From Pastor Biar’s Pen 

Today’s the Day!

      “Holy” is one of those “churchy” words that we use a lot without necessarily thinking about the actual definition. So, here’s your regular reminder that – at its root – “holy” means “unique or separate.” In its highest meaning, we say that the Lord is holy because there is none like Him. In every other context, it refers to something which has been specially set apart for the Lord’s use, be it His chosen nation of Israel, the ground made special by His presence where He chose to appear to Moses, the unique cross which bore our Savior, etc.

The church building is holy because it is a place set apart for the ministry of God – from the sanctuary which is dedicated to the gathering of the Lord’s people for the Divine Service where He pours out His grace and mercy in the Word rightly preached and the Sacrament rightly administered to the classrooms where we gather to study His Word more deeply and train up the youth to the offices where the administrative tasks get done and the sermons and studies get written. It is a great gift to have such a building so dedicated, as opposed to relying on constantly finding new meeting spaces, or renting out a utility room which is treated as mundane for six days out of the week rather than standing as a testament of the congregation’s dedication to having a home for itself.

By the time you read this, the last mortgage payment for our current building will have been processed. The hard work and sacrifices the congregation of St. John’s has made over the last 40 years has paid off. What our spiritual forerunners began, we have finished, that we may (hopefully) hand on this legacy to our spiritual children. While there will undoubtedly be other challenges facing us in the future, it is appropriate now to breathe a sigh of relief and offer up prayers of thanksgiving to the Lord that He has seen us through this great undertaking as we celebrate that we as a congregation now fully own our holy space dedicated to the Lord Almighty.   

In His Holy Name, 
Pastor Biar

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