|
December 23, 2020
Dear Oakwood Church family,
Merry Christmas to all of you! Even though it's been a pretty dreary year in many ways, it has been enjoyable to see the landscape here in State College brightened by over a foot of snow for the past week, giving us the hope of experiencing a rarity here in Central PA - a white Christmas! The rain and 50 degree temperatures may take most or all of it away on Christmas Eve (ugh), but we may get an inch or so back late in the day on Christmas, so all hope is not lost. But my training is in theology, not meteorology, so what do I know!
We are very disappointed to not offer an in-person Christmas Eve service at the church this year, due to the increase of COVID-19 cases in our area and concerns about the hospital being overwhelmed. Instead, we will be live-streaming the service at 4:30 PM, and recording it to be available soon after the service is over so that you will be able to watch and participate at home with family and/or friends when it is convenient. The service will have all the familiar, traditional elements of past years - lots of Scripture readings, Christmas hymns & songs, and a Biblical message reflecting on the cosmic importance of Christ's birth. Please join us from wherever you will be on Christmas Eve!
In this season that emphasizes giving gifts to others as a thankful response to God's gift to us of His only-begotten Son, I wanted to express my thankfulness for the leaders that God has gifted and called to care for the material needs of our church family. Last week I focused on the elders who shepherd our church and give oversight to our spiritual needs, but I didn't mention the deacons, to whom the elders delegate the responsibility of overseeing the care for the needy and hurting within our church and community, as well as managing the church's finances and property. As in so many other areas of our church's ministry, God has provided humble, highly capable, and committed servants to lead us in these areas - John Ewing, Don Garbrick, Mike Sunderland, Don Smith, and Jim Bennett. These men love the Lord Jesus and His church, and they combine their gifts and wisdom in service, financial management, technology, and leadership with a sincere passion for helping people.
James 2:14-17 is a challenge to our profession of faith and doctrinal orthodoxy: "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." As this applies to our whole congregation, we cannot be content to hold to solid Biblical doctrine, preach expository sermons, and study and teach the Scriptures diligently without caring for those who have physical, financial, or material needs, especially within our church family. God created us as both body and soul, and the goal of our redemption is the restoration and perfection of our bodies, souls, and all of creation in the New Heavens and New Earth. So we need the leadership of both elders and deacons in order to be faithful to our Lord.
The office of deacon began when the early church in Jerusalem struggled with the distribution of food to the needy widows in the church, and the Apostles realized that they didn't have the bandwidth to oversee these kinds of needs while still providing the necessary preaching, teaching, counseling, prayer, and discipline that the church needed. So they told the church members to identify those among them with the gifts and calling from God to serve in this way, and the Apostles delegated the authority to these seven men to be the first deacons of the church (Acts 6).
The word "deacon" means "servant" in the original Greek language of the New Testament, and the qualifications for deacon are listed in I Timothy 3. All Christians have the primary calling of being "little d" deacons, living a life of service to others, so it's not as though the "big D" deacons of the church are the only ones serving in the areas of mercy ministry and resource management. They are to be "leaders of servants" who train, organize, and deploy all of the members of the church to do works of service. These "good works" are done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the goal is always to verbally share the Gospel when those outside of the church family are served.
If we believe the Gospel of salvation by grace alone and our life is grace-driven, then our proclamation of the Gospel will be confirmed in our actions toward others and the heart behind them. In what ways do you feel gifted and called to do good works of service to those in need and to the larger church family? Please show your appreciation for our faithful deacons, and the best way to do that is to offer your time, talents, and treasures to serve under their guidance. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works..." (Ephesians 2:10).
In Christ,
Pastor Dan
|
