Earlier today I had the opportunity to address the Fairfield Christian Academy staff, so I chose to she with them thoughts from Scripture. Here is my devotional address.
Text: Matthew 13:1-9
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”
In the name of Jesus:
Over 28 years ago Luann and I drove into town, new to the ministry, with grand hopes and designs. We were visiting Lancaster and the first call I had into the ministry. We drove down route 33, arriving on the outskirts of town only to see a car on a pole, advertising a local gas station. Little did I know at that time that the owner of that station, his wife, children, and parents would become members of Redeemer. But that is how God works; our ways are not His ways. It was 1982 and Redeemer Lutheran Church was a congregation in decline. It once at a thriving school through grade six. The school and church were known throughout the area as a beacon for Christian education. I had hopes of reopening the school in 1982, but it wasn’t in God’s plan.
Luann and I wondered what God had in mind. Why were we here? Oh, Redeemer gained some members, and lost some members. In these past 28 years of ministry, I have had my share of frustrations. The church hasn’t grown the way that I would have liked it to grow. After 28 years of sermons, Bible classes, visitations, counseling sessions, meetings, and other aspects of ministry, there have been many times when I have wondered what in the world is God’s plan?
Luann and I were blessed with children; you know all of them because they have all gone to school here. When Rachel was born in 1985 we were so hopeful on getting a school at Redeemer, but God had other plans. Soon other kids would follow Rachel: Emily, Drew, and Mark. We did our duty as parents, made certain that they were baptized as infants, took them to church and Sunday school raised them in a Christian home. Christ has been and continues to be the center of our home and family. We prayed for a Lutheran school in the area. But God had other plans.
FCA began as a dream here, we heard about it, and prayed about whether or not we should send our kids here. It seemed risky to go from the known public schools to a school that had not even opened their doors.
Christian education is one of the pillars of Lutheranism, when Luther wrote his Small Catechism, he began his work by writing: “As parents should raise their children…” We wanted a school that would assist us in raising our children. That is our responsibility, to pass our faith in Christ on to our kids. We take it seriously. We enrolled our kids in FCA; we kept planting the seeds of faith, asking God to give the increase.
We are a blessed family. Three of our kids have graduated from this institution (can I call it that?). Rachel graduated from Concordia University in Chicago with honors and now works as a congressional assistant for Congressman Steve Austria. Emily graduated with honors from Concordia University in Wisconsin. She is now a second year law student at John Marshall School of Law in Cleveland. Drew is now a junior at Concordia Chicago, goes to school in Washington D C this semester at what is known as the Lutheran semester in Washington, and is an intern at C-SPAN. Mark, well, I think many of you know Mark, a sophomore here this year.
My kids are doing well, but most important to Luann and I, is that they have faith in Christ. They love their Church, they are active in their church, as much as circumstances allow, but they are active. Credit alone goes to God. No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the power of the Spirit. Luann and I are thankful, we pray for them daily, and you have played a large part in their faith development. For that, you have our humble thanks.
I pray that our kids will remain, as Jesus calls us to, remain faithful unto death. Luann and I continue to try to plant the seeds of the Gospel. You have done and in Mark’s case continue to do your part. God alone gives the increase, thanks be to God for what He has done and what He continues to do.
In our kid’s case, we can see some results. I pray to God that they will be faithful and fruitful. But there are many cases in ministry, in the pastoral ministry and in the teaching ministry, that you can’t see the results. There seems to be no fruit. It is frustrating, I know, to keep on doing the work of the Lord, and you wonder if it is worth it? Do the people we work with actually get it? For all of the sacrifices made by people in the ministry, is it worth it?
I think all too often we get all caught up in looking for results. It’s the American way. We want to see something happen instantaneously. After all, who has to wait today for anything? We have instant meals, microwaves ovens to instantly cook our food. A tap on a phone means we can instantly connect and talk to a loved one, or a click of a computer enables us to instantaneously to find information or communicate with a person half way around the world. We have grown accustomed to instantly getting results. But the church, and church work, I have found, is not like that at all.
I guess that is why I continue to go back to the parable of the sower. God is the sower and He sows the seed. He uses us, as Christians, as pastors, and teachers to sow the seed. But if you know anything about farming, fruit doesn’t just happen overnight. It takes time, a long time for the seed to take root and bear abundant fruit. And when the seed is sown, sometimes it falls on rocky soil, sometimes it grows and the weeds choke the seed. Yes, I see it in ministry all of the time, sadly the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His salvation are shared with others but the cares of the world, or temptation, or any number of things inhibit and prohibit the seed. But God is still in control. He wants all to be saved and come to know Christ. That is His will. And He gives us His work to do. You have done a great job! Thank you for your work, your dedication, and your sacrifice. And in those times when you get frustrated, and we all do, remember, God alone gives the increase. This is His work we do. Christ promises that He will build His Church and the gates of Hell don’t stand a chance of succeeding. Yes there will be problems, difficulties, and frustrations. God, though, is greater than all of these. Christ has defeated sin, Satan, and death for you! And is promise is sure and certain: God’s word will not return to Him empty but will accomplish what He wants. So don’t be discouraged, don’t lose heart. Your work is so valuable. God is still using you mightily. You may not be able to see the fruit until you get to the other side. But this much I know: Christ has given to us the Kingdom, and He grants us the honor of working for Him. God has purchased and won each of us, not with silver or gold, but with Christ’s holy and precious blood, so that we and those to whom we ministry will belong to Him, serve Him in everlasting blessedness, and give thanks to Him in all we do. Thank you for your service and sacrifice, and may God bless you for your faithfulness.
To the glory of God and in Jesus’ name.
Amen
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