A Response

This is a comment that was left on the post from April.  

So, Basically your saying, that even if we change our ways god will forgive us ? BUT .. the situation your in won't resolve? Am I correct ?

The context that this post was made in was making a distinction between sin and consequences.  I wrote that God will forgive our sins, but that does not mean that the consequences will always be removed.  Sometimes things will be resolved.  But I did not mean to imply that they will never be resolved.  

If John does something to hurt Jim, it may strain their relationship.  John feels bad, he repents both to God and to Jim.  Both forgive.  But now it takes a little work to heal that relationship with Jim.  And after some time, things are back to normal.  That would be resolution.  However, if John took Jim's life.  He could still find forgiveness from God, but the consequences of having to serve a prison sentence would not just go away.  

The point of this is to show or to emphasize the awesome forgiveness of God in Jesus.  There are not just some sins that God forgives and some that he does not, as if they were to big for his forgiveness.  The point is that when we repent, we can be reassured that God will always, always forgive, no matter what we have done and no matter how bad it is.

This is not a license to sin, as if we can suddenly do anything that we want to do, because we know that God will forgive us.  Rather it is reassurance in knowing of God's grace and mercy and forgiveness.  

I hope that makes sense.  Please feel free to continue the conversation.  Blessings.

Pastor CJ

What is Important

I spent a good part of today getting geared up and ready for our upcoming year of confirmation. And I must say that I am very excited about this.  I think we are going to be doing some exciting things and will have an opportunity to learn and experience some good things.  

As I was working through this with my team, I began to think about all the things that we do in our lives and all the things that we have going on in our schedules.  If there is one thing we know how to do well, it is how to be busy.  And believe me, I am right there with the best of the best on this one.  I find it amazing to be so focused on moving from one activity to the next that we lose sight of what is important.  Why is it that those things that provide us with stability and those things that relieve stress are the some of the first things to go when the going gets tough?  I can't speak for you, but it seems to me that when the going gets tough, the tough just try to survive by moving from one thing to the next.  

This is not the life that our God wants for us to live.  He wants us to know the joy and peace that come from a relationship with him.  This is good news.  In a world where it feels like our performance determines our value and worth, we have a God who says that we are worthy because his son died for us.  When we have things in the world screaming at us and threatening us, we have a God who comes to us to make us his own through the waters of baptism.  No matter what the world says, we have value and worth for the sake of Jesus.  And as Christians, we need to remind one another of that.  I'm looking forward to confirmation this year.  I pray that it is a blessing for all in involved and that it will be for the confirmands an opportunity for them to know the peace and joy of our God.  May that peace and joy be yours now and always.

Pastor CJ

Random Thoughts

I apologize for missing last week's post.  I had planned on doing from St. Paul, but did not anticipate how intense my D.min. seminary was going to be.  So here we are with some random thoughts.

The seminar was amazing.  I met some really great people in the process.  I learned some new thinks, and was challenged to think.  I love being able to have some deep conversations.  I was able to visit with a dear friend from my seminary days in St. Louis.  It was just a good time.

It also gave me an appreciation for the blessings of the situation that I am in now.  There are so many opportunities to do some really cool things for the kingdom of God, that I get goosebumps just thinking about it.  The work that I am doing on my D.min.  provides opportunities to learn how to read those and to make the most of those opportunities.  

I am always amazed that God has allowed me to be a part of the work that he is doing in the world.  It is no small matter to be able to tell people about God's love for them in Jesus.  It is no small matter to be able to work with his people to share their lives and to help them to grow in their relationship with Christ.  It is no small matter to be a part of a community that is unlike any other community out in the world.  For this community that I am speaking of is bound together by Jesus.  This community is not made up of individual members but of God's own dear sons and daughters.  This community is made up of people who have been reconciled to God through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and because one member is not better than another, they live in humility and love and care and respect for one another.  And for those moments when that life is less than perfect.  There is always the grace, mercy and forgiveness that God freely pours out in Jesus.  It is truly an awesome thing.

 

God bless you this week and always.

 

Pastor CJ