CREDIT: Kvitochka at GoodFon.com

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We just got back from vacation – two weeks visiting mom, brothers, kids, and a lot of cousins. And the visits often centered on food – the steak dinner I prepared for my mom, the “interesting” pickled appetizers at the lake, the gigantic Manchester Chicken Broil with cousins, the fancy birthday dinner with mom, a beer and food festival and the best BBQ in Richmond with our son, daughter, and son-in-law. Lots of food – because no matter how much we ate, we were hungry again … time for another meal!

And that’s nothing new. Jesus fed many 1000s with only 5 loaves and 2 fish until they were completely full. And there were twelve baskets of leftovers to nourish the disciples! And the next day everyone was hungry again. What did they do? Time for another meal! So, they went looking for Jesus to fill them up. Jesus knew they’d come. He knew of their hunger. But He also knew they had a deeper hunger that no matter how many times He created bread and fish from scraps, they’d still be hungry again. His point in the miraculous feeding wasn’t to fill earthly bellies with earthly food. His point was to show who He truly was, is, and always will be – the Bread of Life. And all who consume this Bread will never suffer the hunger that keeps people from being fully satisfied. (John 6:1-15,22-35)

How do we find and consume this Bread of Life? We find it in Jesus’ word and promises. We consume it when we believe and trust in Him and Him alone for all things. And it nourishes us to eternal life in the kingdom of heaven where there will be no more hunger, no more thirst as He leads all who believe in Him to springs of living water and an endless heavenly banquet. (Revelation 7:16-17) 

                                                                                                In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                                Pastor Jim 

Dear Friends and Family of First Lutheran,

It is right to give thanks and praise to those who give you so much! It’s been just over seven years now since God brought Shauna and me to this place, ordained me, and installed me as your pastor. Over the years we’ve experienced much together, and we thank you for the encouraging word and prayer; for your patience as I forget things or mix them up; for your generous grace that’s helped us grow into your lives here at First Lutheran. 

Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus to help them understand what God had done to help them grow into their new lives in Christ and His church. He did this because He chose them – and us – to be His children! Not because we deserve it, but because He loves us and desires to be with us. It’s a “grace thing” … an undeserved gift. 

And so, I thank God that through His church – including you all – He has kept bringing His word of truth to me and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, enabled me to believe it (Ephesians 1:13). Through His church, He has done the same thing for you and all who believe in Him. It is only in Christ’s church, not the building, but the people who believe and confess the gospel of Jesus Christ through words and deeds that I, and anyone else, can come to hear God’s word and ultimately believe in it. Since we believe, we live in His promise of “the guarantee of our inheritance (eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven) until we acquire the possession of it.” (Ephesians 1:14)

Paul continues Ephesians 1 saying, “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers” (Ephesians 1:16) to God our Father. In closing, I give Him thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I ask you to continue to remember Shauna and me in your prayers as we continue living together and serving God, each other, and His creation.

                                                                                    In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                    Pastor Jim

CREDIT: Elco von Staveren on FLICKR

Dear People of God,

The term “supply chain” describes how things come to us. A child, leading the family’s dinner grace, prayed, “Thank You for this food; my parents who bought it; grocers who sold it; drivers who delivered it; workers who packaged it; farmers who raised it; the sun and rain that nourished it. And thank You for providing these things so we could eat tonight. Amen.” This child understood “supply chain” and who owns all the stuff many claim ownership over.

The Corinthians Paul wrote to didn’t understand supply chain. They were a comfortable lot with considerable skills. Paul reminded them of all they excelled in. Yet they needed to excel in one more area – trusting God’s supply chain to provide for them instead of keeping their wealth to themselves (2 Corinthians 8:1-7). Paul uses the poverty-stricken Macedonians, who longed for the privilege of giving their money to even poorer Christians in Jerusalem, as an example. The Macedonians understood God’s divine supply chain wouldn’t leave them wanting. They trusted Him to provide for their needs even as they gave generously to others.

God faithfully provides for our needs too. He’s the source of all we have because He loves and cares for us. He certainly provides all we need to sustain us in this life. But He also provides us – some more, some less – so we can, in proportion to His provision, give to others. God calls us to follow Him in faith by sacrificing a portion of the time, talent, and treasure He’s given us toward His mission to provide for and redeem all mankind. 

This weekend we see a great example of God’s provision and His people’s trust in Him – the culmination of our Following Him in Faith campaign. Many of you, trusting God’s supply chain, gave over $750,000 above your normal offerings to improve the place God has blessed us with to worship Him within. Your giving is one sign of your faith – a sign of thanks for His past and present provision as we trust in His future provision.

                                In Christ’s Love,

                                                                  Pastor Jim

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

When we need an answer to a tough question, where do we go? Many of us dive into Google or YouTube. Tough questions existed before the internet. Believe it or not, there was a time when you had to find another person for answers. For example, I remember “The Shell Answer Man” – the expert on car-related questions. Trusted sources help us answer the tough questions.

In God’s word we see a man named Job who seemed to have it all – family, possessions, influence, and health. Suddenly Job lost it all. Then Job begins questioning God on why all this happened to him. Didn’t God know Job was righteous and good? Why the punishment? Why the wrath? Job’s line of accusing questions comes in chapter after chapter in this book. Job, thinking it’s all God’s fault, rebukes God for God’s role in his suffering. And Job’s three friends – Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar – aren’t much help. They think they have the answers to what ails Job – he needs to do a bunch of things to get himself right with God. Because Job’s not doing these things, he’s wicked and God is punishing him. These men think they have all the answers …

Then God answers them all, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding” (Job 38:2-4). God the creator of all things reminds Job that He, and only He, is the trusted source with the answers to our questions. The answers we need to know are found in God’s word. Answers to other questions can wait. And the biggest answer to the biggest question, “God, how can I be saved from my sin of turning to others ahead of You for answers and receive eternal life?” is hearing God’s promises to forgive our sins (1 John 1:9) and grant us eternal life (John 3:16).

                                                                                                        In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                                        Pastor Jim

CREDIT: pickpik.com

Dear First Lutheran Family and Friends,

“Family” – that can be a loaded word. Most of us might describe it something like Webster’s, “a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household; all descendants from a common ancestor.” Others might describe it with various adjectives – “closeness, conflicted, love, sharing, separated, crazy, supportive.” Some might describe it with associations outside of blood relations. “Family? My friends at school,” “Family? The soldiers in my unit.” There are many ways to describe family.

Even Jesus’ family must’ve had some trouble describing themselves. Mark’s gospel shows us His family when He came home from His travels, bringing along massive crowds. They were anguished. I can hear them saying, “Here comes Jesus again. He leaves for days and weeks at a time and returns with thousands of house guests! What’s He expect from us! He’s out of His mind!!!” It sounds like Jesus’ family wasn’t too happy with Him.

But Jesus doesn’t seem to care about their opinion. He’s focused on teaching and preaching to those in need of salvation. And they’re hanging on every word … crowding in around Him so much so that His family couldn’t even get close to Him. Then Jesus gives us His definition of family, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:34-35) The good news for those sitting around Jesus, hanging on His every word – for you and me today – WE ARE HIS BROTHERS AND SISTERS!

To be in Jesus’ family, one simply does the will of His Father in heaven – believe in Him, love God, love your neighbor. That’s it! When we follow God’s will in faith, Jesus calls us His brother or sister. But, even if we fall short of His will through sin, we’re still His family. We follow His will by returning to Him, confessing our sin, believing His promise of forgiveness. He restores us to our promised inheritance of eternal life in heaven, part of the ultimate family.

                                                                                                In the Love of Christ,

                                                                                                Pastor Jim

CREDIT: U.S. Army

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Memorial Day, established after the American Civil War, is a day we remember and honor those who died to preserve freedoms many in our nation take for granted. We honor brave service men and women, like Chaplain George Fox, who died to ensure others can live, speak, and worship freely within the nation’s laws. We thank God for their sacrifice.

It’s also fitting to remember others who sacrificed so we can receive the most important freedoms of all – freedom from the devil’s tyranny of sin and death. God has called many faithful men and women to proclaim His word to a world living in darkness. They risked – and often lost – their lives for the sake of the gospel. Faithfully, under extreme hardship, they served God by speaking His truth into darkness. 

Jesus tells Peter, “‘I tell you the truth … when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.’  Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.” (John 21:18-19) Despite knowing his fate, Peter boldly proclaimed the gospel. He challenged the most powerful saying, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified … Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:36,38) – and 3000 souls were baptized. Eventually, Peter was crucified, upside down, during Emperor Nero’s Christian persecution in 64 A.D.

As you celebrate Memorial Day, remember and honor those who sacrificed their lives for us. Also, give God thanks for His countless faithful servants who sacrificed their lives to bring us God’s word of truth – the word of God that frees us from the tyranny of sin, death, and the devil through the ultimate sacrifice – the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

                                                                                        In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                        Pastor Jim

CREDIT: Susan Fogleman

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I must admit I’m sometimes lost when talking to people of other generations – whether they’re older than me or younger. I know they’re speaking English, but sometimes their word choices don’t line up with my personal understanding. It’s almost like they’re speaking a foreign language. Fortunately, I have my wife around to help me from getting lost in translation. She is uniquely adept at understanding young and old alike … at least the strange words they use. Probably because she’s an avid reader who gets exposed to more “people” than I do.

Translating “foreign” languages into understandable words has always been a valuable skill. Without it, it’s nearly impossible to communicate. Foreign language – not just slang – came about because people were too easily working together, trying to become God, while building a tower upwards to heaven – rather than trusting God to reach down to them (Genesis 11). 

But God desired to bring His people back to Himself through His word. His work continued as Jews and converts from across the world gathered in Jerusalem for Pentecost (The Feast of Weeks) after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to heaven. The Holy Spirit became the divine translator. He enabled Jesus’ disciples to speak the language of all these pilgrims so they could hear the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection to save them and all mankind from the eternal effects of sin.

Today this news continues spreading everywhere as the full Bible has been translated into over 700 languages – including some interesting slang languages! The Holy Spirit helps us understand God’s grace and mercy in any language! The Holy Spirit guides us all into a continual, lifelong immersion in God’s word through our prayer and worship so we can keep serving God and others who need to be brought to faith too. Then, giving us words to speak and actions to accomplish, the Spirit leads us into the world … living in accord with God’s word – bringing His gospel to them … that they too might come to faith in Christ. 

In Christ’s Love,

Pastor Jim