For the next three Sundays in a row, I am so excited to open the word in the letters of John. This coming Sunday, we begin with 1 John 3:1-10. I invite you to read now and pray that the Spirit would let the words take root in your heart.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.” (1 John 3:1-10)

Throughout this entire passage, John has been underscoring the criticality of living as God’s children the fruit to a holy life. When we remain in Christ – that is, when we tether ourselves to Jesus– we are transformed into the life of holiness. When we don’t remain in Christ – that is, a life in defiance to Jesus – our life will reflect the decay and brokenness of this world. Sin within the context of John’s letter is when one lives in direct defiance of the ways of God. If we are truly born of God, we wouldn’t live in defiance to the ways of God, says John. It isn’t that Christians live lives of total “Christian perfection,” but instead, John is calling Christians to live surrendered lives day by day, minute by minute, moment by moment, second by second, and breath by breath. There are days, moments, and seconds that our posture of surrender turns into defiance of the ways of God. This is often played out in our relationships and shows up in bitterness, rage, gossip, malice, and deceit. As you prepare your heart for Sunday, ask the Lord to reveal to you where there is defiance in your heart.

Upcoming Transitions

It’s hard to believe that I am over 100 days in my pastorate at Good Shepherd. As each day passes, our path forward is becoming more and more visible. It seems things are beginning to fall into place, and I believe in the coming months, you will see it too. With that, we have a couple of transitions that I wanted to share with you.

Pastor Paul

Pastor Paul has graciously led our church for the last 18 months with strength, wisdom, and tender-loving-care. I have been abundantly grateful for his partnership and collaboration over the last few months. When I came onboard, Pastor Paul and I began to pray and discern about his transition out of Good Shepherd. He has always held an open and gracious demeanor along the way, and for that, I am so grateful. He is a true humble servant!

With that said, Pastor Paul will transition out of Good Shepherd in the coming weeks and his last Sunday will be Sunday, August 20th. Please stay tuned for more details to come on how we will celebrate, honor, and say farewell to Pastor Paul.

We pray that Pastor Paul’s next assignment with the Synod will be full of rich blessings. We have told Pastor Paul that we hope he can always see Good Shepherd as home. He is always welcome back to worship with us. 

If you see Pastor Paul, please share your love and gratitude to him for his ministry at Good Shepherd!

Pastor Greg Wenhold

Pastor Greg doesn’t need much of an introduction to most of you, but Pastor Greg served as the Co-Senior Pastor of Good Shepherd church for many years. While I am sure he never dreamed paths would lead him back to Good Shepherd; a few months ago, he and IdaLynn moved from the west coast back to Naperville. Pastor Greg and I have always maintained a friendship over the last decade, so it felt natural to invite him back into the life of our church. Over the last couple of months, he and I have been in conversation about what a supporting pastoral role might look like for him. After a lot of collaboration with Pastor Greg and council, I am excited to share this news with you.

On Tuesday, September, 5th, Pastor Greg will join the pastoral staff on a part-time basis as the Staff Support Pastor. As Pastor Greg has often made clear in our conversations, he is not returning to lead Good Shepherd, but to support me, the staff, and the ministries of Good Shepherd. Pastor Greg will not have any direct reports and will not oversee any departments, but instead his focus will be on preaching, teaching, leading liturgy, visiting the sick, and helping move the congregation forward with various key initiatives. Pastor Greg and I are still working out his new rhythms as well as collaboration lines with staff. 

Please mark your calendar for Monday evening, August 28^th for our next Shepherd’s Heart Live. Pastor Greg and I will host the conversation together and share what this new partnership will look like. I’m excited for a wonderful evening and look forward to seeing you there!

Good Shepherd Church, I love you more than you know.

From my heart,

Pastor Tara Beth