Message from Associate Pastor Stenson...

To the Dear Saints...

To the dear saints of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Austin:

No, I’m not trying to sound like one of the New Testament epistles, even though that greeting might sound that way. Rather, I’m taking this opportunity to describe to you just what you are. You already are well aware of your geographical location and your congregational membership, so the latter part doesn’t really require any elaboration. I’d like to focus on the first part: the fact that you are dear saints.

The two words fit well together, especially in a churchly context. In fact, if you stop to think about it, they are inextricably linked. Unless you were dear to our loving heavenly Father, you would not have been made saints through the bestowal of the gift of saving faith. For that matter, unless humanity was dear to God, He would have destroyed us all when our first parents fell into sin in the garden. Yet He did not; He was patient and merciful. He could see forward to the cross, where the suffering and death of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, would atone for our sin, and redeem us from condemnation. You have been made saints, because you are dear to Him. So dear to Him that He was willing to sacrifice His own life, for you.

“I sure don’t feel like a saint, Pastor,” you might be saying to yourself right now. That’s OK; few of us can honestly look at ourselves and consider ourselves saintly. Like me and every other Christian, you’re probably wrestling with many challenges and struggles, many daily battles with sin and temptation. If you aren’t, then the devil probably thinks he has you already, for he’s a persistent one. He never leaves Christ’s saints alone in this life. You don’t have to worry about feeling saintly; our salvation and our life in Christ doesn’t depend on our feelings. Our reality as saints depends solely on the fact that you have been given the faith to believe that Jesus died to save you. This is your reality in spite of your daily battles with Satan, the world, and yourself. It doesn’t matter that your faith ebbs and flows—as long as you retain that faith, God views you as sinless for the sake of Jesus. It is Jesus’ righteousness, and not your own, that is applied to you for your salvation. That is why it is so important that all of us continue to turn in repentance and daily remember that we were made dear saints in our Baptism, and are repeatedly forgiven, restored, and strengthened by confession and absolution, by worship and preaching, and in the Sacrament of Christ’s body and blood. This church, this community of dear saints, is where we find these gifts.

Lastly, although it’s infinitely less important than your status with God, I just want to let you know that you are also dear saints to me. In my short time in Austin, I have been overwhelmed by how you have opened your hearts to me and my family. Many of you have been abundantly generous with supporting our transition and in welcoming us with your kind words, your gifts, and your resources. Offers of assistance and hospitality have been given far faster and in greater supply than I can possibly absorb, so please don’t feel rebuffed or unappreciated if I defer many of these in the near term. I feel truly blessed to have been called here to serve you in Jesus’ name. We are all, as a community in Christ, called to work together to further His kingdom, and ahead of us lay many challenges and opportunities. I know He will give us the wisdom, strength, patience, perseverance, and resources to carry out His will in the months and years to come, if only we seek and follow the guidance of His Holy Word.

Blessings to all the dear saints!

Pastor Stenson