Pastoral Message
(for members and friends of)
Geeseytown and Newry Lutheran Churches
2nd Sunday after Pentecost
June 14, 2020
We begin by remembering:
1 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have obtained access to this
grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of
God. (Romans 5:1-2)
Let us pray:
God of compassion, you have opened the way for us and brought us
to yourself. Pour your love into our hearts, that, overflowing with joy, we
may freely share the blessings of your realm and faithfully proclaim the
good news of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
Scripture: Romans 5:1-8
Thoughts from the Pastor:
Romans 5:1-8 has always been one of my favorite scriptures
because it shows us the love and grace God has for us and this world.
Many times I have wondered why God sent his Son, Jesus Christ to save
us from our sins. The only answer that keeps coming back to my mind is
that God loves us so much that we can’t even begin to imagine the love
God has for us. Romans 5:1-8 teaches us that while we were sinners,
Christ died for us. Yes, we always need to hear that Jesus suffered and
died for us to set us free.
Many times I have said in sermons that God’s love is the most
powerful force in this world. Now did I really learn this in Sunday School or
in Church. No, God showed me God’s love in action through my mother’s
seven cancer operations at a very early age. Now at this time in my life I
didn’t know that God was teaching me about the power of love through
God’s grace, and miracles of God’s healing. At an early age when I was in
elementary school, I knew my mother had a cancerous tumor on her right
leg. She was thrown out of a car going around a turn and she hit a curb
which resulted in a bruise that turned into a cancerous growth.
There were many times I thought is God going to take my mother
from me and the rest of our family. She suffered many times, but she
showed me that God is always with us. Did our family suffer with her? We
sure did, but it helped us grow in our family and at the same we learned
about endurance. One time when I was in college, I came home from class
and my mother was in bed screaming. One of the tumors was touching a
nerve in her leg and the pain was unbelievable. I told my brother Bob, we
need to put mom in the back of my dodge charger and get her Hershey
Medical Center. The surgeon who had operated on her in Altoona had just
had a heart attack.
I had never been to Hershey Pennsylvania and the Medical Center. I
knew it was on Route 322 not too far from Harrisburg. I also heard that the
Hershey Medical Center had a Cancer Institute. So we are driving through
Harrisburg about 1:30 at night looking for signs that pointed to Hershey. We
pulled into the emergency room and one of doctors who was a cancer
specialist said to my brother Bob and me after he examined my mother,
“How is your mother alive?” That night I realized that my mother and our
family were living a miracle from God. The miracle was happening over 27
years. Now that is the reason why I believe God’s miracles are God’s love
in action.
Yes, when the Apostle Paul says in our Roman scripture that suffering
produces endurance, and endurance produces character and character
produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, the Apostle was showing
us that God’s miracles are God’s love in action. All of us have suffered in
many ways throughout life, but God was always with us giving us faith and
hope through love and grace. Sure there may be times when you wondered
how am I going to get through this illness or other challenging
circumstances. The answer is God’s presence. God’s Holy Spirit is always
with you and within you helping you in many ways. As your pastor I am
always willing to have special mission moments in our worship services
and how you experienced God’s miracles of love in action. They help all of
us grow in faith showing others the hope we have in God.
Yours In Christ,
Pastor Dick Henry
Comments