Church newsletter pastoral column for St. Peter Lutheran Church, Greene, Iowa, for April, 2019.
A Sign to Proclaim Good News
As you go, proclaim this message:
‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’
– Matthew 10:7
I trust by now you’ve noticed our new electronic sign outside the church building. Thank youto all the people and groups within the congregation who have given memorials and dedicated gifts to make this new sign a reality (particularly the Heeran family!).
This new sign provides an opportunity for us to consider our message as a congregation. When our neighbors here in Greene drive by our church building, when friends and relatives visit St. Peter for events and holidays, what impression do we want our congregation to make?
First and foremost, our mission as a church is to proclaim the good news of God’s love for the world revealed in Jesus Christ. In his first sermon recorded in the Gospels, Jesus read to the crowd in the Nazareth synagogue this passage from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:18-21)
As the church, we are the hands and feet of Jesus working in the world. Paul tells the young church in Corinth, “We are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)I confess, there are times when I wonder why God chooses to work through sinful people like you and me. But this is the way God has chosen to work in the world. We are the body of Christ.
God has trusted the best news in all of history to us!We are not alone, trapped in our sin, condemned to a meaningless existence followed by death and nothingness. Rather, the God who created us knows us and loves us. As we’ll celebrate this month, Jesus loves us enough to die for us. And Jesus has not just died; Jesus has been raised from the dead! Death is defeated! We have hope!
So what will we do with this good news? Will we keep it to ourselves? Or, empowered by the Holy Spirit, will we use our time, talents, and resources to proclaim the good news of God’s love, the good news of Jesus’ resurrection, the good news of God’s grace and love to everyone?
Our new sign is a great tool for sharing this Gospel message, but it is only a tool. The best it can do is offer encouragement, inform passers-by of events, and invite them to come inside the building. The work of proclaiming God’s love is up to us. Who do you know who needs to hear the promise of the resurrection? Invite them to Easter! Who have you not seen in church for a while? Reach out to them and offer to pray for them and to come with them to worship.
We want every person who comes into contact with St. Peter Lutheran Church to hear the good news of God’s love for them, and we want that good news to inspire them to change their live and be reconciled with God. This message is too good to keep to ourselves!
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Daniel Flucke