It is so good to be back!
Dear FPCSLO Family,
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus the Messiah, the Deliverer and Prince of Peace, the one who came and loved and showed us how to do the same.
It is so good to be back! This past season has been a challenge and a lesson in patience for me. Before I say anything else, let me thank you all for your prayers and cards and words of encouragement…and also for your silence. For the first few weeks after my surgery I was really in no condition to respond to messages or deal with the duties of my job at First Pres. You all respected that (some of you understood it better and sooner than I did), and I want to thank you.
I also want to thank Jen Rabenaldt for managing the church in my absence, and for leading you all in worship and service through Advent and Christmas and into the New Year. It was a gift to know that I could trust her skills and gifts to help the church thrive in what could have been a season of disruption and weakness. Thank you, Jen!
So now we begin 2024 in a position of strength and readiness. We ended 2023 in the black financially, which is an accomplishment for any church. I’ll say that louder:
We ended 2023 in the black financially, which is an accomplishment for any church.
As we move into the coming year, we do it knowing that we can support our growing ministries, and continue to grow into our calling as First Pres SLO.
I want to add one more thought as we resume these weekly messages.
The news around the world over the past few months has been, well, pretty awful. It’s been hard not to engage the stories and comment on them—it’s been hard for a pastor to see what’s happening and not comment or teach on what they mean and how we should respond.
I’m relieved to say that that’s over now.
The continuing conflicts around the world call out for Christ-centered comments, and that’s a big part of my calling. It’s tempting to look at, say, the violence in Israel-Palestine and surrender to the complexity of it. How do we respond? We respond by humbly listening and learning to the voices of those who are living through that violence not as TV viewers, but as participants and victims.
One of the things I learned as I waited and recovered and rested and tried to be patient is this: There is nothing good or nice or polite about failing to speak out on events and issues that trouble us.
Don’t worry, I’m not getting into partisan politics (except on my own time), but I will speak when I think Jesus teaches us to do so. As Jesus did, we should all be ready to speak and act on behalf of the weak and the poor and the oppressed and marginalized. That is why we’re here.
I hope you’re still glad I came back.
We will speak and listen more on this and other issues in the year to come. It’s great to be with you again.
Blessings,
Pastor John