November Message

 November is always a time wherein we thank God for all the Christian folk who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for life and salvation down through the centuries. As William W. How’s great text proclaims, "Thou wast their rock, their fortress, and their might." That is, Jesus Christ alone is the author and finisher of our faith. Without faith n Jesus Christ as only Lord and Savior one is outside in the darkness of sin and unbelief.

You, dear Christian friend, are a Saint of God. You are a Holy One and beloved of God. And all because of His love for you in Christ Jesus. You are baptized into Christ. You are made to be a member of His Body, the Church. How should that work out in your life? After all, we need nourishment for our bodies and minds every day of our lives. The same is true of your relationship with God.

So many of us, the Saints of God, have fallen prey to the fears and follies of this world of sin and death. Many of us are afraid in the world with the greatest and most pervasive of all fears: the fear of (physical) death. This is the fear that is stoked and published by Satan, the murderer and liar. Of course, short of the Resurrection of all flesh when Jesus returns, all of us will suffer the pangs of physical death. It’s inevitable.
But you need not live in fear!

The actual fear of physical death has a negative effect on the Body of Christ at CTK. Folks who were regular in the reception of the Lord’s Supper in the Divine Services of CTK absent themselves using fear of sickness and death as the excuse. And, yes, some prudential practices may assist us in staying sickness free. But, as the evidence demonstrates, there is nothing that you can do to be proof against sickness and
eventually death.

When you were baptized God gave you a Spirit of courage and perseverance. He gave you faith to withstand this world. You are a Saint of God. His promises of eternal life and forgiveness of sins in the blood and sacrifice of Jesus are sure and certain and lead you to eternal life with Him forever. This gives you the freedom to live without fear. And being in Christ, hearing His Word, being with your fellow Saints of God in Worship provides you with the patience and courage to endure, knowing that God will give you the power and grace to overcome any and all disasters.

Staying away from God and His Word and Sacraments is like refusing the medicine necessary to heal you of disease. Build your spiritual health by being in God’s own hospital, CTK. You’ll be restored and transformed in Christ.

​Pastor Loewe