Dear brothers and sisters,
There is something I want every person in Gilcomston Church to know: I care about you.
I mean that sincerely. Some of you I know very well. Some I am only beginning to know. Some have been part of Gilcomston for decades; others have only recently walked through the doors. But whoever you are, and however long you have been among us, I want you to know that you matter deeply: to me, to the eldership, to the church, and to Christ, the Great and Good Shepherd. The reason for that is not mere sentimentality. It is profoundly biblical. Paul writes to the church in Colossae and calls them “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved” (Colossians 3:12). What an extraordinary description of the Christian. If you are in Christ, you are holy and beloved. You belong to him. You are a child of God, bought by the blood of Christ, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and brought into the household of God. And therefore you are precious. Paul speaks with similar affection to the Thessalonians: “being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us” (1 Thessalonians 2:8). That is Christian ministry. It is not merely preaching sermons, organising services, running programmes or holding meetings. It is people. It is loving the people whom Christ loves.
And so let me say this plainly: if you are struggling, please speak to me. If you are discouraged, tell me. If something in church life has hurt you, don’t quietly disappear. If you are carrying a burden, let someone help you carry it. And if there is joy in your life, let us rejoice with you too, for we are a body. We belong to one another, and it is our privilege to “let brotherly love continue” (Hebrews 13:1). The last few months have reminded us just how transient church life can be. We have said goodbye to several couples and families whom we love dearly. At the same time, almost every month we have welcomed new people into our fellowship. Children have been born. New faces have appeared. Others have moved away into a different season of life.
That is one of the strange and beautiful realities of the local church. People come. People go. Children grow up. Jobs change. Families move. Seasons begin and seasons end. Nothing in this present life stands still. And perhaps that should make us cherish one another all the more. We welcome the stranger because they may soon become a dear brother or sister. We notice the visitor because God may be bringing them into our fellowship. We love those who have been here for fifty years and those who have been here for five minutes. We rejoice over children born among us and grieve when people we love move away. The living church of God changes. But Christ Jesus does not. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
The faces around us will change, but the Good Shepherd remains. He gathers his sheep, cares for his sheep, and leads his sheep home. So while the Lord gives us to one another, let brotherly love continue. Let us not take one another for granted. Let us bear burdens, share joys, forgive quickly, speak honestly, welcome warmly and pray faithfully. The people sitting around us on a Sunday are not there by accident; in the providence of God, he has given us to one another for this season. And please know this personally: you are not simply a name on a membership roll or another face in a Sunday congregation. You are part of this church family. You are known, valued and loved. And whether you have been here for fifty years or five minutes, it is a genuine privilege for me to be your minister and to walk with you, for however long the Lord gives us together, towards the home where there will be no more goodbyes.
Your pastor and friend,
Nathan