Welcome to St. Jacob's Lutheran Church

And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” Matthew 28:9-10
I don’t mind saying that as I sit down to write this month’s installment, I’m stuck. I’m stuck because we are in the midst of the Easter season where it is our Christian endeavor to share the Good News of Christ’s resurrection, but by the month’s end, we will have celebrated Jesus’ ascension into heaven, and the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. There is so much liturgical and theological fruit to be gleaned from the fields of faith that I cannot possibly think of a way to cover it all in one page of the newsletter. So, let’s stick with the chief purpose for all Christians and continue the proclamation of the resurrection.
As we navigate our current times here in Chapin, we soon see a community that is growing by leaps and bounds. Our small community is one of the fastest growing areas of the state. As we learned during our Fresh Eyes for Mission Summit, we can expect greater housing development and economic expansion in the times ahead. “What has this got to do with the resurrection” you may ask? Well, again as we found out during our Fresh Eyes Summit, over 63% of the people who live within fifteen minutes drive time from St. Jacob’s are not affiliated with any sort of church or religious entity. That’s a lot of people, approximately forty-eight thousand!
As Jesus told the women who came to the tomb on that first day of the week, he tells us also. “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” The key to this verse is that Jesus is sending his people into the world to share the Good News of God’s saving grace through Christ our Lord. Hear again the first four words Jesus says, “Do not be afraid.”
It is common knowledge that the reason Christians today are not very good at evangelism (sharing the Gospel) is because they are apprehensive in speaking about faith issues with others, especially strangers. But this is exactly what Christ calls every Christian to do. And since God calls us all to be evangelists, we need not be afraid. Even if someone turns you away, you have still planted the seed of God’s Word. Imagine how it would have been if those women who first encountered the risen Lord Jesus kept the news to themselves. We might not be here at St. Jacob’s or even have a church at all. We might not have the fellowship of other believers, or dear friends whom we enjoy seeing each week in worship. We might not be sharing the Sacrament of Holy Communion, or participating in our Sunday schools, Bible studies, and VBS.
Well, if we are not sharing the Good News of Jesus with our community, then there are over forty eight thousand unchurched people who do not realize these blessings that many of us take for granted. If we don’t share the Gospel with others, we also are not following Jesus’ command to tell others. Faith, love, and hope we have in our Lord compel us to tell others, not just during the Easter season, but during all times and seasons.
As Pastor and Shepherd for St. Jacob’s, I am working on developing ways that we might learn together how to be more effective in the mission of evangelism. It begins with knowing the story, and then developing confidence in telling the story to others. As St. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “…we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.” The treasure is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The clay Jars are our fragile and imperfect human bodies. God has entrusted to us the mission of His Gospel and will not allow us to fail, so there is no reason to feel apprehensive, uncomfortable, or afraid. Yes, it is awkward at first, but it doesn’t take long to realize that you can do this with God’s help, and He will help you.
Once we embark on this mission, the “stuckness” will soon fade. When we become more proficient in our evangelism, our congregation, as a whole will become energized and refreshed by the power of the same Gospel which we share. So hear again the words of Jesus on the first day of the week. ““Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers…” Invite them to St. Jacob’s and here they will encounter the power of the risen Christ,
Grace to you and peace,
David Nuottila

[Peter and the other disciple] were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. John 20:4
Recently while looking through some old Bible study material, I stumbled upon a video that made me pause for a while. It is a video of a skit portrayed by two men called “The Skit Guys.” In the video, they are enacting the events of the first Easter morning. Peter and John (The Skit Guys) are told by some women that they have seen Jesus. In response, they run to the empty tomb. John runs much swifter and much more sure footed than Peter. Their faces display the anticipation and even perhaps a bit of fear concerning what they might find. John reaches the tomb first, but he won’t look inside or enter. Then Peter arrives, huffing and puffing, but he enters the tomb without stopping to think. As I replay this video in my mind, this is the point where I have to hit the pause button.
I wonder to myself, upon hearing the reports of the women saying they have seen Jesus very much alive, would I be bold enough to charge into Christ’s tomb? Even as I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus was beaten, whipped and crucified, would I have the where with all to enter the tomb where they laid his body only to find it empty? Thinking about that for a while, I finally decided that, yes I would. Having walked with Jesus for three years as a disciple, having witnessed his many miracles, and having come to believe Jesus is who he says he is; I would have to enter the tomb.
I suppose the question I have for you, my church family, is much the same that I faced when watching this video. If someone came to you early in the morning, excited and out of breath, and told you that they had seen Jesus and he is very much alive, you would run to the tomb in order to see for yourself? Would this amazing news of Christ’s resurrection stir your emotions so deep that you would simply have to wit ness the event with your own eyes? I suspect that it would. I suspect that given such extraordinary news, you too would run to the tomb of Jesus in wondrous expectation. We would likely do this because of the same reason Peter and John did; we are his disciples and we love him.
Through the reading of Holy Scripture, worship and prayer, we are witnesses to the many amazing miracles of Jesus. We are students of his teaching and recipients of his grace. Following Jesus through out his mission and ministry, we too have come to know Jesus as Messiah and Lord, through whom we have forgiveness of sin and the hope of eternal life. Throughout the past twelve months, since Easter of last year, I pray that in my preaching and teaching, you have heard the gospel of Christ and the reports that Jesus is indeed alive!
Even as we have traveled the Lenten Road once more, even as we are about to once again mark the event of Christ’s Passion, and come to the realization that yes, Jesus did give up his life for our sake. Soon, the sun will rise on yet another Easter morning. Yes, we know beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus died and was buried, but still the reports of his resurrection persist. Jesus is alive! We have seen him! How sweet this news is to the ears of the people of God.
At the conclusion of the video, Peter finally emerges from the tomb to meet John who is still standing outside. Peter, holding the burial garments of Christ in his hands, can only look at John with a stare of complete amazement. As the two disciples take in the meaning of what they have witnessed, all they can do is laugh through their tears of joy. Jesus is alive. He is risen! It happened just as he said it would.
People of God, as Easter Sunday is upon us, I invite you to run to the empty tomb and see for yourself. Come hear the good news of Jesus’ resurrection once more. If you have not been in worship for a while, what a great time to come! I invite you to run to the tomb, charge right in and behold the glory of God in the resurrection of our Lord. It happened just the way Jesus said it would. I invite you to be a part of the Easter story and to be a part of the celebration among your church family. Come hear the good news of Christ Jesus. He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Grace to you and peace,
Pastor David Nuottila