ST. JOHN LUTHERAN CHURCH
(The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod)
Alma, Kansas
A family united by faith in Christ gathering around God's Word and Sacraments.
To reach out in Christ-like concern and Christ-borne love to each other and to those without Christ!
In This Month's
St. John Witness
JANUARY WITNESS
Pastor's Message
“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
(Matthew 24:44)
What wonders lie ahead of us in 2019? How will we prepare? How will we carry out our tasks? How will we understand?
In the Book, Out of Africa, Izak Dinesen tells this story about her Kenyan cook, Kamante:
One night, after midnight, Kamante suddenly walked into my bedroom with a hurricane lamp in his hand, silent, as if on duty. He spoke to me very solemnly, “I think you had better get up. I think God is coming.”
When I heard this, I got up and asked why he thought so. He gravely led me to the dining room, which looked west, toward the hills. From the door windows I could see a strange phenomenon. There was a big grass fire going on, out in the hills, and the grass was burning all the way from the hilltop to the plain; when it was seen from the house, it was nearly a vertical line. It did indeed look as if some gigantic creature was moving and coming toward us. I stood for some time and looked at it, with Kamante at my side, then, I began to explain the thing to him…But the explanation did not seem to make much difference to him one way or another; he clearly took his mission to have been fulfilled when he called me.
“Well, yes, it may be so, “he said, “But I thought that you had better get up in case it was God coming.” (New York, Ingram, ©1988)
God also wants us to be prepared. He is coming! It may or may not be this year, but He is coming, and we must be ready. It it the task of the church to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ so that people may know Him. It is not our job to explain every detail; it is our job to inform them about the Savior and His holy life, innocent death, amazing resurrection, and glorious return..
13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.. Matthew 24:13, 14 Whatever the future holds for you in 2019, please remember: God holds the future. He holds you with His love and embraces you with His mercy. Whatever wonders we see in 2019, God will use to reveal His purpose in Christ Jesus
Live in His grace! Pastor GrimmWe are a family united by faith in Christ, gathering around God's Word and Sacraments,
to reach out in Christ-like concern and Christ-borne love to each other and to those without Christ!
“Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long."
Psalm 25:5
