First Lutheran Church

“At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and his family were baptized.” – Acts 16:33
What an amazing story we find in the Philippian jail. The miracle of the earth- quake and the open doors is only a small part of the work that God was doing. The larger miracle involved the changed lives of those who believed that night. The same source of water that the jailer offered for the washing of the evangelists’ wounds proved worthy for his baptism once he had believed. And the Scripture records that “he was filled with joy because he had come to be- lieve in God – he and his whole family” (Acts 16:34b).
This story reminds me of the “one the way” stories: the ten lepers who were healed on the way to show themselves to the priests; the disciples who met the risen Jesus on the way to Emmaus. In this story, the Philippian jailer who experienced a miracle at the jail immediately began to care for Paul and Silas, and, on the way, he and his whole house discovered the love and mercy of God.
Most of our lives are spent on the way to somewhere else. We often think our starting points and destina- tions are the important places, but we find that the journey is the place where we encounter God. It often isn’t when we’ve arrived safely and have unpacked and are getting comfortable that God intervenes in our lives. Instead, it’s when a Samaritan encounters a wounded traveler beside the road, or when a man named Simon visits Jerusalem and finds himself forced to carry a cross to Golgotha, or when a man named Saul is on the road to Damascus, that God chooses to enter lives and change them forever.
It shouldn’t surprise us that God uses times like these to enter our lives. They are probably the times when we’re not in control, times when God can show us that he can be trusted to order our lives in ways we never
expected. They are probably times when we don’t want to be interrupted, but times when God wants us to see that our lives will never suffer from the imprint of His will.
I’ve never cared much for interruptions. I like getting things done on my own schedule. Too often, I throw up a quick prayer requesting God’s blessing on an itinerary I never submitted for His approval. As a re- sult, my plans often require interruptions when God lovingly intervenes, reenters my life, and reminds me of His love.
I recommend these heavenly interruptions to you. Upon immediate consideration, they become but one more task in a long line of things to do. But as we begin to see them for what they are, they become recognizable opportunities for growth and conversion. In retrospect, they are the moments when we feel clos- est to God and to others. Learn to recognize them for what they are – miracles of God’s grace when He shares a little more of Himself with us on the way.
Prayer: Help me, Father, to give myself to you contin- ually, especially when my busyness would keep me separated from you and from others. Amen.
Pastor Schultz

From The Pastor’s Pen. Saturday, January, 1, 2022 | 10:24 AM

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” 2 Cor. 5:17

It can be frightening to stand at the beginning of a new year and ponder what the future holds, especially if we think we enter it alone. We who have been made children of God in the waters of baptism can take comfort that we are “in Christ”.

The expression “in Christ” appears some 200 times in the New Testament. To be “in Christ” describes many aspects of the Christian life. For a believer to know that he is “in Christ” brings confidence, joy, and eternal hope.

The Bible says “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore, we have been buried with Him through baptism into death in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. FOR IF WE HAVE BECOME UNITED WITH HIM IN THE LIKENESS OF HIS DEATH, CERTAINLY WE SHALL BE ALSO IN THE LIKENESS OF HIS RESURRECTION” (Romans 6:35).

In Galatians 3:27 we read: “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Baptism is more than a ritual or a ceremony. Baptism is not a mere tradition of men. Baptism is a clear teaching of God in His Word. In baptism God is at work, bringing us into the family of God. Through baptism God miraculously unites us with Christ. Baptism is part of God’s ongoing creating, and recreating, power that He used to create the whole world. In baptism we become “in Christ,” and “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV).

The joy and power of baptism is crucial to the correct understanding of the New Testament and the strengthening of the Christian life. Through baptism we are miraculously connected to Christ and all His power for life. Through baptism Christ unites us to Himself, to His cross and resurrection, the only foundation and strength for all Christians. Through baptism God promises us power to overcome Satan, strength for a daily life of joy, and the blessed certainty of the final resurrection “in Christ,” unto life eternal.

Have no fear baptized child of God! Your past, present, and future are in the hands of our loving and gracious Father.

Prayer: Powerful and loving God, thank you for enabling us to celebrate, as your baptized Children in Christ, a life without fear. Amen

In His Peace,

Pastor Schultz