St. Peter's Lutheran Church

PASTOR'S MESSAGE - NOVEMBER 

The month of November is a very special time in the life of the church as well as in the lives of our families. It’s a time of transition from fall to winter, a time of a few warm days and peaks of late summer and early fall coupled with periods of cold and even snow, and a time when families look to “home” and gather in late November for a day of Thanksgiving and fellowship. We have the joy of family, thanksgiving to God, great food and fellowship, and joy of the Advent and Christmas season a month away-without undue rush and pressure that comes in December.

In the Apostle Paul’s letter recorded in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, these words speak to us: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Paul’s words remind us of these primary points:

“Rejoice always…” In all situations and times, we are called to rejoice. The joy of Christ, as a fruit of the Holy Spirit, is not the same as happiness. Paul is speaking here of an assurance that is ours in Jesus Christ that in all situations, we are assured of His love, grace, and security.

“Pray continually...”  Prayer is more than just a regularly-scheduled private time of telling God what we think and need. It’s more than the collective times of prayer we experience in worship in church. Continuous prayer is a lifestyle, a state of mind, a heart that is at peace with the Lord, and taking time from the noise and clutter of daily living to listen to the “still small voice of God.”

“Give thanks in all circumstances…”  Have you taken time in recent months, or even years, to sit and write down and pray over all the many things for which you must be thankful? We take for granted, we are focused on material and temporal things, and we don’t take time to give God thanks and praise in all things. You are challenged in this month and Thanksgiving season, to take time to inventory the many ways in which God has blessed you even when you are dealing with challenges.

“For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus…” Paul is very clear in telling the early church, as well as the 2025 church, that it is God’s will for us, as believers in Christ Jesus, that we are to rejoice in Him, that we are to pray continually, and that we are to give thanks in all circumstances. And so often, the lack of personal peace and joy is because we have forsaken our times of rejoicing, prayer, worship, and giving thanks.

Please join me, and other believers in our church family and community in this special season and month of the year, to heed the words of the Apostle Paul to rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks to God in all things, and follow God’s will for our lives.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Rev. Perucy N. Butiku

Coverage Pastor