Dear Faith Lutheran Church and School,
Grace and Peace be yours in our Lord, Jesus Christ!
November is the time of year when we often turn our attention toward the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. We not only give thanks for God’s blessings during this time of year, but we also consider ways of sharing our blessings with others. We are encouraged and reminded of this important practice of Christian faith and love in Acts 20:35, where we learn that the Lord Jesus said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’
We have received such extraordinary generosity from the hand of our Lord. As we read in the Small Catechism, God “has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil.” (Luther’s Small Catechism, Apostles’ Creed, Explanation of the First Article)
We have received all these gifts, plus the admonition of our Lord Jesus to respond generously to the generosity of God. What more encouragement do we need? So then, let’s open our hearts and our hands to God and to His people, and let’s generously support the church and school with our tithes and our offerings.
Tithes are the first gifts we give to the Lord. We give tithes according to the measure that God has given us. We give them to the “General Fund” to support the general work of the church, with no strings attached. Our gifts are an act of faith-filled worship.
But remember there is no compulsion here. No one will force your hand or pry open your wallet. We are compelled to give cheerfully, out of gratitude toward God, not out of guilt, shame, or fear. As St. Paul writes when he encourages generosity in the churches under his care:
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)
When we give in this way, we trust that God will work through His church, imperfect as we are, to bring the gifts of forgiveness, life and salvation to us and to others.
And dear brothers and sisters in Christ, God is doing that! Each week in worship, Bible study, and in daily chapels at Faith, I see God at work. He has given us such great opportunities right here in our church and school. The souls of men, women, and children are being saved from hell and preserved in the church of our Lord Jesus. What a great blessing it is to support these ministries!
In addition to our tithes, there are two special opportunities for offerings that go “above and beyond” this month.
First is Operation Christmas Child: https://faithmarietta.com/OCC. Shoeboxes are available in the Narthex with a guide for packing the box with Christmas gifts for a child in need. The boxes need to be returned by November 16. If you can include a gift of $10 along with the box, that would cover shipping as well.
The second opportunity is our Thanksgiving Bag outreach. The bags are available in the narthex along with a list of items to be included for a Thanksgiving meal for families in need in our community. Bags should be returned full by November 16 for distribution the following week.
Dear people of God, we are blessed in so many ways. Everything that we are and everything that we have comes from God. He has connected us to His Son, Jesus Christ and granted us forgiveness, life and salvation in His name. So let’s go and connect more people to Jesus by sharing His Word, by works of mercy and service and through our generous sharing of all the blessings that God has given. Amen!
The Peace of the Lord be with you all,
Pastor Shaun