Pastor’s Page

Volume 10 Week 47 November 21, 2004

Two Topics for the Price of One!

Caring Ministry Champion Visitors!

Church Business? Not An Oxymoron!

Two topics today. Read on!

Last Sunday afternoon, Florence Luecking died, faithful to the Lord Jesus, inheriting the crown of life. At 96, Florence was quite possibly our eldest member. She had not worshipped with us on Sunday for many decades. After a move to West County and the death of her husband in 1971, her health failed. She lived the last seven years in a nursing home in Valley Park. Her primary contact with the church was through the pastoral visits of Pastor Spree and myself.

With one major exception. While a few of our members, primarily of the Women’s Evening Guild, made occasional visits, only one other family to my knowledge had an on going love and faith relationship with Florence, my dear friends Martin and Frances Bruss. Only Jesus himself knows the difference that their visits made in Florence’s life, hope and faith.

I know that Martin and Fran are embarrassed that I would mention them, but I can’t help it. Florence was such an extreme example of what happens to our shut-in or homebound members. She was so far away from us physically and for such a long time that it is remarkable that she would be cared for and remembered by anyone in the congregation.

Today I want to publicly thank the Bruss’s and all the other families from our congregation who take the time and make the sacrifice to visit our elderly and shut-in members. I can think of about eight or ten families who do make visitation a regular part of their weekly, monthly schedule. You’re making a difference in what matters. That’s not from me, that’s from Jesus.

Wasn’t it the Lord himself who said that when we visit the least among us, the frail, the sick, the imprisoned, that we were visiting him? And what could be more important than a loving relationship with our Lord? Thank you. Well done, good and faithful servants.

Our Elders have committed to helping me with shut-in communion visits also. Some have started in recent weeks and I hope to multiply those visits soon. I think it’s great that some of our flock that need the gift of the Lord’s presence and peace the most will be receiving communion on a more regular basis than my far too infrequent visits allow.

And I’d like to see our caring visits multiply even more. One of our congregational vision statements says, “Extraordinary Servants love each other compassionately.” One part of that vision is that the weakest among us would be carried across the finish line of this race we run, right into the Lord’s kingdom. Extraordinary Servants bear one another’s burdens, and even bear one another across the line if necessary.

If you’re interested in being a part of such a simple, yet vital ministry, contact me. Those who have identified Mercy among their gifts in the Gift Oriented Ministry process are especially suited, but anyone can show care. Visitation ministry is 95% showing up and listening, and 5% learning to offer words of comfort and hope. It really is easy. As Martin and Frances have discovered, we never visit alone. Jesus is there with us.

Discovering how easy it is to make a friendly, caring visit only takes practice. And I’d be glad to take you with me on a visit this week. Let’s talk!

Church Business!

Is that an oxymoron? The Church is not a business. The Church is the body of Christ. The Church is an assembly of people, called by faith, filled with the Holy Spirit. The Church is a revolutionary movement, a counter-cultural force seeking to overthrow the forces of this world. A business wants to thrive in this world. So can we talk about Church Business?

Yes we can. The Church’s power comes from on high. Nothing happens for the kingdom of God unless the King himself, Jesus, is behind it. The Father and the Son sent the Spirit to be the power behind everything we do. It’s vertical. No sermon or gospel witness or loving deed of service has any effect outside of the work of God.

And yet we organize. The Church of Jesus is vertical, but Jesus gathers us into horizontal organizations called churches, or congregations, and we meet and plan and organize and budget. But we’re so much more than a business because we are the living display of the work of God in this world.

And while God works to change lives in the ministry of word and sacrament, we meet to organize the proclamation of the word and administration of the sacraments in boards and committees and assembly meetings where we seek God’s guidance, pray for wisdom, and then in small clusters or as a whole congregation, put our hearts and minds together for plans that will move us forward.

If you’re reading this before Sunday noon, as I know many of you do, get yourself to the congregational assembly meeting. The Church has work to do and God has chosen to do it through you. Be informed. Be involved. Be in prayer. And offer the gifts that God has given you, love for the Lord and his kingdom, passion for the lost, wisdom to know how we can move forward.

This weekend we make some important decisions. We’ll elect leaders to our Board of Directors. We’ll present a spending plan for the use of our financial gifts. We’ll vote on changes to our synod’s constitution, and decide whether to join another mission organization, an outreach to international students at various St. Louis universities.

Is this business? Sure it is. The Lord’s business. The call to serve on the Board of Directors is a spiritual calling. As we’re slowly moving from a close knit and inward focused ministry to our own members into an outreach mission outpost for the community, many things will have to change. The Directors will help us initiate those changes, carefully and wisely.

Decisions about how to spend the limited financial resources our members have offered are business decisions, but those decisions are God’s business. Cutting back programs and mission offerings or finding ways to provide school ministry are not easy these days. That’s why we need the collected wisdom of the entire congregation.

Our meeting Sunday is more than a business meeting. Our agenda appears at first glance pretty horizontal, dealing with operational matters. But God is among us and the Holy Spirit is leading us. The Church is vertical. The kingdom of heaven is among us.

Pray for our meeting. Join us. Watch God at work.

P.S. If you’re reading this at home after the service, we’ll be eating lunch until about 12:30. Jump in the car and head over right now. Grab a piece of cake and share in the ministry!