From the Pastor’s Keyboard

At age sixteen, Hungarian pianist Andor Foldes was already a wonderful musician, but he was experiencing a troubled year. In the midst of his struggles, one of the most famous pianists of the day, Emil von Sauer, came to his town. Emil was famous not only for his abilities; he was also the last surviving pupil of the great Franz Liszt. He visited young Andor and asked him to play something. Andor played some of the most difficult works of Bach, Beethoven, and Schumann. When the music ended, Emil walked over to the boy and kissed him on the forehead. “My son,” he said,“when I was your age I became a student of Liszt. He kissed me on the forehead after my first lesson, saying, ‘Take good care of this kiss – it comes from Beethoven, who gave it to me after hearing me play.’ I have waited for years to pass on this sacred heritage, but now I feel you deserve it.” We have received a different kind of sacred heritage. We are students and followers of Jesus. Our foreheads are marked, not with a kiss, but with the sign of the cross. And unlike the boy, Andor, our sign does not reflect any achievement of our own. We are marked in baptism with the cross of Christ and join a long line of believers stretching back to Bible times. This invisible tattoo reminds us that we belong to Christ. This year our Epiphany season runs from January 6 through March 6. We will hear stories from the Scripture telling how God’s people are blessed; how they begin to see that Jesus is the Messiah; stories showing Jesus as the light of the world; tales of those who hear and obey the call to follow Him. We will hear stories of how God’s presence makes a difference in the lives of His people. The stories – and the One whom they’re about – will make a difference in our lives. In this anniversary year for Ascension, we are especially aware of how we have been “blessed to be a blessing.” For fifty years God has used us to pass the faith on to others. For fifty years God has blessed and guided us. We will celebrate the festival of “The Baptism of our Lord” on January 9. During worship we will renew our baptismal vows. God will once again bless us that we might be a blessing to others.

Your servant in Christ,