“The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the
head, then the full grain in the head.
But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because
the harvest has come…”
-
Mark 4:28-29
Friends
of Atonement,
God is good – all the time! When we’re asleep in our beds, God is busy
keeping the world going - healing our hurts, growing our food, bringing people
together in new ways, opening up hearts to the wonders of grace. When we’re working up a sweat in the summer heat,
God is working right alongside us to give us the strength for the living of the
day. Then, at the end of those long days
when we’re too tired to finish all the projects we began, God is just as present,
diligent, and active while He holds us in His arms.
I hope you always feel that sense of
God’s care and provision in your life.
It’s just as Martin Luther explains in the Small Catechism:
I believe God…daily and abundantly provides
shoes and clothing, food and drink, house and farm, spouse and children,
fields, livestock, and all property – along with the necessities and
nourishment for this body and life…out of pure, fatherly and divine goodness
and mercy, without any merit or worthiness of mine at all! (*)
As
people of faith, all we do and decide begins with the realization of all that
God does for us. It is God’s pleasure
and joy to give us those things we need, those things that help us become
joy-filled, loving followers of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Last year, my son was invited to an
evening service at a church in our area by some friends of his. I knew that this church had invested heavily
in programs that appeal to youth and young adults. I also knew that their perspective on giving was
very different from our understanding of the Bible’s teaching on stewardship. I told him, “Listen carefully to the
sermon. You will probably hear them say
that God’s blessings depend on our giving, and that the more you give to the
church, the more God will give to you.”
When he got home, my son was astonished.
He told me that, sure enough, that was exactly what they taught in the
sermon he heard there.
Our blessings come not as the result of good
things we do, but from the good God we have.
I’m so glad we remember that “we love because God first loved us” (1
John 4:19). We know that God allows the
sun to shine and the rain to fall on the wicked and the righteous alike
(Matthew 5:45). God’s love for us always
has been and always will be unconditional and undeniable. Every day, He is always surprising me, an
unworthy sinner, with good things I neither expect nor deserve. Though I did not plow or sow, plant or water,
the harvest of God’s blessings are there each day for me and for you. By faith we see when that harvest is ripe and
are ready to pluck the grain.
What greater blessing could there be
than a grateful heart? In a society
where even millionaires are in constant pursuit of riches, where there’s no
such word as “enough,” we have a God who
shares with us out of an endless stockpile of grace. Every day God…...still preserves my body and soul: eyes, ears, and all limbs and senses; reason and all mental faculties…protects me against all danger and shields and preserves me from all evil…For all of this I owe it to God to thank and praise, serve and obey him. This is most certainly true. (*)
This is where we find peace in a restless world. And this is why we give.
Thanks again for your faithful
giving to God through Atonement Lutheran Church. Together we are thoroughly and constantly
blessed, both as individual Christians and as a vibrant congregation of Jesus
Christ. May God keep your eyes wide open
to the blessings that fill each day, and may your faith keep you every ready to
harvest those blessings and enjoy the fruits of our gracious and giving God.Peace,
Pastor Scott
(*)
quotes from Luther’s Small Catechism, explanation of the Apostles’ Creed, first
article.
