Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! It has been my honor and pleasure serving the Lord with all of you throughout my first month as Zion’s pastor! The Apostle Paul said, “Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God (Rom. 15:7).” I thank you for the way that you have welcomed me, my wife Kathryn, and my son Tucker! It is my hope and prayer that you feel as welcomed by us as we do by you!
In the year 60 there were only a few hundred Christians in the world. It is breathtaking to consider that Paul, the Apostles, and other disciples spread the Christian faith that now claims one-third of the world’s population by using the simple words “Christ died for the ungodly (Rom. 5:6).” They used simple words to proclaim the message that, “[We] are now justified by God’s grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by Christ’s blood, effective through faith (Rom. 3:24-35).” This same message, “that we are saved by grace through faith (The Augsburg Confession Article IV)” was the central theme of the sixteenth century Reformation that birthed the Lutheran Church and later nearly all other Protestant denominations.
The point of these quotes is to emphasize the beauty and power of the words, “Christ died for you.” These simple words have captured the minds and hearts of billions of people. These words have touched the untouchable, moved the immovable, and saved the damned. Zion Lutheran Church is part of a long tradition of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ to “all the world,” and I am truly excited to be a part of the long tradition of using simple words to explain the simple message that, “Jesus Christ died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3).”
Each week the Holy Spirit gathers us from both far and near to hear the words that are spoken during communion, “This is the body of Christ, given for you.” These words are ultimately the bedrock of the church. “Given for you” is the Good News, it is the treasure of the Church that we are commanded to share with everyone that we encounter. It is remarkable how much pain and suffering exist in the world. Proclaiming the Good News is the center of the Church’s existence, but it is also our task, the task of the Church, to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, and visit the sick and the imprisoned (Matt. 25:35-36). There is much work to do, but scripture tells us, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns (Is. 52:7).’”
Thank you for this opportunity to do ministry together as your pastor! Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
Your brother in Christ,
Pastor
