Faith and Hope – Mt. Olive Lutheran Church

FAITH FOR ALL SEASONS

We all know that as sure as Autumn gives way to Winter, so too, Winter will eventually give way to Spring, and in turn, Spring will give way to the warmth of Summer. The seasons of the year continue to cycle onward, and we know how to read the signs of these shifting seasons. In Luke 21:5-9, the disciples of Jesus puzzle over his words of warning (and hope) concerning the chaotic transitions of the seasons of history, which oftentimes demolish our various societal and institutional edifices that we cherish. To the disciples in Luke 21, the cherished splendor and symbolism of the Jerusalem Temple seemed so beautifully transcendent and so solidly permanent. Yet Jesus warned that it would all pass away — that “not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down” [21:6] as he said.

Of course, this pronouncement of the Temple’s destruction completely puzzled the disciples, because, at that time, the rebuilding of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was seen as a concrete sign that God was about to free his people and dwell with them again — just as in the days of the Ark of the Covenant and the entry of Israel into the Promised Land. Even the presence of John the Baptizer (a new prophet like the ancient Prophet Elijah) was something that raised expectations for the coming Messianic Age and Kingdom of God.

The stage was set for God to transform the world into his glorious Peaceable Reign — and God was doing exactly that, but not in the way everyone expected. In fact, God’s plan for humanity included his use of unexpected characters like King Herod and Pontius Pilate to accomplish his sovereign will. It also included unexpected events like Jesus’ suffering and Crucifixion. And, amazingly, it included unexpected events like Jesus’ Resurrection, his Ascension, and his sending of the Holy Spirit.

Consequently, in view of all these later unexpected events and mysteries, Jesus in Luke 21 said to his disciples (and to us), “By your endurance you will gain your souls” [21:19]. For as the old saying goes: It doesn’t matter what the future holds; what matters is Who holds the future. That is, our Lord and Savior holds our future in his hands — and not ours only, but also the future of the entire world and cosmos. So, in God alone we trust, and we endure by God’s grace granted us through his Word and Sacraments which create and strengthen true faith and new life within us.

God has an ultimate purpose and good future for his creation, and God is establishing his Kingdom in Christ no matter what unexpected turn of events might rattle us. For here’s the surprising paradox: The new era of our Lord Jesus Christ did not start with a militant uprising of riotous mobs, but rather through the humble birth of a little child in Bethlehem, and through his later unexpected death on a cross. The Lord of Life was put to death, but death itself could not hold him.

Truly, the new age of Jesus Christ still comes through death and resurrection, and it comes to each of us through our Holy Baptism into the death and resurrection of Christ [see Romans 6:1-11]. Indeed, for all who are strengthened and kept by God’s grace in this dying and rising faith, we will gain our souls now and forever.

Therefore, we can view the seasons of conflict in our world with this divine perspective, placing our ultimate trust and hope in nothing and nobody other than the Crucified and Risen One, Christ the Son of God, our ever-present Lord and Savior. While continuing to pray for good order and healing during contentious times and conflicted seasons, we also continue to faithfully share the Word of God’s truth and grace (God’s law and gospel) for all people everywhere.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end — Amen!

Grace & Peace, Pastor Tim

SOLA GRATIA

We who are Christians of the Lutheran Confession emphasize the gospel principle known as Sola Gratia, which means “Grace Alone” in Latin. This biblical truth and good news, highlighted by Martin Luther and subsequent Protestant Reformers, declares that we are saved from sin, death, and the devil, by God’s grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ.

For the Word of God within chapter 3 of the Epistle to the Romans proclaims the following… “But now, apart from the Torah, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the Torah and the Prophets — namely, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; and all are now justified freely by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith.” – (Romans 3:21-25)

Now, it’s important to note that this profound gift of Sola Gratia rests entirely upon a Savior who is simultaneously divine and human. That is, salvation by God’s grace alone completely hinges upon the person and work of Jesus Christ, who is both fully God and fully human. For only such a One as this could accomplish the atonement for our sins and reconcile us to God.

Jesus’ divinity (his being co-equal and co-eternal with God Almighty) ensures his sacrifice for us is of supreme value, atoning for all sin of all time, once and for all. As he is God incarnate in human flesh (true God from true God), the Eternal Son, of One Being with the Father, Jesus is the perfect offering of infinite worth, capable of redeeming all humanity. Simultaneously, however, his humanity is equally vital. As he is truly human, born of the Virgin Mary, Jesus lived a sinless human life under the biblical Torah, and he truly suffered and died in our place, bearing the penalty of our sins. So, only a fellow human could represent us and stand as our substitute, and, at the same time, only Almighty God could offer a sacrifice of eternal value that would be sufficient for the world’s redemption.

Therefore, this mystical reality (that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human) makes our atonement and salvation possible. Christ’s atoning sacrifice, sealed by his blood shed for us and confirmed by his glorious resurrection, is the universal offering that reconciles us to God by grace alone.

For the Word of God within chapter 2 of the Epistle to the Ephesians states the following… “By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God — not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we may walk in them.” – (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are completely justified (completely forgiven!!!) before God, which perfectly reconciles us to God, all by God’s grace through faith as a free gift, not by our own works. But this is not to say that our good works don’t matter. In fact, good works are very much a part of our Christian faith. So yes, we are indeed saved by God’s grace alone through faith in Christ alone, not by our good works; however, we are saved by God’s grace in Christ for the sake of living a Christ-like life of good works as best we can — saved for doing good works as our way of life in response to God’s free grace given us (see Eph. 2:10 above).

Approximately six months ago, my newsletter article was about the 1700th Anniversary of the Nicene Creed in this Year of our Lord, 2025, and about how it is the preeminent statement of Christian faith which boldly professes that Jesus is “true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father… for us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became truly human.” Consequently, may we be firmly anchored in this true faith of our divine and human Redeemer, whose grace alone saves us.

Dear brothers and sisters, let us always rejoice in Sola Gratia (“Grace Alone”) trusting in the One Savior who is fully God and fully human — the One and Only who died for our sins, rose from the grave, secured our infinite atonement, and washes us in his baptismal waters of rebirth, renewal and eternal resurrection life.

For the Word of God within chapter 6 of the Epistle to the Romans declares the following… “Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore, we were buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” – (Romans 6:3-5)

All thanks, praise and glory be to God for Sola Gratia!

By God’s Grace in Christ, Pastor Tim

THE DIVINE MIRROR RESTORED

It’s true that we Lutherans certainly believe that the Lutheran branch of the Christian Faith has many wonderful gifts to offer to the whole of Christianity and indeed to the entire world, but we Lutherans also recognize that we do not have a monopoly on all theological and spiritual truths. And it’s true that we as Christians proclaim that the good news of Jesus Christ provides direct access to the fullness of God’s grace and truth, but we do not say that we have a monopoly on God’s eternal grace and truth. So if members of the Church of Jesus Christ consider those of other religions to be completely ignorant of all theological and spiritual truths, then this is just plain wrong. And if non-Christians assume that we Christians claim to be the sole purveyors of truth, then they’re wrong too.

Nevertheless, we Christians do profess and confess that Christ is “the Way and the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6), and so we earnestly proclaim the good news of his redeeming life, death and resurrection for the sake of the world. In fact, the Holy Scriptures exhort us to always be ready to share the grace and truth of Jesus Christ with our neighbors:

“So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth [of Christ] to our neighbors, for we are members of one another.” – (Ephesians 4:25)

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” – (First Peter 3:15-16)

However, we do this proclamation of Jesus’ good news within the multicultural context of human civilization. For we see throughout the history of salvation (from ancient times unto today) that there is a certain universal pattern we sinful human beings (of all times and places) seem to follow. It’s the pattern of faithfulness and apostasy, and it should be very familiar to us within the Christian Faith because the Holy Bible is filled with this pattern.

The cycle of faithfulness and apostasy is the historical pattern of civilization all over the world throughout the ages. From the very genesis of humanity, over and over again, God calls us, gathers us, instructs us and blesses us. But over and over again, people begin to reject and fall away from God’s revealed truth and grace. Therefore, God decided to send us the exact reflection of the glory of the fullness of himself — Christ Jesus our Lord, the Eternal Son of God and Bread of Heaven.

Let’s imagine that the revelation of God is one great Divine Mirror. And let’s imagine that the pattern of faithfulness and apostasy within human civilization is that Mirror breaking into a thousand pieces and scattering throughout the world. And then, after each shattering of this Mirror, a faithful remnant of believers were left to salvage as many pieces of God’s grace and truth as they could, resulting in a great diversity of faiths and spiritual traditions over time. So each time this shattering would happen in history, a group of like-minded believers would gather their particular shards of the Divine Mirror, and they would follow God’s Light reflected in these shards as best they knew how. And thousands of other groups did the same thing with the shards of truth they had collected.

But then, at the right time in human history, God revealed the fullness of his truth and grace for all people through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is the entire Divine Mirror restored to humanity — for he is the clear-as-glass Living Mirror of Heaven. And it might sound presumptuous to claim that the faith, hope and love of Jesus constitute the complete Divine Mirror reflecting the fullness of God’s Heart for humanity, but that is indeed what we have been granted in Jesus Christ our Lord. Thanks be to God!

However, while we have amazing access to the entire Divine Mirror of God (in all its clarity) through Jesus our Savior, this should not by any means negate the importance of the shards of God’s grace and truth that other religions have access to. In fact, the shards of Divine Truth within non-Christian religions (although incomplete) are nevertheless reflective of God’s saving truth. Consequently, the great non-Christian religious leaders of the world such as Buddha, Krishna, Muhammad, Confucius, and Lao-Tzu (as well as philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and others) have all received pieces of God’s complete Mirror. They all have received a portion of God’s True Light — morsels of the Bread of Heaven (so to speak). So let’s genuinely appreciate the Truth of God from whichever direction it’s coming at us, even from non-Christian sources.

As we Christians share with others the fullness of God’s grace and truth in Christ Jesus our Lord, let’s remember the great Divine Mirror that every compassionate religion has pieces of — precious pieces of the universal reality and saving grace of God. Yet, our evangelical mission is to always uplift how all those shards of God’s Truth fit into the wholeness of God’s pure reflection in Jesus, the only begotten Son of God. And even if a certain non-Christian belief seems to be contrary to the gospel of Jesus, it just might be that this belief is still somehow based upon an eternal principle of God (if we look deeply enough). So maybe that shard of belief that seems to contradict Jesus simply needs a little ‘gospel windex’ to clarify it a bit.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we’re not here to trash the pieces of the Mirror (or the portions of the Bread of Heaven) that people of other belief systems possess. We are simply here to do as it says in Ephesians 4 and First Peter 3, where it says: “let all of us speak the truth [of Christ] to our neighbors, for we are members of one another” and “be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and respect…”

Together in Christ, Pastor Tim

GLORY, GLORY! HALLELUJAH!

The Battle Hymn of the Republic is a hymn that became the semi-official Civil War song of the United States Army during that great civil conflict of our nation. It was written by Mrs. Julia Ward Howe, a poet and dedicated abolitionist, who visited an army camp near Washington D.C. in 1861. She was inspired by the soldiers singing “John Brown’s Body” which was a folk tune about an anti-slavery advocate who had been hanged for his efforts to free the slaves. Mrs. Howe felt that the catchy camp tune of this song should have better words along with it, and so she wrote her own lyrics to the same melody. The song expressed her support for Abraham Lincoln, who was elected President of the United Sates in 1860 and faced fierce opposition from the pro-slavery South.

Deeply anguished at the growing conflict between her fellow Americans, and in a desire to articulate her own feelings about the dreadful division of that time, Julia Ward Howe is said to have written her inspired verses almost without looking at the paper. The “Battle Hymn of the Republic” (a.k.a. “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory” and “Glory, Glory! Hallelujah!”) was first published in the Atlantic Monthly Magazine in 1862 as a battle song for the U.S. republic. Before long the entire nation became inspired by her text and united in singing the new words with the old tune.

I have to say, to have implicit trust in God’s faithful care and protection is never easy in times of danger or strife. Yet even in the midst of the terrible American Civil War between the United States and the Confederate States, a remarkable Christian woman named Julia Ward Howe proclaimed her confidence in God’s triumphant power for the ultimate good of all.

From the first time it was sung unto today, Mrs. Howe’s hymn has been acclaimed through the years as one of the finest national hymns of our United States of America. In fact, very early on it was sung as a solo at a large rally attended by President Abraham Lincoln himself. After the audience had responded with thunderous applause, the President (with tears in his eyes) cried out, “Sing it again!!” So it was sung again… And after more than a hundred and fifty years, patriotic Americans still join in singing with one voice, “Glory, glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.”

May you all have a very happy Fourth of July and a deeply rejuvenating summertime!!!

Together in Christ, Pastor Tim

THE LIGHT OF CHRIST

Last week (as of the writing of this article) I traveled to Wisconsin to officiate at my oldest first cousin’s memorial service. My cousin Nanette suffered so much from her rheumatoid arthritis since the age of 30 until her death at 73. In fact, this disease most definitely shortened her longevity in this life probably by decades. However, Nanette always managed to count her blessings and genuinely appreciate the good times. She showed us all that each day we have a choice to make: to give in or to keep on trucking. Regardless of our circumstances, we can either choose to number our liabilities, or choose to count our blessings and get up to fight on for another day.

My cousin Nanette was also known for her beautiful stained glass artwork, and I think this art form is a wonderful metaphor for her life despite the rheumatic disease that she struggled with. Just as she took fragile broken pieces of glass to make her stained glass art, she faced the debilitating brokenness of her own body to make out of it a beautiful life together with her friends and family.

Interestingly, stained glass has a long and storied history. In fact, colored glass has been produced since ancient times. From the Egyptians to the Phoenicians to the Romans, these ancient civilizations excelled at the manufacture of small colored glass objects. But it was Christian civilization that embraced the stained glass art form in a grand and monumental way.

Evidence of stained glass windows in churches and monasteries in Great Britain can be found as early as the 7th Century AD. The earliest known reference dates from 675 AD when workmen were imported from France to glaze the windows of the monastery of St. Peter at Monkwearmouth (what a name!) in England. Interestingly, the glass industry established by the Romans in Syria continued during the later Islamic era with major centers of manufacture in cities like Damascus. However, it was the gothic style of Medieval Christendom that elevated (both literally and figuratively) the artistry of stained glass to its historical pinnacle. Gothic Cathedrals are skeletal structures (like dry bones) on the outside, but, with high vaulted ceilings and entire walls of colorful stained glass, they are buildings of heavenly light on the inside. Their purpose was to uplift the worshipper to be spiritually raptured up toward heaven by the beautiful and enchanting light streaming through the stained glass, reminding them of God’s pure Light, the Light of Christ.

You know recently, I saw a gravestone (not my cousin’s) that had a symbol etched into it that I was not familiar with. I looked it up, and the symbol is a stylized Thor’s Hammer. Now, I’m pretty sure that the deceased person with the Thor’s Hammer symbol on his gravestone was not a practitioner of Norse Paganism. I’m fairly certain that it’s simply an expression of Scandinavian ethnic pride. And of course, there’s nothing inherently wrong with having ethnic self-esteem and pride. However, be that as it may, I must say as a Christian that I would not want my last testimony on my grave marker to be merely a statement of ethnic identity. Having the Light of Christ my Savior in my life surpasses all the earthly distinctions that identify me, and this is what I would want my last testament to be.

As the Apostle Paul writes: “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ…” (from Philippians 3:3-9).

At the beginning of the Easter Vigil service each year (as we observed several months ago) when we enter into the darkened church building with our lit handheld candles, we exclaim three times (at the back, middle and front of the church), “The Light of Christ! Thanks be to God!” And the reason we exclaim this three times, dear brothers and sisters, is to emphasize that we have the all-surpassing Light of Christ our Lord! We have the Eternal Light of the grace, faith, hope and love of Jesus the Son of God. So, whether in our life or in our death, why on Earth would we ever uplift any symbol or identity or whatever above the symbols and blessedness of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord?

“Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness. Christ, be our light!” (from hymn #715 of the ELW hymnal).

Together in Christ, Pastor Tim

THREE-PART INFORMATIONAL SERIES

We are a nation of immigrants, and this means that we’re a nation of individuals who are woven together from virtually all tribes, languages and creeds of Planet Earth. Particularly, in our La Crescenta area we have a strong representation of American citizens who are from Armenia and Korea. And coming along with these two demographic cohorts, there’s a strong tradition of Christian faith and life. However, many other immigrants to our nation profess one of the following three biggest non-Christian faiths: Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam.

So as Christians, how are we to be true to our own spiritual inheritance while we seek greater understanding with other religious groups? How are we to understand our own religious faith and spirituality in relation to non-Christian groups? How can we witness to the grace, truth and hope of Christ in an open and respectful way? Is there a positive and constructive perspective on this issue that glorifies God and faithfully uplifts the gospel of Jesus Christ?

For me, the term “non-Christian” does not mean “un-Christian” or “anti-Christian.” Therefore, we can learn about these non-Christian faiths, grow in our understanding of them, highlight our commonalities while acknowledging our differences, look for any and all areas in which the Spirit of Christ is genuinely present within their beliefs and practices, and then faithfully, lovingly and respectfully share the gospel.

Toward this goal, we are having a three-part informational series about the three largest non-Christian faiths over three consecutive Thursdays in June. These three gatherings will take place in our church sanctuary, and each gathering will include a printed summary sheet for each of these three largest non-Christian faiths. In addition, there will be visual aids projected up on the church sanctuary screen, and there will be discussion time as well.

The three-Thursday schedule for this three-part June series is the following…

JUNE 16 ~ 7-8 PM ~ HINDUISM ~ (the 2nd largest non-Christian faith)

JUNE 23 ~ 7-8 PM ~ BUDDHISM ~ (the 3rd largest non-Christian faith)

JUNE 30 ~ 7-8 PM ~ ISLAM ~ (the largest non-Christian faith)

My prayer for this series is that Almighty God, the Father of Glory and the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, may give us a spirit of wisdom and guidance as we come to understand these three largest non-Christian faiths, so that we may know more deeply the grace, truth and hope to which we have been called in Christ our Savior — whom God raised from the dead and seated at his right hand in the heavenly places “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come” (Ephesians 1:21).

Together in Christ, Pastor Tim

OUR BLESSED ASSURANCE

Our human sinfulness alienates us from God our Creator, but the wonderful and amazing good news is that Jesus Christ gives us everlasting salvation from this self-imposed alienation, granting us reconciliation with God and eternal heavenly life. This is our blessed assurance in Christ! Thanks be to God!

This blessed assurance of God’s grace through Jesus Christ is not merely some broad, uncertain appeal to the generic mercy of God. Rather, through the compassionate life, sacrificial death and redemptive resurrection of Jesus our Lord, we have absolute assurance of our atonement and salvation with God. What good news indeed! What amazing grace this is!

Fully acknowledging and confessing that we are sinners who have alienated ourselves from God, we believe and trust that Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised for our redemption. Therefore, by the power of his Holy Spirit, we profess him as our Savior who gives us renewal of life here and heavenly life hereafter. So now, in thanksgiving and praise for Christ’s gospel of salvation and eternal life, I would like to simply bless you with the following Bible quotations:

ROMANS 10:9-13

For if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

SECOND CORINTHIANS 4:16-17

So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure…

Brothers and sisters, this life is so brief, and, compared to a heavenly eternity with God, this life is really a fleeting bubble in a stream or flash of lightning in a cloud. And in response to the faith and hope and eternal salvation we have received through Jesus Christ our Lord, we seek to live this present mortal life in light of these great gifts, looking forward to the ultimate fulfillment of God’s Kingdom at the great Second Advent of Christ. With that in mind, I conclude this brief article with the words of the timeless hymn, Blessed Assurance:

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Happy & Blessed Eastertide!!! Pastor Tim

SIGNAL BEACONS FOR CHRIST

It’s the Third Day of Christmastime as I write this article and New Year’s Eve is several days away. Many people still have most of their Christmas decorations out in observance of the Twelve Days, and I recently noticed a front yard Nativity display with an illuminated set of Holy Family figurines. And, interestingly, the light coming from the Baby Jesus was flashing on and off. So I had a quick chuckle about it, but the image of that flashing-light Baby Jesus has stayed with me.

Our Lord Jesus taught us, “Let your light so shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). And in the context of Matthew chapter 5, Jesus was talking about shining the light of gospel mercy and gospel faithfulness for the sake of all people, including for the sake of our adversaries and enemies. So, considering the blinking-light Baby Jesus I saw, I wonder if we need to shine his gospel light more like a signal beacon these days, rather than like an oil lamp.

A signal beacon is an intentionally conspicuous light that is designed to attract attention to a specific location or for a specific purpose. For example, signal fires were lit in ancient times to call for aid. Lighthouse beacons (both ancient and modern) are used to alert ships. And electric signal lights are used within all the various modes of transportation: automotive, locomotive, nautical, aerial and astronautical. Therefore, similar to the flashing-light Baby Jesus figurine I saw, we Christians sometimes (maybe even oftentimes) need to shine our light for Christ like an attention-getting signal beacon. Maybe more often than not, we should be conspicuous about our Christian faith and hope in order to draw attention to the good news of Jesus Christ that has the power to change lives. For the Apostle Paul states in Romans chapter 1, “I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for our life of faith” (Romans 1:16-17).

As Christians, we profess that the grace and truth of Jesus Christ is the answer to all of our spiritual and relational ills. When hearts are changed by the love of God revealed in Christ, then the elderly are respected more, children are cared for more, racial bigotry is reduced within people of all ethnicities, the hungry are fed, and so on. This is the reign of God among us. Hearts and minds are changed, lovingkindness flourishes, society is improved, and there’s a multiplication of the people of faith. And this, in fact, is how Christianity first expanded out into our world, and it’s how it best grows even today.

Block by block, person by person, neighbor by neighbor, relative by relative, the signal beacon Light of Jesus Christ shining through our gospel testimony and good works (imperfect though we be at this) will guide people home to the salvation, peace and joy of Christ. And this also has the wonderful side effect of benefitting all of society as well. When people have their hearts changed by the grace of God in Christ, they tend to take more personal responsibility for their lives, while, at the same time, they tend to be drawn together to take more social responsibility for the sake of others.

So throughout 2022, may we become signal beacons for Christ more and more. May we let the light of the gospel shine (and even blink and flash) before others, for the glory of God and for the redemption of our world.

Happy New Year!!! Pastor Tim