My life a prayer

“Just as you excel in all things - in faith, speech, knowledge in utmost eagerness and in our love for you - so we want you to excel also in this grace of giving”
     -- 2 Corinthians 8:7

Friends of Atonement,

            Alleluia!  CHRIST IS RISEN!!!
            Praise is in the air…  We praise great artists or athletes for great achievements.  We praise children when they get good grades or do something extra nice.  We look for praise from our spouse, friends or a boss.  But the most pure and perfect praise is the amazed and awestruck reaction we make to God’s incredible love.
              One of my favorite Christian songs is by the great Keith Green, who sang:
                           I want to make my life a prayer to you,
                          I want to do what you want me to,
                        No empty words and no white lies,
                       No token prayers, no compromise.
  What an amazing concept – to make our WHOLE LIVES a prayer to God!  Is it possible to make everything we do a response to his love?  I know you’ve sung the song Jesus Loves Me, This I Know, and Easter tells us he loves us so much He came back from the dead.  But how does Jesus know we love him back?  The answer of course, is praise.

The season of Easter was made for praise.  If we were could wrap up all the marvelous things God has done for us into one big package, there would be no way to say thank you for all of it.  Words fail, as they did for the women who stood gaping into the empty tomb on that first Easter day.

            The best we can do is stand back and thank God for one thing at a time.  We count our blessings, list off the gifts God gives us, thank the Lord for each loved one, each friend and family member, our pets, our property, each healed wound and every satisfied stomach.  We thank him with our prayers, our words, and our very lives.

            I can’t think of a better way to live than to make our lives a prayer to Jesus.   Your loving deeds, care for others and gracious generosity give praise to God as much as any spoken prayer ever could.  After all, the difference between a donation and an offering is the donation is for charity, the offering is for praising God.  When you give with your heart, thankful for your blessings and grateful to God, you are not just helping the church.  You are turning your gift into a prayer.

            Thanks as always for being behind the work that goes on here at Atonement.  I know that our Risen Savior stands behind you.  As we continue our ministries of worship and teaching, as we bring people closer to Jesus by feeding needy families, caring for the sick and homebound, supporting our community and sharing the joy of our Living Lord, I am grateful that God has made you a part of it all.  I hope with all my heart that through your involvement and participation in our mission to share the love of Jesus, you are inspired and enabled to make your life a prayer to Him. 

Peace,
Pastor Scott