Rev. Dr. Jonathan Blanke, Senior Pastor
Pastor’s Corner for February 1-7
Character-Forming
(Micah 6:1-8)
Is the faith journey for followers of Jesus all about us GIVING something TO God that God needs from us… or is it all about us GETTING something FROM God that we need from Him?
I think you know the answer. GOD doesn’t really need anything from us. WE need—I need—what only He can give me: His grace and mercy… His kindness to me in Christ Jesus! But I ask the question because it’s easy to hear that famous passage from the Old Testament today and reduce it to a moralizing T-shirt slogan for all humanity (translation: someone other than “me”) to “give” to God: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Is doing what is right and going the extra mile to love another person God-pleasing, even when it’s hard? Of course! The problem is I almost always see the need others have to do that, and ignore God’s calling for ME to grow in doing what He desires.
The Good News is that Jesus humbled himself to become obedient unto death, even death on a cross (Phil. 2:8). The Good News is that Jesus loved mercy: He forgave sins, He preached, taught, healed and raised the dead of those He met during His earthly ministry. And the Good News is that Jesus took part in God’s justice! He took upon Himself our failures, our pride, our judgements of others. Jesus has rescued us from ourselves. And now, by His Spirit, He is at work in you and me to hear God’s call to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him. Whether that means listening patiently to somebody even when we don’t want to, standing up for another person who has been wronged, or serving willingly and without recognition, He is there to give us His grace.
God is patient. He is at work in you and me to build the character of Jesus in each of us. It is what we need. It’s what the world needs, too! So I invite you to tune in to what the prophet Micah has to say today. It’s not a message about what God needs from someone else. It’s all about what you and I need from God… and continue to receive, by the grace of Jesus Christ… to be at work in the world that God loves!
Please Take Time to Pray as We Gather for a Special Voters’ Meeting February 8 @ 12:30 PM
All Resurrection Lutheran Church voting members (confirmed, signed the church constitution, and old enough [18] to vote on financial/legal matters in the state of North Carolina) are invited to gather for a special meeting February 8 as we discuss the results of a Ministry Expansion Campaign Preliminary Study and what the recommended next steps for us as a congregation might be. We will gather in the main sanctuary. Please take time out of your busy schedule to be there!
Peace and joy,
Pastor Jonathan
Pastor Jonathan Blanke grew up in Richmond, Virginia. He received his Bachelor's degree from College of William and Mary in Virginia and attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, where he earned a Masters of Divinity degree and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Biblical Studies, Book of John. He served as a Vicar at Messiah Lutheran Church in Richardson, Texas.
The Blanke family lived in Japan while he served as pastor and missionary to Okinawa Lutheran Church and taught Biblical Studies at Japan Lutheran College in Tokyo.
Pastor Jonathan lived in southern Maryland from January 2014 to November 2019 and was thankful to have served as the Sole Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lexington Park, Maryland.
He and his wife, Juli, have two grown children. In his free time, Jonathan likes to travel, "play around" on the piano, and enjoy the outdoors.
Click HERE to view a brief video from Pastor Jonathan.