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‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’. Matthew 25:21
This verse comes from the Parable of Talents where Jesus uses a story of a man leaving his servants with bags of gold, one with 5 bars of gold, one with 2 bars, and one with 1 bar (each worth about a million dollars). The first two invest their gold and double the value, but the final one buries his gold and has nothing more to show for it when his master returns.
God wants us to use our grace, abilities, and opportunities to advance His kingdom. Spiritual atrophy, or passive faith, produces no fruit, and reveals a heart that is disconnected from God. You can hear that in the wicked servant’s cold response describing his master as “a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown.”
The master commands this lazy servant to thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. What was given him is taken away, and he’s cast out, separated from God. If that’s not astern warning, I don’t know what is!
The grace comes when we look at the other two servants, the ones who were given gold but invested it, grew it, and were productive. They are commended and given even more, as the verse 21 tells us. At the heart of this story is that we have a generous God who has given us everything we have – all our talents, money, time, and even our faith. God even wants to give us even more!
As we look at our church and all that God has given us, it i s good to ask ourselves – how are we investing what God has given us? Are these things bearing good spiritual fruit for us? For example, our vision statement claims we want to “be a church to the community and a community of churches.” How are we doing in that area?
While we can always do better, I thought it would be good for us to celebrate the wonderful things God is doing through us and the other churches sharing in ministry onsite.
A few examples: Youth for Christ as seen a doubling of kids this fall; CAC celebrated 9 years of ministry this summer with their new pastors, Esneik and Kissel; COG 7th Day celebrated Pastor Donaldson’s 50th year of ministry and his retirement; First Evangelical celebrated 100 years of ministry; Holy Cross completed the sale of their property, helping them move into their next phase of ministry; Tabernacle of Restoration held a revival that helped their church grow amidst the immigration challenges; The Light has had a powerful impact through their ESL classes, Job Fairs, and Futbol outreach. I’m sure there is more to tell.
We’ve also seen wonderful fruit come out of our shared events like Vacation Bible School and the Outdoor Community Service. Plus, our support for our missionaries in Egypt saw a huge boost this year helping lead them to dream about planting a new church. Recently, our Flood Bucket disaster response helped distribute hundreds of items to people in need as all the ministries took buckets to share and help those in need. Praise God!
Let’s continue to share in our master’s happiness and finish the year strong!
In the name of Jesus Christ;
Pastor Dan
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Join us for worship this Sunday with First Evangelical and Holy Cross churches. Join us for a delicious lunch following worship in the Fellowship Hall.
- Holy Cross Church’s Congregational Meeting will be held this Sunday after worship and after choir rehearsal. All Holy Cross members should attend.
- Join us for a Thanksgiving Feast next Sunday after worship. Ham and turkey will be provided.Bring a side dish to pass if you are able. A sign-up at the back of the church, please list number coming and type of food you can bring.
- Help spread the Christmas spirit by taking part in our Christmas Pageant this year. It will be a special Christmas musical during worship on December 20th. Sign up at the back of the church if you would like a speaking part in it.
- Are you curious about Christmas and Hanukkah? Join us for two special studies, the first is on December9th when we will talk about why we wouldn’t have Christmas without Hanukkah. The second is on December 16th when we will discover the true date of the very first Christmas in Bethlehem. Gather in the chapel at 6:30 p.m. Bring a friend!
- First Evangelical will no longer provide numbered offering envelopes for members. Please use envelopes provided in pews or by the offering boxes.
- The NALC Disaster Response delivered a truck load of flood buckets, hygiene and kitchen kits over a week ago in response to the recent flooding. We were incredibly successful in getting them out into the hands of those who need them through you and the other churches onsite. What a blessing!
- Thank you to everyone who gave through our “Noisy Offering” to build a fence for our new playground! With your help we have met our goal of $6172.70. Praise the Lord!
