Greetings and blessings! Lorraine has asked me to write for the front page of Bridge Talk, so instead of L. T. for Lorraine T., it's now L. T. for Larry Travis.
This month I am officially inducted as part-time pastor. A pastor or shepherd is one who protects, guides, and nourishes a flock. I can't do that! I need protection, guidance, and nourishment.
Only God can do that for us. He protects us from evil and falsehood. He guides us away from sin and back to himself. He nourishes us, physically and spiritually.
I will spend time and effort studying the Bible, and thinking about how to make its meaning and relevance plain for us. I will meet with church members and regular attenders to pray together and read Scripture.
That's my role as pastor. But it won't really be me "shepherding" you. God takes care of us a ll through his Son, his Spirit, and his Word.
In preaching, we have begun working through Matthew's Gospel. Last Sunday I spoke from Mt. 1:1-17, the genealogy of Jesus. It emphasizes that God's promises are fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
We have no other hope at all, but this hope we have is sure. Having God's sure promises, how should we serve him together as a church?
"Let us hold firmly to the hope we confess, because the one who promised is faithful. Let us consider how to spur each other on to love and good deeds." ()
- L. T. (Larry)