Pastor Note for
April/May 2025

In the ritual of baptism which we were reminded of recently through the baptism of Aubrey Loliger, parents are asked at one point, “Will you nurture this child in Christ’s holy Church, that by your teaching and example they may be guided to accept God’s grace for themselves . . .” In other words, would our children through what we say and do be able to see and know God? Jesus says in John 13:34, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” To explore that question of the baptismal ritual another way, do our lives through what we say and do express and share the same love that Jesus had for us through what he said and did? If you are anything like me, you answer with a “Heaven’s no! My life as an expression of God’s love still needs a lot of work.” Thankfully John Wesley certainly understood this reality seeing perfection, that is our lives being a perfect reflection of the love of God, as virtually unobtainable in this life. Rather our lives are spent growing in holiness of heart and life ever closer to that reflection, a process called sanctification. So, the pledge of my life in its teaching and example is more truly a commitment to this process—recognizing that I have a long way to go, but will do all I can to reach it.

While we are reminded of the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are left with the challenge—will everyone know that we are Christ’s disciples because of our love for one another? Can our children see God in us and through us? Do we as parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends, and neighbors reflect through our teaching and example the love of God? Let us gather and grow committing ourselves to the process that the answer may become ever more clearly a resounding ‘yes’ and ‘amen’ as we live our vision of “Making Connections and Offering Opportunities in faith, love, and service.’

Yours in Christ, 

Rev. Daven Oskvig