When someone asks:  “How are things going at church?”, what kind of answer do we give?  At a recent pastors’ meeting a speaker asked about how we evaluate our ministry.  He said we often fall into the practice of counting “nickels and noses”.  That is, we spend a lot of time with the numbers of attendance and contributions, and too often we don’t ask the bigger question:  “Are we growing in faith, hope, and love?”

When our thinking becomes limited to ‘nickels and noses’, we risk becoming like the Pharisees that Jesus addressed in Matthew 23:23-24:   “‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. ²⁴You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!”

It’s not that we shouldn’t track numbers like attendance, and giving, but they do not give the final picture of faithfulness.  Even when things seem a little chaotic, and when there are questions all around about our direction, I am always impressed by the faithfulness, service, and hope shared in and through this place.

It has been amazing to see people step forward for the GIFT program, sharing talents and gifts to make things happen.  We will do well to use this opportunity to get to know more of our church family, focus our attention on ways to serve more effectively in our community and world, and set a course for the future ministry of our congregation.

But most of all, our ministry is to about growing in our relationship with our Lord Jesus.  Day after day we are given the opportunity to be witnesses to power of forgiveness, grace, and joy that Jesus brings, and to celebrate the victory of the resurrection whenever we gather in his name.

 

Peace,

Pastor John Twiton

During my years at First Lutheran in Pine River, MN, at the end of each choir practice, the group would join hands in a circle, and Marvin, a retired businessman from the Twin Cities, would always ask:  “Whose Father?,” and the group would respond “Our Father, who art in heaven……”

Throughout the upcoming Lenten season, we will focus on that very familiar prayer we know as “The Lord’s Prayer”.  We will take a petition each midweek worship and ponder what it is we are praying as those familiar words roll off our tongues.  Using Luther’s Small Catechism as a guide we will look anew at the breadth and depth of this prayer, and I encourage all of you to spend some time thinking about this prayer, and your prayer life in general.

The scene of the senior choir in Minnesota always reminds me that our Christian life is never something lived in isolation from others.  It is never only MY Father to whom I pray, but from the outset Jesus reminds us that while we belong to God, at the same time we belong to each other.

In a society where the individual seems to be the focus of so much attention, Jesus’ prayer begins with the bold statement of our relationship to each other in faith.  We print on our weekly bulletin this statement of faith:  “A family in faith, reaching out to share God’s love with all people.” As a family we must always look for ways to help one another, listen to one another, and work together to show Christ’s love.

Let’s use this Lenten season to focus our hearts and minds on this task, and take time to worship, pray, and reflect in the presence of  “OUR FATHER”

Peace,

Pastor John Twiton

In Ephesians 4:12 Paul writes that God blesses the church with gifts and abilities in order:  “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”  As we’ve begun a new year, welcomed new members to our church council, and started to seek out people to take on tasks within the congregation, I have been so pleased to see the gifts of God identified in our people, and the willingness to serve on behalf of many.  We are blessed with these people and talents, and we have great opportunities before us.  I was reminded of a piece I read about working in the church:

A Job vs. A Ministry

Someone has said there is a huge difference between having a job at church and having a ministry at church.
… If you are doing it because no one else will, it’s a job.  If you are doing it to serve the Lord, it’s a ministry.
… If you’re doing it just well enough to get by, it’s a job.  If you’re doing it to the best of your ability, it’s a ministry.
… If you’ll do it only so long as it doesn’t interfere with other
activities, it’s a job.  If you’re committed to staying with it even when it means letting go of other things, it’s a ministry.
… It’s hard to get excited about a job.  It’s almost impossible not to get excited about a ministry.
An average church is filled with people doing jobs.  A great church is filled with people involved in ministry.
from Mickey Anders, The Beginning of Ministry

I really do believe that God would like us to be a great church, with many people involved in ministry.  That is, we can be a congregation known, not because of our size, or our building, or our location, but because of the way people see us love one another, care for God’s people and God’s creation, and reflect God’s grace and light in our neighborhood and world.

In Christ,

Pastor John Twiton

So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! ¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation;   II Corinthians 5:17-18

Happy New Year!  It is a season of new beginnings, a new year, and with it many resolutions, hopes and fears as to what this next year will bring.  I share many hopes, a few fears, but mostly a sense of gratitude and anticipation.   Gratitude for the grace of God that has brought us to this new year, and anticipation for what lies ahead.

The past year has been filled with the blessings of being God’s people in this place.  We’ve just shared in the Christmas season, and seen the joy in the faces of our young people, heard the wonderful musical gifts that God has poured into this congregation, and gathered for worship and fellowship week after week.  In difficult days we have seen the strength of our family of faith as people rally in support of friends and neighbors to see them through.  In bright days we’ve shared the joy of knowing God’s presence and peace.  The ministry of ELC, through the efforts of the whole congregation, has been a blessing near and far.

Now in this new year, I am reminded of Paul’s words the Corinthians.  In Christ, we are once again a new creation, and have been entrusted with a ministry for the sake of God’s world.  As we enter 2011, there will be a place and a need for everyone’s gifts to be shared.   We have plans and dreams for an expanded facility.  We have visions for new ministry opportunities in our congregation, our community and the world.  We will need to stay constant in our worship, continue to care for one another, and to share Christ’s light throughout all we do.

Most all in the coming weeks, I long to hear those familiar words:

“And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people;  for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”                                                                  Luke 2:10-11

There is so much that happens between now and then, some of it wonderful, some of it not so great.  As we enter December, we are in the season of Advent, a time to prepare for the coming of our Lord at Christmas, and the return of Christ at the end of all days.  This can be both a wonderful and anxious time in our homes and in our lives.  The watchwords of the season of the church encompass big questions for our lives.  The season of Advent urges us to consider:

hope & fear                                   deliverance

darkness &  light                           repentance

watchfulness                                 preparation

expectation                                    anticipation

Meanwhile the worldly “Holiday Season” fills us with another whole set of questions and feelings.  Too often our days are filled with concerns of:

Saving & spending                        Abundance & Scarcity

Expectation & disappointment     Family peace

Cleaning, cooking, wrapping, decorating, scheduling, travel, competition, gatherings, anxiety, and the list goes on.

If this year is like so many others, there will be both times of great joy and contentment, as well as moments of disillusionment and worry.

My hope and prayer for you in this season is that you can discover joy in the preparation and the celebration.  Jesus’ arrives each year into a world that is preoccupied, harried, and often ignorant of the ‘good news’ of the season.  That means he arrives for me and for you.  He is in this world for us, even when we don’t notice, but take time to discover the joy and peace he brings in the midst of the hustle and bustle, and share that love with those who you treasure.