And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:16 – 17
Jesus said this as He looks forward to His Ascension. He knew He would be physically separated from His disciples. They wouldn’t be able to see Him but He wanted them to know they were not abandoned. The same is true of us today. The Lord is not visible to us today and we are separated from one another by today’s circumstances. So the Lord’s words come to us “the Father… Will give you another Helper, even the Spirit of truth.” God’s Holy Spirit is with us and keeps us connected. The spirit is there for us in the Bible, God’s written Word. He meets us they are each time we read it or hear it. So the Spirit dwells with us and from our baptism He dwells in us. In the same way, Jesus is with you. He is the Word made flesh (John 1:1, 14) and the written Word and the Word made flesh are inseparable. The Lord our God is with you and in you and ready to hear your prayers. Similarly, Jesus is with us through His body the Church. Though we can’t be together the way we would like, we are still connected by our Lord. Brothers and sisters in Christ we are still bound together by faith in Him. As a congregation, St. Paul’s is still working to provide word and sacrament ministry in the Divine Service and individually upon request. We are ready to provide help as resources allow and needs are known. Please talk with one of the pastors we will do our best to apply the resources we have. As the body of Christ we want to try our best to help in time of need. We are truly bound together in Him. The Lord dwells with us and is in us, Pastor Stock
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![]() Dear Friends in Christ, This month a team from Synod will join us in an effort to strengthen our outreach to our community by offering classes and workshops to improve our witnessing and assimilation skills and procedures. You will be hearing more about this as we continue to prepare for their arrival.There are many ways you can be involved in this effort called “The 72 Project”. I hope you will participate in several of these opportunities. One aspect we need your help with right now. Please join me in praying for God’s blessings on this effort. From now until April 12th please pray the Lord will bless and guide the efforts of our leadership team and prepare the members of St. Paul’s for participation in this project.From April 13th to the 17th please add prayers for the Lord’s protection and blessing on the project team as they travel from their homes. From April 18th to May 7th please pray the Lord will bless and guide the team and the congregation members who participate.And on April 8th please pray the Lord will protect the team as they travel home.Most of all begin now asking the Lord to direct and bless you in your participation in this project and its application to your life. May this time with the team and time spent in prayer be a blessing to us all. |
AuthorRev. Don Stock is the Associate Pastor at St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church in Munster, Indiana. Archives
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