​     I want to follow up on the topic I wrote about in last week's blog, "What is a pastor?  What does a pastor do?"  And I want to especially focus on two things that I think are very important for a pastor to do:  Praying for and with people.  And, visiting with them.  Let's look at this a bit closer.
     I think it is said of Martin Luther, when asked about prayer, said that he began each day praying for an hour for people and his ministry.  And when asked what he does when he has an especially busy schedule for the day, "Oh, then I pray for 3 hours."  Whether that is a true statement of Luther or not, it still makes a point for the importance of prayer!
No, I can't say that I pray for 1 - 3 hours each day for people and ministry.  I wish I could.  And I'm still working on this.  Maybe when I get "older" I'll do better :).  
    But consider how wonderful prayer is, and what an opportunity prayer is!  To be able to go to the throne of grace with boldness (Hebrews 4:16) with every kind of petition and intercession and praise!!  So whether we pray for long periods of time, or a short one word prayer ("Help!", "Jesus!"), whether alone or with one or two others (knowing Jesus is with you, Matthew 18:20) or with the whole Body of Christ, prayer is a powerful and easy tool for each and every one of us.
     Especially for pastors!  A carpenter needs to have a good hammer, and a strong arm a good aim to nail together the house he's building.  And a lot of things can get in his way:  a thumb, a fly in his face, a distraction, and all of sudden he's in trouble (from hitting his thumb, bending the nail, etc.)
     So a pastor isn't using a hammer and nails (unless it's on his "honey-do-list", but then that's on my time off).   So the problems and temptations as a pastor are a bit different, but still needing attention and focus.  And prayer is an excellent source of all that is needed (and for carpenters too).  And of course, it takes more than prayer to be a good pastor, or a good carpenter.  But it's a good start for every day!
     And what is next in my list of importance as a pastor (and as a follower of Jesus)?  I could say it in different ways, but here are a few that come to mind:
being with people, loving all people, building relationships with people of a congregation and community, loving the people God has placed in our lives, visiting people (in person, by phone, emails, texts, and any other way that we can communicate).  
    Oh, as a pastor I still need to spend time in prayer, study of God's word, reading about.all kinds of things:  theology, ministry, and the news of the community, nation and world.  I need to prepare sermons, Bible studies, blogs, weekly video messages, and for every area of ministry.  I need to attend meetings, write emails, and work with the conference and synod that calls for work to be done.  And I need exercise and rest.  But more important than all of the above (except maybe prayer and reading Scripture) is the time spent with people.  And with people I can also be in prayer, study of God's Word, and learn all kinds of things.  
    So I have made it a priority to be reaching out to people.  I make it a part of each week to spend time in emailing and calling people of the congregations I serve.   i hope you already know this, but let me communicate it again:  I am always ready and willing and will make time to sit down with every one of you to listen to your story of faith, to learn from you, to share with you in the love that God has for each and every one of you!  That is a top priority for me in being a good pastor.  So PLEASE:  let me know if and when and where you'd like to spend even a few moments with me.  I promise it won't be a difficult task.  And I promise we can be an encouragement to one another.  And hopefully spend at least a few moments in prayer together!
 
With a promise to pray for and with all of you, whom God so dearly loves,
 
Pastor Steve 

    These questions comes to mind as we are in this time of transition.  Recently we've been looking back at the history of RLC, and of course, the past pastors have come to our attention.  And I've heard of some of the things they have done, and not done.
     One comment that I usually bring to a congregation in transition, and to the Ministry Exploration Team and Call Team, is that your next pastor will certainly not be the same as the pastors you have had; meaning that each pastor is a unique individual.  And none of us are perfect!  (I am evidence of that truth :)
     This often comes to mind as I hear people saying what they want for their next pastor.  And I'm thinking:  "Wow!  I know that none of us can do ALL those things that people want (for example, "we want a pastor who is able to relate to both the young and old".   Yet a pastor is either going to be young, or old.  None of us can be both :)
     So how do we answer these questions I've asked?  Of course Scripture is the first place to go  The word "pastor" comes from the Latin word that means "shepherd".  So we could go to the passages that refer to good shepherds (Psalm 23, Ezekiel 34, John 10, etc.)  And we could describe a pastor as one who cares for and leads the sheep of God', always as those who are under the Good Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ.  We can go to such Scriptures as 1 Timothy 3, where the apostle Paul describes what "a bishop" needs to be, and understand the word bishop as a pastor of a congregation.  I like the description given in 1 Corinthians 4:1, "Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries."  And yes, in many ways, all of these descriptions also describe other people in the church and in our families.
    We can also go to the Lutheran Confessions where we see descriptions of pastors as "regularly called" and to "preach publicly in the church or administer the sacraments".  
   We can go to Call documents where we read descriptions of pastors as a "minister of Word and Sacrament, in a mutual relationship and with steadfast commitment for the sake of our ministry in Christ's name in faithful witness to the Gospel...."
There are also ELCA congregational constitutions which state that "Every minister of Word and Sacrament shall preach the Word; administer the sacraments, conduct public worship; provide pastoral care, and other responsibilities (see the constitution)
   But those are formal words that describe a pastor.  If I were to put a describe what a pastor is, and what she/he does, I would say something like this:
   I think a pastor is one who has prepared and been called by God through a congregation, to walk with the people of both the church and community, leading them to faith and life in Christ. And that includes preaching and teaching from the Scriptures and about how to live a life as one who is a follower of Jesus. I think a pastor needs to love the people of the church and community, lead them in new areas of ministry, and change her/his direction when they are wrong or things are not working well.  I think a pastor is one who prays for his/her people, both publicly and with them one on one, and in her/his individual devotional life.  I think a pastor needs to continually work on his/her relationship with people, visiting with them, listening to them, praying with them.  
 
   Of course there is more to these questions.  And very sincerely, I would very much appreciate your thoughts on what you just read, and what you think a pastor should be and do.  Let's talk about this!  I'm still learning and growing.  And I look forward to all that I can do to improve the work of being a pastor.  And may this be my last word on what it means to be a pastor:  I love it!  I love serving and being with people, with you and all of God's people!

Blessings,
​Pastor Steve

    Years ago I did quite a lot of fishing.  That was when I lived up in northern Minnesota, where we had lots of lakes nearby.  And yes, I've got some great fish stories!  (But I'm in church, so I suppose I can;t lie, I mean:  exaggerate.:)
    Let's just say I loved a good walleye and perch fish fry.  And I've had quite a few in my lifetime:  the kind where I caught the fish, prepared them, and ate them with my family.  So much more satisfying than buying the fish from a store, or sitting at a restaurant and eating whatever they served.
   In this Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus calls four fishermen to follow Him.  As we read in Mark 1:17, Jesus says, "Follow Me and I will make you fish for people."
   What does "fish for people" mean?  If we read on in the Gospel accounts, and in the rest of the New Testament, we see that it meant following Jesus, being with Him, learning from Jesus' teachings and eventually being sent out to others with the Good News of our Savior.
    This is sort of like fishing.  Because just like fishing from the shore or in a boat, so with fishing for people--one never knows if or how many will be caught.  That's why it's called fishing, not catching!
    With fishing for people, the catching is all up to God, as the Holy Spirit brings people to repentance and faith.  Our job, or can I say the wonderful opportunity we have, is to bring the Good News of Jesus to all people.
   So Happy Fishing, and yes I mean both for people, and if you like, for fish!

Pastor Steve

Last Saturday was the Day of Epiphany.  And now in the church year we continue in the season of Epiphany until February 11, when we celebrate the Transfiguration of our Lord.  We’ll look later at what the Transfiguration of our Lord means.  But let’s look now a little closer at this word “epiphany”.
 
Epiphany means “a manifestation; a moment of sudden revelation or insight; especially of a divine being”.  The word is used for January 6 to commemorate the visit to the Christ Child by the Magi or wise men.  As we read in Matthew 2, they came from the east, claiming they had seen a star that led them to “the child who has been born king of the Jews”.
 
These Magi, or wise men, were probably astrologers, perhaps from Persia or southern Arabia.  And so they were Gentiles.  While a lot of mystery surrounds them, they may have read the messianic prophet in Numbers 24:17, predicting a ruler who would deliver Israel from their enemies.
 
And now these Magi had come to worship Him.  We recognize this as the first manifestation of the Christ to the Gentile world (of which most of us are all included).  The message and season of Epiphany therefore becomes a message to all the world; the message of “good news of great joy for all the people”
 
Our response to this Epiphany is three-fold: 

1.  Thanks be to God for revealing the Savior to all the world!
2. May we now become followers of Jesus, who seek Him as the Magi did.  
3. May we share this good news with all the world!

 
God’s blessings to each and every one of you in this season of worship, discipleship, and witness!

Pastor Steve

This upcoming Sunday the Church Year celebrates the Baptism of our Lord.  It also comes a day after the celebration of Epiphany, when we commemorate the visit by the Magi to the home of the Infant Jesus.
  
So what does all this mean to you and to me?  Jesus was baptized.  And he was made known to and worshiped by Gentile wisemen.  
 
The Scriptures invite us also to be baptized:
“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19)
 
Most of us are also Gentiles,  And we are told of the birth of the Savior of the world, and invited to worship and serve Him.
 
But what does baptism mean?  To baptize is to apply water.  So it can refer to sprinkling, or immersion.  And when done “in the name of” of the Triune God, it means we are placing the name of God upon that person.  
 
As the Heavenly Father said at Jesus’ baptism, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased”, so at our baptisms, we are told that
“As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ…you belong to Christ.” (Galatians 3:27, 29)  
 
So we too are children of God, belonging to Him.  And we are dearly loved by God!   Our identity is in Jesus Christ.  As Romans 8 promises, “as children of God, then heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.”  So the Heavenly Father looks at us now as brothers and sisters of His Son, Jesus.
 
This means that all that Jesus has accomplished as Savior of the world is passed on to each and every one of us.  
 
The Magi traveled far and experienced challenges and dangers, to see and worship the Christ.  What are we willing to do to see and worship and serve Jesus the Christ?  It certainly is worth whatever we can give and do, as fellow redeemed children of God.
 
Happy New Year!  A year (as every year is) blessed by God’s presence and grace and love!

​Pastor Steve