Our Savior Lutheran Church
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod

Bible Study nugget (Wednesday morning on Ephesians)

            Ephesians 3:2 2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you,

            Paul refers to his role in the church an administration. For many people, administration may have some negative connotations. Administration is the people in the company telling us what we can’t do! Administration put me in detention! That’s not the emphasis of Paul’s description of the Ministry as God has given him. In Greek, Paul uses the abstract noun form of the word for a household manager or steward. From these words we get our word economy: oikos -meaning “house/household” and nomos – meaning “law/principle/rule.” One example of such a position in Scripture is the role that Joseph played in Potiphar’s house. He was a slave with authority over others. Joseph’s authority did not come from himself but from the father of the house, Potiphar. Similarly, Paul’s role is not as the source but as the conduit of God’s gifts of grace.

            Pastors are in a similar position as well. Pastors dish out God’s grace as an administrator. What impact does this have on the relationship between the pastor and the congregation? From the pastor’s perspective, he must keep himself humble. The good stuff isn’t coming from me but from God! The pastor is a conduit of God’s grace. My position isn’t for me but for you, as Paul also says. There is authority that comes from the pastoral office. All authority ultimately comes from Jesus, though. A pastor may be tempted by pride (as any Christian might), but that is resisted by being reminded that I am a servant in God’s household. From the congregation’s perspective they recognize that the Pastor is speaking for God. They give honor to the pastor as the one appointed to dish out God’s grace. This comes into play when the Pastor must call for repentance over sin.

            An unhealthy view of this relationship would be employer/employee. On the one hand, the congregation doesn’t hire or fire the pastor. This is one reason for the call system that WELS uses: it limits the tendency to think this way by leaving room for the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, the Pastor is not the boss of the congregation either! We are all serving in God’s household; if anyone is the boss its God! But a more appropriate and Biblical picture is that God is the Father.

            One big responsibility of the administrator (and we didn’t get to this specific point in Bible Study) is the Pastor’s role to administer the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. This is a weighty responsibility because these are two amazing gifts of grace. This is one among many reasons for our practice of closed communion: it isn’t just any old thing to give out, it is from God! With the Lord’s Supper specifically we know that the Bible teaches that those who partake unworthily partake to their judgment. If I was careless with who I administer Communion to, then some of the responsibility for their spiritual harm would be on me if someone partook unworthily!

            The relationship between pastor and congregation can never be perfectly sinless because the participants are sinners. Things go better when both parties remember this: Gospel ministry is a gift of God’s grace on all of us for our good!

A little wisdom

               Proverbs 10:2 Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value,

but righteousness delivers from death.

Just do the right thing!

Sunday Morning Bible Study

            Sunday begins a series on Sola Scriptura, with an introductory lesson on what Sola Scriptura means, where it comes from, and why its important.

Worship Preview April 7th

               Hymns

               145 Jesus lives! The Victory’s won!

               165 Oh Sons and Daughters of the King

               311 Soul Adorn Yourself with Gladness

               704 Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending

               Psalm 30 from the Christian Worship Supplement

               Readings

                              Acts 18:1-11

                              1 John 1:1-4

                              John 20:19-31

April 20th First Saturday Bible Study 2pm

               April 20th will be the first in a series of Bible studies focusing on sharing our faith with others. Plan to meet at 2pm at church.

Hymn Survey

               To help my worship planning I’m putting out a “favorite hymns” survey. While I believe in picking hymns that help us to stretch ourselves sometimes, it’s always good to keep the favorites in regular rotation! Some pastors make it their goal to pick at least 1 hymn a month from such a list, for example. Start reviewing your hymnals!

Directory Updates

               I will be putting out a directory for you to double check your information and make any updates. This is especially important for our new members! Consider this step 1 toward a full pictorial directory that some people have been asking about.

One Day Pastor’s Conference April 8th

               I will be in Sebewaing on April 8th for a one-day Pastor’s conference.