Pastor's Message

"I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father." John 15:15

We like to talk about the life of discipleship as being the life of a servant -- a servant of Christ, a servant of our neighbor. That conversation has its place, but let me direct your attention to another way of living out our life together in God's mission, not as servants, but as friends. Meditate a while on the difference. Servants have masters. Servants obey orders and commands. Servants are part of a hierarchy. Friends, however, are equals. Friends are bound by and respond to each other out of love and respect. To work together as friends implies working with common knowledge and purpose. In many ways, I think, we might better embody the good news of God's kingdom through friendship rather than service.

Over the past few months, we have had a number of conversations about what we can do as individuals and as a community to respond to people who have lost their job, been overwhelmed by debt or have in other ways been adversely effected by current economic conditions. It seems that best answer we came up with was for us to be a friend. We are continuing our soup suppers on Thursday night so that we can gather as friends and make new friends. By being friends, we announce and live God's friendship with us.

Friendship also lies at the heart of our vision for ministry here at Holy Trinity. The hierarchy is gone. We are all free to live out the good news that Jesus Christ has heard from the Father, that Jesus Christ embodied, that Jesus Christ has revealed to us. Gone are the days when the church council played gate-keeper and permission-giver. Gone are the days when committees made decisions and then looked for servants to march out to do their wishes. Gone are the days when the pastor, council president or committee chair told everyone how and where to serve. Today, at Holy Trinity, we encourage all people at Holy Trinity to meet together and to live out their calling to be Jesus' disciples and Jesus' friends in creative ways, according their gifts, abilities and interests. We share a particular vision of a way to embody the mission God in this place: to share the good news of the God's kingdom, to overcome barriers and to connect one to many in the love of Christ. Now, we seek to work together -- pastor, council, teams, people -- as friends.

It seems that friendship may also be a way to embody our vision for evangelism. Not only are we encouraged to invite our friends into a relationship, a friendship with Jesus, we are commissioned to go and make friends in Jesus’ name. That simple act is at the heart of inviting someone to join us as disciples of Jesus, and that simple act can make the difference between hope and despair in difficult times.

During these past months, when Jakob was in the hospital and Luke was sick as well, as our family has started to make adjustments to the new reality of living with a chronic illness, we have taken strength from Christian friendship. To know that we are remembered in prayer and joined in conversation by people who are walking with us, crying with us, laughing with us is to know God's love and new life in God's kingdom. I pray that all people may come to know the love of God as my family and I have over this past month. Thank you, friends.