ST. JOHN LUTHERAN CHURCH
(The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod)
Alma, Kansas
A family united by faith in Christ gathering around God's Word and Sacraments.
To reach out in Christ-like concern and Christ-borne love to each other and to those without Christ!
In This Month's
St. John Witness
OCTOBER WITNESS
Pastor's Message
“Though you have not seen him, you love him.” 1Peter 1:8
Imagine becoming blind after being able to see. William Montague Dyke was a child, when an accident caused him to lose his sight at the age of ten. He learned to manage life with this handicap, and it did not restrain his wit, intellect, ambition, or his handsome features. He studied hard, and when he attended graduate school, he met the daughter of an English admiral. The two grew close and soon were engaged to be married Though never having seen her, he loved her deeply.
Shortly before the wedding, at the insistence of the admiral, William submitted to a special treatment for his blindness. Hoping, almost against hope, William wanted the gauze bandage removed from his eyes to be removed during the wedding ceremony. He wanted the first thing he saw to be his wife's face.
As the bride came down the aisle, her father started to unwind the bandages from around his head and eyes, not yet knowing whether the procedure was a success. When the last piece of gauze was removed, William opened his eyes and looked into the face of his brie for the first time. His words were simple: "At last. You are more beautiful than I ever imagined."
The groom beheld what he could only have imagined. He saw a face that was only pictured in his mind, but now was realized before him with clarity. This leads us to think of how we, being blinded by the sins of this world, cannot see the truth of God’s presence and beauty.
Scripture declares: "Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:8-9).
We look to Jesus with eyes of faith. There is certainly more to the promises of God than we understand, so we live this life in hope. We are hurt by the blindness of narcissism and the madness of sin. We cannot truly know the glory of God, except by faith. God must be revealed to us. His Spirit and His Word proclaim Christ plainly. We wait for the day when we behold our King. Jesus is the Church's bridegroom and we shall see Him face to face in glory. It is worth the struggle in this short-sighted world to hold to Christ in faith. The wait for His coming is worthwhile.
Rejoicing as holy children of God!
Pastor Grimm
