“New Year, New Direction: Not Lacking in Any Spiritual Gift”
January 15, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
It was six years ago to this very day, January 15th, 2017, that, by the grace of God, you all installed me as Pastor of St. Andrew during the Sunday morning service much like this one. Since then, it has been nothing but a privilege and a pleasure to be able to serve you as your Pastor. If we’re going to be honest, it’s certainly not been an easy trip at times these past six years, as we’ve had to journey through various events and crises no one could have predicted, the most major one being the covid pandemic and everything resulting from it. We’ve also had to struggle with finances and attendance, which have been the result not only of covid but also of the economy, the weather, and other factors well beyond our control, but which have still affected us. And yet, here we are, in the third week of a new year, in a much better position to move forward and upward than we were even a year ago. The reason is because God has put us here, just as He has been guiding us to all along, and just as He promised He would.
I myself have had various personal struggles behind the scenes these past six years, and have even at times had to take an honest look at what I believe and where what I believe has caused me to be headed, which has led to having to change course on a number of things. Various events that have taken place, both in Southern California before I moved here as well as several here, have forced me to do a bit of course correction, which, coupled with the overall events going on the world the past couple of years, have at times made it a challenge to keep going and move forward. But, with God’s help and power, as well as the support and encouragement of many, that has also been able to happen. My life has changed in a lot of ways I didn’t expect would happen, and I’ve gone through experiences I certainly didn’t think I would have to endure. Yet, again, by God’s grace, I’m here to keep looking forward to what He has planned in this coming year, and do so with hope, especially knowing that I have a tremendous amount of support and confidence from so many. Tish, Josie, and I especially want to thank you all, once again, for everything you have done for us as we’ve begun our new lives together as a family here in Farmersville, and have gotten settled into the Parsonage. Much as many of you helped me first get settled in and feel welcome six years ago, we thank you for making Tish and Josie also get settled in and welcomed into our church family and community. Since formal thank you notes to many of you for your generosity shown to us at the wedding and this past Christmas are still forthcoming, and will be delivered throughout this week, know that we greatly appreciate and treasure everything all of you have done for us in so many kind ways.
Much like Paul in today’s Second Reading, and which I said more than a few times after moving here, and which, with all deepest sincerity I say once again, I always thank God for you. Most of all, as the verse says, I thank God for all of you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. We as a church family have definitely been given a lot of grace, not just to be able to endure these past couple of years, but to be able to put in a place where we have tremendous potential not only to move forward but to grow. And because we have stayed the course and stayed faithful to Jesus’ leading us, we really have been enriched in every way. Although there have been a number of times we have also had to go through course correction, these have only served to enrich our trust in God and have drawn us closer to Him. The testimony about Jesus has been confirmed in us: He saved us by His death on the cross and resurrection, saving and setting us apart to be His family, and His hands and feet in the world, carrying on His ministry of showing love and care to all people. Long ago, He called us together as a congregation; He sustained us through crises and struggles of the past, not least of which having our old church building burn to the ground; He brought us through the pandemic; He’s helped us revive our ways of fundraising and fellowship, especially our Ice Cream Social and Fall Dinner; and He will continue to help restore and improve us as this year goes on. He will also inspire us to find new ways to fellowship and have fun together; do more for our youth; raise funds to sustain our congregation’s mission; and reach out to meet the needs of our community, and, as we were able to do prior to covid, draw new people in for one purpose: to come see Jesus.
As we are also promised in our Second Reading, we are not lacking in any spiritual gift. And one of the greatest gifts we’ve been able to exercise as a church family is generosity; we really are a giving church. Over the past few years, we’ve not only given of our finances, but also of our time and abilities to help each other and others in our community. We’ve been blessed with so much to be able to give. Even though the economy and stock market caused our Endowment Fund to decrease to where we were unable to set aside money for donations, this isn’t something that’s going to last forever. We are also blessed with boldness to be able to have a desire to maintain and sustain, which is in itself a spiritual gift: the alternative would be to lose hope, give up, and surrender to what we think is the inevitable. Yet God has given us the ability to want to fight the odds and keep going, and that’s exactly what’s happened. We’re still here because God has caused us to be here. And He’s sustained us for a specific purpose: to help people see and experience Him.
Dear friends, we need to keep focused. Over the past couple of years, there have been we admittedly lost our focus as we thought more about the details of everything that could go awry, rather than imagining the possibilities of what God could do. And there is a lot God can do – but we have to keep our minds and imaginations open. If we keep our focus on Jesus, and what He can do, we’ll not only keep moving forward, we’ll have a lot to offer again. Today, Jesus invites us to come and see: come and see what He has already done, and what He’s going to do. Once again, He’s helped us bring back a few of the things we previously enjoyed for fellowship and outreach, and will do more this coming year. He reminded us of the promise of eternal life He won for us as we celebrated Herb’s life – and also gave us an opportunity to reach and share what we have to offer with our neighbors and community. He will make our bonds as family and friends stronger than they were before. He’ll help our finances to rebound, and give us more opportunities to share them with those in need. Next week, He will make two children His sisters in the waters of Baptism, and through us, will help them grow in a strong relationship with Him. He will also, through us, bring new friends into our family, some of whom we may have known for a long time, others who will be new to us.
But the key is to invite. And, as it happens, we have someone who serves as the best example for inviting: Saint Andrew, after whom our church is named. The reason he’s the best example is because what he did was simple. He didn’t have to have a long speech explaining his beliefs or theological system, or to try to pitch some program or other. All he did was just tell his brother, “We have found the Messiah.” In other words, we’ve found what we’ve been looking for all along, and we found it in Jesus. The person who was promised to save His people and save the world, who will cause God’s will to be done and His victory to be accomplished, has finally come. God has also come to show everyone who He really is: someone who makes Himself real and accessible to everyone. He does not just live in a dedicated building, but is everywhere. This is why Jesus encourages His would-be followers to come and see where He is staying: to show them that He is right here among us, on our level, not confined to a temple or worship space, but is here with us. He is with us in our homes, work places, schools, wherever we happen to be. And where He is with us, we also have an opportunity to help people see Him. As Isaiah reminds us in our First Reading, we, in bringing Jesus to people and people to Jesus, are the light to everyone, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.
The answer to anyone asking, “Where can I find what I’m looking for?” is, right here. Jesus is here with us, and since we are staying right here, He is staying here with us. Today, I, and all of us, especially want to give this invitation to anyone watching or listening to this service. If you’re looking for something, you’ll find it right here. Especially if you’re looking for a church family that will love and accept you for who you are unconditionally; be your friend; journey with you wherever your life takes you; encourage you to grow through fellowship with friends as well as Bible study; support you in both prayer and personal encouragement; both celebrate and mourn with you; who will welcome your talents and abilities; and who will value you as the person you are, you’ll find it right here at St. Andrew Lutheran Church. This is also an invitation we can be giving to everyone we meet, whether in person, on Facebook, wherever, who is look for a supportive and welcoming church family: look no further than us. Not just because of the kind of church family we are, but because if you come to us, you’ll experience Jesus and who He is for you – someone who loves you, cares for you, wants to bless you, and who will give you a family and friends to help you know and feel this is true. Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll find it right here. So come and see, and join us, as we experience more of Jesus this year, and we’d love to share that experience with you.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
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