From the Pastor

Thriving in a World of Change
(Jeremiah 17:5-8)

How well do you deal with change? Over the years I’ve learned that in times of change, routine can be helpful. I’ve noticed that an unusually cold weather day usually feels better if it begins with my “happy juice”… dark, Café Bustelo Espresso coffee. I typically don’t watch a lot of news on TV, so on my way to the office or on the way home I usually enjoy listening to news podcasts. For me it’s most often Morning Edition or The Daily. I’d like to believe that I don’t have a sweet tooth, but lunch is always better when it’s followed by — well, you know, something sweet! Every day looks a little different when you’re a pastor. However, the little traditions in life help maintain the illusion that whatever comes our way we are managing change and doing so successfully.

The problem, of course, is that changes we cannot always foresee are ever present just beyond the proverbial horizon. A brief look at a Pew Research Center report on change in 2025 points out that, despite the advantages brought by AI and other technologies, the challenge of fewer flesh-and-blood workers, tele-everything, digital propaganda/misinformation, and social isolation are likely only going to increase. And these are only the changes that the so-called “experts” envision. It can all be a little overwhelming and intimidating.

Jeremiah has a Word from God about navigating this world of change. According to chapter 17:5-8 there are two kinds of people: (1) the person who trusts in his own strength and barely manages to scrape by and (2) the person who trusts in the Lord and therefore thrives, even in a time of drought, bearing fruit by God’s strength. Both must endure the hostile and ever-changing atmosphere of the desert. Yet one taps into Living Water while the other is left to dwell in the parched places of the wilderness.

When we put down roots into living water and ask for God’s help to produce good and lasting fruit together, there’s no telling what God can do. God is at work among us… and we have much to be thankful for! This month I would ask you to keep RLC Praise Worship Director Christopher Reed in your prayers. Chris is embarking on a major change in ministry focus: he will be installed as SMP vicar at RLC February 8 while pursuing ordination as an SMP pastor, specializing in Music Ministry. Pray that God would continue to prepare his heart and ours for the journey we will soon begin down that road together. I also look forward to joining our Church Council, our pastoral team, all our church staff, and RLC Lay Deacon Tom Gebbia as we seek God’s guiding for our church’s newest strategic focus for 2025-2026. Rev. Dr. Travis Guse will meet with our team on February 22 and help us craft our strategy together. Please keep this time of vision-building and planning in your prayers too.

It's true: change is inevitable… growth is optional. May we seek godly wisdom to not only confront change, but to grow and thrive in it… by the grace of God!

Love in Christ,
Pastor Jonathan