Pastor’s Page

   Good to be Free
     We just returned from the Pastor-Teacher-Delegate conference in Austin, MN.   We heard some good news at that meeting.   The Synod debt has been repaid.   In fact, it was paid back early.  Over the past few years a series of special offerings were requested. We assisted with repayment at St. John’s.  Now those funds are paid back.   That is freeing up additional dollars so that rather than paying interest or debt we can do more work such as trying to start ten new mission congregations each year.    It’s good to be free.
This month our country celebrates its freedom.   What a great privilege we have as Christians in this nation.  We often hear of beheadings of Christians in Egypt and rampant persecution in the middle east.  But as I just read an article detailing multiple death threats to Christians in Europe, we are reminded that it’s more than just a cliché.   It really is good to be free to worship God.  Our constitution guarantees each citizen such liberties.  But ultimately the real freedom comes by the grace of God.  And the real liberator is Jesus Christ who endured both the incarceration and capital punishment  for us.  If we owe the framers of the constitution a great debt what do we owe to the framer of the universe whose emancipation proclamation includes us!   So enjoy the popsicles, picnics and parades- then thank your Savior for His blessing of peace and pardon.  Happy 4^th of July!