A Tribute to My First Pastor

You won't find a clip of one of his sermons on a YouTube short.  You never heard him on the radio.  You can't purchase a book he's written.  Yet, for about 40 years at four different churches he was a lead pastor, or as they call them in small churches... pastor.

Whether it was in an old country church building, former Lutheran church building, building with a gym attached, community center, school, library or park pavilion he preached a few thousand sermons on Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings.

This pastor is the one I learned the Truth of God under.  He is the one who baptized me.  He was the one that I watched deliver the Word, visit the stragglers, pray with the hurting, get blamed for the lows and give credit to others for the highs.  

This pastor is my Dad.

After about 40 years serving as a pastor and more than half of that time as a bi-vocational pastor, he retired.  Dad retired not to find leisure but because he believes it the right time for someone else to lead Faith Christian Fellowship, his home for more than half his professional ministry.  He retired for the benefit of the church.  As he said on Facebook, "I am retiring from being the pastor of a church but I am not retired from living for Jesus!"

I was trying to think of how to best summarize what Dad did best as pastor.  There are better organizers than my dad.  There are better speakers than him.  There are better leaders than my dad.  Not that Dad did those things poorly, but that won't be his legacy, in my mind.  

In my mind, Dr. Jack W. Ray's pastoral legacy is that he loved the church.

If you went to Faith Christian Fellowship, Enon Baptist, 9th Street Baptist or Fairview Baptist you were loved by my dad.  Dad cared deeply about the people of those congregations while he was pastor there and after he left those local churches.  Dad enjoyed the people and cared for the people, even if they left the church unhappily.

He loves church.  I can't recall more than a couple times that we ever missed going to Sunday Service.  If we were on the road for vacation we went to a church in that town.  Dad had to go to church and it wasn't legalism.  He never thought of attending church as work.  Attending church was a privilege and necessity.  His tank needed gas.  He worshipped and fellowshipped with his brothers and sisters-in-Christ with joy and he passed that joy on to me.  And when there was at times disunity in his local church it crushed him.  

You won't find his preaching on TV, you purchase his Sunday School materials, you won't listen to his podcasts... but if you were in one of his churches you were deeply loved.  We Americans have many indicators for success that you won't find in the Bible.  Steadfast love and faithfulness are the chief markers of success.  Keeping "a close watch on your life and doctrine" (1 Timothy 4:16) is a much greater emphasis than Sunday attendance or internet reach.

"Well done, good and faithful servant." Matthew 25:23

The race isn't over and the cross can't be put down yet (Hebrews 12:1; Matthew 16:24) but I hope my dad and the millions of small church pastors around the globe like him know their worth to the kingdom today.  

Election Anxiety and Stress

 Election Day is Tuesday and millions of Americans are stressed and anxious just thinking about it.

The American Psychological Association just release a report call Stress in America 2024.  The findings are extremely interesting and worrying.  The APA reports that 69% of Americans surveyed said the presidential election was a significant source of stress.  This is up from 52% that reported this stressed them in 2016.  The report found that 77% of those surveyed said the future of the nation was a significant source of stress.  And the future of the nation stressed in a bi-partisan fashion: 80% of Republicans, 79% of Democrats and 73% of Independents.

If you've been in the U.S. or watched U.S. politics from afar this won't be surprising.  We're told it's a choice between Communism and Freedom in one religious magazine.  Still more will tell you that democracy is at stake.  Some claim Fascism is likely with the wrong result.  More still say there won't be a country if the other side wins.  For the everyith time in a row I am, and you are, voting in the most important election of our lifetime.  Sources of anxiety real, imagined and exaggerated are working to stress out Americans and drive them to the polls.  This election is important but it's also true, as I have noted in the past, anxious and angry people are more likely to vote.

How can we not be stressed?  

How can we not be anxious as we vote, watch results come in and deal with the outcome?

Don't take this wrongly.  Elections are important and do have consequences both negative and positive.  It is our right and responsibility to vote as best we can.  It is no small deal to have a voice in politics and most of human history would be jealous of what we can sometimes take for granted.  Please don't read this and use it as an excuse to abdicate the responsibility and privilege many died to guarantee you and God ordained that you have on Tuesday.

This all said, how can and must Christians act differently and react different in a constitutional-democratic-republic or any other form of government?

I have talked about this before but the Bible-reading, Bible-believing, God-fearing person can and must act differently from his/her non-believing neighbor.  We must be able to be hopeful in all circumstances and be able to speak about the reason for our unbelievable, inner hope (1 Peter 3:15).  So, how?

I want to encourage you to think on Biblical truths the next few days until they bleed out of you.  It's been asked: What comes out of a lemon when it is squeezed?  What comes out of a Christian when she is squeezed?  Survey says that we are being squeezed in this American Family Feud.  Think on and ponder Biblical truths so the juice revealed is lovely and God-honoring and noticeable to our neighbors.

"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Luke 12:32

My pastor preached on this verse today. His emphasis was on what the kingdom is but it easily could have been on "Fear not" (Scripture is so wonderful that a verse can contain scores of sermons!).

See, the world conjures up fear in us.  The election cycle and those running the campaigns urge us toward motivated fear.  Meanwhile, Jesus says, "Fear not."  This verse is in the midst of a section about anxiety, mostly economic anxiety.  It is here that Jesus commands us not to fear.  I can hear Him saying the same words to us as we wonder about our little kingdom.

And why should we not be afraid, according to Jesus?  Our Father and His Father is currently and is going to excitedly give us the kingdom.  If He is doing this why would we worry endlessly about clothes, food, money and political power.

"For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.  Instead, seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.  Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Luke 12:30-32

These verses help us escape the poverty mindset and can help us escape Chicken Little Politics.  So, think on and ponder this verse.  Memorize it and mull it in your mind.

"Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, 
to whom belong wisdom and might.
He changes times and seasons;
He removes kings and sets up kings..." Daniel 2:20-21a

One more short passage to memorize and ponder and meditate on this week.  My friend Lynn spoke this verse to our small group and it is so appropriate.  In America we are blessed with the right of election but we must never forget who ultimately holds the power of all election.  Christians cannot and must not fear in the same way as others.  Sure, some rulers are placed for blessing and some for judgement but all are in the hand and control of God Himself.  And as a son or daughter of God we can KNOW that all rulers, both righteous and evil, are elected or disposed for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28).

People are stressed and anxious about Tuesday and the future that follows Tuesday.  Christians, we must not fear what they fear (Isaiah 8:12).  We must think hard and long on God and His Word.  We must be and act differently because of what and Who we know.

Fight the news of the day fear cycle with timeless truth today.