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
DECEMBER WITNESS
Pastor's Message
“In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all” Colossians 2:9
What kind of house do you have? People often compare homes and dwellings with others. They want what is comfortable, convenient, solid, and dependable. Sometimes showy or extravagant, but pleasing to them in some significant ways. What do you like about your home?
Well, there was a man who was seeking a house to purchase, and Rev. W. K. Greenland* knew him well. He found one with exceptional beauty, especially a room he wanted to use as his study. But in that room was a corner cupboard that the buyer did not like. When he went to the architect to design plans for a remodel, the architect told him “You may not remove that cupboard.”
“But I can do what I like if I buy the house,” said the man.
You cannot do what you like with that cupboard,” was the reply from the architect.
“Why not?” He asked. “Is it protected by a clause in the deed?”
“No” he answered, “It’s not in the deed; it is in the plan. You cannot take away the cupboard without taking down the house; it is part of the main structure.”
Form and function are often combined in good architecture. God has built a plan for salvation, whereby form and structure provide shelter and care for His people.
We build our lives upon the truths we believe. We Christians know Jesus Christ is Immanuel. He is God with us. He is our Savior and our Redeemer.
So, we cannot remove His truth without destroying the handiwork He has made. Jesus Christ is true God and true man. He is and remains the sure and solid structure of God’s creation. If we remove God’s work, by rewriting how one should live, we also destroy the design for grace in our lives.
Jesus has come to give us an eternal home. “In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” (John 14:2) He chose to enter our world, filled with sin, and claimed by Satan. He was born as an infant, grew as a child, and lived as a man with the sorrows and sadness of this world in its fallen condition. He saw death, faced temptation, and sought the blessing of God. He lived; He loved; He served; He suffered. He rose from the dead, and that is now part of the foundation of our faith. You cannot take away sin with Jesus Christ. It is part of the plan; it is the structure of salvation.
*Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, Paul Le Tan, Assurance publishers © 1979, p652
Rejoicing as holy children of God!
Pastor Grimm
