Rev. Dr. Jonathan Blanke, Senior Pastor
Pastor’s Corner for January 18-24
Of More Value than Many Sparrows
(Luke 12:7)
A beloved television show has returned for another season: All Creatures Great and Small (PBS). Season 6 Episode 1 just premiered last weekend. Why do I like this show so much? Maybe because it is filmed in the Yorkshire Dales. There are endless views of spectacularly beautiful scenery. Another reason, I suspect, is (you guessed it) the animals! Who doesn’t delight in the image of a knowledgeable vet tending to the needs of rheumy-eyed cows or faithful and hardworking sheepdogs? But I think the characters on the show are what really have me hooked. They are dedicated to their vocation. Sigfried, Tristan, and James are not only hardworking veterinarians. They do what they can to care for the people in their community, too. A farmer who is struggling to make ends meet, an elderly neighbor who is living alone, a grieving family, or a young person who is just trying to find his way in life…all are people with “wounds” to be tended. As a result, we viewers are led time and time again to the realization that—as important as the animals are—the HUMAN life depicted on the show is especially sacred, beautiful, and a thing to be cared for. It is all based on the life of a real man: James Herriot. But All Creatures Great and Small is, of course, pure fiction. Perhaps even a bit of escapism. Still, the message of the season premiere comes at an opportune time for a focus on the sanctity of human life this weekend at RLC.
Tending to human life from its very beginning to its end is our calling as Christians—though the culture of violence in which we find ourselves in the real world can make it challenging to stand up on behalf of human life in all of its diversity and stages of development. Jesus once spoke to those who feared others who could “destroy the body” with these words: “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows!” (Lk 12:6-7) Jesus would demonstrate just how much more you and I and all the world are worth…not only by healing those distressed in body and spirit. He would ultimately give up His own life on a cross. All so that you and I might enjoy Life that begins today and lasts forever! He empowers us to be His voice to a world on edge and numb to the many threats to physical and emotional well-being: No matter who you are, you are valuable. You matter. You are a person created in God’s image. Human life is sacred in God’s eyes. It is important to us too.
I know I stand alongside all of you in saying how grateful I am that the sanctity of human life “from the womb to the tomb” is a priority at Resurrection! We call upon the grace of God to empower us to speak up for, work for, and provide for all human life to the best of our abilities.
Join us this weekend as we highlight the work of our congregation in tending to the needs of the disabled, those in prison, the unborn, the elderly, and so many more. As you do, prayerfully consider your own involvement and what God is empowering you to do to support human life today!
Special Voters’ Meeting February 1 @ 12:30 PM
Please join us for a special voters’ meeting February 1 as we gather to discuss the results of a Ministry Expansion Campaign Preliminary Study and what recommended next steps might be. We will gather in the main sanctuary. Please take time out of your busy schedule to join us!
Peace and joy,
Pastor Jonathan
Please note, the church office will be closing early (1:00 pm) on Friday, January 16 and will be closed on Monday, January 19 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
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.