STEWARD'S CORNER
Walk with Jesus
Our Congregational Life Committee is responsible for planning the program for Fall stewardship. This year, we decided on the theme: Walk With Jesus. As Christians, we all would like to walk with Jesus. In John 14:6, Jesus confirms: “….I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (KJV)
In chapter 24 of the book of Luke, Jesus takes a walk that is worth remembering. It is im-portant to note, before the crucifixion, Jesus’ disciples did not grasp what Jesus was telling them. They could not understand His promise to rise from the dead. They dismissed the women who reported He had risen and did not believe them.
On the third day after his crucifixion, Jesus appeared to Cleopas and a colleague who were walking to the small town of Emmaus. Cleopas and his friend were discussing His death and all that had gone on before. Luke says, “But their eyes were holden that they should not know him” (Luke 24:16 KJV) so to them, Jesus was a stranger. These men called Jesus a “prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all people” (Luke 24:19 KJV) and they were saddened by his death. They had heard that the women had seen a “vision of angels” that said He was alive, but when the men rushed there his body was gone like the women had said, but Jesus was nowhere to be seen. They told the stranger about it and explained how it was all so confusing.
Jesus listened to them and responded, calling them fools and “slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken” (Luke 24:25 KJV). Even though Jesus and all the prophets had described his birth, death and resurrection before it happened, Cleopas and his friend weren’t the only ones unable to recognize it when it actually happened.
Would things have been different if we had been on this walk? Even if we couldn’t recog-nize Jesus, would we have been able to put it all together and say the prophets were right and Jesus must be alive? It’s doubtful. I don’t know about you, but I probably would have quit listening as soon as Jesus called me a fool. And that means I would have missed Him calling me “slow of heart” instead of “slow of mind.” I would much rather be called slow of mind. My heart should always be in the right place, but of course, it’s not.
Fortunately, that isn’t the end of the story. The travelers reached Emmaus and the expla-nations from the “stranger” had enthralled them to the point they asked Him to join them for dinner and stay with them. When Jesus blessed the bread and broke it (just as he had done before during the last supper) they suddenly recognized Him and he disappeared. They asked themselves, “Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” (Luke 24:32 KJV)
This walk with Jesus set their hearts on fire and they left immediately to go tell the disci-ples what they had seen and heard. When our hearts are on fire, we do the right thing. What could be a more fitting theme for stewardship than a walk with Jesus?
Kim Toohey,
Congregational Life Chair
THE PRESIDENT'S OUTBOX
Gethsemane’s Long Range Planning Committee issued its preliminary report in August. Bob Clark and Bob Jacobsen have led the exploration of some of the most ambitious and inspiring ideas we as a congregation have seen in many years. The drivers behind this committee’s work are the goals of (1) service to the neighborhood and community, (2) increased revenue, and (3) increased membership and attendance, all of which enable God’s work to be done more effectively.
Among the ideas considered are construction of low-cost senior housing, a significant daycare (adult or child) or after-school program, development of a community garden, construction of a park-like pavilion, significant upgrades to our bathrooms, and other initiatives intended to enhance and enable our outreach, evangelism and enthusiasm. I encourage you to speak to one of the Bobs or leave a message through the church office to learn more about these ideas and add your own thoughts.
As noted in last month’s Guidepost, effective September 1, Kathy Gosnell will be our Synod Authorized Minister, or SAM. I can say this with confidence because Council gave its final approval on August 19 and her appointment will be celebrated at Sunday worship on August 31. I can’t overstate what a blessing this will be to us to have a consistent, inspired voice in the pulpit and a steadying hand providing pastoral support to each of us as needed. Kathy will be working half time and I’m sure we will quickly recognize the gifts she brings to that role.
Finally, I’m looking for a few volunteers who are good at getting into the details of our constitution. This governing document was last updated since 2020 and needs a refresher. That update is planned for this fall, after the Synod’s latest Model Constitution is published. See me.
Blessings,
Dave Leverenz, President
