Author: DeSoto Redeemer

September 2022
“Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; strive side by side for the faith of the
gospel.” Phil. 1:27

Dear Redeemer Family:
Autumn means a return to routine: to work, to school, to church too. I’m sorry, the usual time
of vacations has ended for most people. The great annual “play time” is over. But then again,
I really didn’t feel much like playing in 100-degree weather. It was brutal. Now, we enter once
again into a more organized time, if you will, of discipleship. And discipleship implies discipline.
There are real implications when we choose to follow a Christian way of life. But discipleship
does not just imply hardship or suffering. There is joy also implied in pursuing a life of faith.
Redemption, grace, and the promise of abundant life await those who follow Christ.

The season even begins with Jesus warning would-be disciples to consider the cost of
discipleship. A theme that the Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer will pick up and devote
to an entire book with the same title. The ramifications of following God are shown in the
stories of Naaman, Jacob, Zacchaeus, and Paul. There is no promise that leaders will even
receive gratitude: Moses has to deal with blaspheming people and an angry God; Jesus sees
only one in ten healed lepers come back to give thanks. It kind of sounds like modern American
politics. Gratitude is not something which is expressed nearly as often as it should.

When we consider the ideal of discipleship, we always come up short. It might come as a
consolation this season to see how God works in and through the most unlikely people. Jesus
gives praise to an unjust magistrate, a dishonest manager, and even a tax collector. In the Old
Testament lessons; God chooses the trickster Jacob to be patriarch over his brother Esau. And
an enemy commander, Naaman, to be healed of leprosy. As I often say concerning how God
works, expect the unexpected.

In this new season, as we seek to live out our lives in faith, and in “the routine.” We may expect
the non-routine. As we live out our faith, God may just step in at the most unexpected times
and cause us to shine our faith in strange ways. Be prepared for this to happen. God often
works this way through his disciples, and has for a very long time. Be faithful.

In Christ,
Pastor Rose

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.”
Genesis 2:15

Dear Redeemer Family:

I’m writing this in July. Although, it is for the August newsletter. August, you know, “the Dog Days of Summer,” the hottest time of the year. Yesterday, I saw a thermometer that only read 103 degrees. I have real worries about what August will be like. You may have noticed that things just keep getting warmer and warmer. And it’s not just here. Right now, Europe is experiencing record heat with 100-degree temperatures. And most homes there don’t have air conditioning. I know. My mother comes from there. I have relatives there.

In June, I attended the Synod Assembly. The theme this year was Climate Change. I learned some interesting things. 70% of people know that it is happening. 60% don’t think that it will affect the United States. Really? Come to Missouri. We are currently in a 5-to-7-year window where we can have an impact to slow, and hopefully reverse, this trend. But, people believe, “I can’t make a difference.” Well, yes, we can. If we don’t, things will worse. There will be more drought. Right now, virtually the whole western half of the US is in drought, most of it severe drought. Forest fires will increase. Crops will fail. Air pollution will increase, to name but a few obvious ones. And things will get worse. Not just here, but worldwide.

There are things which we can do. The church has already converted to all LED lighting. That cuts down on a fair amount of electricity use. We can also do that at home, and should. As much as possible, we can purchase locally produced items. Believe it or not, De Soto has an award-winning Farmers’ Market. It is open on Saturday mornings on Main St. I recommend we use it. I do. All the produce there comes from less than 50 miles away. That cuts down on transportation cost, and fuel usage. We can plant trees. That sounds simple. We have done it at the Church building. I’ve done it at home. My mail carrier has told me that I have one of the coolest yards in town. By that he means “lots of shade.” It is not the neatest yard in town. He looks forward to getting to my house, so he can cool down. We can avoid the use of “one use plastics.” Some countries have actually illegalized them! These include plastic bags and bottles. Every year, enough plastic water bottles are produced to reach to the moon! And plastic is forever. I prefer a reusable bottle anyway! Just fill it up at home, and wash it at night.

This is the tip of the iceberg (which are melting) of the things that we can do. There are many ways in which we can be less wasteful and more conservation minded. We have gotten lazy and wasteful over the years. We were created to be stewards of the earth. It is time that we heed that command. And look above, it is a command.

In Christ,
Pastor Rose