Encouragement from Friends

John has received beautiful letters of thanks, love and care in the last few weeks. Justin gave me permission to reproduce some of his letter to John below.

December 5, 2007
Dear John,
I just want you to know how grateful I am for you, and for my friendship with you. You have been so warm to me since we first met, and have taken me under your wing. You have encouraged me in my walk with the Lord, and specifically in my understanding of what the true worship of God in the context of the Church can look like.

In the summer of ’04, you asked me to help lead worship at Rez! Yikes!!! You took me to Shane’s Deli to walk me through the process of choosing the songs and thinking through the theology of a particular worship set and service. I remember we talked about Schmemann, of course, and about the general progression of coming to the Table, looking Upward and finally Outward. I confess I think I only understood about half of what you were saying (ha, ha!!), but I knew from that conversation that what you were talking about was most definitely something I wanted to internalize and live out for the rest of the my life. After reading Schmemann for myself (and most recently writing a paper on his theology of the eucharist for Dr. Henri Blocher) and just being at Rez and worshiping the Lord, under your leadership, I now think I grasp a little more what it was that you were talking about that day. It has taken me several years to basically get the hang of what worship leading at Rez is like, but you’ve been patient and encouraging all along…especially in my hymn playing, which needed A LOT of help!

John, I know you are walking through the fire right now, and I want you to know that there is a great cloud of witnesses, both here and among the great company of Heaven, from ages past and from our time (your friends!) who stand and salute you and praise God because of you. Moreover, the members of the Holy Trinity are interceding on your behalf, both by high priestly appeal (Heb 7:25), but also by loving prayer so profound that words could not even express it (Romans 8:26-27, 34). In a sense, I see the Trinity engaged in constant conversation about you! Have you considered my servant John?

So to close, can I share with you a few verses that have lifted my own spirit in the last few days? I am using situations in my own life as an opportunity not to deny the four walls of my circumstances but to resolutely (and with the Lord’s strength) look beyond them to fix my eyes on Jesus.

From Hebrews
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Well, John, once again, thank you so, so, so much for who you are, and for your friendship over the last few years. You’ve blessed me, and countless others, more than you can know. I look forward to spending more time together! I pray for you every day.

Tu amigo Argentino,
Justin Jacobson