Caring Christians sharing GOD'S message of Grace.
What does it mean to be caring Christians sharing God's message of grace?
God is indeed at the heart of the message that we share. God longs to be at the center of our lives, and is not content until our heart is established as the Lord's throne.
Our mission really is not our mission after all. It is God's mission. We receive the privilege, as baptized and believing people, of sharing in God's mission in this particular small part of God's realm. It is God's mission, and we are commissioned to be a part of it.
In Luther's Small Catechism he asks "What does this mean?" to the petition of the Lord's Prayer which says "Thy Kingdom Come". He answers: "God's kingdom comes indeed without our praying for it, but we ask in this prayer that it may come also to us." God brings Good News to the lives of people quite capably without our help. But we desire to be part of what God is doing in the world. And God does want us to be a part of it! One member of the Leadership Team commented at how amazing it is that God seems to send the people we need to do the things that need to be done at Grace and Glory. How true it is. And why? Because it is God's desire to impact people's lives in a positive way through this congregation. God is very gifted in bringing to fruition the plans He has for us.
Ownership is a powerful dynamic in our nation. We like to own our cars, our homes, our burial plots. Yet as Christians, we are participants in God's economy, where we are not owners. God who created us, and all that exists is the only true owner. We are stewards. We are the ones who are entrusted to care for that which belongs to God. Our children are not ours. Our home is not ours. Our life is not ours. Everything belongs to God!
The Scriptures are God's also. When we read the Scriptures publicly in worship, the lector often concludes: "The Word of the Lord." It is God's word. The Scriptures are a tool which God uses to reveal Jesus to us, and to give us strength to sustain us in every trial. In seminary I had a professor who told our class to read the Bible, and every story in it with the understanding that God is the main character. The other characters are the supporting cast. That insight has influenced me each time I have turned to the Scriptures to read. Not only are the Scriptures a tool in the hand of God, but all of worship serves that purpose. The sacrament is called "The Lord's Supper." It belongs to God, and God shares it with us. Likewise, we share the "peace of the Lord." We don't share our own peace with our neighbor, but the peace that belongs to God.
We remember that we belong to God, and that God is doing great things in the world. May it be our resolve to share gladly in that which God sees fit for us to do in His name.