Giving Thanks!

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Colossae,
     "In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.  You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel that has become to you.  Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God.  This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant.  He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit."  Col. 1: 3-8
    There is no pastor serving in the Presbytery of Lake Michigan named Epaphras, but as I travel the presbytery, worshiping with our 66 congregations, I give thanks for our gifted preachers, loving pastors, sensitive administrators, and courageous leaders, who serve our congregations.  This Thanksgiving, join me in giving thanks for your pastor.
     I also give thanks for the faith I am privileged to witness among our congregations.  These are challenging times for the church.  These are also exciting times when our faith and witness makes a difference.  On November 8th, the Presbytery claimed a new and very old purpose statement:  "The purpose of the Presbytery of Lake Michigan is to challenge, encourage, and equip worshiping communities of faith to make disciples of Jesus Christ with the gifts God gives them."   Thanks be to God for your witness which bears fruit to the glory of God, showing forth the grace we know through Jesus Christ.