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
APRIL WITNESS
Pastor's Message
“The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” 2 Thessalonians 2:10
The Wittenberg Door had this story a few years back. Mike Yaconelli wrote:
“I live in a small rural community. There are lots of cattle ranches around here, and every once in a while, a cow wanders off and gets lost. Ask a rancher how it gets lost, and chances are he will reply: ‘Well, the cow starts nibbling on a tuft of green grass, and when it finishes, it looks ahead for the next tuft of green grass and starts nibbing on that one: and then it nibbles on a tuft of green grass right next to a hole in the fence, so it nibbles on that one. It then sees a tuft of green grass on the other side of the fence, so it works to get there, and nibbles on to the next tuft. The next thing you know, the cow has nibbled its way into being lost.
There may be many differences between humans and cattle, but I think one similarity is that we humans can easily be distracted into not thinking about consequences of our actions. We people seem to be munching our way to lostness. We keep moving from one tuft of activity to another, never noticing how far we have gone from our home with God, or how far away from the truth we have managed to roam. There is danger in the world, and we don’t see it, because we are too focused upon what lies immediately before us.
It is the little transitions that lead us away from God more often than the major changes of life. And once we have broken through the bounds of our safety, we continue to look for the next bit of happiness, without realizing that we are lost.
But Jesus is the good Shepherd. He seeks out the lost. He ransoms them from bondage to the world and redeems them from the power of our enemies, especially sin, death and the devil.
Easter is our reminder of God’s grace, and helps us maintain the boundaries we need in life to bring blessings to our families and neighbors.
Live as holy children of God! Pastor Grimm 