My brothers and sisters in Christ,
It was one of those crazy weekends for your Pastor and the church. It was our annual sausage-making event. If I have the schedule correct, volunteers on Friday came in and cut the meat into pieces to make the sausage. Then on Saturday, the sausage-making event occurred. By the afternoon, it was ready to be picked up. And I can only imagine that some of it was consumed by the time you receive this letter.
It is one of those events that sparks interest among the community. Usually, Eloide will answer questions from calls that ask when the sausage-making event will occur. Orders are made not only by members of our church, but also from all over the community. It is just another one of those things that make St. John’s a community church. Jim Scarpaci spearheads this event. The sausage recipe comes from his family, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he told you the recipe then would have to kill you, J But the event couldn’t have happened without the many volunteers who helped out on Friday and Saturday. All the profits go to the youth of our church. Thank you to everyone who helped out in this event.
We have been having Temple talks lately. This past weekend was a little different. Kelly Nieman-Anderson gave a talk informing us about all the things that LSSI (Lutheran Social Services of Illinois) does. She was also at the CRE event (see below) that I attended. Her comment, even at the best of times for the state, LSSI has to fill in the gaps. She thanked St. John’s for the support that we have given them last year.
The Congregational Resource Event (CRE) was put on by the Northern IL Synod at Sauk Valley Community College on Saturday. I play a very small part in helping to put on this event. We spend most of the year planning the program. It is meant for both called pastors/deacons and lay ministers, with a heavy emphasis on the laity. I believe there were about 20 different programs that were spread between two sessions in the afternoon. During the morning, Dr. Laurie Skow-Anderson talked about having spiritual curiosity. She posed a very good question about everything we do at St. John’s. Her question was, “Where is God in this activity?” If we can’t answer this, we should probably put that activity aside.
The chalkboard came out again for the Spring Breakfast. I commented at church that the cost to attend is ridiculously cheap. However, the reason is because of the generosity of our members. Even after one service, the beautiful display on the board was ruined. And after two, there was nothing left! You are awesome!
And then we had our first Living Last Supper hosted at First Lutheran in Princeton. If you haven’t seen this event, it is the painting of Michelangelo coming alive. People from many churches help put on this event, with many of them coming from St. John’s. There are 4 presentations that occur throughout the area, with the last one being at St. John’s during Maundy Thursday. Like sausage-making, this program brings the community together. I had a non-member come up to me the other day and ask if we were going to host an event this year. The Living Last Supper is one of those activities that would be perfect to invite a friend to.
This letter has described some of the many things we do, not only for our members, but also for the greater community. I picture a stone being thrown in the water. Quickly, you begin to see the ripples caused by the stone spread across the water. I looked at the bulletin board in my office, and I saw this exact thing put on paper when I was first interviewed by this church. I know this church has always had a rich tradition of reaching out to the community. But I also reflect on how this church continues to move in that direction. This is not pastor-driven but St. John’s driven. This is who this church is. This is what this church does. It takes people with vision and many others to help make that vision a reality. Thank you all for what you do for your church. That’s right, it is your church, not mine. It is yours. I am very proud of being your Pastor. No, we are not perfect. I hope you realize this during the season of Lent. But we are forgiven. Not something we have done, but what Jesus Christ did for us.
I have been thinking about this verse lately. It comes from Romans 11:6: “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” Our forgiveness is by the grace of God. I know most of you know this, but still …, if you are like me, part of me thinks there must be something I can do to … Can we earn it, just a little? The last part of the verse strikes me. It is not based on the “basis of works…,” “grace would no longer be grace.” Our good works are the response to the grace that God gives us. It is not the reason why God gives us grace. So, instead of earning it, let’s work to respond to it. Our God is so worthy.
Cross marked and spirit sealed.
Pastor Tom
815-223-1144
Readings for the fourth Weekend of Lent, March 14 & 15.
1 Samuel 16:1-13 Psalm 23 Ephesians 5:8-14 John 9:1-41