God is good.
Just take a moment and think about all the blessings we have
received. Even if you limit yourself to
Creation we can say with Luther,
“I believe that God has made me and all
creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my
members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them.
“He also gives me clothing and shoes, food
and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I
have. He richly and daily provides me
with all that I need to support this body and life.
“He defends me against all danger and guards
and protects me from all evil.
“All this He does only out of fatherly,
divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise,
serve and obey Him.
“This is most certainly true.” (Small Catechism on the Apostles’ Creed)
God’s love and provision are amazing, yet even if we took
all our earthly blessings and weighed them together, they would not compare to
the incredible love that we have experienced in Jesus. It is because of the forgiveness He’s won for
us that we worship His God and Father as our own God and heavenly Father.
The message of this good news has been entrusted to us. It’s an amazing treasure that we’ve been
given. We have been entrusted with the
proclamation that reconciles people to God, gives eternal life, and provides
forgiveness of sins. We call this
message the “Gospel,” which just means, “good news.” It is a treasure we are meant to share, for
the Gospel shares the benefit of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection with
people, it makes faith in them, and it gives life.
Yesterday in worship we read Matthew 25:14-30, in which
Jesus tells a parable of a man who goes on a journey, entrusting his servants
with great riches to use for his purposes.
It is a picture of Jesus entrusting all sorts of blessings to us to use
for His purpose, and that includes trusting the Gospel to us to invest in this world.
The parable also reminds us that this world will end, and
there will be an account given of our lives, including what we did with
everything God entrusted to us. It is
important for us to keep Jesus’ second coming in our hearts and minds so that
we stay focused on His kingdom and do not get distracted by the temptations we
face in this world.
We also handed out our pledge cards yesterday. As we consider what we give back to God from
the many blessings He has entrusted to us, I want to encourage you to remember
that giving is not something we do from compulsion. God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, wants us
to give to Him freely with joy, gratitude and for His purpose. The funds given to God and entrusted to the
church support the proclamation of the Gospel. Our giving is one way that we help to get the
message to others through the work of the congregation. Our contributions are a participation in God’s
mission, just as our daily lives are filled with opportunities to share the
salvation Jesus has won for us with other.
Please take some time to pray about what you intend to give
back to the Lord next year. As you do,
be sure to thank Him for the many blessings He has given you, and remember that
you are a redeemed, loved, child of God in Christ.
To God be the Glory,
Pastor T
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