Pastor Rhoads graduated from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis  with a Master’s of Divinity degree in 2008. He has served as Associate Pastor at Christ Our Savior since his graduation. Before entering the seminary, he served as a Director of Christian Education at LCMS churches in Florida, Alabama, and Texas.

  Pastor Rhoads enjoys teaching the faith and providing opportunities for people to live out their faith in daily life. “My greatest joy in ministry is helping people grow in their knowledge and appreciation of the grace of God as revealed in the Bible.” In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family and hiking the many trails in our area.

Pastor's Message

Back to Work!

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,” Col.3:23

The first “Labor Day” celebration was held on Septem-ber 5, 1882 at the prompting of the Central Labor Union of New York City. At the time, working conditions and morale among workers were extremely low. The leaders were look-ing for a way to honor the economic and social achievements of the American worker, to instill a greater sense of joy in one’s work. The idea gradually spread to other cities and states. On June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act decreeing the first Monday in September as a legal and national holiday.

This month, we celebrate the exciting opportunities God is giving us to work for the Lord. Our Wednesday evening “Gathering” begins again after taking the summer off. Our church music program is gearing up. We are starting a new music program for the local homeschool community. While there is joy in this work, “working for the Lord” is a daunt-ing task. We especially struggle with the call to “work at it with all your heart”. Our hearts are sinful and corrupt. Even when we are serving the Lord, our ego is always involved at some level. We want to be recognized for the work we do. We want to see results from our labor. Our enthusiasm and excitement to “work” wanes.

We find a greater sense of joy in our work by coming to church each Sunday. In worship, God re-minds us of the work Jesus did on our behalf. He left his home in heaven and, for the joy set before him, He died on a cross. Through His saving work, we are made righteous. Filled with the Holy Spirit, we are able to get back to work with a clean heart and upright spirit. 

The verse right after the one quoted above gives one more reason to get back to work. Colossians 3:24 says, “since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.” Did you catch that? Your reward is not based on your perfor-mance. It is an inheritance, a gift, from the Lord.

What is God calling you to do this month? How will you get “back to work”? As you approach these tasks, “work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord”, joyfully confident of His love for you. Your reward is secure! Jesus has done all that is necessary for your eternal salvation. He is indeed a gra-cious and generous Lord to work for, so let's get back to work!

Pastor Mark

Here’s an interesting comparison by Rev. Dr. James Baneck of the LCMS that might answer that question. The lambs and sheep our Savior sent Peter to feed and tend were not the wooly kind residing on a beautiful hillside. There are, however, rich parallels between shepherding sheep and shepherding God's people.

James Rebanks watches over real four-legged sheep in the United Kingdom. He writes about the parallels in his article, “Are You Hard Enough to Survive as a Shepherd?”
"The romance wears off after a few weeks, believe me, and you will be left standing cold and lonely on a mountain. It is all about endurance. Digging in. Holding on. You will also need to be emotionally. tough … Carrion crows hang over our lambing fields waiting to steal the eyes out of anything sick or dead that cannot resist … You’ll need the patience of a saint, too, because sheep test you to the limit with a million ways to escape, ail, or die … It requires a body of knowledge and skills that shepherds devote decades to learning."

How this applies to our pastors! There is nothing romantic about being a pastor; it is hard work and often lonely. It demands an endurance that comes only from God. Like carrion crows, Satan seeks to devour God’s people. The pastor stands guard. protecting and feeding God’s sheep with Christ in the preached Word and blessed Sacraments. The formation of men for the Holy Ministry begins at Baptism. And while pastoral formation is intensified during seminary, “it requires a body of knowledge and skills that [pastors] devote decades to learning."

Pastors are to be clothed with the humility of Christ, “who humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8). Pastors must be equipped to lead Gods people to the waters of Holy Baptism, where God gives new birth to sinners and opens the kingdom of heaven for them. Pastors are formed to be stewards of the mysteries of God. Pastors feed God’s sheep the Word of God in preaching and teaching and with the body and blood of our Lord at His table. Pastors listen, love and seek the lost.

Looking at all that a Pastor does, how is he prepared for this role at the Seminars’? Can you help with this preparation? Could you sponsor a seminarian? Could you help COS in their sponsoring of eight seminary students? Please help with your gift! ‘For more information, contact John W. Smith. God bless your help.