5th Sunday of Easter
Family of God,
Please bear with me as I'm about to share some random thoughts that have been rattling around in my head this week. And while I realize that's probably the worst way to start something you actually want people to read, I'm hoping you still will.
First of all, I just wanted to say 'thank you' to everyone who was able to come this past Sunday after what was the most difficult week of Finneas' journey thus far. It was so good to see so many of you and I hope you know how much comfort your greetings and hugs bring me every Sunday. God bless you with His grace for the loving support you have shown to me and my family.
The passage in the picture above was the conclusion of our first Scripture reading this past Sunday and I couldn't stop thinking about it all week. One of the many reasons I love the Easter season is it focuses on the book of Acts, which shows what happened to the early Christian Church after Christ's resurrection and ascension into heaven.
And do you know what happened to the early Church? Read, or even just scan through the book of Acts this week and it'll become pretty obvious pretty fast: persecution and difficulties and challenges. Nearly every chapter shows the gospel message being rejected by large groups of people and the apostles arrested or beaten for preaching it. It appears to be an extremely dark and depressing start to the ascended Lord's Church. But do you know how the majority of the chapters in Acts end? Look at the verse up above again. Yeah, sorta like that. The message of the apostles is rejected by most of their hearers and they suffer physically and emotionally for preaching it. And yet, through that message, the Lord still finds a couple people here and a couple people there who were brought to faith by it and were added to "those who were being saved."
I couldn't help but think about that as I heard those words last Sunday and looked out at the congregation I'm blessed to serve. These past six months have been the most difficult of my life. But my family is not the only one being challenged at this time--all of you are suffering through this with us. In addition, many of you are also suffering your own crosses and trials. I know a number of you would echo that same sentiment, that the past six months have also been some of, if not, the most difficult of your life, too.
Over the past six months our church family has experienced death, multiple cancer diagnoses, long-term debilitating diseases, divorce, unemployment, significant financial losses, and even more that goes unnoticed. What has added to those difficulties is that I have not been able to be the pastor I want to be for you and your family while you endure them. I haven't been as present with you, as I needed to be more present with my family. For example, I've only preached about half of the time since November and we haven't had any midweek Bible classes.
Put all of that together and what would you expect to happen to a little church like ours? If you had told me last November that all of these things would happen to the families of Prince of Peace over the next half-year, my outlook on the future of our congregation would've been dark and depressing. It would've read a lot like the beginning to most of the chapters in Acts.
But despite all our challenges and trials and setbacks, the Lord has added to our number. We are about to welcome the largest amount of new members this congregation has seen in a long time and I cannot stop rejoicing over that for numerous reasons.
One, it means that even as we suffer and experience pain and loss, the Lord is providing more people to pray for you and with you and to support you in your time of need. Please recognize this and make use of it! If you are someone who is struggling, reach out and ask for help. God has brought these people into your life for such a time as this. If you know someone who is struggling, reach out to them and ask how you can help, what you can pray for, what would bless them today. God has brought these people into your life as an opportunity for you to be His hands and mouth for them, don't pass it up.
Two, if anyone had the mistaken notion that Pastor Bater would be the reason or cause for Prince of Peace's "success," this most certainly disproves it. Ha. I've largely been a ghost around here since before Christmas and we've actually started to have serious conversations about needing to add a second service on Sunday morning. We're running out of room and it's not because of me! Don't overlook God's providence in this place and the powerful work of His Spirit. He's working through you, through your life, through your witness and inviting others to 'come and see.' As I have been forced to set things down I used to do, more people are picking them up and it's increasing our reach and productivity. Relationships are growing as more people are getting involved and this little body of Christ here in Thousand Oaks is maturing and getting stronger. God be praised for His indescribable grace among us!
Three, because nothing drives you back to Christ like a cross. My wife's favorite section of the Bible is St. Paul's thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12), where he prays and prays for the Lord to take his particular suffering away. Instead of removing Paul's thorn, Jesus simply says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (v. 9). To which Paul resolves, "For when I am weak, then I am strong" (v. 10). I know what those verses mean in my head. Cognitively, I get it. They mean that only when we've been emptied of ourselves and our own 'strength,' forcing us to wholly rely on the strength of Jesus, will we ever be truly strong in Christ.
Here's the problem, to be completely emptied of ourselves almost never happens. It's so incredibly difficult. There's a part of us that stubbornly thinks we can dig our way out, that on some small level we can turn things around if we just do 'X.' There's this little voice inside of us that refuses to be silenced, crying out in even the faintest voice, "I got this!" And as long as that's the case, we will be and remain weak.
I can honestly say that what I only understood cognitively has been made experientially real and only recently. This is the weakest I've ever been in my life. It is obvious there is nothing I can do or give or try to fix the biggest challenges in my, my family's, or my congregation's life. I have been completely emptied of myself, my pride, my arrogance, and my strength. All I have left is to rely on Christ and the strength He lone gives. And in that way, I, my family, and my congregation have never been stronger. Nothing drives you back to Christ like a cross or a thorn or cancer or a job hunt. And it is only in and because of Christ that you grow, which we are doing individually and collectively, all by grace. Thank you, Lord, for the thorns you've given us and the strength which you've accomplished in us through them.
If you made it this far, I commend you. Haha. I have really been pouring and praying over this recently and wanted to share it with you. I hope you find it helpful and worthwhile to consider. Maybe you could add the list of blessings above. If so, I'd love to hear them. The Lord is adding to our number and He's doing it in spite of our strength or ideas or even our pastor.
His grace is sufficient, friends. It has to be. It's all we got. Thanks be to God, it's all we need.
Your servant under Christ,
Pastor Bater