Letter 6/3

June 3, 2010
Pastor Steve Mathewson
  

I am with my family today in central Illinois getting ready for Ben’s wedding! The rehearsal is tonight, and then the wedding is tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. We are happy for Ben and Nicole. They first met when they were between their junior and senior years of high school. They walked up the aisle together in my brother’s wedding – Ben as a groomsman for my brother, Kevin, and Nicole as a bridesmaid for my sister-in-law, Ellen. Ben and Nicole laugh now about hardly speaking to each other at the time. They really only had one conversation. Nicole told Ben he was walking too fast. Ben simply said: “OK.” But in the winter of 2008, my sister-in-law, Ellen, decided to play matchmaker. By this time, they were both in their third year of college. Ellen encouraged both Ben and Nicole to reconnect and get to know each other. They did, and that brings us to tomorrow night! I have the privilege of doing the second part of the wedding ceremony after Nicole’s pastor completes the first part. 

One of the highlights of a wedding like this is an opportunity to see family! We have not seen our daughter, Erin, or her husband, Manny, since last Thanksgiving. So it’s great to have them here from southern California. Our daughter, Anna, and her husband, Grant, are here from Minnesota. Grant recently graduated from Northwestern College. You will see more of them because they are going to be living with us during the summer while Grant finishes a final college class. My brothers and families are here for the wedding, as well as a nephew and two nieces on Priscilla’s side of the family who flew in yesterday from Texas. We are all staying at my Mom’s home or at the homes of friends from her church. 

Because we want to spend time with family after the wedding, I am taking a few vacation days. I will return to the office on Wednesday, June 9. This Sunday, June 6, Dr. Ernie Manges, a member of our church family, will preach and lead communion. He is going to preach on “The Lord’s Supper: So Much More than an Empty Ritual” from 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. This is a long overdue topic! I have been thinking about addressing it for awhile, so I am thankful that Ernie plans to preach on this topic and text.   Ernie will also lead a Question and Answer session during our middle hour on the Lord’s Supper, that is, communion. So this should be a great Sunday of focus on Christ and on the great tradition that he began and has asked us, his church, to continue!

If you are thinking ahead to summer, I am planning a sermon series on the New Testament letter of James! This will begin on Sunday, June 13, and run through Sunday, August 15. I can’t think of a more timely book for us to study this summer! Recently, we finished Romans, the New Testament’s premier presentation of the gospel. We learned that we are justified by God’s grace through faith alone. But in James, we learn that even though we are saved by God’s grace through faith alone, the faith which brings salvation is never alone! The letter of James, perhaps the first New Testament document to be written, describes “faith in action.” What we believe about Jesus Christ influences how we live. James, the half-brother of the Lord Jesus Christ, helps us understand how to live in a way that is consistent with the Savior in whom we have put our faith. 

So, take some time to read through James at least twice before we begin our study on Sunday, June 13. You can easily read through the letter in one sitting. But the letter is not an easy read! James challenges us and calls us to “faith in action.” Throughout his brief letter, he keeps returning to the themes of trials, wisdom, and wealth. How does our faith in Jesus Christ influence the way we handle trials? How does our faith in Jesus Christ influence the way we demonstrate wisdom in our speech, our relationships, and our handling of trials? How does our faith in Jesus Christ impact the way we handle our wealth and respond to those in poverty? We will explore these questions and learn how to live as people of faith – people who demonstrate “faith in action.” In the meantime, have a good weekend. I’ll see you soon!