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Pastor's Page |
JOHN ROTHFUSZ, PASTOR - Phone 779-901-0803; email:
Dear Friends in Christ,
At the church in Tyler, Minnesota where Pastor Elise served her internship and where we were married, a large, intricate model of a sailing ship hangs from the ceiling. It is a church with a strong Danish ethnic identity, and so on one level it is a reminder of their journey from Denmark to their new home in America. But at a much deeper level, it is a statement of faith, a reminder that we are all on a journey through this life, heading toward our final home in heaven with the Lord.
Many churches have been constructed with this image in mind. The technical word for our worship space is the nave, which has the same root as navy and means "ship." And with a little imagination, we can easily see the arched ceiling as the ribs of a ship, placed upside down on land. It is a reminder that we don't look at this world as our final home, but as a part of our long journey. We may face storms or smooth sailing, but we never stay in one place. We don't get too comfortable with this world or its ways, because our citizenship is with God, in the kingdom of heaven.
The season of Lent reminds us once again that we are on a journey. We walk with Jesus on his journey to the cross and death, and hope for the resurrection to come. The theme for our Lenten Wednesdays is Hungering for God’s Kingdom, yearning for the better way that God has for our lives and our world. We take this time to consider how we are faring in our lifelong journey through this life. Are we following in the narrow way that Jesus calls us to, or have we strayed down the wide and easy path that leads to destruction?
The main biblical images of journeying come from the forty years that the Israelites wandered with Moses in the wilderness after God delivered them from their slavery in Egypt. Through those long years they yearned for the promised land of Canaan, that land of milk and honey on the other side of the Jordan River. They finally arrived, settling into that land, but that image remains powerful for the people of God. We too look forward to the day when we will cross the Jordan to the other side, to the promised land of the Lord in heaven. Many of our favorite old hymns sing out our yearning for the end of our journey, when God will finally bring us home. It is easy to get so involved in the things of this world that we forget that there is something more. We are on a journey following the way of Jesus, and heaven is our home. May Jesus come quickly, and hasten the day when we will all be united there with him!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor John Rothfusz
