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Pastor's Page |
JOHN ROTHFUSZ, PASTOR - Phone 779-901-0803; email:
Dear Friends in Christ,
Every year, the first Sunday of November is All Saints Sunday. This is one of my favorite celebrations of the church year, a day when we remember all the saints, living and dead, near and far. Each one of us who believes is a saint, baptized into Christ Jesus and clothed in his holiness and righteousness. We aren’t saints because we are such good people – we are saints because we are united with Jesus, who makes us good and holy as a gift of his amazing grace. In Jesus we are able to be a witness and a blessing to one another, building each other up as the body of Christ.
When we say in the Creed that we believe in “the communion of saints,” you and I are a part of what we are talking about. We are people who believe in Jesus and seek to live our lives in his way. We gather in worship to listen to God’s Word for us today and then to go out with Jesus and live as God’s people through the week. We try to live out Jesus’ way of love and service in all of our lives.
But the communion of saints is more than just you and me here. It means every Christian, in every place in the world. Christians gather to hear God’s Word in churches across town and across the world. All of us together are saints, united as one in Jesus’ name. We may not look or sound quite the same in every place, but we share one essential thing – we are all baptized and saved by the same Lord Jesus. One God sends us out to share his love with the world.
The communion of saints also means all of those who have lived their lives in Jesus and died in that faith. Those who believed in Jesus when they lived have not just died and disappeared. They were united with Jesus in their baptism, just as we are, and they live in him still. Jesus raises them up to new life, both now and forever. Because Jesus died and rose from the dead, we and all who believe will live in him forever.
Those who have died in faith are not far away in heaven somewhere. They are with the Lord, and with us right here and now. In Jesus, we can share in that mystic, sweet communion with all who believe, with those who are near and those who are far away, with those who are living, and those who have died. All of us are one in Christ Jesus, and nothing can ever separate us. We celebrate that oneness as we gather at the Lord’s Table and share in Christ with all of God’s saints, those here and those far away, the living and those who have died.
We treasure the saints in our lives that we have shared with. They have shown us how to follow Jesus, and how to love our neighbor. They gave us the example of their lives, and leave us to carry on faithfully when they go to be with Jesus. At Salem, we see all that they have built up, all the buildings and ministry and patterns of faithful living. That is the legacy that they leave to us.
Together with those saints who have gone before us, you and I are God’s saints. We carry on the journey in faith. Our stewardship theme this year is Salem Saints Bearing Fruit. We give thanks that we are one in Jesus with these amazing people from our past and from our present. Together we get to worship God, follow Jesus as disciples, and do our best to be his people in all that we do. We use our lives, our gifts, our resources to do our very best for God every day.
Just as an apple tree bears fruit, because that it is what is created to do, we are Christians, and we bear fruit of the Spirit for Jesus. It is what comes naturally, what we are made for. It is what happens when we trust and follow Jesus with all of our hearts and lives.
And so it is with our stewardship of our financial resources as well. We have many examples of giving by faithful saints who gave freely, sacrificially, and intentionally throughout their lives, and built up something wonderful in the ministry that we share. Now is our time to give of what we have received, to use our income and resources to be generous givers to God. We get to be the saints to carry on the torch and make this ministry flourish now and in the years to come.
Thank you for all of the ways that you serve and give at Salem Lutheran. You make a difference, and live a life that matters when you join with all the Salem Saints Bearing Fruit.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor John Rothfusz
