5/9/08

 

Dear Friends and Members of St. John,

 

Sunday is Pentecost Day, the day God ‘poured out the Holy Spirit’ on His disciples and they became bold in their faith and in their sharing.

 

HOWEVER, Sunday is also Mothers’ Day.  We will celebrate God’s gift of mothers, our own mother, in worship on Sunday.

 

Rather than sharing my thoughts with you, today I want to ask you a question.  How did God use your mother to bless your faith relationship with Him?

 

You might want to consider the words of 2 Timothy which are the basis for Sunday’s sermon. 

3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 

8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God,  9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life-- not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,  10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

 

You can read about Timothy’s grandmother and mother in the verse above.  How about you?  How did God use your mother to bless your faith relationship with Him?

 

See you in worship this Sunday!

 

Your fellow child of God,

Pastor Jonathan

 

P.S.  Our new hymnal has a new hymn that will be used this Sunday for our sermon hymn on Mother’s Day.  I would like to know your opinion of the hymn after you sing it.

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ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’ -   I am sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I have.  However, if you don’t want to receive this e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for this message. . . Or, if you know someone who would like to receive one of these e-mails, please send me their e-mail address.

  

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Prayers – Last week I asked you to pray for certain people.  Here is an update on some of those folks.

• Paul Ziegler is recovering from removal of a lobe of his left lung for cancer.  He is in Alaska Regional.  Please join me in praying for Paul.
• Dave Miranda has found out that his cancer has NOT spread to his liver.  He will have surgery on Friday, May 16, to remove 2 lymph nodes that are affected.    Please join me in praying for Dave.
• Al Kastar had surgery on May at the Mayo Clinic in MN for prostate cancer. Al was in worship at St. John on Sunday, May 4!  Please join me in giving thanks for God’s goodness to Al.
• Rosannee Kolberg continues in the hospital at Mat Su Regional with a cancerous tumor that is obstructing air passages and blood flow.  Radiation and chemotherapy have begun, and it seems to be helping.   Please join me in praying for Roseanne.
• Kristin Kopperud may now be in St. Louis for medical treatment and to wait for a heart transplant.   I hope to see her next Friday when I am in St. Louis to defend my doctoral thesis.  Please join me in praying for Kristin.

  

NEXT WEEK!!!!  Next week I am going to ask you to help me with sermon topics.  I am looking for Pastor Allen and I to preach a topical series (or more than one series) about issues or questions that God’s people have, rather than what I think they need to hear.  Please start thinking about a topic on which you would like to hear what God’s Word says.

 

PICTURES     -  I have a personal 'Web Shots" page with an album of church pictures.  If you would like to see these pictures of God working at St. John, here is the link.

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/jonrock53/ChurchActivitiesStJohnPalmer

 

 

Pictures