Great Expectations

Rev. Tim Radkey writes:

Some say that the greatest gift is the one you weren't expecting. The best gifts catch you off guard. An unexpected gift at an unexpected time leads to joy in the giver and receiver. What a joy to know that even in the midst of the routine there is always the possibility of a surprise blessing.

It was the ninth hour and hence the routine time for prayer. People filed in as they always did at the ninth hour. The alarm clock went off and the lame man's friends move him to the front of the gate where all who will enter for the hour of prayer must pass. The lame man is a routine fixture at the gate. He is a man dependent upon his buddies and other people's routine generosity.

While the man is lame he has certainly learned to become assertive. Upon seeing Peter and John about to pass buy he asks them to play their part in helping a brother out. Peter and John direct their gaze at the man. You almost get the feeling that prior to Peter and John there wasn't much eye contact between the giver and receiver. It was all routine until today. Before today it seems as if the givers gave out of a sense of duty and for some maybe even guilt.

The eye contact seems unexpected. What follows is certainly unexpected. Peter said I don't have money to give, but I give you Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. Immediately the man is healed and walks, leaps, and praises God as he makes his way into the temple for prayer. This is how amazing Jesus' gifts to all of us really are. He does not have to give out of duty. He gives because He desires to heal, bless, and be the source of much rejoicing!

Do you expect on Sunday to see anyone leaping for joy because of what Jesus has done? When did we stop looking for wonder and amazement at our church? Jesus remains the one who did the unexpected so that we might break the routine of sin and beginning living for Him. When your alarm goes off tomorrow morning, try getting out of bed celebrating that you are living under the unexpected and undeserved grace Jesus lavishes on you routinely. Keep leaping and praising the name of Jesus!
--Rev. Tim Radkey

From: M2C Mission Prayer Guide, Vol. I, #5 from Texas District Mission & Ministry Facilitator Rev. Steve Misch

Donor Fatigue

I receive regular emails from Rev. Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick, President of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. Today's email (sent to pastors) was especially noteworthy. Here it is for your prayerful edification and encouragement:

A Pastoral Letter to
Pastors of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod
From President Jerry Kieschnick
January 27, 2010

Dear Brothers in Christ,

Americans are giving generously for relief effort in the aftermath of the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti. Donations have exceeded the amounts given immediately following the 2004 Asian tsunamis and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. In the first 10 days after the Haiti earthquake struck, more than $380 million was contributed to 35 U.S. non-profit groups, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Among the 35 is Lutheran World Relief, Baltimore, which reported $1.6 million in contributions for Haiti relief as of this past Friday. As of two days ago, contributions to LCMS World Relief passed the $1 million mark!

By comparison, major U.S. relief groups raised $163 million in the nine days after the tsunamis struck and $239 million in the 10 days after 9/11, the Chronicle reports. Only gifts for relief efforts in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, some $580 million in the first eight days, have exceeded the pace of those given for Haiti.

It is gratifying to see such an outpouring of care and concern for the victims of this terrible natural disaster. Many of your congregations and members have given to this effort, and many of you have given as well. Thank you!

Already, though, there are reports in the press that relief officials fear the onset of "donor fatigue" because of the fast pace of contributions to date and the much slower pace of relief efforts, not to mention the long-term effort needed to rebuild this country. When I hear such reports, I am reminded of the apostle Paul's words, "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Gal. 6:9-10). I also thank God that He does not weary of doing good for us in Jesus Christ.

+ + +

The 'household of faith' in Haiti

The apostle Paul encourages us to do good "especially to those who are of the household of faith." The household of faith in Haiti includes brothers and sisters in our partner church there, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti. My pastoral letter for December included an article about the ELCH. I noted that when the 2001 Synod convention voted to formalize altar and pulpit fellowship with the ELCH, it did so unanimously, which I think says something about the especially warm regard with which our people hold the Haitian church.

On Jan. 18, I wrote to ELCH President Marky Kessa on behalf of our Synod. Permit me to share some of my letter to President Kessa with you:

"Many times every day since last week's horrendous earthquake in Haiti, you and the people of your church and country have been upheld in my prayers and the prayers of the pastors and congregations of your brothers and sisters in Christ, the people of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. We are truly thankful to God that you and your family are alive and safe. We pray the same is true of all the pastors and people of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti. And we pray for God's abundant mercy upon the people in Haiti who are suffering from grief, injury, fear, hunger, thirst, depression, helplessness, hopelessness, or despair following this horrific disaster. These prayers ascend from your fellow servants to the throne of our triune God, who was, who is, and who is to come, the only true God who has revealed Himself through Holy Scripture as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

"This letter is being sent via email to you, with no assurance whatsoever that conditions in Haiti will allow it to be received electronically. Therefore, it is also being transmitted to Dr. Jorge Groh, regional director of LCMS World Mission, for personal delivery to you, and to other leaders in our Synod as an encouragement for them to continue to provide prayer and financial support for you and the people of your church and country. At this moment, Dr. Groh is scheduled to accompany other representatives from the LCMS on a brief visit to Haiti later this week. I pray that you will receive this delegation from the LCMS with thanksgiving to God, that the resources and assistance they bring will fill your heart with hope and joy, and that many people in Haiti will be blessed by the heartfelt care and concern that will be demonstrated by our LCMS delegation.

"On numerous occasions since the earthquake occurred, I have communicated to the people and congregations of the LCMS my personal and presidential encouragement that they be generous in their support of the work being accomplished by the Board for Human Care Ministries (LCMS World Relief and Human Care) and by the Board for Mission Services (LCMS World Mission), both headquartered at the International Center of the LCMS in St. Louis, and by Lutheran World Relief, headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. Gifts from the people of the LCMS to these agencies, with matching funds from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, make it possible for the tangible expressions of love, care, and concern that you and your people will receive, not only from this week's delegation, but also for many weeks and months to come. The ongoing support that we hope and pray will be possible for us to bring to you will be vital for the reestablishment of health and healing, both of body and of soul, following the losses experienced by the people of Haiti.

"As you provide leadership in the recovery and restoration of your people in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead, I pray that our great and gracious God will fill your heart and life with a special sense of the peace of God that passes all understanding. And I pray that this peace, which comes only by God's grace, will keep your heart and mind through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord!"

After writing that letter, subsequent plans developed that would have flown me to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and from there over land to the Haitian border to meet with President Kessa of our partner church body. The plan was for me to accompany leaders and members of the staff of LCMS World Relief and Human Care and LCMS World Mission.

After those plans were almost solidified, I received word from Dr. Jorge Groh, regional director for LCMS World Mission, advising me to delay this trip until the chaotic conditions currently being experienced in Haiti have subsided. Following prayerful and careful consideration and conversation, I decided to follow that advice to postpone my trip. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, please continue to check the LCMS Web site for updates on our LCMS response to this disaster. And continue to pray for the well being of the people of Haiti who have great needs of body and soul.

Thanks Be to God

Philippians 1:3-6

³I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Diane & David Bahn at his installation as Senior Pastor of St. John Lutheran Church – Cypress, Texas

I had an idea that there might be something going on this past weekend at St. John; I had been told that I needed not to plan anything for that afternoon. Well and good. I had my suspicions, but I had no idea what was really to be happening. WOW!

It all started when Steve and Cat, our youngest son and wife showed up Saturday afternoon. I knew that my mom had planned to visit. My sister, too, and her family: Suzie & Stan, Katelyn and Carley had concocted a plan to visit us too. Matt was planning to come to buy a car here. He brought his brother Aaron. Only Tim, Lori, & James were unable to come. With family members present it was a great weekend already.

But that wasn’t half of it. Sunday was a day of celebration of 30 years in ministry and 5 years as senior pastor of St. John Lutheran Church. As the day unfolded I discovered that Rev. Ken Hennings, president of the Texas District of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod was going to preach. I was not to lead worship, but rather, sit with my family for the day – a great treat. After the 11 a.m. worship service we had a wonderful luncheon. Catered barbecue, cake, and a program of much fun, gracious gifts, and kind words of encouragement followed. The staff sang a song about me – quite a hoot! I received a beautiful eagle and plaque, a new white stole, and a generous gift card. To top it all off was a scrapbook of letters from members and staff, photos of ministry, and memories of ministry at St. John for the past 5 years. It was a wonderful day. I feel wonderfully loved and blessed!

At my side for the past 30 years has been Diane. She is my partner in ministry in the best sense of the word. The term partner refers to a beam under the deck of a sailing ship. This beam holds the mast up and keeps it secure. How apt a description of Diane’s partnership with me in the gospel! She has a ministry in her own right as the Director of the Partner Ministry of the Pastoral Leadership Institute. This partner ministry is for the wives of pastors who attend the conferences alongside their husbands in this post-seminary training program for Lutheran pastors. I thank God for her!

My mom and dad started me down the path of the Christian faith through Sunday School and worship, and teaching in the home. Our sons have shared in the ministry for the past 30 years, enjoying some privileges (they might not see it that way at all), and bearing many challenges along the way. I am so glad that they were here with me for this day of celebration.

But the honor goes to God: He is the one who has begun and continued a good work in me and many others over the past 30 years. It is God’s work in me and the people of God at St. John that has moved us forward in the manner we are moving these day. And my confidence is this: God began the work. He will complete it. I am looking forward to many more years of ministry at St. John and seeing God’s work in my life and the lives of the people of God there. To him belongs all praise and glory!

Movie Night

Last week, 9 brave souls were able to get together for a night at the movies. We met up at Cinemark Cypress to see 'The Book of Eli'. Knowing little information about it (it seems as though many of the previews are intentionally secretive), our expectations were not set at a pretty high level. What we did know was that Eli, or Denzel Washington's character, was the owner of the world's final copy of the Bible.

Skip ahead maybe 50 years into the future, after a few religious wars, and after the ozone (or lack thereof) had taken its toll on the face of the earth, and life was pretty bad. No water, no hope for survival, other than to take from the dead their shoes or clothes that would last them longer than the rags they had on. People were desperate--they killed others to protect themselves so that they could survive another day.

I'm not going to spoil the movie for you, because all 9 of us were pretty intrigued by it at the end--and if you can take some of the violence, the story (although dry at times--both literally and figuratively) does have a pretty good message. There is hope in the Word that he carries.

After the movie, we related this story to our world today. So many people don't know the real truth about Jesus. Even those who do sometimes aren't able to share this message of grace with those around us. Some of the depressing scenes that were portrayed in the movie could have been taken directly from the destruction in Haiti. Now the shelters that have been set up for survivors may become a petri dish for disease and sickness to spread rampantly among the people. Clean water, food and medicine are the key things necessary as this nation tries to steady itself again. May the necessities of both their physical and spiritual needs be met by the many organizations and missions who will serve the Haitians in the months and years to come.

As the word from Haiti becomes more and more positive, may they rely also on the Living Word which can give them hope in this world and in the world to come.

LCMS Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts

Here is the latest information about the efforts not only of LifeBridge Church (check out the latest on their webiste now), but also thos of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod in response to the Haiti earthquake.

This most recent information comes from the LCMS World Mission department. There are several links to resources, giving and support options, and informationn about our efforts there. For your edification and information...

THE LUTHERAN CHURCH Missouri Synod


LCMS WORLD MISSION
The Global Gospel Outreach of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
____________________________________________

TOP STORIES - January 19, 2010Archives: www.lcmsworldmission.org/news

LCMS relief work in Haiti continues-prayers and offerings still needed
____________________________________________

As more details emerge surrounding the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that killed an estimated 200,000 people in Haiti, the LCMS continues its efforts to provide immediate relief to the Haitian people.

Ongoing updates are being shared through the LCMS Web site at www.lcms.org. Some specific resources include:

A video from LCMS President Dr. Gerald Kieschnick speaking of the Synod's relief efforts and urging LCMS members to give generously
A letter from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans indicating that the organization will match donations of members towards the relief effort in Haiti
A listing of partners involved in relief work in Haiti
An updated interactive map of Haiti
A bulletin insert signed by synodical leaders to appeal for congregational involvement
GEO missionary Alyssa Stone's prayer card and online giving page
Information about LCMS World Mission's work in the neighboring Dominican Republic
Information about LCMS World Mission's work in Latin America

LCMS members are encouraged to continue to lift up the people of Haiti in prayer during this difficult and uncertain time.

"Please pray for the immediate assistance and ongoing recovery of the Haitian people," asks Dr. Thomas Zehnder, LCMS World Mission executive director, "as well as for the continued safety of our missionary family there and our Haitian Lutheran brothers and sisters. Pray that people would not despair in this very difficult situation, but that God would use it for His purposes. Ask God to mightily use the Lutheran churches there as instruments of love to reach out to those suffering around them."

____________________________________________
LCMS WORLD MISSION
1333 S. Kirkwood Road
St. Louis , MO 63122-7295 , USA
Telephone: 1-800-433-3954
Fax: (314) 965-0959
E-mail: mission.info@lcms.org
Web site: http://www.lcmsworldmission.org
Ablaze! Movement: http://www.lcms.org/ablaze
Blog: http://blog.lcmsworldmission.org
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/lcmsworldmission
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God's People Respond to Disaster in Haiti

God's People at Work - Through St. John's Mission Church (Lifebridge) we are working to send relief to Haiti. Please read below for more details: Two churches in Florida who have regularly sent mission teams to Haiti have acquired two 40’ shipping containers that they are filling with emergency supplies. We'd like to fill at least one of these with items from Cypress. These containers are scheduled to be shipped out Feb. 1 to an intact Port-au-Prince depot + will arrive within 3 weeks. Upon arrival, people from Mission: Haiti, the Orphan Grain Train, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Haiti, will work together to ensure that these supplies are received + distributed in an orderly + timely manner. We are asking people to go to their places of work, schools, + neighborhoods to help collect these items during the coming week. Then, on Saturday + Sunday we will be gathering all the donated items, sorting them, + boxing them on pallets. On Monday morning, Jan. 25, the truck will pull out for Florida.The list of donations that we are seeking: Band aids, first aid ointment, and similar basic medical supplies, All sorts of tools, shovels, etc. for rebuilding, Canned food with pop tops, Peanut butter, Dry rice, Dry beans, Dishwashing liquid, Bedding (sheets, pillows, etc.), Buckets, Washcloths, Soap, Deodorant, Individual packets of disinfectant wipes, Tooth brushes toothpaste, and other toiletries, Liquid formula, diapers, baby bottles, Nutritional bars and shakes. Read the complete Haiti donation details.