“For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.” (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20)
Beloved,
There are many days that I sit and pray and long to be in the presence of the Lord Jesus. I meditate about seeing our glorious Savior in all his glory. I long for his loving embrace and words of welcome into his eternal kingdom. It is humbling to know that my hope, my joy and my crown of boasting before the Lord Jesus Christ on that day is you. It is an incredible gift to shepherd and serve you as your pastor. I feel an incredible joy and thankfulness that God has given me the pleasure of pastoring the Park Baptist Church. The love that my family and I consistently feel from this congregation is truly overwhelming. I believe that I am the best loved pastor in all of Rock Hill.
I am not only overwhelmed because of your love for me, but your love for the Lord Jesus Christ, your passion for the Word of God, your desire to serve each other as brothers and sisters of the same family, and your passion for the glory of God to be manifested across the earth. Your hope, your joy and your faith is my hope and joy and crown of boasting before Christ. I am so incredibly proud to be your pastor. You have been taught by God to love one another and I exhort you to do so more and more. Your love for Christ and his church will draw many others to receive the kingdom of God through receiving Jesus as Lord as we manifest God wisdom in living as a radical transformed redeemed family of God. I am so glad that I am part of this family of God.
Although God has given me the joy of serving as an under-shepherd of this church for 5 years, Jesus Christ has served as the Chief Shepherd of Park Baptist Church for 110 years. The good work that God has begun in Park Baptist Church, he will carry to completion on the Day of Christ Jesus. Let us pause and thank God for this faithfulness to this Park Baptist Church. Praise God for the warm heartedness of our congregation. Praise God for the spiritual fervor. Praise God for his ever-present faithfulness. Praise God for his steadfast love. Let us not merely remember what God has done in and through Park on Homecoming, but let us share all month long of God’s kindness to us in Christ.
May the God of hope fill us with all hope and joy as we continue to trust in Him so that we may overflow with hope in the power of the Holy Spirit. God has been kind to Park Baptist Church for 110 years. God has been kind to me these past 5 years by making you my hope, my joy and my crown of boasting at the coming of Christ. May God give us many more anniversaries and Homecomings together.
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