Pastor Appreciation Month · 14 October 2017
October is Pastor Appreciation month, so I want to say a few words to thank the pastors and directors at our church for all they do.
We go to Cascade Community Church in Monroe, Washington and I must say that our pastors do a fantastic job. They preach and teach. They offer comfort and kind words. They officiate at weddings and funerals. They pray. Those are the things that people see, but they do so much more behind the scenes. They make sure there are outreach programs. They help to provide for the needy. They organize and prioritize. They figure out what churches to plant and what missionaries to support. Most of all, they give, give, give of themselves. They live a life of service that the rest of us take for granted. A life that just a few words of thanks are not enough to show appreciation.
Still, as inadequate as the words are, I will say them. Thank you Cascade pastors and directors for all those things you do. Things that we see and things that we do not see.
While I appreciate all the things I mentioned, there is one message that I think I appreciate most of all from the pastors and directors at our church. We hear over and over again that if the only time we are hearing the words of the Bible is on Sundays, then we are missing the boat. (Think of Noah.)
I like this message for many reasons. (Besides the Noah pun.)
One of the main reasons I like the message to read the Bible is that we need to read the Bible. Period. People say that they know what it says, but they may have only read “In the beginning…” or some other passage. Or they may never have read it at all. Still, it has been a book of conversation and controversy for all of the over two thousand years since it was written. So if people are going to argue about what the Bible says, they ought to at least know for themselves what it really says. After all, words are much harder to misquote when you actually know them.
The other main reason I like the message to read the Bible is because I love God’s word, and want to know what it says without anybody filtering or misinterpreting it for me. Which is why I appreciate our pastors. They do not try to misinterpret what the Bible is saying. They just read it and expound on it without giving a personal or political bent. They let the words speak for themselves and explain some of the historical and other nuances. And they give us practical and timely applications for those words. After all, the Bible is God’s living word. And no matter how many times we read it, we get the right messages at the right times when we are reading it all the time. When we are following the advice of our professional holy people and putting God’s words in our hearts. Especially, when we do so more than one day a week.
So thank you again pastors and directors of Cascade Church. Especially, for your clear and consistent message to read and know God’s Word.
I know that these few words of appreciation are completely inadequate for thanking the pastors and directors at our church for all they do. After all, they do so much. But like I said, I am most thankful that they show us and tell us not to just read God’s word, but to know God’s word. To me, those are the most important words that anybody can say from the pulpit or model in their daily lives. So thank you. That message is a big reason why I appreciate our pastors and directors more than just in the month of October, Pastor Appreciation month.
© 2017 Michael T. Miyoshi
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