Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matt. 28:19,20

I’ve got one year left of seminary. It’s been a lot of work, good work, and thought provoking, soul-searching, prayerful work. A mentor, the Rev. Bill Norton, supervises my studies. I am extremely thankful for this God given relationship.

 My course work for the next ten weeks is the mission of the church. I like that, I think that the Lord may have gifted me with the gift of evangelism. I was talking with my mentor the other day, he was telling me about an article that he had been reading. This man was saying that in the great commission the word go in the therefore go is not a verb but a participle. He said that a better interpretation would be, while you are going be making disciples of all nations. Have you ever had one of those, yes that’s it moments? This was one of those moments for me. As you’re walking through your life be making disciples. That’s what its all about for me, in every area of my life I’m excited about what the Lord is doing. In every area of the lives of the people we come into contact with I’m looking for what the Lord might be doing. In our church, in our vocation, in our families, as we walk through life, when Jesus is the central passion of your life you get opportunities to see the Lord at work. Doors open, bridges form to share our lives and the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others.

I’ve been meditating on the scriptures out of the book of Romans. I was thinking one day and I had this thought. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit the apostle Paul was actually building a house for which the people of God could dwell in and live their lives from. The author of Hebrews said that Moses was faithful over all his house. He says ,” but consider the Son who is faithful over his own house, whose house we are, if we hold on to the courage and the hope of which we boast. Paul would tell us in 1 Corinthians 3, “ By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. Peter would say we are living stones being built together a habitation for the Holy Spirit. By the Spirit through the Word we dwell in, live our lives out of the dwelling place of His Word. This has been my burning desire, that we would witness the Word and sacraments shaping the lives of the members of our church and our communities.

As we are walking through life’s journey be making disciples. While I’ve been praying, meditating, and reminding our people of these things, one of our elders came to me. He began to tell me this story. He said, “ About seven years ago my wife left me and divorced me. I agreed to give her the house, as long as she would never sell it, and it would remain in the family for the kids and their children. She has now decided to sell this house.” At first John was very troubled by all of this. You see John had built this home, a log home, using logs from their property. He built every square foot with love and devotion for his wife and children. The property was a large piece that had been in John’s family handed down from his father to him. After much prayer he said to me, “ There is nothing I can do except let it go, it’s in God’s hands now. Maybe the Lord will let me have another house someday. I know that the Lord has led me here to Neah Bay and he must have something else in store for me here.” John has felt called to serve the Lord in this community. He has remarried and has a few more children now. He is a man who loves the Lord with all of his heart, mind, and soul. Awhile back I received a phone call from John, he sounded very excited. He said to me, “ David, do you remember when I told you that I thought the Lord might someday give me another house? I sad, “ Yes I do John, what’s going on?” He went on to say, “ I think that the Lord has given me another house, His house, the church. I can care for His house, I can work on His house, I can minister in His house and to the people of this community. My children can dwell in this house, an eternal house.” As I listened to what my friend and brother was telling me my heart began to leap for joy. My heart is to minister to others, but often I end up being the one who is ministered to by the lives of His disciples as we are going, as we are going through life, making disciples with such a precious promise, “ I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Amen Choo