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Hello St. John’s Family,
The recent seasons of Advent and Christmas have signaled the beginning of our Christian year. For me, one of the most powerful aspects of the Christian year is how remembering and re-experiencing God’s works of salvation and love in history strengthens us to engage in the work God is calls us to carry out today. This Sunday in worship, we’ll recall a foundational aspect in Christ Jesus’ life: his baptism as recorded in Luke 3:21-22. Before he did anything, Christ was baptized and affirmed as God’s beloved Son. For us, this is a powerful and needed reminder of how our primary identity is founded in our relationship with God as God’s children… every one of us.
Remembering our identity as children of God presents the perfect opportunity to affirm the calling to serve Christ faithfully that God extends on all our lives. During Sunday’s worship service, we will affirm and consecrate those in our St. John’s family who have responded to this call by serving us as leaders, teachers, and staff members for the upcoming year. Included with this week’s Cornerstone is a listing of our committees and leaders that were elected at Charge Conference; know they are available if you have specific questions regarding the work of our congregation. I encourage you to keep these leaders in prayer, that God may direct and strengthen them as they serve and lead St. John’s forward. Also keep our faithful teachers, assistants, and staff in prayer as they continue to do excellent work in very challenging times. And to all our leaders, teachers, and staff: thank you for all you do in service to Christ! I am so thankful for the engaged and dedicated people who serve God by serving as leaders and teachers here – you are a tremendous blessing.
Before I close, I want to share a prayer that I found a few years back and have been praying in my devotions this week. I hope you will join me in offering his prayer, with the intention of strengthening and supporting our leaders, teachers, staff, and pastors at St. John’s for carrying out the work Christ is calling us to in the upcoming year – and beyond.
O God, you are the fountain of all truth; we ask you to protect your Church from all false teaching.
Protect the Church
From all teaching and preaching which would destroy men’s faith;
From all that removes the old foundations without putting anything in their place;
From all that confuses the simple, that perplexes the seeker, that bewilders the
way-faring man.
And yet at the same time protect the Church
From failure to face new truth;
From devotion to words and ideas which the passing of the years
has rendered unintelligible;
From all intellectual cowardice and from all mental lethargy and sloth.
O God, send to your Church teachers and leaders,
Whose minds are wise with wisdom,
Whose hearts are warm with love,
Whose lips are eloquent with truth.
Send to your Church teachers and leaders
Whose desire is to build and not to destroy;
Who are adventurous with the wise, and yet gentle with the simple,
Who strenuously exercise the intellect,
and who yet remember that the heart has reasons of its own.
Give to your Church preachers and teachers and leaders who can make known the Lord Christ to others because they know him themselves; and give to your Church hearers, who, being freed from prejudice, will follow truth as blind men long for light. This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
From Prayers for the Christian Year by William Barclay
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Brad
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