My brothers and sisters in Christ,
You may have to excuse this letter. I am still feeling the effects of anesthesia from a procedure I had on Friday. Someone asked me how I was doing, and I responded that I feel my bubble is still not in the middle. If you have ever used a tool to level something, you know what I mean.
It was a diagnostic procedure. They were trying to find something that could explain my loss of leg strength. The good news is that they didn’t find anything. The bad news is that they didn’t find anything. Have you ever had one of those medical tests? “Great news. It’s not that.” But I wish they could have found something to fix.
My illness is a very slow-moving illness. It started in 1990. I wasn’t diagnosed until 2009. In those 19 years, I thought I was making things up. I thought it was all in my head (which it sort of was). I think many doctors thought this also. When I was officially diagnosed, it was “Yeah, they found something. Oh, they found something.” I know some of you have gone through this or are currently going through this. Just know that you are never alone. That is why I love Luke, chapter 15, so much. We worship a crazy God, definitely obsessive or, as the song goes, reckless. We have a God who feels this way about you. A God where one is important. A God that is with you in every breath.
I was talking to a person at the Y this week. After walking a certain number of laps, he runs the last one. He is not the best runner, but as he runs, he says, “God, thank you for this breath. God, thank you for this heartbeat.” I know that God is always present with me. I am his child. However, I think it is important that we try to recognize this, to feel God’s presence, to thank him for our breath, for our heartbeat, for our life.
We celebrated our first day of Sunday School. The children certainly bring excitement to the church. What a blessing it is to have our teaching staff. All of them have unique gifts, and all of them love the Lord, and they are sharing this love with your children. Your children are in great hands. I hope you are taking advantage of Paul Baker’s class so you can learn alongside your children. It would make a great dinner-time conversation: “What did you learn today?”
I received an unexpected card and email this week. God’s timing was perfect. I really needed it. Have you ever had one of those weeks where you are not at your best, and you made a few people mad? I had one of those weeks.
The email was so unexpected. I knew the person. He actually swam for me in high school. This is what he wrote:
Thanks for St. John’s Lutheran Peru, IL church for posting videos on YouTube. The videos lift my depressed spirits. Thanks ever so much, Pastor Tom, church, and family.
It is one of those good things and bad things again. I am so very thankful for Missy, who runs the board and puts out the video every week. I am thankful for the church community that made a sizeable investment to make this happen. The bad news is, we have no idea who is watching. We usually hover around 35 households. Regardless of how many, what we do online is important to this one. Make sure we hold on to the lesson of Luke, Chapter 15. If one is important to God, it should be important to us as well.
I think it was about a month ago that I challenged all of you to write a letter/card a week. Write a card to whomever the Holy Spirit puts on your heart. I received one of those cards this week. I am not sure if they took up the challenge or just wanted to write me a card. Regardless, it was the perfect card, the perfect words for what I was going through. I challenge you again – write a card every week and then let God do the work.
Crossed marked and spirit sealed,
Pastor Tom
815-223-1144
Readings for the 15 Weekend after Pentecost– Weekend of September 21 & 22
Amos 8:4-7 Psalm 113 1 Timothy 2:1-7 Luke 16:1-13