Pastor's Pen
A monthly message from the hand of Pastor Stockman
May: As I sat down to write my final newsletter here at Zion, I could not help but think of all the changes that have happened during my time here. I have shared with you joyous times like baptisms, weddings, and confirmations, and I have shared in times of grief and sadness, such as the loss of those dear to us. And at the end of this month, I will end one phase of my life and begin another. Yet I am sure I will still serve God and the church in one capacity or another, perhaps filling in for a pastor on vacation or maybe even a vacancy now and then.  This is a time of transition for this congregation as my time winds down here and you prepare for a new minister. It is also a time of uncertainty, both for this congregation and for our country. Are we entering a bear market? Is inflation going to cut into our buying power? Who will be our new pastor, and what will he be like? Now we can be anxious about these things and many others as well. We can worry about the future and what it holds for us. Or we can say, "You know what? The God of the universe is still the God of the universe." We can have faith and confidence that no matter what happens, he'll walk through it with us because he has already been on the journey of compassion, and that journey led to a cross. Then the journey continued as he emerged from an open tomb. Now we can either live with faith-based principles and have a peace that passes all understanding, or we can live with anxiety, worry, and fear. We can be like the rest of the world, and we can look like we are no different from them, as they say, "So what about your faith? It doesn't seem to help you?" The most compassionate thing we can do for other people is to live our faith because it is true and we believe it. It makes a difference. When they see the integrity of that, they will listen to you talk about Jesus. We don't have to fear that they will call us hypocrites. We don't have to fear their reactions because they will be hungry to know the peace and certain hope that you have in the midst of these anxious times. The peace and hope found in Jesus Christ.
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