CREDIT: garystockbridge617.getarchive.net

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I pray you have one close friend … a close relationship. I’m not talking of one physically close to you, but one of those friends who understands you – whom you understand. A person you can go to when you have a challenge in your life or who comes to you with their struggles. 

Such friends are rare because they take time to develop. You need to dig deep into each other’s lives. This requires communicating – using actual words – to share feelings, fears, ideas, and even a good joke. Words are critical to developing close friendships. 

If you think about it, you can get no closer to a person than to be in their heart – the core of their being. Paul says, “‘The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim).” (Romans 10:8) It’s helpful to remember God is always with us. He’s not in some far-off land … waiting for us to find Him. He’s always right here … inside us … in our mouths … in our hearts. How? In His Word!

Though we may drift away, ignoring His Word; God never leaves us. And so, when we need Him, all we need to do is call on Him in faith, and He’ll be there. God will remember His Word of promise, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Joel 2:32)

This Lent, as we journey towards Good Friday and Easter, God helps us remember – He’s never far away. Lent is a good time to pack God’s Word into our hearts through devotions and prayer.  He helps us remember His Word, to help us when we or those we love are struggling. He helps us remember His promise, to hear and answer our prayers. God is close to us. He understands us. He knows our needs. He shows His love for us. Get to know Him even better. Let His Word soak into you this Lent.

                                                                                        In His Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

Dear Body of Christ,

Spring training brings me back to baseball, the game that taught me about struggle, disappointment, and overcoming. I learned from my teammates and coaches alike. That’s the great thing about good teams – they pull together to help each other through the challenges. An example is the “Idiots” known as the 2004 Boston Red Sox who “cowboy’d up” to overcome adversity and win Boston’s first championship in 86 years. Many think it happened in October, but the tipping point came in late July 2004 when the Red Sox overcame a large deficit to win a game against their biggest rivals. 

It's called the Transfiguration; an event that’s the tipping point in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus had just told His disciples, for the first time, He would be killed and on the third day raised (Luke 9:22). Though Jesus knew what was coming, I can imagine – in His humanity – it was not an easy thing to say … let alone prepare to do.

In His moment of adversity, Jesus climbs a mountain to pray. There His Father showers His glory upon Him, transfiguring Him before Peter, James, and John. Then Moses and Elijah, the two greatest figures in Jewish scripture speak with Jesus about “His departure”. Then Jesus, energized by this team of His Father, Moses, and Elijah sets His face toward Jerusalem and His destiny with death on a cross to pay for the mankind’s sins.  (Luke 9:28-36)

Transfiguration Sunday is also a tipping point in the church year – leading us into Lent and our remembrance of Jesus’ journey to the cross on Good Friday. There He overcome the adversity of our sin by His death … and overcame the adversity of death by His resurrection three days later. Lent, like Spring Training in a way, is a time to focus on Jesus and His work for us … immersing ourselves in prayer and His Word more intently. Then, letting Him come alongside us to help us through the adversity we face as we journey toward our eternal destiny, life in His kingdom. 

                                                                                                        In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                                        Pastor Jim

Dear Friends in Christ,

Has anyone said to you, “You remind of …” Maybe it’s your looks, your character, something you did. But something about you reminds them of someone else. You aren’t that person, but you’re a reminder. As a result, you might even bring comfort to them.

Scripture is filled with reminders that God has always been living and active in His creation. Throughout the Old Testament we see many faithful people God uses to remind us of His grace and mercy in the midst of their worldly challenges. But these reminders point us to the ultimate display of God’s grace and mercy. These “reminders” are known as “types” – people whose actions and words point us to the “ultimate one” – Jesus Christ. As “types of Christ” they aren’t Jesus, but they show some of what Christ came to do for God’s creation.

An example of a “type of Christ” is Joseph, one of Jacob’s many sons we hear of in Genesis. Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers (who became the fathers of Israel’s Twelve Tribes). In slavery Joseph suffered false accusations and imprisonment. Despite suffering and abuse, Joseph remained faithful to God. Eventually he was freed from prison and became a ruler in Egypt where God blessed him with visions and wisdom to help Egypt, and in time, his brothers survive a worldwide famine and death. When His brothers came to him, Joseph – recognizing God’s hand in all that happened – forgave them their heinous betrayal. Joseph became Israel’s savior giving them food and welcoming them to live out their lives in Egypt. (Genesis 45:3-15) Sound familiar? 

Joseph, a “type of Christ”, pointed Israel to, and should remind us of, the Savior – Jesus Christ. It is Jesus who assumed our slavery to sin. Who was faithful to His Father. Who suffered false accusations and died that we might be forgiven our sins. All to lead Joseph and all who believe in Him to dwell in the true Promised Land, the kingdom of heaven, and the eternal banquet never to hunger again.

                                                                                                In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                                Pastor Jim

CREDIT: Dall-E3 AI

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

After another snowstorm, I’m wishing for Spring. The groundhog seems to have been right, but I really wish Spring would hurry up! For positivity, I’m thinking about my garden – and what I’ll plant. Regardless of what I plant, I know two things will be essential – good soil and adequate water. Without both, anything planted will wither and die. But with both, my garden will bear fruit.

God’s like a gardener in many ways because His Word is filled with many images of planting, nourishment, water, and fruit … as well as, malnourishment, drought, and withered chaff. As the Creator, He knows what plants need to flourish and what makes them wither and die. More importantly, He knows the same about us. 

God’s Word often compares two kinds of people – the blessed and the cursed. The kind of person one is depends on where they “plant” themselves. God has no desire for any person to be wicked (Ezekiel 18:23, 32). He doesn’t decide who will be blessed and who will be cursed ahead of time. Rather God desires all mankind to be saved through faith in Him and His Word. “Blessed is the man … who delights in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season.” (Psalm 1:1,2-3) Yet the wicked He warns are wicked because they will not stand “in the congregation of the righteous.” (Psalm 1:5) The cursed one is so because their “heart turns away from the Lord,” (Jeremiah 17:5) while the blessed one “trusts in the Lord ... like a tree planted by water.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

God invites us to plant ourselves in Him and His Word; to be nourished by Him like a tree planted near water, to bear good fruit in His kingdom, and to be saved by Him through faith in His Son. So, what are you waiting for?! Get planted in the water of life – God and His Word!

                                                                                                In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                                Pastor Jim

CREDIT: PickPik.com

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Have you heard of taking a couple steps backward to move forward? It might seem like a defeat, but moving backwards helps us gain the perspective needed to move forward. For example, I got stuck in the snow a couple weeks ago. Trying to move forward just got me more stuck. But once I put the car in reverse, I could see a better path, gain momentum, and get unstuck.

Sometimes we hear God’s Word and wonder what He’s trying to tell us. It can seem like He wants us more stuck. For example, God says to His people, through Isaiah, “Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” (Isaiah 6:10) God’s people were stuck because they’d ignored His Word and gotten firmly stuck in their sin. And they kept plowing ahead hoping to unstick themselves.

To get unstuck, God’s people needed to realize they needed to listen to God first. They needed to hear the hard part of His Word called “the Law” – words we don’t like because it shows us our sin and the death it eventually brings. But if we finally realize we need to listen to God we’ll not only see our sin, but we’ll also see our Savior and what He does for us in the part of God’s Word called “the Gospel.”

Just three verses later, God promises a “stump remains … The holy seed is its stump.” (Isaiah 6:13) This holy seed points us to Jesus who will be born from the remains of God’s people. Those who pay attention to God’s Gospel will see their Savior, confess their sins, and receive God’s forgiveness and eternal life. This requires us to take a few steps backward, giving up some things that are getting us stuck. But if we listen, we’ll end up, not just two or three steps ahead, but in eternal life forever.

                                                                                                In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                                Pastor Jim

CREDIT: printerval.com

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Are there certain things you simply cannot resist? You’re just going with the flow … doing what you always do … then suddenly you see “it” – the thing you can’t resist. That drives you crazy. If you’ve seen Lord of the Rings, think about Gollum, that creepy, big-eyed, bent-over hobbit who seemed generally calm until he saw “the ring”. Then he flew into a rage! Gollum couldn’t resist the ring and would do anything to get it.

Jesus found Himself with a “Gollum” in Capernaum while teaching in the synagogue one Sabbath. Suddenly, a demon possessed man flies into a rage at Jesus’ teaching. It would appear this man was a synagogue regular, attending each week without any issues. Then Jesus, the Son of God, shows up to teach. When God’s Word hits the man’s ears, the demons possessing him go crazy. Why? While they’ve heard many others speak, they know they aren’t God. They know they have no power over them. But Jesus is different. He is God. He is a real threat to their existence. They see Jesus and would do anything, not to have Him, but to get rid of Him. Their reaction is anger and panic rolled together.

Why? Because, unlike the unbelieving rabbis, Jesus has true power over them. He simply says, “Be silent and come out of him!” They couldn’t resist Jesus! They came out and left the man alone, unharmed. (Luke 4:35) Jesus and His Word, spoken in truth by His faithful people, are irresistible to Satan and his demons. 

As long as Jesus and His Word are kept quiet, the demons are comfortable. They settle in to affect whatever lives they can. Drawing people away from God and His truth. But once Jesus comes into the scene … when His Word is spoken in truth, Satan and his demons cannot resist. They must flee! When you feel threatened by Satan and his demons you have one weapon, the Holy One of God and His Word. Use them to send Satan away!

                                                                                                In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                                Pastor Jim

CREDIT: Stoke Newington Library on FLICKR

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

There’s a first time for everything! I remember some of the firsts in my life. First day of school – intimidating. First time I drove a car – freeing. First time I preached – a bit nerve wracking. It was at Concordia Lutheran Church in St. Louis before a mix of Seminary professors and nice families all sitting there … waiting for me to proclaim God’s Word to them. 

In Luke 4 we witness one of Jesus’ firsts – His first sermon … in His hometown. Someone gave Him a scroll with the words of Isaiah on it. He read, 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
  because he has anointed me
  to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
  and recovering of sight to the blind...” (Luke 4:18-19)

Then, He gave His sermon, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21) But, rather than shout “Amen! Attaboy Jesus!” His hometown was aghast! They’d seen Jesus grow up before their very eyes – a carpenter’s son. Nothing special. Words were fine, but for them, without proof of miracles, signs, and wonders, He was another false prophet! In fact, they were ready to ride Him out of town on the rails and run Him off a cliff. But Jesus, the Son of God, wouldn’t be deterred. Ironically, by means of a miracle, He simply passed through the angry crowd intent on murder. He went on about His work – proclaiming good news to the poor in spirit, freeing people from the captivity of sin, and opening eyes to see that salvation came only through Him to all people across the ages.

As we hear this gospel with 21st century ears, proclaimed in truth and light through His church on earth, our eyes are also opened as we hear His word – in worship services, bible studies and devotions, and our prayers. As we hear His Word, let’s also live in His presence each and every day of our lives and bring Him to others!

                                                                                        In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim