A Message from The Pastor's Desk……

Dear friends in Christ, 

Happy New Year to all. One of the ways Jesus’ disciples refer to him is in using the word “Rabbi”. We read this early on in John’s gospel. “When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’. (Which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’” (John 1:38) In referring to Jesus as “Rabbi”, the disciples look to him as their Teacher. And so it makes sense that the word disciple means “follower” or “student”. These are not children calling Jesus their teacher by the way. There’s this sense that they are young adults or even grown men. There’s a beautiful humility in all people, even adults, referring to themselves as students. We don’t have it all figured out! We don’t know all the answers! We are involved in the messy and hard process of growth by doing, experimenting, trying, failing, falling, getting back up and trying again.  

Theodore Roosevelt delivered a speech called “Citizenship in a Republic” on April 23, 1910 in Sorbonne, France. In it he said the following - 

“It is not the critic that counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; we errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”

Jesus’ disciples get things right…and they get things wrong. The picture we are given in the gospels is of human beings - sinner/saints that are engaged in the messy process of learning from their Lord who is teaching them about what it looks like to live as God’s beloved children in the world. It is not easy learning, but is it ever worthwhile. For it is a learning of faith, hope and love, of peace and peacemaking, and of grace and forgiveness. It is a learning of the way(s) that lead to abundant life amid many other ways that ultimately lead to destruction.  

Of course, part of learning is engagement. It is being “in the arena” as Teddy would say. It is showing up to class, actively listening, and putting in the work. It is a face marred by dust, sweat and blood kind of thing. It is the realization that there’s always much to learn and the posture that there’s always plenty of room to grow.  

In what ways might the Spirit be nudging you to embrace being a “disciple/student” of the “Rabbi/Teacher” this year?

God’s blessings to you this 2026.

Your fellow learner, 

Pr. Patrick