From Your Pastor’s Heart

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

It’s finally upon us. The celebration of St. Jacob’s 250th anniversary is but a few short weeks away. As I consider this long journey for our congregation, and the anticipation of marking such a significant milestone, I can’t help but wonder what ministry must have been like for those of our predecessors long ago. As the Pastor, I believe I have a unique viewpoint for reflection as I occupy the same office of ministry established by our Lutheran Confessions as did those pastors who came before me. What were their challenges? How were they thrust into incidents of human history for which they felt ill prepared or quite frankly, inadequately gifted to address?

Think about it. In 250 plus years, the pastors of St. Jacob’s led our congregation through the turmoil of the Revolutionary War, South Carolina’s secession from the Union sparking the Civil War, the Great Depression of the 1930s, not to mention two World wars. In all of these, the pastors of St. Jacob’s were called by Christ to lead God’s people in faithfulness during times of immense uncertainty. Many of your descendants endured these events as they unfolded, and now so many of them rest peacefully within our church cemetery awaiting Christ’s call to rise in the glory of resurrection.

So why did I choose the verse from the book of Hebrews printed above for the prelude to this month’s pastor’s page? Well, quite simply, because it speaks volumes to our calling as disciples of Jesus. While St. Jacob’s has obviously changed many times throughout her 250 years of Gospel ministry, the mission of the Gospel has not. Gifted by the power of the Holy Spirit, our predecessors built up and maintained St. Jacob’s through all the historical events mentioned above. In an ever changing world, they did these things through faith in the One whose mercy, grace, and love never changes.

So now, at the dawning of our 251st year, we are to be grateful for the contributions of the many people who came before us. They didn’t simply maintain St. Jacob’s so we would have a beautiful place for worship. They worked as followers of Jesus so that St. Jacob’s would continue to be a vital ministry established by God for the sake of our neighbors. This continues to be our calling.

As we approach the day of our celebration, I encourage everyone to examine their role within our congregation. How do you honor the commitment of those who came before us? How do you share your giftedness in the participation of our collective ministry? These are important questions to ask. These are important questions to consider as we step into the latter half of our third century here in this place. With God’s help, we can faithfully pass along a healthy and vital church and ministry to future generations of disciples of our Lord Jesus.

Grace to you and peace,

Pastor David Nuottila