Notes from Pastor Renstrom |
|
On this page, you can read selected Grace Notes articles from Pastor Tim Renstrom from past months and study them in closer detail. Enjoy!
August 2022
As for me, brothers, when I came to you, I did not come with superior speech or wisdom in order to proclaim to you the testimony of God. For I had no intention of knowing anything among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I came to you in weakness, in fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not marked by persuasive words of human wisdom, but by a demonstration of the Spirit and of power so that your faith would not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Paul’s words above, inspired by God for him to write down to be preserved over the centuries for us, are words to which I have aspired in my ministry to you and to the other churches I have served. God and time will judge how well I have accomplished that aspiration. And I know that I have God’s forgiveness for the sins I have committed when I have failed.
I was drawn back to this text, recently, when, in one of the groups where we were gathered, we were talking about the role of a pastor in the congregation. He is to shepherd the sheep...whether you like it or not, you are sheep—and I will soon be among you as a sheep again. A shepherd provides leadership, protection, food, water, rest, discipline and help in various troubles and as such is worthy to be respected—not because of his ability, but because God has called him to this task in His place. The pastor does all of those tasks only with the persuasion of the Gospel and the mirror of the Law, coming in weakness, fear and with much trembling, for when he is honest, he sees his own sins as he rests on the power of the Spirit of God. Sometimes he gets frustrated and wonders why God is not doing more and doing it faster...and then tries to rely on his own “power”, which is not power at all, but weakness, and gets tripped up by the devil and the world. Uff!
Our pastors often (not always, certainly not required) wear an alb or another type of “preaching robe”. The purpose of the alb is not to draw attention to the pastor and his office (the stole, or yoke—as in oxen yoke—is the symbol of his office), but to allow the pastor to “vanish” into the background and to allow the Word of God to speak forth and shine. There is a reason we all respond to “Pastor”...it is good if you forget our names and remember the message that God spoke to you through us. The pastor is the waiter at the table of the Lord—simply serving the body and blood of Christ at his bidding. The pastor is the cup the Lord uses in Baptism—collecting water and pouring it on the one being baptized at the Lord’s command and bidding and doing. All to serve forgiveness, grace and faith.
The message: We are saved by grace, through faith, because of the redeeming work of Jesus Christ (to paraphrase article IV of the Apology to the Augsburg Confession—one of our founding documents—not nearly as important as the Bible, but important because it speaks what the Bible says to us). I talked about grace and faith in previous newsletter. This one speaks about forgiveness—the forgiveness of all your sins and your response to forgiveness.
Jesus’ life, suffering, death and resurrection pays the price of punishment for all of our sins—as God, His perfect life is the perfect sacrifice to redeem us; to buy us back for hell and punishment. Not one of our sins stands against us. In the eyes of God we are perfect because He sees us through the blood sacrifice of Jesus, wearing His bright white robes. As a friend of mine says, “Your sins, they’re all forgiven.”
Forgiven. Now what do we do? Sin all the more so that we can be forgiven more? That was the rhetorical question Paul asked his readers in Rome...and the answer is a resounding, “NO!” We live by the Spirit, not by the flesh. While the flesh always tries to pull us away from God into sin—for that is the nature of the sinful human nature—sin is not the new creation we have been made into because of the saving work of Jesus. We live, summarized by the two great commandments, loving the Lord our God with all our heart, mind and soul, and loving our neighbor as ourselves. We live listening to God’s Word and responding to it meeting our neighbors needs, whether that need be patience, listening, understanding or physical or spiritual needs. Will we be able to meet all of our neighbor’s needs. No. But we know the one who can and does. In faith, through faith, we point to him.
Saved by grace, through faith, because of Jesus. Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Tim J. Renstrom
As for me, brothers, when I came to you, I did not come with superior speech or wisdom in order to proclaim to you the testimony of God. For I had no intention of knowing anything among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I came to you in weakness, in fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not marked by persuasive words of human wisdom, but by a demonstration of the Spirit and of power so that your faith would not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Paul’s words above, inspired by God for him to write down to be preserved over the centuries for us, are words to which I have aspired in my ministry to you and to the other churches I have served. God and time will judge how well I have accomplished that aspiration. And I know that I have God’s forgiveness for the sins I have committed when I have failed.
I was drawn back to this text, recently, when, in one of the groups where we were gathered, we were talking about the role of a pastor in the congregation. He is to shepherd the sheep...whether you like it or not, you are sheep—and I will soon be among you as a sheep again. A shepherd provides leadership, protection, food, water, rest, discipline and help in various troubles and as such is worthy to be respected—not because of his ability, but because God has called him to this task in His place. The pastor does all of those tasks only with the persuasion of the Gospel and the mirror of the Law, coming in weakness, fear and with much trembling, for when he is honest, he sees his own sins as he rests on the power of the Spirit of God. Sometimes he gets frustrated and wonders why God is not doing more and doing it faster...and then tries to rely on his own “power”, which is not power at all, but weakness, and gets tripped up by the devil and the world. Uff!
Our pastors often (not always, certainly not required) wear an alb or another type of “preaching robe”. The purpose of the alb is not to draw attention to the pastor and his office (the stole, or yoke—as in oxen yoke—is the symbol of his office), but to allow the pastor to “vanish” into the background and to allow the Word of God to speak forth and shine. There is a reason we all respond to “Pastor”...it is good if you forget our names and remember the message that God spoke to you through us. The pastor is the waiter at the table of the Lord—simply serving the body and blood of Christ at his bidding. The pastor is the cup the Lord uses in Baptism—collecting water and pouring it on the one being baptized at the Lord’s command and bidding and doing. All to serve forgiveness, grace and faith.
The message: We are saved by grace, through faith, because of the redeeming work of Jesus Christ (to paraphrase article IV of the Apology to the Augsburg Confession—one of our founding documents—not nearly as important as the Bible, but important because it speaks what the Bible says to us). I talked about grace and faith in previous newsletter. This one speaks about forgiveness—the forgiveness of all your sins and your response to forgiveness.
Jesus’ life, suffering, death and resurrection pays the price of punishment for all of our sins—as God, His perfect life is the perfect sacrifice to redeem us; to buy us back for hell and punishment. Not one of our sins stands against us. In the eyes of God we are perfect because He sees us through the blood sacrifice of Jesus, wearing His bright white robes. As a friend of mine says, “Your sins, they’re all forgiven.”
Forgiven. Now what do we do? Sin all the more so that we can be forgiven more? That was the rhetorical question Paul asked his readers in Rome...and the answer is a resounding, “NO!” We live by the Spirit, not by the flesh. While the flesh always tries to pull us away from God into sin—for that is the nature of the sinful human nature—sin is not the new creation we have been made into because of the saving work of Jesus. We live, summarized by the two great commandments, loving the Lord our God with all our heart, mind and soul, and loving our neighbor as ourselves. We live listening to God’s Word and responding to it meeting our neighbors needs, whether that need be patience, listening, understanding or physical or spiritual needs. Will we be able to meet all of our neighbor’s needs. No. But we know the one who can and does. In faith, through faith, we point to him.
Saved by grace, through faith, because of Jesus. Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Tim J. Renstrom
JULY 2022
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and affliction, we were encouraged about you through your faith. For now we live, if you stand firm in the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 3:7 CSB)
For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night...But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the dark, for this day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light and children of the day. (1 Thessalonians 5:2, 4-5 CSB)
It’s All About Faith
“It’s all about faith.” Many years ago these words gave me great comfort as I wound up a conversation with my dad. Before this I was never quite sure of his salvation...he was a very works-oriented guy: “if you don’t work, you don’t eat;” “God helps him who helps himself;” “a little bit of hard work never hurt anyone;” and his favorite when someone got into legal or moral trouble, “he should have to pitch manure out of a calf pen. If he had to some good hard work to do, he’d be too tired to get into trouble.”
But one day, at the end of one of our conversations when he had asked about all of the difficulties understanding God’s reaction to the people living in Canaan—a perennial conversation—dad signaled the end of the discussion by simply saying, “I guess it’s all about faith.” I guess so, dad.
Faith. Being sure of what you hope for; certain of what you do not see—as the writer of the book of Hebrews describes it under the inspiration of God. Faith. Knowing in your head, believing/trusting in your heart, and acting with your hands the truth of God that we are sinners who can do nothing about our condition and deserve to be damned to hell, but God in his mercy and justice sent his son to be born, live, suffer, die and rise from death to ransom us from death and damnation and give us forgiveness of our sins, abundant life in this world, and eternal life in heaven. It’s all about faith.
Faith leads to works. Good works done as a Christian. Works that are done simply because we are Christian. Works which point to Jesus. Oh, just like we struggle with faith, we struggle with works. Our old selfish nature is drowned in our baptism and is daily drowned in remembrance of our baptism as we use water in our routines, but it’s stubborn. It’s ornery. It wants to come back and dominate our lives. We want to claim attention for what we do, rather than receive attention. We want to aim the spotlight on ourselves, rather than receive the light reflected off our savior. Or even worse...we want MY time, talent and treasure for ME—forgetting that all things come from the life-giving sustaining God who has redeemed me from my old, sinful nature. But that doesn’t change the truth. Faith leads to works that we do for our fellow human beings through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. It’s all about faith.
With faith comes forgiveness from the cross. As I said before, forgiveness of all—ALL—our sins. Even the repeated ones. And where there is forgiveness, there is life. It sounds a bit weird, but for me it was much easier to live knowing my dad’s faith. And, as Paul points out in our text, it was for him, too, knowing the Thessalonians’ faith—he says that he was “encouraged”. He says tomāto, I say tomato; but he was inspired—so follow God’s Word.
Our ministry together is quickly winding down. But, through God’s Word, I remind you and urge you to live expecting Jesus’ imminent return. “[S]ince we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled and put on the armor of faith and love, and a helmet of the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:8-11 CSB). You see, it’s all about faith—and grace. (Grace was the topic in the last letter!)
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Tim J. Renstrom
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and affliction, we were encouraged about you through your faith. For now we live, if you stand firm in the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 3:7 CSB)
For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night...But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the dark, for this day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light and children of the day. (1 Thessalonians 5:2, 4-5 CSB)
It’s All About Faith
“It’s all about faith.” Many years ago these words gave me great comfort as I wound up a conversation with my dad. Before this I was never quite sure of his salvation...he was a very works-oriented guy: “if you don’t work, you don’t eat;” “God helps him who helps himself;” “a little bit of hard work never hurt anyone;” and his favorite when someone got into legal or moral trouble, “he should have to pitch manure out of a calf pen. If he had to some good hard work to do, he’d be too tired to get into trouble.”
But one day, at the end of one of our conversations when he had asked about all of the difficulties understanding God’s reaction to the people living in Canaan—a perennial conversation—dad signaled the end of the discussion by simply saying, “I guess it’s all about faith.” I guess so, dad.
Faith. Being sure of what you hope for; certain of what you do not see—as the writer of the book of Hebrews describes it under the inspiration of God. Faith. Knowing in your head, believing/trusting in your heart, and acting with your hands the truth of God that we are sinners who can do nothing about our condition and deserve to be damned to hell, but God in his mercy and justice sent his son to be born, live, suffer, die and rise from death to ransom us from death and damnation and give us forgiveness of our sins, abundant life in this world, and eternal life in heaven. It’s all about faith.
Faith leads to works. Good works done as a Christian. Works that are done simply because we are Christian. Works which point to Jesus. Oh, just like we struggle with faith, we struggle with works. Our old selfish nature is drowned in our baptism and is daily drowned in remembrance of our baptism as we use water in our routines, but it’s stubborn. It’s ornery. It wants to come back and dominate our lives. We want to claim attention for what we do, rather than receive attention. We want to aim the spotlight on ourselves, rather than receive the light reflected off our savior. Or even worse...we want MY time, talent and treasure for ME—forgetting that all things come from the life-giving sustaining God who has redeemed me from my old, sinful nature. But that doesn’t change the truth. Faith leads to works that we do for our fellow human beings through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. It’s all about faith.
With faith comes forgiveness from the cross. As I said before, forgiveness of all—ALL—our sins. Even the repeated ones. And where there is forgiveness, there is life. It sounds a bit weird, but for me it was much easier to live knowing my dad’s faith. And, as Paul points out in our text, it was for him, too, knowing the Thessalonians’ faith—he says that he was “encouraged”. He says tomāto, I say tomato; but he was inspired—so follow God’s Word.
Our ministry together is quickly winding down. But, through God’s Word, I remind you and urge you to live expecting Jesus’ imminent return. “[S]ince we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled and put on the armor of faith and love, and a helmet of the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:8-11 CSB). You see, it’s all about faith—and grace. (Grace was the topic in the last letter!)
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Tim J. Renstrom
June 2022
Acts 20:28-32— “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Men will rise up even from your own number and distort the truth to lure the disciples into following them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I never stopped warning each one of you with tears. And now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.” (CSB)
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
Bringing a ministry to a close through retirement is interesting, confounding, peaceful, filled with doubt, fulfilling and emptying, all at the same time. A couple of weeks ago we had the above reading as part of our 1st reading in church and as I heard it read I thought that it had special meaning for us—the congregations of St Stephen’s, St John’s, and me.
If you look it up, you’ll notice that the context is Paul talking to the Ephesian elders on his way to Jerusalem to eventually be arrested and brought to trial in Rome. Certainly not my situation—I’m not on my way to Jerusalem, nor do I expect to be placed on trial before the Roman emperor! And I’m not talking to the (future) pastor of our congregations. But it still has application. I am leaving this ministry after serving for a substantial period of time. People do still rise up from within congregations—sometimes well-meaning—with ideas based in false teaching and attempt to lead the followers of Jesus in a wrong direction. And the flock of Jesus Christ needs to be warned against them: to keep their eyes and ears tuned to Jesus and his teaching in order to remain faithful.
Our focus is on God and on the word of his grace. You are forgiven. Because Jesus, the Son of God and the son of Mary, came from heaven to bear your sins (and mine) to the cross—there to die, be buried and rise again; suffering the wrath of God (our rightful punishment) to pay for your sins (and mine) and conquering sin, death and the devil—you are forgiven. Your sins no longer stand against you.
Where there is forgiveness there is life. We struggle through this world because in this world we have troubles. (Nothing surprising there, Jesus did warn us: John 16:33.) But we don’t just struggle on our own. We have the promised presence of Jesus (always) and the promised gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us to all truth so that in this world we have abundant life—not as the nonbeliever assumes it to be, full of material riches and empty of trouble—but as God gives it, amazingly satisfying as we serve God and serve each other and as we receive service from others. It is not about accomplishments. It is about looking to him, then following him.
This is all by grace, through faith—and this, faith, not of yourselves, but a gift of the Holy Spirit, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Grace: a gift that delights the receiver to receive and the giver to give. A Christmas gift—undeserved, but greatly valued. An Easter gift—a promise of Spring leading into Summer after a long, drab winter. Faith: believing; being certain of what you hope for and sure of what you do not see (Hebrews 11:1); knowing in your head, trusting in your heart, and working in response to it with your hands.
Because, remember Ephesians 2:10: [saved] “In order to do the works which God has prepared in advance for you to do.” You (we) are saved by grace through faith to action. Each individual’s action may look different; each Christian congregation’s action may look different; but, nevertheless, faith in Jesus Christ leads to action in service to others—especially reaching out to those who need the assurance of the saving message of the forgiveness of sin given by our creator/redeemer God.
As we draw near to the end of our ministry together in August, with Paul, I “commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.” I can do no other.
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Tim Renstrom
Acts 20:28-32— “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Men will rise up even from your own number and distort the truth to lure the disciples into following them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I never stopped warning each one of you with tears. And now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.” (CSB)
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
Bringing a ministry to a close through retirement is interesting, confounding, peaceful, filled with doubt, fulfilling and emptying, all at the same time. A couple of weeks ago we had the above reading as part of our 1st reading in church and as I heard it read I thought that it had special meaning for us—the congregations of St Stephen’s, St John’s, and me.
If you look it up, you’ll notice that the context is Paul talking to the Ephesian elders on his way to Jerusalem to eventually be arrested and brought to trial in Rome. Certainly not my situation—I’m not on my way to Jerusalem, nor do I expect to be placed on trial before the Roman emperor! And I’m not talking to the (future) pastor of our congregations. But it still has application. I am leaving this ministry after serving for a substantial period of time. People do still rise up from within congregations—sometimes well-meaning—with ideas based in false teaching and attempt to lead the followers of Jesus in a wrong direction. And the flock of Jesus Christ needs to be warned against them: to keep their eyes and ears tuned to Jesus and his teaching in order to remain faithful.
Our focus is on God and on the word of his grace. You are forgiven. Because Jesus, the Son of God and the son of Mary, came from heaven to bear your sins (and mine) to the cross—there to die, be buried and rise again; suffering the wrath of God (our rightful punishment) to pay for your sins (and mine) and conquering sin, death and the devil—you are forgiven. Your sins no longer stand against you.
Where there is forgiveness there is life. We struggle through this world because in this world we have troubles. (Nothing surprising there, Jesus did warn us: John 16:33.) But we don’t just struggle on our own. We have the promised presence of Jesus (always) and the promised gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us to all truth so that in this world we have abundant life—not as the nonbeliever assumes it to be, full of material riches and empty of trouble—but as God gives it, amazingly satisfying as we serve God and serve each other and as we receive service from others. It is not about accomplishments. It is about looking to him, then following him.
This is all by grace, through faith—and this, faith, not of yourselves, but a gift of the Holy Spirit, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Grace: a gift that delights the receiver to receive and the giver to give. A Christmas gift—undeserved, but greatly valued. An Easter gift—a promise of Spring leading into Summer after a long, drab winter. Faith: believing; being certain of what you hope for and sure of what you do not see (Hebrews 11:1); knowing in your head, trusting in your heart, and working in response to it with your hands.
Because, remember Ephesians 2:10: [saved] “In order to do the works which God has prepared in advance for you to do.” You (we) are saved by grace through faith to action. Each individual’s action may look different; each Christian congregation’s action may look different; but, nevertheless, faith in Jesus Christ leads to action in service to others—especially reaching out to those who need the assurance of the saving message of the forgiveness of sin given by our creator/redeemer God.
As we draw near to the end of our ministry together in August, with Paul, I “commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.” I can do no other.
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Tim Renstrom
May 2022
If you recall from the April newsletter, Pastor encouraged us to read the book of Romans during the Easter Season.
What better devotion than scripture! Using the EHV Bible
Romans 1 The Power of the Gospel
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes—to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed by faith, for faith, just as it is written, “The righteous will live by faith.”
Romans 5 Both Adam and Christ Had an Effect on All People
12 So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, so also death spread to all people because all sinned.
15 But the gracious gift is not like Adam’s trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of this one man, it is even more certain that God’s grace, and the gift given by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ, overflowed to the many!
Romans 6 Dead to Sin and Living for God
1What shall we say then? Shall we keep on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 Absolutely not! We died to sin. How can we go on living in it any longer?
Romans 12 Guidelines for Christian Living
9 Do not just pretend to love others. Hate what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another with brotherly love.
Romans 14 Strong and Weak Christians Both Belong to the Lord
1 Accept a person who is weak in faith, and do not pass judgment on things that are just a difference of opinion.
Romans 8 Nothing Can Separate Us From God’s Love
31 What then will we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither things present nor things to come, nor powerful forces, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
If you recall from the April newsletter, Pastor encouraged us to read the book of Romans during the Easter Season.
What better devotion than scripture! Using the EHV Bible
Romans 1 The Power of the Gospel
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes—to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed by faith, for faith, just as it is written, “The righteous will live by faith.”
Romans 5 Both Adam and Christ Had an Effect on All People
12 So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, so also death spread to all people because all sinned.
15 But the gracious gift is not like Adam’s trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of this one man, it is even more certain that God’s grace, and the gift given by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ, overflowed to the many!
Romans 6 Dead to Sin and Living for God
1What shall we say then? Shall we keep on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 Absolutely not! We died to sin. How can we go on living in it any longer?
Romans 12 Guidelines for Christian Living
9 Do not just pretend to love others. Hate what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another with brotherly love.
Romans 14 Strong and Weak Christians Both Belong to the Lord
1 Accept a person who is weak in faith, and do not pass judgment on things that are just a difference of opinion.
Romans 8 Nothing Can Separate Us From God’s Love
31 What then will we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither things present nor things to come, nor powerful forces, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
April 2022
Why the Rush?
40 days of preparation, at the end: Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Then the special services of Easter morning; the special decorations, perhaps the special time...with a special time of fellowship, the Easter breakfast. After that, the rush to undecorate and to fall back into the ‘ordinary.’
The ancient Church, when it set up the Liturgical calendar, the roots of which go back at least hundreds of years in Christianity, put a special emphasis on Easter. It was a day...a very special day...but not just a day. Easter is a week of weeks! 49 days to rest in the glow of the empty tomb. 49 days to reflect on the angels’ message, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here! He is risen!” 49 days to soak in all of the meaning of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection following the tumultuous events of his ministry.
The message? Death is for all of us, but death doesn’t own us. God is in the world reconciling it to himself. Although we are sinners—great and grievous sinners—our sins are not counted against us for Jesus’ sake. His perfect death pays for all of our sins. In this world, we live by faith in the great promises of Easter: we are saved by grace through faith because of Jesus’ work on our behalf. Because God does not take delight in the death of any sinner, God works faith in us to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, he works repentance in us to turn from our sinful lives, and he renews our lives, because we now belong to him. Therefore, even in death we have life—all of this an undeserved gift given to us. With so much to hear...it would be good to take our time, rest a bit, learn from our Master, and then go out and be about his work.
In Minnesota it seems that spring, summer and fall are always such a rush...and winter...well, for many people, winter is just something to be gotten done with. After all, every good Minnesotan knows that we have 11 months of winter and 1 month of summer! (And we’ve got to fit the season of ‘road construction’ in there somewhere!) That seems like the ‘ordinary.’ And I think Satan loves it when we rush through Easter to get into the ‘ordinary’. It gives him a ‘hook’ to get into our lives. It distracts us from God’s work to, in, and through us. Distracted, we disconnect from the spiritual and faith begins to stagnate and, if I dare say so, even begins to drain away. Satan isn’t nearly as concerned about getting us to worship him as he is concerned about getting us distracted from Jesus and faith in him. With that distraction, we are easier prey for that nasty old wolf.
Again, I say, it would be good for us to slow down during this Easter season—those 49 days. It would be good for us to spend more time meditating, studying and reflecting on the work and Word of Jesus. To that end, let me challenge and encourage you: Together, let’s read the book of Romans during Easter. There are 16 chapters and 7 weeks...meaning that if we read only 2 chapters a week, we’ll be nearly done by the Day of Pentecost (leaving us 2 chapters to read that week). Let’s not rush to get to the ordinary. Let’s follow God and let him set the pace.
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Tim J. Renstrom
Why the Rush?
40 days of preparation, at the end: Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Then the special services of Easter morning; the special decorations, perhaps the special time...with a special time of fellowship, the Easter breakfast. After that, the rush to undecorate and to fall back into the ‘ordinary.’
The ancient Church, when it set up the Liturgical calendar, the roots of which go back at least hundreds of years in Christianity, put a special emphasis on Easter. It was a day...a very special day...but not just a day. Easter is a week of weeks! 49 days to rest in the glow of the empty tomb. 49 days to reflect on the angels’ message, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here! He is risen!” 49 days to soak in all of the meaning of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection following the tumultuous events of his ministry.
The message? Death is for all of us, but death doesn’t own us. God is in the world reconciling it to himself. Although we are sinners—great and grievous sinners—our sins are not counted against us for Jesus’ sake. His perfect death pays for all of our sins. In this world, we live by faith in the great promises of Easter: we are saved by grace through faith because of Jesus’ work on our behalf. Because God does not take delight in the death of any sinner, God works faith in us to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, he works repentance in us to turn from our sinful lives, and he renews our lives, because we now belong to him. Therefore, even in death we have life—all of this an undeserved gift given to us. With so much to hear...it would be good to take our time, rest a bit, learn from our Master, and then go out and be about his work.
In Minnesota it seems that spring, summer and fall are always such a rush...and winter...well, for many people, winter is just something to be gotten done with. After all, every good Minnesotan knows that we have 11 months of winter and 1 month of summer! (And we’ve got to fit the season of ‘road construction’ in there somewhere!) That seems like the ‘ordinary.’ And I think Satan loves it when we rush through Easter to get into the ‘ordinary’. It gives him a ‘hook’ to get into our lives. It distracts us from God’s work to, in, and through us. Distracted, we disconnect from the spiritual and faith begins to stagnate and, if I dare say so, even begins to drain away. Satan isn’t nearly as concerned about getting us to worship him as he is concerned about getting us distracted from Jesus and faith in him. With that distraction, we are easier prey for that nasty old wolf.
Again, I say, it would be good for us to slow down during this Easter season—those 49 days. It would be good for us to spend more time meditating, studying and reflecting on the work and Word of Jesus. To that end, let me challenge and encourage you: Together, let’s read the book of Romans during Easter. There are 16 chapters and 7 weeks...meaning that if we read only 2 chapters a week, we’ll be nearly done by the Day of Pentecost (leaving us 2 chapters to read that week). Let’s not rush to get to the ordinary. Let’s follow God and let him set the pace.
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Tim J. Renstrom
March, 2022
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
As a discussion question at the end of his short article in The Great Sending (©2021, Wilbert J. Sohns, TENTHPOWERPUBLISHING, pp. 175-177), Rev. Keith Kohlmeier says and then asks: “The saying is true: ‘We need to stop deciding what to do and then asking God to bless it, and we need to start considering what God is doing and then decide to do it.’ What is God blessing today in the extension of His saving Word through you?” I think it’s a great question. Here’s the article that preceded his question:
Acts 15:1-2; 10-11
The saying is true and worthy of full acceptance: where two or three are gathered together on earth there will be at least five opinions. It is part of our nature, at least the [sinful] nature. And its roots are clearly recorded for us in Genesis 3:1: “Now the serpent… said to the woman ‘Did God actually say You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?’” And so was conflict and separation introduced into the world.
Satan continues his attack on the church, God’s Word, and God’s mission throughout the ages. Sometimes he leads denials of God’s Word, and sometimes he attaches to it rules and rubrics that attack the saving message from within. The Jerusalem Council is but one example. The cover story is about circumcision and obeying God. But the underlying battle is about the mission of God to all people and the behavior of God’s people that enables the full and free proclamation of God’s saving grace.
Sadly, sometimes the very church itself restricts these truths. We all remember Martin Luther’s somber response at Worms, “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God.”
It is not incidental that the Jerusalem Council appears immediately following Paul’s and Barnabas’s initial missionary journey into Asia Minor. The challenge of the party of the Pharisees stands as a frontal attack by the devil and his angels upon both the source and the goal of the gospel. We must not be deceived. That challenge did not end in Jerusalem or Worms. It is just as important today that we continue to pray that “Your Word may have free course and be preached to the joy and edifying of Christ’s people.” When Luther wrote these words of his hymn “Lord Keep us Steadfast in Your Word,” he addressed the devil’s assault from without and within the church.
Jerusalem’s response to Paul and Barnabas’s mission has much to teach us. First, the church listened to what God was doing through both arguments. Second, the church addressed the issue with the clear and unambiguous message of the saving Word of God. And finally, the church encouraged the continued extension of God’s grace to all. Did that end all division and discord? By no means. Note that the next verses record the division of Paul and Barnabas. Verse 39 says, “And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other.” But also note that even then God was working to extend His saving message even more.
So...what is God blessing through you to extend his saving Word to a world of lost sinners? If God is blessing it, do it. If he is not, look to him for his direction. Then do that.
Pastor Tim J. Renstrom
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
As a discussion question at the end of his short article in The Great Sending (©2021, Wilbert J. Sohns, TENTHPOWERPUBLISHING, pp. 175-177), Rev. Keith Kohlmeier says and then asks: “The saying is true: ‘We need to stop deciding what to do and then asking God to bless it, and we need to start considering what God is doing and then decide to do it.’ What is God blessing today in the extension of His saving Word through you?” I think it’s a great question. Here’s the article that preceded his question:
Acts 15:1-2; 10-11
The saying is true and worthy of full acceptance: where two or three are gathered together on earth there will be at least five opinions. It is part of our nature, at least the [sinful] nature. And its roots are clearly recorded for us in Genesis 3:1: “Now the serpent… said to the woman ‘Did God actually say You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?’” And so was conflict and separation introduced into the world.
Satan continues his attack on the church, God’s Word, and God’s mission throughout the ages. Sometimes he leads denials of God’s Word, and sometimes he attaches to it rules and rubrics that attack the saving message from within. The Jerusalem Council is but one example. The cover story is about circumcision and obeying God. But the underlying battle is about the mission of God to all people and the behavior of God’s people that enables the full and free proclamation of God’s saving grace.
Sadly, sometimes the very church itself restricts these truths. We all remember Martin Luther’s somber response at Worms, “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God.”
It is not incidental that the Jerusalem Council appears immediately following Paul’s and Barnabas’s initial missionary journey into Asia Minor. The challenge of the party of the Pharisees stands as a frontal attack by the devil and his angels upon both the source and the goal of the gospel. We must not be deceived. That challenge did not end in Jerusalem or Worms. It is just as important today that we continue to pray that “Your Word may have free course and be preached to the joy and edifying of Christ’s people.” When Luther wrote these words of his hymn “Lord Keep us Steadfast in Your Word,” he addressed the devil’s assault from without and within the church.
Jerusalem’s response to Paul and Barnabas’s mission has much to teach us. First, the church listened to what God was doing through both arguments. Second, the church addressed the issue with the clear and unambiguous message of the saving Word of God. And finally, the church encouraged the continued extension of God’s grace to all. Did that end all division and discord? By no means. Note that the next verses record the division of Paul and Barnabas. Verse 39 says, “And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other.” But also note that even then God was working to extend His saving message even more.
So...what is God blessing through you to extend his saving Word to a world of lost sinners? If God is blessing it, do it. If he is not, look to him for his direction. Then do that.
Pastor Tim J. Renstrom
FEBRUARY 2022
One of the Most Important Things that a Congregation Does…
Aside from Word and Sacrament ministry—proclaiming salvation by grace, through faith, because of what Jesus has done for us and receiving that forgiveness through the Word, through Baptism and through Holy Communion, one of the most important things that a congregation does is call her pastor.
That might seem misleading. God calls the pastor to the congregation. But God chooses to work through the members of the congregations as they pray and use sanctified reasoning to follow God’s will in the calling process.
In light of my announced September retirement, the Voters of our congregations have elected to call a candidate from one of our seminaries. There is no guarantee that we will receive one, but it is the place that we have elected to start. (If we don’t receive a candidate, we will continue the call process by calling a pastor from the field.)
While the Voters have elected...this is too important of a thing to leave it all to the Voters. We need everyone’s input in providing information for “Pastoral Expectations” and “Congregational Goals”. To that end please use this link to add your voice:
https://forms.gle/9FA46xBnxVcDCZps6
Some of you will recognize the above series of letters and numbers as an internet address link. It is. It is a connection to a “Pastoral Expectations” survey that each member of St Stephen’s Lutheran Church and St John’s Lutheran Church needs to fill out.
“But!”, you say. Yep. I know that not all of you are computer/internet fans. We have good old-fashioned hard copies available for you, too! Here, in this newsletter is a hardcopy of the survey. Additional copies are available in the back of the worship area of each church. The hard copies have 9 additional questions that are really hard to quantify into a 1-10 rating. They deal with “Pastoral Expectations” and “Congregational Goals.” So, if you want to fill out the rating on-line and do the additional questions on a hard copy, please do so.
The above link is also accessible through our webpages.
There is a deadline. Surveys will be collected through February 13. At that time the combined Call Committees will gather the information and continue to fill out the needed forms.
We are sheep of God’s pasture. Our pastor is the under-shepherd of the Good Shepherd. We want to pray—foremost—for God’s guidance and blessing in this process. And we want to share God’s answer to our prayers with the others involved in this call process.
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Tim J. Renstrom
One of the Most Important Things that a Congregation Does…
Aside from Word and Sacrament ministry—proclaiming salvation by grace, through faith, because of what Jesus has done for us and receiving that forgiveness through the Word, through Baptism and through Holy Communion, one of the most important things that a congregation does is call her pastor.
That might seem misleading. God calls the pastor to the congregation. But God chooses to work through the members of the congregations as they pray and use sanctified reasoning to follow God’s will in the calling process.
In light of my announced September retirement, the Voters of our congregations have elected to call a candidate from one of our seminaries. There is no guarantee that we will receive one, but it is the place that we have elected to start. (If we don’t receive a candidate, we will continue the call process by calling a pastor from the field.)
While the Voters have elected...this is too important of a thing to leave it all to the Voters. We need everyone’s input in providing information for “Pastoral Expectations” and “Congregational Goals”. To that end please use this link to add your voice:
https://forms.gle/9FA46xBnxVcDCZps6
Some of you will recognize the above series of letters and numbers as an internet address link. It is. It is a connection to a “Pastoral Expectations” survey that each member of St Stephen’s Lutheran Church and St John’s Lutheran Church needs to fill out.
“But!”, you say. Yep. I know that not all of you are computer/internet fans. We have good old-fashioned hard copies available for you, too! Here, in this newsletter is a hardcopy of the survey. Additional copies are available in the back of the worship area of each church. The hard copies have 9 additional questions that are really hard to quantify into a 1-10 rating. They deal with “Pastoral Expectations” and “Congregational Goals.” So, if you want to fill out the rating on-line and do the additional questions on a hard copy, please do so.
The above link is also accessible through our webpages.
There is a deadline. Surveys will be collected through February 13. At that time the combined Call Committees will gather the information and continue to fill out the needed forms.
We are sheep of God’s pasture. Our pastor is the under-shepherd of the Good Shepherd. We want to pray—foremost—for God’s guidance and blessing in this process. And we want to share God’s answer to our prayers with the others involved in this call process.
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Tim J. Renstrom
January 2022
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I recently used a devotion in one of our leadership meetings from a devotion book titled For Such a Time as This: Epistles published by Northwestern Publishing House, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (©1991). The devotion is called “Children of God—Wanted by the Father” (p. 40). In it the author uses the following illustration:
During the depression of the 1930s a lecturer spoke to a businessmen’s group. He took a sheet of white paper, pinned it to the wall, then with a pencil put a black spot in the middle of the paper.
He asked, “What do you see?”
A man in the front row squinted and said, “A black spot.”
Then the speaker said, “That’s the trouble with us. We see the black spot, and we fail to see the great white field of opportunity surrounding it.”
That’s part of the challenge that lies ahead of us: to see the great white field of opportunity surrounding us. Jesus tells us that the fields are white and ready for the harvest; pray for workers. We see the little black spot of Covid and the challenges of having to go through a Call process. We exclaim, like Chicken Little, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” Instead, we need to see through the eyes of Jesus. Dare I say, we want to see through the eyes of Jesus?
As most of you are aware, I have announced that I will be retiring from parish ministry the end of August, 2022. As we move toward that date, we have a number of opportunities in ministry together to prepare St Stephen’s and St John’s to reach out with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, wherever God has called us to do the work he has prepared in advance for us to do. We have 8 months to work together to see the vision God has placed before our congregations; 8 months to unsee the black dot and to see the white field of opportunity.
In the previously mentioned devotion, the author went on to use the illustration of the twelve spies who went into the promised land of Canaan. Ten of the spies saw the people in the land and said, “No way can we do this!” Two of them saw the land God had promised and said, “With God’s help nothing is impossible! Let’s do it!” The result? Ten men caused forty years of wandering in the wilderness for two million people—until that whole generation had died wandering.
Even as we walk in faith, I think God regularly lays a choice before us: to see what man sees and wander forty years; or to see what God sees and enter the promised land! Your choice lies before you. I will do my best to shepherd you in the direction that God sees until my time here is finished, trying to focus us on the white field of opportunity—God’s promised land, instead of the little black dot of challenges.
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Tim J. Renstrom
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I recently used a devotion in one of our leadership meetings from a devotion book titled For Such a Time as This: Epistles published by Northwestern Publishing House, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (©1991). The devotion is called “Children of God—Wanted by the Father” (p. 40). In it the author uses the following illustration:
During the depression of the 1930s a lecturer spoke to a businessmen’s group. He took a sheet of white paper, pinned it to the wall, then with a pencil put a black spot in the middle of the paper.
He asked, “What do you see?”
A man in the front row squinted and said, “A black spot.”
Then the speaker said, “That’s the trouble with us. We see the black spot, and we fail to see the great white field of opportunity surrounding it.”
That’s part of the challenge that lies ahead of us: to see the great white field of opportunity surrounding us. Jesus tells us that the fields are white and ready for the harvest; pray for workers. We see the little black spot of Covid and the challenges of having to go through a Call process. We exclaim, like Chicken Little, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” Instead, we need to see through the eyes of Jesus. Dare I say, we want to see through the eyes of Jesus?
As most of you are aware, I have announced that I will be retiring from parish ministry the end of August, 2022. As we move toward that date, we have a number of opportunities in ministry together to prepare St Stephen’s and St John’s to reach out with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, wherever God has called us to do the work he has prepared in advance for us to do. We have 8 months to work together to see the vision God has placed before our congregations; 8 months to unsee the black dot and to see the white field of opportunity.
In the previously mentioned devotion, the author went on to use the illustration of the twelve spies who went into the promised land of Canaan. Ten of the spies saw the people in the land and said, “No way can we do this!” Two of them saw the land God had promised and said, “With God’s help nothing is impossible! Let’s do it!” The result? Ten men caused forty years of wandering in the wilderness for two million people—until that whole generation had died wandering.
Even as we walk in faith, I think God regularly lays a choice before us: to see what man sees and wander forty years; or to see what God sees and enter the promised land! Your choice lies before you. I will do my best to shepherd you in the direction that God sees until my time here is finished, trying to focus us on the white field of opportunity—God’s promised land, instead of the little black dot of challenges.
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Tim J. Renstrom