“Learn, yea, learn, I say, what a treasure you have in the Word of our Lord Jesus Christ: that there is no other help and aid against the devil, sin, and eternal death than to cling to the Word of Christ, that is, to believe His promise and to take Him at His word” – Martin Luther

For the past seven years, it has been a great honor and joy to be your pastor. Of course, a pleasure it has been to get to know each and every one of you. Our chats in passing after Sunday service, our discussions at church bible studies, or even after surgery or sickness in the hospital or home. These are wonderful moments in ministry. Yet even more so, it has been a great blessing to preach and teach the Word to you.

As we began the Didache Sunday bible study several months back, I have seen the attendance grow. And yes, increased numbers are always a blessing to see, yet the greater blessing is how the Word is working as we study the scriptures and relish in what it means to be truly Lutheran. For just as Luther says, “what a treasure you have in the Word of our Lord Christ”. Indeed, this is the beauty of Lutheran doctrine for it is truly only about Christ and what He has done for you. This is not a catchphrase or pious platitude but rather, in Christ, this is the totality of who we are as we live move and have our being. And thus, for those who have been attending, it has been a blessing to converse and discuss the Holy Scriptures and the catechism with you. This has always been a prayer of mine that we are united in doctrine, rooted in the faith together, that we are attending the Divine Service consistently, and studying the Word together [Sundays and midweeks]. For, at the end of the day, whether it is the preaching, teaching, and administering the sacraments, you will hear and receive Christ for you. Therefore, I encourage you to make it a priority to attend church and one [or even two :)] of our bible studies. I know we are all busy but in these gray and latter days, we need to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest the Word of Christ. “There is no other help and aid against the devil, sin, and eternal death than to cling to the Word of Christ”.

So come one, come all.

This is my encouragement and prayer to you.

Have a blessed October

✝️ Pastor Jeong

The full newsletter can be found here:
https://www.faithmoorpark.com/files/pdf/2024/2024-10-Newsletter.pdf

“Hey Abe, I need to go to the store, would you like to come with me?”

“No, Dad. I need to work out”.

The first time I heard this response, I was taken aback. “Work out?” I thought to myself, “ah, maybe this is just a phase”. Yet the next day, I asked, “Hey Abe, I need to go to church, would you like to come with me?”

“No, Dad, I need to work out”. I thought to myself, “well, I guess this is not simply an aberration, but rather, it has become a routine”.

Routines... we all have routines. Whether it be, our morning start with prayer, word and of course, coffee! Or at meal time as we pray and give thanks to the Lord for all that He has done and continues to do. We even have routines in all the vocations that God has given to us. Indeed, routines are beneficial.

And so it is in this life of faith. Attending consistently Sunday’s Divine Service, studying the Word at Sunday and mid-week bible studies, daily devotions through the portals of prayer, confirmation [beginning in October] children’s reading calendars, and FLC’s ongoing you-tube content, [listening again to the Sunday sermon, law and gospel, and what’s the big deal] the routine is in full swing and truly it is to our own benefit because the Word is living and active, sustaining us in the one true faith.

Yet, there is the so-called “treadmill disease”. Yes at first, we are enthused at first. We buy the treadmill and we use the machine daily for a few months, yet there is that one day, when we tell ourselves, “Oh, let’s take a day off”. And as soon as the routine is broken, how difficult it is to restart that as the next month begins and lo and behold, the treadmill has collected dust and has solely become a place to hang our clothes!

The question is, what is deterring you from the routine in the Word?

• Is it the busyness of the weekly schedule?

• Is it the upside down priorities that have taken precedence over the Word?

• What is turning you from the routine in the Word?

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” [1Pt5:8]. Indeed, our greatest deterrent is the devil, the world and the flesh! Therefore friends, I encourage you continually to be in the Word. Trust me, as sinners, it is very difficult. After a long day and returning home at night, just as I open the door, the children say, “Hurry up Dad, it’s bible time!”. Indeed it is, another reminder that even after a long and exhausting day, where I could have made many excuses on why we should forego the Word, what a blessing and comfort it is to have this most gracious routine.

“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise” [Dt 6:6-7]

Have a blessed September in the Word.

✝️ Pastor Jeong

The full newsletter can be found here:
https://www.faithmoorpark.com/files/pdf/2024/2024-09-Newsletter.pdf