Pastors PageThe Rev. Dr. Timothy Roser has been pastor of St Paul’s, Junction City and St John’s, Dancy since 2002. A native of Holbrook, NY, he became an “adopted” Wisconsinite at the age of twelve, when his family moved to Greenfield. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee (1985) and Concordia Seminary, St Louis (1989), he served as Pastor of The Lutheran Church of the Apostles in Alsip, Illinois, and of Faith Lutheran Church in Spooner, Wisconsin.
In addition to his pastoral responsibilities, earning advanced degrees in Practical Theology (STM 1995) and Systematic Theology (PhD 2005) has enabled Pastor Roser to serve as an instructor for the Distance Education programs of Concordia Seminary, St Louis. He is also currently serving as First-Vice President of the North Wisconsin District of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Pastor Roser and his wife, Ann, have four adult children, all living in the upper Midwest. |
Pastor Roser
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September 2024 Newsletter
Let Us Run With Endurance The Race That Is Set Before Us …
A lot of races are being run this year. Athletes have been running in the Olympics and Paralympics, and politicians are running for public office. Some races are displays of great talent, ability, and sportsmanship. Others have not been exhibitions of such noble character. Sadly, we’ve seen poor behavior from athletes of many nations and from politicians across the political spectrum.
But, as you listen to the announcers who cover these sports and political events, their voices are so intense and excited you’d think they were talking about the only important things happening on the planet! And many times, it’s almost impossible to find out what else is going on in the world. That frustration can tempt us to just give up and tune out, to ignore what’s going on around us.
Still, we are called by God to be faithful, responsible citizens, to pray for our leaders, and to live as servants of God in this world (1 Timothy 2; Romans 13; 1 Peter 2:13ff.). To do such things, we need to be informed so that we can be properly and positively involved in this world in which we live.
At the same time, we need to remember that the races that fill our news cycles are not the only important things happening in this world. In spite of the coverage they receive, they are not even the most important things in this life. For there is a race that has been set before us that is truly important, one that has impact on this life and the life to come.
The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews draws our attention to this race: Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
What race is this that we are called to run? The race of faith! Like the believers who came before us (a sampling of whom are listed in Hebrews 11), we are called to continue on in this life, holding fast to that which has been revealed and promised to us in Jesus Christ: divine grace, forgiveness of sins, unity with Christ, life eternal.
Make no mistake, this is a difficult race. Unlike a marathon or an election, we know not where or when we will be able to stop. There is no “finish line” to cross, no “election day” that marks the end. We continue on until God takes us home through death or until Jesus comes again.
Meanwhile, along this race course, we are mocked and derided, encouraged by the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh to turn aside, to give up, to quit. After all, why should we “waste” our lives trusting in something we cannot see? Why not, instead, enjoy the things we can see in the world around us, “eat, drink, and be merry”?
But this is how God would have us live: not by sight, but by faith. For faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). So we live knowing that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18).
And so we continue to run this race, our race of faith. We run, surrounded by the faithful who live and the faithful who have gone before us. We run, looking to Jesus, who remains with us, holding us up all the way until the end. We run until we enter into the Day of Resurrection, of Everlasting Life, of God’s promised Eternal Glory.
And what a finish—and a new beginning!—that will be!
Let Us Run With Endurance The Race That Is Set Before Us …
A lot of races are being run this year. Athletes have been running in the Olympics and Paralympics, and politicians are running for public office. Some races are displays of great talent, ability, and sportsmanship. Others have not been exhibitions of such noble character. Sadly, we’ve seen poor behavior from athletes of many nations and from politicians across the political spectrum.
But, as you listen to the announcers who cover these sports and political events, their voices are so intense and excited you’d think they were talking about the only important things happening on the planet! And many times, it’s almost impossible to find out what else is going on in the world. That frustration can tempt us to just give up and tune out, to ignore what’s going on around us.
Still, we are called by God to be faithful, responsible citizens, to pray for our leaders, and to live as servants of God in this world (1 Timothy 2; Romans 13; 1 Peter 2:13ff.). To do such things, we need to be informed so that we can be properly and positively involved in this world in which we live.
At the same time, we need to remember that the races that fill our news cycles are not the only important things happening in this world. In spite of the coverage they receive, they are not even the most important things in this life. For there is a race that has been set before us that is truly important, one that has impact on this life and the life to come.
The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews draws our attention to this race: Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
What race is this that we are called to run? The race of faith! Like the believers who came before us (a sampling of whom are listed in Hebrews 11), we are called to continue on in this life, holding fast to that which has been revealed and promised to us in Jesus Christ: divine grace, forgiveness of sins, unity with Christ, life eternal.
Make no mistake, this is a difficult race. Unlike a marathon or an election, we know not where or when we will be able to stop. There is no “finish line” to cross, no “election day” that marks the end. We continue on until God takes us home through death or until Jesus comes again.
Meanwhile, along this race course, we are mocked and derided, encouraged by the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh to turn aside, to give up, to quit. After all, why should we “waste” our lives trusting in something we cannot see? Why not, instead, enjoy the things we can see in the world around us, “eat, drink, and be merry”?
But this is how God would have us live: not by sight, but by faith. For faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). So we live knowing that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18).
And so we continue to run this race, our race of faith. We run, surrounded by the faithful who live and the faithful who have gone before us. We run, looking to Jesus, who remains with us, holding us up all the way until the end. We run until we enter into the Day of Resurrection, of Everlasting Life, of God’s promised Eternal Glory.
And what a finish—and a new beginning!—that will be!