“May the Lord bless his land with the precious dew from
heaven above and with the deep waters that lie below; with the best the sun
brings forth and the finest the moon can yield; with the choicest gifts of the
ancient mountains and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills; with the best
gifts of the earth and its fullness and the favor of him who dwells in the
burning bush…”
-
Deuteronomy
33:13-16
Friends
of Atonement,
A man came to our church yesterday
looking for help. He looked tired, both
physically and spiritually. This is not at all unusual, especially since we are
so close to the I-75 exit. I asked him
what brought him to us, and he said, “First of all, I needed to use your
bathroom…” Then he said he was new to
the area, and was worried about how he would make it through till next week
when his place to stay would become available.
He told his story, about how he had done construction work all across
the country until a botched operation left him unable to work and some poor
financial decisions let his parents’ house slip into the hands of the bank. He came seeking help both physically and
spiritually – some relief for his material needs and a chance to put down the great
burden he was carrying, if just for a moment.
He found both of these at Atonement.
When Moses blesses each of the Twelve Tribes just before he dies, he
lavishes wishes and prayers for great abundance upon the house of Joseph. He asks God to provide the best from all over
creation to come to Joseph’s descendants, and with those great gifts something
greater still: God’s favor. It is
humbling to meet people who struggle to get by physically and spiritually. In fact, it’s almost embarrassing. When I eat a nice warm meal that Su has cooked,
when I fill my tank all the way up with gas, when I put on some clothes that
are newly washed or turn the AC down a notch – I do these things knowing that God
has blessed me like Joseph – fully, deeply, and richly. Not everyone experiences such fullness of
blessing, and how easy it is for them to think that such few physical blessings
must mean God thinks little of them too.
But this is not so. Throughout Scripture, we see God’s beloved servants
from Elijah to Saint Paul struggling with hardship, famine, nakedness and
persecution. Jesus said his disciples
would face these things as well. And of
course, Jesus himself lost all things in order that we might know how much God
loves us. As the author of Hebrews tells
us: “Consider
him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow
weary and lose heart. In your struggle
against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood…”
(Hebrews 12:3-4)
He’s
got a point there. In my struggles
against sin, I don’t get all that uncomfortable; in my struggles against
poverty, I don’t deny myself much; in my struggles against homelessness, I
haven’t made room in my own bedroom for those who have nowhere to lay their
heads. God often stretches us, but we
are also given the benefit to enjoy His gifts.
Though we all have room to grow in the generosity department, with God’s
grace and the Spirit’s guidance we are led into new avenues of love for others,
into new depths of appreciation for the ways God has blessed us.
I thank you for the many ways you
give to God. Through your offerings you
are providing help to needy people, through your prayers you are strengthening
the ministries of Atonement, through your worship attendance and works of service
you are being a part of Christ’s body – His heart, hands and feet reaching out
to bless the world. It is our Lord’s
hope that “…those who trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to
doing what is good. These things are
excellent and profitable for everyone.” (Titus 2:8) God bless now and always for giving to Atonement
and to all God’s people your generous support, both physically and spiritually.
Peace,
Pastor Scott
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