Rev. Dr. Jonathan Blanke, Senior Pastor
Pastor’s Corner for May 18-24, 2025
Making All Things New
(Revelation 21:1-7)
I remember what it felt like in the early years of my ministry, to go from managing change in my life to IMPLEMENTING it. As a recently placed pastor and missionary, there was a lot to do. Living in a new neighborhood meant finding where to set up a bank account, get a haircut, and buy everything from a frozen pizza to a plumber’s wrench. It meant writing a sermon every week. It meant not only getting to know the people of my new congregation but connecting with folks living in our neighborhood. And in the middle of that maelstrom of activity was a lot of business… a lot of busy-ness. I found myself managing the many changes by adapting to the demands placed on my time over the course of the day. But as is so often the case, eventually that new normal started taking hold. When you’re doing something you love or maybe even when you have a job that allows you to be of service to people God has put into your life it’s easy to be seduced into thinking a little more time on the phone or a few extra hours in the office or a few more lunch appointments will make everything even BETTER. But there’s that tipping point, isn’t there? There’s that day you wake up and realize the extra effort isn’t really for God’s glory. There’s that indefinable place where living and working stops becoming God-pleasing and starts becoming something else. It’s a time we look up and realize God doesn’t just want us to MANAGE change. God is calling us to implement change. And the place that change really gets rolling, by the work of the Holy Spirit, is inside our very own hearts.
Last week, together with RLC Council Member Tom Bolling, I had the privilege of attending our Southeastern District Conference in Richmond, Virginia and representing our congregation there. Along with all of the usual District Conference actions there was a discussion about worker and congregational wellness. The convention delegates gathered in Richmond have tasked our church body with developing best practices intended to foster overall health and wellness among members of all our district congregations and schools. Is there something all of us at RLC can learn on that topic? Perhaps. It also just so happens that this weekend at all our Sunday services RLC member Dr. Stephen Telloni will introduce our “Stewardship of Life and Health Team,” one of our newest RLC action teams. I’m grateful for all that Steve and the members of his team are doing to help us be good stewards of the bodies God has gifted to us. I know you’ll want to tune in to what he has to say.
It reminds me of a striking image I saw on our trip to Turkey a few weeks ago. At an out-of-the-way church in Istanbul, we saw a fresco of the resurrected Jesus raising Adam and Eve to new life (see above photo). In our Epistle reading this weekend, the resurrected Christ says, “I am making all things new!” (21:5). Note the present tense! Yes, on the Last Day the trumpet WILL sound and we SHALL be raised! That is our hope. But even now, the Lord of the cross and empty tomb is giving us what we need to be restored and refreshed in body and spirit: His Sabbath rest… His gift of sins forgiven. “If anyone is in Christ, he/she is a new creation” says St. Paul (2 Cor 5:17). Indeed. Let’s care for that creation as God enables us to do.
A Legacy of Service and Dedication: Rosie Creasy
Please allow me to share with you a letter received last week from Resurrection Lutheran School Admissions Director Rosie Creasy:
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Dear Resurrection Lutheran Church Families,
After much prayer and thoughtful reflection, I have made the decision to retire at the end of this school year. With grown children on the West Coast and family in Italy, I’m looking forward to spending more time with them and embracing the opportunity to explore the beauty our world has to offer. I’ll begin this new chapter in June with a hiking adventure in Acadia National Park, followed by a meaningful volunteer experience at the Infiorate di Genzano near Rome.
Before I go, I want to express my sincere gratitude to our church community. Your unwavering support of the school’s mission has been essential to our success. Your prayers, encouragement, and generosity have made it possible for us to nurture not only academic excellence but also a strong foundation of faith in our students. Resurrection Lutheran School would not be the vibrant, Christ-centered place it is without your faithful partnership, and I am deeply thankful for all you’ve done to uplift and sustain this ministry.
It has been an incredible honor to serve here — a true blessing to walk alongside you in ministry. Working at Resurrection has been so much more than a job; it has been a second home. I’ve had the privilege of witnessing the growth of our students and the flourishing of this extraordinary community. Serving in this ministry, alongside such dedicated and compassionate individuals, has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.
Though I’ll be stepping away from my role, I’m not going far. I plan to remain connected to our sweet school community, and I will continue to cheer on its journey from nearby. I will leave a piece of my heart in the hallways of RLS and will eagerly look forward to hearing about the many accomplishments — great and small — that lie ahead. In the meantime, I’ll cherish every final morning hug as we head into summer.
As Resurrection Lutheran School moves forward, I pray that God’s love and guidance continue to lead this remarkable community. May the unity, joy, and faith that define this place grow ever stronger, and may every student who walks through our doors feel the embrace of a community that truly cares. The future is bright for Resurrection, and I can’t wait to watch it shine in the years to come.
With love and gratitude,
Rosie Creasy
RLS Admissions
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We give thanks to God for Rosie's many years of faithful service at Resurrection Lutheran Preschool and School! Her work from the very inception of RLS in 2002 right up until today is a reflection of her love of our community's children and families. I am personally grateful for the lasting impact God used her to leave behind in the lives of so many RLS children and their families... many of whom were first introduced to our congregation because of their connection with RLS. We pray for God's continued abundant grace and blessings on Rosie as she begins this new chapter of life!
Love in Christ,
Pastor Jonathan
Pastor Jonathan Blanke grew up in Richmond, Virginia. He received his Bachelor's degree from College of William and Mary in Virginia and attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, where he earned a Masters of Divinity degree and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Biblical Studies, Book of John. He served as a Vicar at Messiah Lutheran Church in Richardson, Texas.
The Blanke family lived in Japan while he served as pastor and missionary to Okinawa Lutheran Church and taught Biblical Studies at Japan Lutheran College in Tokyo.
Pastor Jonathan lived in southern Maryland from January 2014 to November 2019 and was thankful to have served as the Sole Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lexington Park, Maryland.
He and his wife, Juli, have two grown children. In his free time, Jonathan likes to travel, "play around" on the piano, and enjoy the outdoors.
Click HERE to view a brief video from Pastor Jonathan.