CHRIST’S MESSENGER Christ Lutheran Church and Preschool, Eagan, MN Church and Preschool
Staff Rev. David Hahn Senior Pastor
Rev. Michael Heggen Visitation Pastor
Alex Mezeritski Director of Music
Michele Lukanen Director of Preschool
Julia Bonewell Preschool Teacher
Judy Kaner Preschool Aide
Rhoda Houge Church Secretary
Christ Lutheran Church and Preschool 1930 Diffley Road Eagan, MN 55122 Church: 651-454-4091 christlutheraneagan@outlook.com www.christlutheraneagan.org Christ Lutheran Church is a congregation of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod
Christ Lutheran Church is a growing body of believers in Jesus Christ, sharing the love, word, and grace of God with our family, community, and world.
February, 2017
FROM THE PASTOR by Pastor Hahn
"Be Doers of the Word!" "Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." (James 1:21-27 I have been spending a great deal of time in the Book of James these past few weeks. James is also the topic of the Tuesday Morning Bible Study at Eagan Point Senior Living Center. James uses many word pictures and illustrations to show us the necessity of putting the Word of God into our life, in how we feel and how we are, and then allow it to transform us into how we treat others. James is telling us in order to be a "doer of the Word," which means to put into practice the teachings of our Lord, we have to rid ourselves of the rotten filth in our lives. That is, the evil in us (sin) must go before we can sincerely be humble and obedient to the Lord and grow in Him. Just listening to the Word and then doing nothing with it is total foolishness. It conveys the stupendous ignorance of our mindsets. We often miss out on what God has for us and replacing it with foolishness. We are often disloyal to God, throwing out prime opportunities, and wasting what He gives us. The solution to the problem of evil and willful disobedience, and a meaningless life is His Word. We must be willing to let God's Word affect us deeply, our achievements and purposes, because of who He is and what He is doing in us! When we are receiving His message, we are more likely to obey Him and live a life of Christian distinction and purpose, and to give God the glory. God's Word is the powerhouse and platform for our salvation. His Word conveys His Truth and precepts for living and doing the Christian life. Yet, it can easily be thwarted simply by our refusal to acknowledge Him as LORD, and allowing our human waste of sin to be in the way of His Way! James uses the illustration that looking in a mirror and then forgetting what we look like is foolish, as is reading the Bible and not doing anything about what it says. James is telling us that an effort and determination is needed to apply the precepts of our Lord into a life that is Christian. The word "Christian" means more than just a professing belief; it means following Christ; it means being like Christ, manifesting His qualities which are demonstrated, when we are like Christ, by our obedience and what we do.