Pastor's Weekly Musing
Hey everyone!
I've asked Stephanie Fournier to write the devotional for this week's Musing. You all know and love Steph: she leads our Hospitality Team and Ladies Connect, and she and her family have been beloved Meadows members for years. Enjoy!
I've asked Stephanie Fournier to write the devotional for this week's Musing. You all know and love Steph: she leads our Hospitality Team and Ladies Connect, and she and her family have been beloved Meadows members for years. Enjoy!
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October is a great month in Las Vegas, the weather is starting to cool down and there are tons of sports and fall events happening. Another reason to love October here at Meadows, is that it is officially Pastor Appreciation Month! This Sunday October 9, is Pastor Appreciation Day, but the celebration doesn't stop there! We have the whole month to shower our pastors with gratitude and appreciation for all that they do throughout the year.
Pastor Appreciation Day is not just one of those made up national holidays, like National Hot Dog Day, or National Cat Day, or the infamous National Lost Sock Memorial Day.... yes, apparently that is actually a thing. Pastor appreciation on the other hand, is actually deeply rooted in Scripture.
In his New Testament letters, Paul was very specific in addressing how the pastors and leaders of the early church should be revered.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (MSG) says, "And now friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!"
Paul is not only calling for the early church congregations to acknowledge and respect their church leaders, but to honor and overwhelm them with love.
In 1 Timothy 5:17 Paul writes, "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching."
It is evident from Paul's choice of words, the leaders of the church should be honored above and beyond. Furthermore, as Christians, in choosing to appreciate and encourage our pastors, we are also honoring God Himself. As it is God who has chosen them to lead and love us so well.
I'm sure you can agree that at Meadows we are blessed with some of the very best pastors a church could hope for. We have five wonderful pastors on staff. Pastor Ron and Pastor Portia are our incredible senior pastors and Pastor Nate, Pastor Adrianne, and Pastor Robyn are our amazing Associate Pastors. This pastoral staff works so diligently, humbly, and lovingly to ensure that the community of Meadows is one that is welcoming, growing, and thriving in our relationship with the Lord and with one another. They also make sure there is no shortage of laughter and plenty of snacks too!
Pastoring is a unique calling that can be so very rewarding, but also very challenging. There are no 9-5 work hours, there is always an abundance of people in need or in crisis, and the responsibility of soul care is a heavy burden to carry which can take it's toll emotionally, physically, and spiritually. It takes an incredibly loving, patient, humble, and spiritually mature human to take on the role of Pastor.
There is no doubt that God has chosen and anointed our pastors at Meadows. This in turn creates a church culture of joyful belonging, incredible Biblical teaching and worship, and opportunities for continual spiritual growth and deep relationship with God and the people around us. So this month, let's join together in honoring our pastors well, so they know how much we appreciate and love them. There will be a basket in the lobby if you would like to leave a card or gift of encouragement and appreciation for our amazing pastoral staff.
"So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Ephesians 4:11-13.
Pastor Appreciation Day is not just one of those made up national holidays, like National Hot Dog Day, or National Cat Day, or the infamous National Lost Sock Memorial Day.... yes, apparently that is actually a thing. Pastor appreciation on the other hand, is actually deeply rooted in Scripture.
In his New Testament letters, Paul was very specific in addressing how the pastors and leaders of the early church should be revered.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (MSG) says, "And now friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!"
Paul is not only calling for the early church congregations to acknowledge and respect their church leaders, but to honor and overwhelm them with love.
In 1 Timothy 5:17 Paul writes, "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching."
It is evident from Paul's choice of words, the leaders of the church should be honored above and beyond. Furthermore, as Christians, in choosing to appreciate and encourage our pastors, we are also honoring God Himself. As it is God who has chosen them to lead and love us so well.
I'm sure you can agree that at Meadows we are blessed with some of the very best pastors a church could hope for. We have five wonderful pastors on staff. Pastor Ron and Pastor Portia are our incredible senior pastors and Pastor Nate, Pastor Adrianne, and Pastor Robyn are our amazing Associate Pastors. This pastoral staff works so diligently, humbly, and lovingly to ensure that the community of Meadows is one that is welcoming, growing, and thriving in our relationship with the Lord and with one another. They also make sure there is no shortage of laughter and plenty of snacks too!
Pastoring is a unique calling that can be so very rewarding, but also very challenging. There are no 9-5 work hours, there is always an abundance of people in need or in crisis, and the responsibility of soul care is a heavy burden to carry which can take it's toll emotionally, physically, and spiritually. It takes an incredibly loving, patient, humble, and spiritually mature human to take on the role of Pastor.
There is no doubt that God has chosen and anointed our pastors at Meadows. This in turn creates a church culture of joyful belonging, incredible Biblical teaching and worship, and opportunities for continual spiritual growth and deep relationship with God and the people around us. So this month, let's join together in honoring our pastors well, so they know how much we appreciate and love them. There will be a basket in the lobby if you would like to leave a card or gift of encouragement and appreciation for our amazing pastoral staff.
"So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Ephesians 4:11-13.
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This Sunday, we'll continue our series out of 1 Kings, Elijah & Elisha.
Last Sunday we looked closely at the epic showdown at Mt. Carmel between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. God showed up in a huge way, and the people of Israel were invited back into a close relationship with the one true God.
You'd think after this huge win that Elijah would coast for awhile, riding the momentum of this amazing victory. But it was the opposite, actually. Queen Jezebel made a vow to see to it that Elijah would be killed ASAP.
Elijah enters a dark season, one the is entirely relatable to the follower of Jesus. And what he finds there is sweet and thrilling. It's the same for us, as well.
Join us this Sunday for Part 3 - Grace in the Dark.
Looking forward to seeing you all on the walkway!
Pastor Ron
Last Sunday we looked closely at the epic showdown at Mt. Carmel between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. God showed up in a huge way, and the people of Israel were invited back into a close relationship with the one true God.
You'd think after this huge win that Elijah would coast for awhile, riding the momentum of this amazing victory. But it was the opposite, actually. Queen Jezebel made a vow to see to it that Elijah would be killed ASAP.
Elijah enters a dark season, one the is entirely relatable to the follower of Jesus. And what he finds there is sweet and thrilling. It's the same for us, as well.
Join us this Sunday for Part 3 - Grace in the Dark.
Looking forward to seeing you all on the walkway!
Pastor Ron
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