April 2010
Welcome to the Messenger online. Please click the links on the right to view the stories.
If you would like to submit a story to the Messenger please call Margery at the district office (303)695-8001. Email: m.richter@rm.lcms.org by the 15th of each month for the next month.In This Issue:
Longing for That Day! by Rev. Randall Golter
District News
Churches News
Previous Issues:
January 2009 (PDF)
February 2009 (PDF)
March 2009 (PDF)
April 2009 (PDF)
May 2009 (PDF)
June 2009 (PDF)
August 2009 (PDF)
September 2009 (PDF)
October 2009 (PDF)
November 2009 (PDF)
December 2009 (PDF)
January 2010 (PDF)
February 2010 (PDF)
March 2010 (PDF)
April 2010 (PDF)
Longing for That Day!
by President Randall Golter
“I believe in the Holy Spirit ... the resurrection of the body” (Apostle’s Creed, Third Article).“O blessed death, let it come, O Lord, when You see fit. Amen.”
Such a prayer may sound strange, even a bit morbid. The Christian, however, during this month when the whole Church dies and rises in the crucifixion and resurrection of her Lord, anxiously awaits that day when there will be no more sinning against Jesus.
The Large Catechism (LC, The Creed, par. 57) puts it this way:
Because holiness has begun and is growing daily, we await the time when our
flesh will be put to death, will be buried with all its uncleanness, and will come
forth gloriously and arise to complete and perfect holiness in a new, eternal life.The believer’s eyes of faith look ahead to what awaits and the heart follows. Eyes that dwell too long on the here and now creep too close to the edge and may lose their way. “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col. 3:1-2).
The Day of the Resurrection won’t be long in coming! Hold on, push forward by faith, tell as many as you can about God’s love for them in Jesus so that they also may be saved. Saturate your mind with His Word. Grab your spouse, children, grandchildren, neighbor, whomever! Tell all of them about Jesus.
Soon we will be in that new heaven and new earth! God has promised, and so it will be.
Lenten Thought
1 Peter 3:8,9: Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.. NIV
In his writings for the People’s Bible Commentary, Mark A. Jeske states the “sin-sickness in our hearts leads to all kinds of pathologies in Christian congregations: quarrelling, coldness, resentment, pride, control obsession, turf protection, and the desire for revenge.” (p.105)Quite a list, don’t you think? Rather than letting your mind quickly identify others you would label guilty, reflect on your own attitude and behaviors. Are there relationships you need to repair? Is someone due an apology from you? In this season of repentance time yet remains to make amends. Go to your brother or sister and confess. If you’ve been wronged, be quick to forgive as you, too, have been forgiven.
The Apostle Peter encourages us to work the following qualities in our Christian relationship: harmony, sympathy, love, compassion, humility, and gentleness. Oh, to be a people defined by these Spirit-given and nurtured traits. By the grace of God, let it be so.
