FROM THE PASTOR

WI received a letter a couple of weeks ago that started out,

“We greet you in the name of the Lord of the Church, Jesus Christ, and we thank you for agreeing to serve as a commissioner to this year’s General Assembly to be held in Minneapolis, MN.”

Being elected as a commissioner to General Assembly usually happens only once or twice in a pastor’s lifetime, so I’ve got to admit that I am pretty excited about the whole thing. As soon as I was elected to serve as a commissioner this year, I started to receive propaganda from various advocacy groups trying to persuade me to vote one way or another on particular issues. But what has been more welcome are a number of letters similar to the one I quoted above. They are from congregations that take it upon themselves to contact every single commissioner from all across the country, to inform us that we will be in their prayers and to encourage us to be a servant of Christ. What a wonderful thing it is to be made aware that the bond of Christian fellowship extends beyond the range of our familiar friendships to people whom I have never met.

Occasions like the General Assembly, or the national Presbyterian Women’s Gathering, or even the senior high youth mission trip, can serve to remind us that there are Christians beyond all of our familiar borders. And even though us Christians can be a diverse (and sometimes contentious) bunch, we all share a love of Christ and a passion to serve him in our lives. Such a wide vision of the church is helpful as each of us serve within our individual congregations. It reminds us that the work that we do here is only a small piece of God’s work that’s happening all around the world. It makes us all the more attentive to what it is that God wants us to be doing in this particular place called Washington.

I received a postcard by the Roadhouse family of Pratt Presbyterian Church in Pratt, Kansas which says, “May the Word of God, the Grace of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit guide your work and enfold you in peace, joy and love as you lead the Presbyterian Church into a new day.” I feel richly blessed to be a part of a faith could create such a rich bond between myself and a family of total strangers in Pratt, Kansas. May we who have the privilege of seeing each other more often, enjoy the rich blessings of Christ who makes us one with each other and with Him.

May the peace of Christ dwell in you richly,
Bob Wollenberg