Hear And Study The Word Of God

(Col 1:9-10 KJV)

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.

And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.

And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.

But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.

And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.

And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 

                                                                   (Luke 2:40-46 KJV)

Twelve years old and Jesus stayed behind when his parents left Jerusalem to go home. He stayed behind to hear the word of God. He stayed behind to learn.

This past year I began working with St. Paul Lutheran Seminary as a student coordinator. I still have a tremendous amount to learn about the position and all that we offer. Education is important to me and it should be to everyone. That doesn't necessarily mean you have to aim for the highest degree in everything. It means, to me, that you keep on learning so that you can actually use the gifts that God has given you to the utmost so that he might be glorified. St. Paul has courses for everyone. There are courses for the lay members of congregations to help enhance evangelism and outreach. This fall we once again held a course to teach lay people to preach when they could not find pulpit supply when needed or even to share the word of God at nursing homes or other such places as part of their congregation's ministry. We have programs for those who are interested in obtaining a Parish Service Certificate designed to train lay people to serve in congregations in various way including congregations who do not have ordained pastors for whatever reason. We also have programs for the Masters of Divinity as well as the Doctor of Ministry. There is something for everyone who wants to learn no matter what your plans are for future service of the Lord.

I am not sure exactly how or when I managed to agree to it; but, I am also a student. God manages to get his will done whether I am in agreement or not at times. I am working toward a Doctor of Ministry. To be truthful, the degree is not all that important to me; but, the opportunity to learn is. Albert Einstein once said: "Once you stop learning, you start dying" And...  I want to truly live life for as long as I have breath in my body. My first class this last semester was taught by Dr. James Nestingen. What an opportunity that was and is!

Jesus' parents found him in the temple learning from the doctors of theology. His disciples did not receive diplomas as I've been reminded by many people. However, we cannot disregard the fact that they did receive about three years of training from the master himself. They gave up everything to learn from him. They gave up everything for the most intensive internship ever. They had to because they needed this knowledge in order to be able to do the ministry that they had been called to do.

May God grant that we will all be fruitful witnesses and glorify our Father in heaven in all that we say and think and do in this upcoming new year!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Don't Worry

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matt 6:33-34 NKJV)

Is that not the truth? Do we not usually have enough trouble to worry about each day without considering what trouble might come our way tomorrow?

Actually, I tend to look ahead a lot! However, I do not look ahead with worry. I look ahead because I strongly believe that things go much better with preventive measures taken prior to the anticipated problem becoming a real problem.

For example: I pay my bills on time so that I do not have to throw more of my income on late fees or added interest in the future. I try to take care of the necessities of today, today. Tomorrow there will be enough for me to do without adding the things I was supposed to take care of today. Not being responsible for taking care of things that should be taken care of today just adds to the worry and stress of tomorrow. In the end, it is best to just worry about today and take cares of the tasks at hand and you will have very little time to worry about tomorrow.

In about eight months, my intention is to retire from Parish ministry. No, I'm not giving up on serving the Lord, just retiring from Parish ministry so that I am not tied down to serving in one place. My husband has been retired twice already. It is our intention to down-size as much as possible and pretty much live off the grid. We will be selling our home in Florida. Am I worried about not having a home in a state we plan to spend a lot of time in? No! God has been with us our entire lives. We have had some really tough financial times through the years. There were times when we were first married forty-some years ago that we were so broke that all we had for supper before payday was pancakes made with flour and water or navy bean soup with no meat whatsoever. Between my husband's and my careers, we've moved more times than I can even count any more. We have owned a lot of homes with those moves and lived in just about the same amount of rentals. Buying homes is costly and selling them can be even more costly. But, no matter what has gone on in our lives, God was with us through each and every day and has blessed us richly.

One of the things that I have realized over the years is that it can be quite difficult to seek first the kingdom of God or to follow wherever he would lead us when we're tied to a piece of property or any kind of contract with someone in this world. Those obligations often end up taking precedence over serving the Lord. It is time for me to be beholding to no one but the Lord.  

Whatever tomorrow brings, there is not much sense in worrying about it. Take care of today and trust that God is with you and will see you through both today and tomorrow. He will guide you. He will guide us wherever He would have us go and ultimately it will be to the Kingdom that Jesus has prepared for all who believe.

God's Peace - Pr. J