Board
Members are asked to please be in worship that day for this Installation and
Commissioning. This gives leaders a
chance to commit themselves to serving the Lord in the strength of His
help. It also gives the congregation a
chance to support its leaders in prayer as they serve.
THE JANUARY
ALL-BOARD MEETING will be held on Sunday, January 8 after late worship.
Twice a
year St. John holds an ‘All board Meeting’ in place of a regular council
meeting. Instead of just the chair
people of each board attending the council meeting, all officers AND all board
members of each board attend this working meeting. There is time allotted so that each board
gets to meet and discuss their job at St. John, and to discuss their plans for
the coming year. This January meeting is
usually a low-key time for new Board members to understand what we are doing to
serve the Lord, and a time to begin making plans for the coming year. IF YOU ARE AN OFFICER OR SERVE ON A BOARD AT
ST. JOHN, please plan now to attend this important meeting. This really helps us to start the new year
right. We want to do a good job serving
our Lord!
This
meeting will be a pot-luck for those attending.
Please bring food to share.
NEW MEMBER POTLUCK,
JANUARY 29 – The Evangelism Board is sponsoring a potluck dinner after
worship on Sunday, January 29. There is
no meeting associated with this meal. We
simply want to welcome our new member families from the past year.
Please
being a main dish and a side dish and stay to meet our new St. John members!
REGULAR
WEDNESDAY WORSHIP started up again this past Wednesday, December 28. Worship continues each Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday worship offers an additional opportunity for worship, or an
alternative time if Sunday worship not possible.
OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE GOD AND OTHERS
ALTAR GUILD – An altar Guild
sign-up sheet is
on the counter in the Narthex. If you
would like to help prepare the altar for worship for a Sunday or a Wednesday,
please sign up for the week you can serve.
If you need help or training please see Cathy Glaser, Dorothy Jacobson,
or Mary Lee Mulhern.
DO YOU HAVE A PLOW YOU CAN USE TO HELP PLOW AT CHURCH?
We need people who
can plow the parking lot at church. At
the current time we have one member who is plowing. If you can help please contact Peter
Probasco, 351-0085, Judy in the church office 745-3338, or Pastor Rockey
841-4066 so we can grow our list of those who can plow as winter arrives.
NEEDED: - VOLUNTEERS TO OPERATE THE SCREEENS IN LATE SERVICE – We have many volunteers serving
the Lord by helping with worship each week, and helping with projecting the
worship service in late service. Thank
you! We need a couple more volunteers
to help with the screen, or maybe some folks who can serve multiple weeks each
month.
OTHER ACTIVITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES
MUSIC OPPORTUNITY
- Anchorage Lutheran Concert Series
– For a number of years Anchorage Lutheran Church, 1420 N Street, Anchorage,
has offered a free concert series (free will offerings accepted. Dr. Tamara McCoy, who performed at St. John
in April, organizes this series at Anchorage Lutheran. Here is the line-up of
concerts for this coming school year.
If you have any questions you can call Anchorage Lutheran Church at 907-272-5323.
Sunday, February 12 - Glacier Brass
Sunday, February 26 - Gail Archer, organist
Sunday, March 26 - Wyatt Smith, organist
Sunday, April 30 - Bel Canto Alaska
Saturday, May 13th - Anchorage Lutheran Choir Concert
GOOD NEWS FROM FAMILY
PROMISE – (A Ministry that houses homeless families in local churches, and
helps with finding jobs and housing.) (St. John is hosting January 8-15.)
Warm greetings to you, as our 2016
draws to an end. We are writing on behalf of Family Promise Mat-Su, our
Community Response for Families without Housing. Our family shelter program has
served almost 34,000 shelter bed nights since our Valley volunteers and
congregations have opened in 2005.
We wanted to share some sweet
stories with you from this year. One single Mom and her 16-month old daughter
came to us several months ago and their story is very inspiring and shows a
common outcome for our shelter guests! Mom was a go-getter and was able to set
up Daycare, gain employment, and move into her and her daughter’s own rental
within 3 weeks! She had been a victim of family dissolution, previously
dependent upon her husband for all support. Now, she often comes back to
volunteer with Family Promise Mat-Su shelter guests, and her little toddler
“helps” and is almost as cute as my daughters were at that age!
A Mom and Dad, daughter and
Chihuahua (!! He stayed in our on-site pet shelter building!! J) came to us as homeless and physically
disabled. Their daughter remained in her school of origin, the family stayed in
our shelter program while re-gaining their medical benefits and employment. Our
rental assistance program was able to cover their first month in their new
place. Community members came forth as Valley folks do, with home-furnishings
and help moving. We actually still visit with these folks often as they still
receive mail here for now!
These are just two families of the
average of 25 families we shelter every year. We also provide Homeless
Prevention to over 100 Community members who are homeless or on the brink every
year (this funding is provided by a grant from AHFC/HUD.
Our supportive volunteers (about
#400!), donors and terrific office staff work so well together to complete our
mission to the Mat-Su Valley, Alaska Community. Our mission is to mobilize
community resources and local congregations to provide compassionate care
through shelter, meals, and case management to families without housing. We
hope you will consider taking this opportunity for the end of the year to give
a tax deductible donation to join in supporting our guest families’ services.
We are very thankful to those of you who have continuously blessed our work in
the past. As we move away from government grants and towards more community
support, we are learning how marvelously generous you all are.
Very sincerely,
Laurie Kari
Executive
Director
Family
Promise Mat-Su,
the Family
Promise Mat-Su Board of Trustees,
Staff and our
shelter guests
++++++
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!!
++++++
