Beloved Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

During this 150^th anniversary year of our congregation, we look back, assess the present and imagine our future as God’s people called and shaped into this Body of Christ. The prophet Jeremiah speaks God’s word into our past, present and future: “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” Jeremiah 29:11. Undoubtedly, there have been many years in which our congregation has struggled to hold firm to the faith God has so graciously given us through the years. And there are more to come.

Jeremiah’s words of hope from God come at a time when many of the people of Israel were exiled captives in a foreign nation, Babylon, which is present day Iraq. Jeremiah captures the essential truth about our relationship with God. We are the beloved children of a faithful, gracious God who live with the reality of unrelenting change, the forces of evil and our own rebellion against God. As we enter the Lenten season, we are encouraged and invited to quiet our hearts and minds from the many noisy distractions which surround us in our daily lives.

Instead, let us remember and honor God’s holy invitation to give ourselves to God, an invitation which remains unbroken. In Jesus Christ, we hear it anew as he invites the outsider-tax-collector Levi, “Follow me.” And Levi got up, left everything, and followed Jesus.

We are people of the covenant, a covenant first given to the Israelites and then expanded by God to all nations, even us! Jesus’ disciples are commanded to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And so are we. And so we will, whether it be prisoners, the unchurched, or those new to our community.

The prophet Isaiah shares God’s loving vision and promise for us, “⁹This is like the days of Noah to me: Just as I swore that the waters of Noah would never again go over the earth so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you and will not rebuke you. ¹⁰For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” Isaiah 54:9-10. Mountains departing and hills moving remind us of our neighbors, God’s beloved children in Haiti. God has not forgotten them, and we won’t.

Secure in God’s promises, empowered and captivated by the Holy Spirit, the mission we share at St. John’s is God’s mission. We need not worry about whether we will succeed. We cannot fail. We are created to succeed. In Jesus Christ, our victory is secured. Through the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to prevail. Our task therefore is simply living out of our identity as the Body of Christ, a community of God’s love, compassion and grace. That is God’s vision and mission for us.

I thank God for these gifts, and for you, my sisters and brothers in discipleship, as we share this identity and share in this amazing blessing of God’s grace, this Body of Christ at St. John’s. Listen with the gifts God has given you and imagine what God is calling you to do with them. We are created to grow ever closer to God, in community, in compassion, in relationships, in hospitality, in vocation, in family and in all that we are and do. Let us accept this amazing invitation of God’s love each day with renewed hope and confidence in God’s faithfulness, in God’s promises, and in loving grace for all people.

Yours in Christ

Pastor Randy