From the Pastor
| Pastor's Message ... |
| November, 2011 |
| "Blessed by Being a Blessing" |
| "Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, for He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Acts 20:35) |
Back in July and August, we sent out a "Belfry" in which you were invited to list, one for every day of those months, people, things, events, etc. for which you are grateful to God, in an exercise
called "Having an Attitude of Gratitude." Amidst all the troubles of life it was meant to remind us of all the ways the Lord has blessed us.
If you took advantage of that, it may make it easier to understand that blessing others inside and outside the church family results in our being blessed. In November we'll experience this blessing through our being asked to give graciously to the work of Christ's body, the church, through a stewardship emphasis called "Saints Alive! Living Generously." The "Saints Alive!" guide encourages us to cultivate a similar attitude of giving as a blessing: A little later the guide points out that: Christ Jesus blessed us through His shed blood at the cross. (Amazingly, you'll find in your dictionary that "to bless" comes from the Old English word bledsian, "to consecrate with blood.") I believe we honor Christ's sacrifice when we will graciously bless His body, the church, by giving generously of our financial life-blood to the growth of His kingdom. I know for a fact that at least two of you, Jay and Lowell, give blood and/or plasma regularly. I have never heard you – or anyone else, for that matter – complain that they wished they hadn't shared with others that way. Instead, people feel they've blessed others by donating the gift of their own blood. So, as we go through this "Saints Alive!" experience, I believe we will find ourselves "blessed by being a blessing" in donating our financial life-blood to the spread of God's kingdom through this part of Christ's body, "The Light at 3rd and Vine." Your pastor and friend in Christ, Randy |