Rehearsals for the Sunday School Christmas Program will be on Saturday, December 16th, at 10:00 A.M., for one hour; and on Sunday, December 17th at 9:00 A.M., before the worship service. Please let Angie Oblinger know if you will be able to make either or both of the rehearsal times.
Thursday, November 30, 2023
Monthly Fellowship Dinner, Wednesday, January 17th, 6:30 P.M.!
Our monthly Fellowship Dinner will be resuming on Wednesday, January 17th, at 6:30 P.M., at the Florentine in Germantown. Please feel free to sign up on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall so we know how many to reserve for.
LCMC Great Lakes District Prayer Concerns for December 2023
LCMC Great Lakes District
Prayer Concerns for December
2023
For the Church:
- Lutheran
Congregations in Mission for Christ
- LCMC's Staff:
Mike Bradley, Service
Coordinator
Charles Hunsaker,
Military Endorser
Christian Huntley,
Coordinator for Leadership and Pastoral Development
Sharon Macfayden,
Director of Operations
Cathy Nichol,
Administrative Coordinator
Julie Smith,
Coordinator for Districts and Fellowships
Kristy Thomas,
Communication and Public Relations
- LCMC's Board of
Trustees and Ministry Board.
- Our congregations in
the Great Lakes District. This month, we pray for St. Andrew Lutheran Church in
Farmersville, Ohio, and Pastor Jon Kibler; and St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in
Graytown, Ohio, and Pastor Robert Brandt.
- Our Mission Partners:
this month, we pray for Centershot Ministries and Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch.
- Our International
Partners: this month, we pray for LCMC Cambodia and the Canadian Association of
Lutheran Congregations (CALC).
- Our local
congregations with whom we fellowship and work alongside for mission and
ministry in our communities.
For
our Government:
- Joe Biden, our
President.
- Kamala Harris, our
Vice President.
- Mike DeWine, the
Governor of Ohio.
- Gretchen Whitmer,
the Governor of Michigan.
- Our elected
representatives in Congress and State Legislatures.
- Our local county and
municipal officials.
- Our nation's Armed
Forces, especially those serving who are members of our church families; and
for those who are suffering from mental or physical injury, and Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder.
- Our First
Responders, particularly those of law enforcement, fire safety, paramedics, and
all medical professionals.
For all those in special kind of need:
- The people of Ukraine and Russia in the ongoing war there; and for Spiritual Orphans Network and others who are ministering to the victims of the war in that region.
- All in our church families who are suffering from physical, mental, or spiritual illness; addiction; injury; abuse; domestic violence; trauma; stress; or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
- All in our own families who are in need of any kind of healing from God, in mind, body, or spirit.
- Those who are continuing to suffer from the effects of COVID-19, and the safety of our church families and communities with a possible resurgence.
- Those in our church families and communities who are suffering from poverty; homelessness; food insecurity; lack of adequate shelter and/or utilities; unemployment or underemployment.
- Those in our communities who are working to alleviate poverty and homelessness, especially our local shelters, food banks, soup kitchens, and clothes closets.
An end to the conflict in Israel, between Hamas and Israel, and an end to all war, bloodshed, and violence.
The families of the
victims, as well as the survivors, of all recent incidents of gun and other
violent domestic attacks.
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, Sunday, December 24th, 8:30 P.M.!
Sunday School Christmas Program, Sunday, December 17th, 10:00 A.M.!
Caroling, Sunday, December 10th, 1:00 P.M.!
Sunday, November 26, 2023
Sermon Text for November 26, 2023 - "Now is the Future!"
“Now is the Future!”
November 26, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
From 355 to 363 A.D., the Roman Empire was ruled by a king named Julian the Apostate, so called because he attempted to restore paganism as the official religion of the Roman Empire, and destroy Christianity, which had become the official Roman religion by that time. Even though he tried to harass and annoy Christians in many different ways, especially by trying to impose sacrifice to the old Roman gods; writing pamphlets against Christianity; forbidding Christians from teaching Philosophy and Classical Literature; putting pagans in positions of power and authority; even trying to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple in an attempt to prove Jesus’ prophecy about the Temple wrong; what he found, however, was that he was by then fighting a lost cause: Christianity, and the worship of Jesus, had become so ingrained into the hearts and minds of the Roman people that to try to back to the original religion was no longer attractive, or a valid option. In 363, Julian went to war against the Persian Empire, and was fatally wounded in battle. The legend of his death goes one of two ways: either he finally recognized that he could not wipe out Christianity, or he became a Christian himself at the moment of his death. Either way, his last words were supposed to have been, “You have won, Galilean” – referring to Jesus. He realized that, in the struggle between his kingship and the kingship of Jesus, there could be only one victor – and it was Jesus.
Indeed, in every competition, there can be only one winner. As we learned this weekend with the various championship and rivalry football games, there ultimately can be only one winner. And in every competition and conflict going on in the world, there will ultimately be only one winner. As Paul says in today’s Second Reading from 1 Corinthians, all things, even death, have been defeated by Jesus, and are now subject to Him. That means, as Paul especially emphasizes, even the rulers of the earth are to be subject to Jesus’ rule. Even though there may be various earthly rulers competing for supremacy, and various nations competing for dominance over each other, there is ultimately only one supreme ruler: Jesus, because He lives forever, after having died and risen again. This is also why Christianity has lasted for over two thousand years, and why it will continue to last – it will live forever because Jesus lives forever. Even though there might be some who say that Christianity is dying, evidence actually points in the opposite direction: more and more people are becoming Christians, even in places where the odds are against it happening. Christians continue to worship and gather together in Saudi Arabia, where it is still illegal to be a Christian. In Iran and Vietnam, where Christians are persecuted, Christianity still continues to grow. In the past couple of weeks, there was even a case of several people in Gaza spontaneously accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, even in the midst of the war there. People are looking for something only Jesus can offer again. Even at least a couple prominent atheists have stated that they are now Christian. Christianity, and Jesus, cannot be defeated, and ultimately triumph. We, as our church family, can and should take advantage of this resurgence of this interest in Jesus. The issue is not that Christianity seems to be no longer relevant: it is that Christianity needs to return to the mission of Jesus, in order to live in the future. We’ll talk about what that looks like in just a few minutes.
But meanwhile, since we’re talking about Jesus as our King, we need to find out more exactly about what that means. Now, as it happens, I didn’t come up with these next couple slides on my own: I borrowed them from another presentation, which I’ll provide the link for when I post this sermon online. (NOTE: The complete presentation may be found at https://slideplayer.com/slide/4719050/) In fact, I recommend checking out the whole slideshow when the link gets posted, because it actually nicely summarizes and expands on some of the things we’re briefly going be talking about. In the meantime, here is how we know Jesus is the King, according to the Bible: first, a king is defined as the ruler of a nation or territory, inherited and ruler for life. Jesus was born a king, as we will celebrate next month already; came preaching the Kingdom of God; died a king; is the King of kings and Lord of lords. His kingship had even been prophesied by Ezekiel, as we hear in today’s First Reading. All this means that He is our King, and we are heirs of His Kingdom.
And what is a kingdom? It is, obviously, a country governed or ruled by a king. It is also the sovereign rulership and governing influence of the king over his territory (his domain), impacting it with his will, purpose, and intent; in other words, the king sets the tone for how his kingdom ought to be. Which means that the nature of the king is produced in the kingdom – how the king behaves determines how his people behave, act, and react.
As mentioned before, we are heirs of Jesus’ Kingdom. We are living in the Kingdom right here, right now. Jesus has already established His rule over the earth, and we are the agents of His Kingdom. Next month, as we celebrate Advent, we will be repeatedly asking Jesus to come again – but what we are also to recognize is that He, and His Kingdom, are already here. His power, the power of the Holy Spirit, is right here, and is active in great power among us right now. The Holy Spirit especially works through the Bible and the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion to motivate us to love God, and show our love for God by loving and serving others.
Even though Christianity could not, and cannot, be wiped out, that actually does not necessarily make us Christians superior to everyone else. The reason we are here is not to exercise dominance over others, but to transform the world through humble love and service. In fact, being a Christian involves a tremendous amount of humility – which means being able to think of another person as equally as one’s self. To love someone even requires a tremendous amount of humility, because it means loving another person as equally as one’s self. When we abandon our agendas, our judgments, and how we believe God ought to operate and think, especially towards others, then we are able to love others better. This especially means, as Jesus encourages us, helping others without considering who is really deserving of help – but providing food, clothing, friendship, encouragement, acceptance, and welcoming to everyone who comes our way. When we do these things to others, we do them to Jesus Himself. But on the other hand, when we deny any of these things to others, we also deny them to Jesus. And it all has to do with where our own personal relationship with Jesus is. If we view our relationship with Jesus as being one of superiority over others, then we will act accordingly – but we will be acting contrary to Jesus’ true nature. But if our relationship with Jesus is one of friendship, love, and continually relying on Him for guidance, then that is how we will act – like Jesus.
The best way that Christianity, and Christians, can still be relevant going into the future is by serving. Jesus Himself sets the example for us by being kind, just, fair, and compassionate. How we treat other people shows how we would treat Jesus if He were here in person with us. In fact, we can say that Jesus is here in person with us: He is here in the hungry, needy, lonely, outcast, lost person. He is also here in the bullied, the abused, the refugee, the homeless, the addict, the trafficked, the outsider, even in the unbeliever. This is not only from Jesus Himself: this is also, again, what Ezekiel prophesied – that Jesus would come to seek out the injured, the hurting, and the lost. Jesus being “All in All,” as Paul says, also means that He is in every person – even the unlikely. All the people we may choose to ignore or discount, are Jesus in person among us. And those are the people Jesus wants us to seek, love, and minister to in His name. In countries with kings, commands and laws were and are given “in the name of the King”; that is, with the authority of the King. And us doing all these things in the name of the King means that we have the authority of the King: to bring healing to the sick and injured; rescue to the hurt, abused, and bullied; food and clothing to the hungry; shelter to the homeless; friendship and acceptance to the lonely and friendless. We will continue to have a purpose if we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in finding ways to reach out, help, witness, and bring people to saving faith in Jesus. Because that is ultimately why we do all these things: not just to make the world a better place, but to bring people to Jesus. It is only through believing in Jesus, and no other way, that anyone can be saved. It is also His will that all people believe in Him and be saved, and that will happen when we reclaim our mission, to go and bring people to Jesus to be saved. We have to remember, even as Jesus plainly says, that there is a possibility to be lost forever – to live eternally apart from Jesus, but we want people to live with Jesus forever, just as we will. That’s how we can be like Jesus, and that’s how we can live in His Kingdom – and bring the victory of Jesus and His Kingdom to our world today.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Monday, November 20, 2023
Sunday, November 19, 2023
Sermon Text for November 19, 2023 - "Stay Focused"
“Stay Focused”
November 19, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
The countdown begins! Countdown to what, you may ask? Well, several things, actually! Just yesterday evening, Tish and I were at a store, and the whole time, the radio station was blasting Christmas music. While it was certainly good Christmas music, it was still a reminder that, ever since Halloween ended, we’re counting down even faster than before to celebrating Christmas. For us, it’s definitely something to look forward to, not only because of all the extra candy and presents, but because we will be celebrating and remembering when Jesus came the first time, born as one of us in Bethlehem, to carry out God’s plan for our salvation. After being born, He went and invited all people to believe in God and become part of His Kingdom; then He died on the cross and rose again to make that possible, and demonstrate His love and a desire for a relationship with everyone. After He rose again, He ascended into heaven, and, from there, is counting down the days until He will return.
In today’s Second Reading from First Thessalonians, Paul reminds us of what we, as Christians, are also really counting down towards: Jesus coming back again. This is not a myth or even a metaphor: Jesus really and truly is going to come back in full, bodily, visible form. He will also establish His Kingdom fully over the earth, and will cause everything to become what He originally planned it to be. Many Bible scholars think Paul believed Jesus was actually going to come back in his own lifetime. In every age and generation, at least a few notable people have believe, and greatly hoped, Jesus was going to come back in their lifetime. Martin Luther even believed, and hoped, Jesus was going to come back in his lifetime. As we talked about last week, we want Jesus to come back soon, and we hope and pray that we He will come back in our own lifetime. Even if Jesus doesn’t come back while we are alive, we are still to remain focused on what our true ultimate destiny will be: eternal life with Him. Which means we are, in fact, to make that our top priority, and set aside anything else in life which would keep us from looking forward to the wonderful, joyous, glorious life Jesus has planned for us. Even in this life, we are to recognize that Jesus has a greater plan for us than just simply to live: instead of being distracted by the temptations of this life, especially anything which would tempt us away from following Jesus, we are to remain focused on following Jesus, going where He leads, doing what He commands. He has also given us special gifts to use to be able to carry out His commands, our talents, which we hear about in today’s Gospel reading.
Also today, and particularly in our Gospel reading, the temptation would be to somehow turn it into a threat: that if we don’t use the gifts and talents God has given us, we will be condemned. I’ve said before, and I will continue to say it, there has been far too much of an emphasis on guilt-tripping and shaming in Christianity, and it’s time for a new perspective, because our faith is not supposed to be based on feeling guilty. Instead, what is more important is the fact that the master gave his servants talents to use, and gave them freely. God always provides us with what we need to be His family, His Church.
As I mentioned during the announcements, and as a special shout-out, Janet and Karen did fantastic job of arranging the beautiful harvest display on the altar. However, I’ve also been asked to mention in particular that the corn stalk came from an unusual place: our own church front lawn. Many of you probably noticed it growing right in front of the steps over the last few months. Probably what happened was a squirrel decided to bury a corn kernel right in the corner of the lawn, and, in the process, caused the stalk to grow. But what it shows is that God always unfailingly provides us with what we need, not only for our own benefit, but, more importantly, to be able to share with others, just as this corn stalk has been shared with all of us today. And, there are many ways, even outside our church doors and activities, that we can use what we have been given to reach out to our community. I even have a personal example.
As many of you know, last month I began a new-to-me adventure: substitute teaching at Valley View Primary and Intermediate. As you can imagine, there are a number of challenges I’m having to learn, especially having to practice managing students. Those of you who have taught or are currently teaching, or working with students in some other way, know exactly what I’m talking about. Fortunately, actually teaching the material’s the relatively easy part. And the reason is because every teacher is supposed to leave a detailed lesson plan, and, fortunately, every teacher I’ve subbed for so far has. And on the lesson plan is a play-by-play set of instructions for what materials to pass out and cover; methods for teaching the subjects for the day; how long each section of the class should take; which students are going to need special attention; what the students should be doing when they’re done with their work in class; even when and how to start having the students pack up and get ready to head out the door. On more than a few occasions, I’ve had to reassure the students in whatever class I’m in that day that yes, I’m aware of what we’re supposed to be doing, so don’t worry: the teacher has left me a detailed plan of what we’re going to be covering, and when we’re going to be doing them. And I have one thing I’m going to be doing that day: Sticking to the plan. Basically, I tell everyone, that’s my plan: stick to the plan. That, from what I’ve been able to tell so far, always reassures the students, because they know things are going to be how they usually are. Also, I mentioned the biggest challenge as being able to manage the classroom: with a detailed plan, it’s easy to deal with any problems that come up quickly, and stay focused on the work needing to be done right at that moment. And the nice thing about sticking to the plan is, you can never go wrong if you just go with what’s on the plan. The same thing for us: Jesus Himself has already given us a “lesson plan” to follow. What’s the plan? Jesus has laid it out clearly. First of all, He has a clear plan of salvation: whoever believes in Him and accepts Him as the one true Lord, God, and Savior, and whoever trusts in Him alone for forgiveness of sins and salvation, instead of their own holiness or good works, will be saved. Secondly, in response to that plan of salvation, Jesus has given us a plan to follow as we live out our faith in Him: love for God, our neighbors, and ourselves.
So, again, it’s time for us to stick to that plan and stay focused on it. We unfortunately had to deviate from the plan during the pandemic, and we became nervous about reaching out because of concerns about crowds. We were hesitant to go beyond what we were comfortable with, because we were already in an unfamiliar situation. We were hesitant about using our creativity to come up with new ways to worship or reach out, because, again, we were struggling with a new situation as it was. We even became nervous about using our talents and what we had been provided with, mainly because of anxieties about finances. There is no doubt we had a major crisis, and even the plan we were operating by had to be set aside. But now, it’s time for us to get back to that plan again, and keep following it. We will certainly continue to face struggles and crises, but as long as we keep on following God’s outline, we will be able to deal with them more easily and roll right on through them. As we just talked about, God is providing us with everything we need to be able to stick to the plan. Just as teachers provide subs with all the worksheets, workbooks, YouTube videos, whiteboard icons, and instructions to be able to help stick to the lesson plan, God has also provided us with all the materials we need to be able to carry out His plan. He has given us the Bible, to provide comfort, assurance, and words of His love to everyone who needs to hear them – which, especially nowadays, is everybody. He has given us the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, as means both to strengthen our own faith and energy for our mission, as well as, again, to provide comfort to all people with the promise of His presence. As we see displayed before us up front, He has given us food and personal items to share with our neighbors who need them, especially during this holiday season. He has also given us our own particular gifts and talents to be able to share His good news of His love and compassion for all people: some of us are gifted in speaking and teaching; others of us in service; and still others of us in working with particular age groups. We can also continue to be exploring new and creative ways of worshipping, reaching out, evangelizing, and serving. Until He comes again, we are to keep focused on doing what Jesus has planned for us. As often as we get together for worship, even as we sing, praise, and hear God’s Word, we are being prepared to proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior, and show His love in many different ways to all people. So it is time for us to be using our gifts and talents boldly and openly again, not out of fear that we will be punished if we don’t, but out of thankfulness and enthusiasm for the wonderful privilege God has given us of carrying out His wishes. So, let’s do more than just hang in there and hang on: let’s get back on track, get back out, and go with God’s plan.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Sunday, November 12, 2023
Sunday, November 5, 2023
Sermon Text for November 5, 2023 - "Our Extended Family"
“Our Extended Family”
November 5, 2023
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Being the son of a pastor, I remember a few of my dad’s sermons growing up. One in particular was from when I was maybe about eight or nine, and my dad stood up in the pulpit and asked everyone, point blank: “Why did you come to church?” So, following in my father’s footsteps, I’m also going to ask all of you the same question: Why did you come to church? Is it simply a habit you’ve had for almost all your life? Is it to see your friends and family? Is it because you want a good influence for yourself or your family? In my case, I could simply say, because it’s my job. Yeah, except… There’s a lot more to why we’re here than any of the reasons which were just mentioned. Here's the real reason: Jesus has brought us here. He’s used all the things we’ve mentioned, but He’s brought us all here together. And He’s brought us here for a special reason: to help us worship Him, and become like Him. That’s why of our family members and friends from the past, many of whom we commemorate in the slide show today, came to church. And this, consistently throughout our history, has been the reason we, and our extended family as brothers and sisters in Christ, have come to church.
When I was writing down the names of the previous pastors of this congregation who are now with the Lord, for inclusion in the slideshow, it occurred to me that many of these pastors, and I, have probably preached the same message for the past century and a half: the peace and comfort that comes from knowing and experiencing the love of Jesus. The Prophet Isaiah proclaims, in Isaiah 26:3, which also happens to be one of my personal favorite verses:
“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts you.” This perfect peace is what is called Shalom, which means something more than just a calm feeling, or an absence of conflict: it is the peace that comes from knowing God is here, is in charge and in control, and He cares. You are invited, if you want to experience this same kind of peace, to open your hearts to God today, and invite Him into your heart, to take control of your life, especially any struggles you may be having, and let Him work His power to turn your life around. Invite Him to help you steady your mind on Him, and all your other problems, distractions, and troubles will wither in the presence and power of God, who can overcome anything for you.
This Shalom kind of peace, is also one which we believe will happen, and is even possible now, for the wider world. We have hope not only for the future, but for the present. In a world which is torn apart by political, social, and religious division, we can offer hope for both the future and the present: that this division can be overcome, and we can, by the power of Jesus and by focusing only on Jesus, live in peace, unity, and harmony with each other. In a world where chaos, oppression, and injustice at times seem to reign, we have an alternative vision, one which was revealed to St. John in today’s Second Reading from Revelation: healing for all the nations comes directly from God. There will be a country, the Kingdom of God, coming where, even as the Prophet Isaiah says, there will be no more oppression, because everyone will walk in the ways of God’s laws, and show mercy, compassion, and kindness to each other. There will be a place where there will be not even be any more night, because every day will be one of joy in the presence of God. This is the eternal salvation of which we hear in the Bible today, and which all those who have gone before us now enjoy. There is only one way to be saved and be assured of the promise of eternal life, and that is through faith in Jesus, trusting and believing in Him as Lord and Savior. Look at the person next to you, and look around you: these are the people you’re going to be spending eternity in heaven with. This is your extended family right here. And, there are many others whom we may not expect will be with us in heaven, for any reason, but the reality is that the only thing that saves us is the death of Jesus on the cross, and His resurrection. That means that everyone, regardless of any other factors, who believes and accepts Jesus as Savior, will be saved. And everyone here with us today, who has come to worship Jesus, has this same promise and assurance, which will never be taken away.
But we are here to do more every than week than just sing and pray: we are being prepared for service. In our worship service, we offer both praise and thanksgivings to God, which is our way of serving Him in the hour of worship. Then, we are sent out to serve God by providing necessary services to our neighbors during the rest of the week.
Actually, especially in this day and age, we are to think of ourselves as being missionaries. Now, usually when we hear the word “missionary,” we think of someone going overseas to a tribe of people to try to convert them to Christianity. And that’s partially true. However, missionaries do more than just go and tell people about Jesus, hoping they’ll become Christian: missionaries also provide necessary services. And they do so as a way of acting out the Beatitudes, which Jesus tells in today’s Gospel reading. In many parts of the world, people need clean water, so certain missionaries go with a special mission to provide wells and working water systems to places which lack clean water. In many other parts of the world, people lack enough food to be able to feed themselves and their families, so missionaries bring food to them. One group that does this is Hands Against Hunger, which, every year, we help pack up food for to send both overseas and locally – and they also provide chemicals which make dirty water clean. In certain places, people lack adequate medical care, so certain other missionaries go as medical professionals to help provide healing services. Still other missionaries go to help rescue and foster children whose parents have either died or are absent, and even rescue them from being exploited by human trafficking, forced labor, or prostitution. Others go as teachers, teaching in schools for both children and adults, to help them further their education and further help them contribute to their communities and countries. Some who are pastors who to help train other people who are either already pastors or want to become pastors. The point is that missionaries do more than just try to turn people Christian by talking: missionaries provide necessary services, and good and effective missionaries always do so unconditionally. That means, providing these services without trying to force anyone to go along with them, but simply acting like Jesus on behalf of Jesus: providing services simply out of love, care, and compassion for people, wanting to help them in their every need. And, nowadays, in some cases, you apparently don’t even have to leave where you are to become a missionary. When I was in Southern California before coming here, for example, I was contacted out of the blue by a pastor in Pakistan who wanted me to lead a weekly Bible study for his house church. So I did – on Skype. But even so, you still don’t need to go overseas to be a missionary: you have a mission right here in your own community. And what is your mission? What is your particular gift? Where do you see a need from your neighbor, or with a group of people, that needs to be met? Is there someone who needs to be fed? Help give them food – either on your own, or by volunteering with a group like CAMP or Sonshine in a Bag. Is there someone who needs help in school? Offer to be a tutor. Is there someone who needs special comfort, especially after going through a hard time or trauma? Be with them to offer a comforting an encouraging word, and just to let them know you’re with them, you care, you support them, and you’re there for them no matter what – and, of course, pray with them. Is there someone who needs mercy – that is, someone who needs to know they’re still included, loved, and accepted even when they’re rejected for any reason? Be their friend, accept them, include them with your family and circle of friends. Or, if you know someone who’s feeling guilty and ashamed, either because of something they’ve done, or something that’s been done to them, let them know God has forgiven and accepted them. Our friends, neighbors, and communities need us, us as Christians, more than ever to provide these services on behalf of Jesus. While our goal is not necessarily to fill our church seats, we are still the catalyst, the means, by which Jesus can accomplish great and powerful things. Just as Jesus provides us the bread and wine as the means of His working His power in us in Communion, He sends us as being the means of working His power, love, and mercy to everyone as missionaries for Him. And, if we think of everyone as being part of our family, especially our extended family, it will be even easier for us to go where Jesus sends us and do what He wants us to do for people.
So, here we are: in church. And why did we come, and why are we here? Literally, we’re on a mission from God. It’s the same mission our extended family in the past carried out, and it’s the same one we have today. We, as the saints of today, have the same calling as the saints of past: to go where Jesus sends us, tell others about Him, and act on His behalf. So, with hope for the present and future, and with courage from the power of Jesus, let’s go out on our mission – to love, serve, and be Jesus to everyone.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Weekly Word Podcast from St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Farmersville, Ohio, November 5, 2023 - All Saints Sunday
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