Excerpts From: The Messenger |
|
|
One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the purpose of showing his son how poor people can be. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" "It was great, Dad." "Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked. "Oh Yeah" said the son.
"So what did you learn from the trip son?" asked the father. The son answered, "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them." With this the boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks dad for showing me how poor we are."
Too many times we forget what we have and concentrate on what we don't have. What is one person's worthless object is another's prize possession. It is all based on one's perspective isn?t it? This really makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for all the bounty we have now, instead of worrying about wanting more.
Take joy in all you have, especially the family, and friends you have enjoyed all these years.
This is a story about a little girl who, while on the way home from church, turned to her mother and said, "Mommy, the preacher's sermon this morning confused me. "The mother said, "Oh! Why is that? The girl replied, Well, he said that God is bigger than we are. Is that true?" "Yes, that's true," the mother replied. "He also said that God lives inside of us. Is that true too?" Again the mother replied, "Yes." "Well," said the girl, "if God is bigger than us and He lives inside of us, wouldn't He show through?"
Children have an amazing way of getting down to essentials without the pretences that often accompany adults. What the little girl said in simple innocence was, indeed, a great theological truth. It is simple, when we receive Christ into our life, God does begin to live inside of us. St. Ansgar?s Lutheran Church in a couple of months will celebrate its 82nd year of sharing the good news, being in mission for others, and retelling the story that God is Big. Oh! How blessed we are to have a place of worship, as small as we are, yet very significant to God in his overall plan. Over the years countless people have been blessed as they walked through its doors, and may God continue to use this community of faith to reach others.
Two men were having a lively conversation: one of the men said; ?Someday, I would like to ask God why he allows poverty, famine, wars, and injustice, when he could do something about it. His friend responded: What is stopping you? He replied ?I am afraid God might ask me the same question?
We are the hands, feet, eyes, ears, and mouth of God on earth to bring justice to where there is injustice, love where there is hatred, hope there is doubt and despair, food where there is hunger, and life where there is death. But in order to accomplish these we need to abide in Christ who is the source of our life strength and productivity.
This Big God still works through His people as we allow God to show His love and grace through us. In fact, we should become more invisible and allow Christ to be more visible. May God?s praise continually be on our lips, that God "must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30)
God is a big God!
My mother liked to say that ?Joys are doubled when we share them with friends? and my family and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for being there for us during our 25th wedding Anniversary, and Susan?s 50th birthday celebration. Many thanks to all for the beautiful greeting cards we received from our friends here and around the world, and donations to the ongoing ministry of St. Ansgar?s Lutheran church. We appreciate your love and kindness and may God richly bless you all. With grateful hearts we give thanks to God.
Your friend and pastor
+ Samuel King-Kabu
Last month I talked about Christian principles. I said we are not called to have a relationship with principles, but a living God.
Galatians 5:18 says "But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law" and the prophet, Jeremiah says "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
Friends, I ask us to reflect on our lives. Are we living in a relationship with Christ? Is our work and actions a reflection of this relationship? I am a great admirer of Paul. He is a man of God who always had the confidence that God would always provide what he needed. Sometimes it came from his tent- making business. Sometimes it came through others.
He was not overly concerned with where his provision would come from. His confidence was in God, his provider. Paul learned that it wasn't a church or a business that was his provider. It was God. These were merely tools God used to support him. Knowing this he was a man that did not mix with the world. He was an upright man. He lived a life of obedience and submission to God.
My prayer is that we at St. Ansgar?s can walk upright with God and follow His precepts. I hope this Fall we will have more attendees at our Bible Study. It is through His Word that we get to know His character and personality just like we get to know our good friends through conversation with them. I truly believe that when we KNOW God we can but only walk like Paul. God is alive and awaits our friendship. May God bless us all in our upright endeavours.
Submitted by Rosemarie Grabs
Web Page prepared by:
Roger Kenner
& Jette Blair.
Content-New Topics Last Updated: 2010/07/15
St. Ansgar's Lutheran Church - Montreal