Thanks for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving 2016

Lake Lure, North Carolina

Like many of you, I'll be spending these next few days celebrating Thanksgiving with family from far and near: my mom, siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews, including a nephew we haven't seen in a few years. We're looking forward to a few relaxing days of catching up, telling stories, and, well, eating way too much. 

I woke up early this morning, made some coffee and watched the sun rise over the NC mountains. It gave me time to read back issues of Our State magazine and become filled with thanks for our beautiful state.

In the October issue is an article about Salisbury, loaded with names and references that are so very familiar.

It reminded me of how blessed we are to live in this uniquely beautiful part of the world and at how blessed we are to be at St. John's. Thank you for your partnership, your passion for ministry, and your drive to make our community a better place. 

On this quiet mountain morning, I'm filled with thanks for lots of things, including you. May God bless you and keep you in his grace. 

And if that includes some yummy sweet potato casserole or chocolate pie, then all the better.

Peace+

Pastor Rhodes

Anne's Monkey Bread

November 18, 2016

I've just returned from our Senior Seasons beach trip with 30 of our "seasoned citizens." Honestly, it's a highlight of my year. The camaraderie is outstanding, the food is superb, and everyone is so very relaxed and at peace. Even the Bible study is loaded with great questions, insight, and enthusiasm. 

We've done this long enough that we have a few traditions ... so when we learned that we wouldn't be eating Anne Loeblein's monkey bread on Monday morning, well, we almost had to pack it up and go home. Saner minds prevailed and we started a new tradition. No worries. 

I'll be the first to say that the Senior Seasons beach trip is a pretty cushy part of my "job." But I'll also say that it's a critically important part of what we do and who we are. One of the primary responsibilities of the church is to create space for folks to experience the power of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes that happens in worship (often, we hope), other times as we join together for a "St. John's Serves" project. It also happens as we step aside from our daily routine in the joy of intentional Christian fellowship. 

That's what our beach trip was all about: venturing from home to a place set apart so that we might focus hearts and minds on the power of the Holy Spirit in our midst -- a Spirit that gathered us together in love, peace, and joy.

The fact that shrimp, sand, and sunshine were involved made it all the better :)

Blessings to you this week of Thanksgiving. I'll see you in worship.

Pastor Rhodes

Post-election thoughts

Post-election thoughts | November 9, 2016

November 9 is finally here. After a bitterly divisive campaign, we have elected a new president: Donald J. Trump, the 70 year old real estate mogul who has literally shocked the world by defeating Hillary Clinton, the woman so many people just assumed would be the next president. I think she made the same assumption. 

What now? Several things come to mind: 

1. Let's pray for our elected leaders. Whatever their motivation, they have now been entrusted with the responsibility to govern. From school board members to senators, judges to the president, it's our job to "pray for all those in authority" (1 Timothy 2:2). Pray for wisdom, strength, and humility. Pray that they will lead according to the common good, so that our country might continue to be a place of "justice for all," not just a few. 

2. Hold our leaders accountable, but do so in light of kingdom standards, not political standards. After all, the only perfect kingdom is God's kingdom, and God's kingdom is rooted in justice, mercy, love, forgiveness, and grace -- a kingdom in which all might flourish. So, before spouting out the latest political talking points over the latest hot button issue, ask yourself: How might kingdom standards affect this conversation and my decision? Immigration, affordable health care, refugees? You might be surprised.

3. Remember that we're all in this together, which means we've got to figure out how to live and talk and debate together. Our political discourse is embarrassing. With that in mind, NYT columnist David Brooks writes this: "Respect for one another is the binding glue that holds our friendships together, even when we disagree strongly on politics and policies." Can we build respect for one another without racial slurs or the politics of destruction? Of course we can. Civility must overcome petty partisanship. 

4. Remember that God is sovereign over all things, and at the end of the day he will lovingly guide those who follow him. My hope is built on nothing less. 

Some of you are happy today, some are sad. My prayer is that we all will pull up our bootstraps and get to work ... together. Impossible? Well, I know someone who makes all things possible :)

May the peace of Christ be with you and our country+

Pastor Rhodes

Pre-election thoughts

Pre-election thoughts | November 2, 2016

Have you ever stepped into a voting booth, still uncertain as to how you'll vote?

I'm not sure I'm at that place as of yet, but with each passing day/revelation, voting becomes more and more complicated, doesn't it?

This has been the most bizarre election cycle I've ever experienced. It's not uncommon for nearly 50% of the country to be disappointed in the outcome of a presidential election, but I've never experienced the distinct possibility that 50% of the country will be angry at the outcome. In fact, I'm sure that a large percentage of those who vote for the winning candidate will still be disappointed. When both candidates' "negatives" are larger than their "positives," that's not a good sign.

So what are we to do?

My prayers have been focused on November 9, the day after the election - that our country will find within itself a way to honor the winning candidate, no matter our political persuasion. I'm praying that a sense of civility will rain upon us. I'm praying that leaders will step up to the plate who are blessed with the spirit of reconciliation, are bound by time-honored principles, and understand the need for compromise.

And, yes, I'm praying that this crazy election cycle will be a watermark - a low point that encourages our citizens, political parties, and potential candidates to demand a better way.

Possible? Who knows. But this one thing I know: we are better than this. Our country deserves better than this. Our children deserve better than this. If we are to be the "shining light" we strive to be, then we better figure this thing out.

Let's start on November 9. May God bless us and guide us as we do just that. 

I'll see you in church.

Peace+

Pastor Rhodes

Reformation 2016

Reformation | October 31, 2016

The doors of Castle Church, Wittenberg

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, a German monk, posted his 95 Theses on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Because it was common for scholars to post disputations to the door, there was no fanfare and no reason to give it a second glance. Yet, this particular sheet of paper sent shivers down the spine of Christianity. 

It’s the second time in history that the fate of humanity has been nailed to a piece of wood.

The church of the Middle Ages had become massive and exceedingly wealthy. Church leaders became the power brokers in all things religious and political, in some cases creating a theology that did little more than maintain the church’s power and authority. After centuries of growing fat with worldly prosperity — often on the backs of the working poor — the church was soon to be shaken out of its slumber. The 95 Theses became a rallying cry for reform. 

No one ever imagined that reforming the church would literally change the world. But that’s precisely what happened. 

Jon Bloom expounds on the impact of the Reformation: 

Wherever the church opened the door to Jesus, repentance and reformation was like chemotherapy to the cancer of spiritual corruption, and recovered belief in the gospel of Christ spread spiral health through much of Europe, then on to the New World, Asia, and Africa. It spawned massive evangelism, church planting, Bible translation, and frontier missions efforts. And in its wake, it brought about all manner of social good: stronger families, honest commerce, economic empowerment for the poor, hospitals and clinics for the sick, education for the  masses, encouragement for the scientific enterprise, democratic forms of civic government, and on and on.

October 31, 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, what Time magazine calls one of the most important events of the last 2000 years. This Reformation (October 31, 2016) begins a one year celebration — a year marked by special worship services, Reformation concerts by the Salisbury Symphony and the Lenoir-Rhyne A Capella Choir, a play jointly produced by St. John’s and the Piedmont Players, and the opening of our Lutheran Heritage Museum. It’s a lot to look forward to, to be sure. 

Let’s not let October 31 go to waste. Instead, use it as an opportunity to reconnect with our Lutheran heritage and recommit to the time-honored disciplines of faith. 

May God’s blessings rest upon you and the church he serves as Shepherd and Lord. 

Peace+

Pastor Rhodes

Happy 500th!

Reformation 2016

Happy 500th anniversary! 

Well, not quite yet ... but beginning this Sunday we'll begin a year-long celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. And what a celebration it will be!

Incredibly St. John's has been around for more than half of these 500 years. As the third oldest Lutheran church in North Carolina and the founding church of the NC Synod, our roots run deep in this community and in American Lutheranism. 

So how do we celebrate? Oh, let me count the ways ..... Let's begin with a festival service of celebration this Sunday at the 11:00 service. The service will include The Reformation Brass, a fantastic new anthem offered by our Chancel Choir, Bishop Tim Smith presiding at Holy Communion, and Martin Luther himself (really!). If you're a 9:27 worship-goer, you'll enjoy the Reformation story retold in dramatic fashion. 

During the year to come we'll welcome the Lenoir-Rhyne A Capella Choir in concert, the Salisbury Symphony will perform "The Reformation Symphony" in our sanctuary, and next October we're co-producing with the Piedmont Players and the repertory theater group of Saxe Gotha, Germany, the world premier of "In God's Own Country," a play that captures the early history of Lutheranism in America. Also to look forward to: the grand opening of our new museum, the only professional quality museum that tells the story of Lutheranism in North Carolina.

There's much to celebrate, to be sure. But the best way of celebrating is by joining in worship and giving thanks for the opportunity God has given us to serve as his church in our community. 

So pull out your party hats and let's celebrate! I'll see you in worship. 

Pastor Rhodes

A divided nation

A divided nation | October 12, 2016 We live in a nation that is divided. In this moment, we are divided by culture, race, politics and just about every other difference you can imagine -- or so it seems. We see protests and riots and debates on television. We scroll through our newsfeeds and become overwhelmed with dissenting opinions. It's easy to get a sense that nothing could ever change for the better. The toxic combination of declining virtue alongside unfiltered opinions creates an environment that causes even the most hope-filled person to shudder. How do we have healthy, faithful conversation during a time such as this? That's where Q Commons comes in. Join us tomorrow night, October 13, from 7 to 9 pm in the Faith Center, where Dr. Ravi Zacharias will present his case for how we can influence our culture for good in a time that feels anything but unified. He'll be joined by political commentators Ross Douthat and Kirsten Powers who will talk about the upcoming election. Hip hop artist Lecrae will speak openly about the racial divide in our community.  I hope you'll join us as we seek to Engage a Divided Nation. It all begins tomorrow night at 7. For more information visit QCommons.com/StJohns. See you there! Peace+ Pastor Rhodes