Dear Friends,

One of the real keys to life I believe is motivation. If the motivation to do a certain thing is strong then many times the person that tackles a task or a goal succeeds. In sports, it seems that the teams that make it until the end are highly motivated and focused on their task. If you watched the last two minutes of the Super Bowl last February, the two plays that sealed the deal for the Giants were much focused, and you could feel the degree of motivation in the execution of them.

Read about or talk to anyone who excels or succeeds in their task and you discover a great deal of dedication, which means that they had strong motivation focused on what they wanted to achieve. You might also discover that for that person to reach that goal there was much hard work, disappointments, road blocks, dead ends as well as mistakes along the way. Yet it might be clear that their strong motivation for the task never wavered and saw them through at the end of the day.

For me that motivation in my calling came at age 16. It was a little while after I made a public commitment to Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I was walking on a brisk March day after church, and was reading the new bible that my parents had given me. Some how I flipped to Paul's letter to the Philippians. The heading at the top of the page said {this being the King James Version ) Paul giveth up all for Christ. My eyes then read:

7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,   9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith(Philippians 3:7-9)

Reading those words made quite an impression on me as a teenager. They became my motivations that eventually lead me to enter the process for ordained ministry in 1981.

When I stayed focused on that motivation being willing or even just open togive up something in service and devotion to my Lord, either doors were opened, goal was achieved, or if nothing more I felt a peace or solidness that I was on the right track. Leaving that focus or motivation never in the long run was not particularly helpful, edifying or personally spiritually renewing.

The word of my testimony here on motivations and focus seem to be particularly appropriate on our church as a community of faith. We will be having our annual meeting on May 18 th , and I also believe it was right around this month some 29 years ago St. Stephen Lutheran Church became a new church for the combining of several churches of faithful folk in bearing a witness to Christ on the North side of Syracuse .

What is your motivation for being here? What is our motivation for continuing our witness here on Dewitt Street ? There was a time I think that other motivations could carry the day. For some it was that this church was their families church, so they worked hard and remained loyal to it. For others it was out of dedication and duty, so powerful a motivation for a generation as a whole that they stepped up to the plate during World War II .

There are I am sure other motivations, that could be shared in this regard.

Now, however, things are changing. Our society has become very mobile, and families are spread generally not just by a few miles, but by several states.

The greatest generation is leaving us, as we acknowledge them with thankfulness and gratitude.

The one sure motivation that will guide us through our future as church body will be our individual and church commitment to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ . If that was our primary motivation there would be those who would step forward to help in the various ministries of the church. If our motivation was a deep commitment to Christ, visitors would sense that perhaps drawing more folk to our church family.

Even if the above didn't seem to be taking place, I am certain we would feel that God is guiding us along the right road in our individual spiritual journeys and our corporate one at St. Stephen.

May the Holy Spirit, whose out pouring we celebrate on Pentecost Sunday this month touch our hearts in faith, devotion and mission to our Lord Jesus Christ. Then I believe God will guide us along the rest of the way. God bless you all.

Your brother in Christ,

John

SUNDAY SERMON TITLES AND THEMES FOR THOUGHT