Greetings Trinitarians -
Today I want to start with a very hearty offering of thanks. First of all, we give all thanks and praise to God for his bountiful grace to us, in sustaining our lives and giving us eternal life through his Son Jesus, our Lord. In the Morning Prayer liturgy, there's a wonderful prayer called the "General Thanksgiving," which includes these lines:
"And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days..."
I love the phrase: ..."not only with our lips, but in our lives...", because it connects the praise of our Sunday worship to the activity of our Weekday lives. May God impress on each of us the abundance of his grace in Jesus Christ, that every part of our lives would show forth our grateful hearts (for more on the history and theology of the General Thanksgiving, click here).
Today I want to start with a very hearty offering of thanks. First of all, we give all thanks and praise to God for his bountiful grace to us, in sustaining our lives and giving us eternal life through his Son Jesus, our Lord. In the Morning Prayer liturgy, there's a wonderful prayer called the "General Thanksgiving," which includes these lines:
"And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days..."
I love the phrase: ..."not only with our lips, but in our lives...", because it connects the praise of our Sunday worship to the activity of our Weekday lives. May God impress on each of us the abundance of his grace in Jesus Christ, that every part of our lives would show forth our grateful hearts (for more on the history and theology of the General Thanksgiving, click here).
Second, I also want to thank you: for your prayers, for your participation in our life together; for your kindness to each other and to me; and for your generosity to our church and the ongoing gospel mission in this place. Your sacrificial giving is both sustaining our ministry and laying a foundation for future generations.
Even in the midst of the ongoing sanctuary expansion, we have worked together to advance a wonderful season of gospel ministry. Our Sunday mornings have been remarkably vibrant, with high attendance, beautiful adornment in music and art, great participation in our meals, and the launch of Coffee & Catechism at the 9AM hour. Our weekday ministries have been equally engaging, with studies, prayer meetings, classes, and the new format of home groups.
And thanks be to God, we've experienced mountaintop moments including baptisms, confirmations, receptions, commissioning, and an ordination.
Even in the midst of the ongoing sanctuary expansion, we have worked together to advance a wonderful season of gospel ministry. Our Sunday mornings have been remarkably vibrant, with high attendance, beautiful adornment in music and art, great participation in our meals, and the launch of Coffee & Catechism at the 9AM hour. Our weekday ministries have been equally engaging, with studies, prayer meetings, classes, and the new format of home groups.
And thanks be to God, we've experienced mountaintop moments including baptisms, confirmations, receptions, commissioning, and an ordination.
Online Giving
I want to reiterate a note from our weekly e-mail, which is to encourage you to make use of our online giving portal. This is both a practical and theological matter. Practically, online giving is easy to set up, enables recurring giving, and it helps the church with our budgeting.
Theologically, the discipline of recurring giving is a way to settle our heart and find rest in God. Jesus puts it this way: "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). In other words, recurring giving can actually help us to keep our hearts resting in God, dwelling in him and finding peace in his grace. Conversely, when we do not give our treasure to the Lord, we will find our hearts drifting more to other things, to the things we consider more worthwhile. Yet such things cannot satisfy; we are much happier when we rest in God.
If recurring giving is not yet a part of your practice, I realize it can be difficult to start. When you do, you will discover that there are abundant spiritual blessings in giving: the faith that grows from relying on God, the peace that comes from rejecting greed, the hope that comes from investing in God’s Kingdom, and the joy of giving itself. It is on account of these spiritual blessings that Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
I want to reiterate a note from our weekly e-mail, which is to encourage you to make use of our online giving portal. This is both a practical and theological matter. Practically, online giving is easy to set up, enables recurring giving, and it helps the church with our budgeting.
Theologically, the discipline of recurring giving is a way to settle our heart and find rest in God. Jesus puts it this way: "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). In other words, recurring giving can actually help us to keep our hearts resting in God, dwelling in him and finding peace in his grace. Conversely, when we do not give our treasure to the Lord, we will find our hearts drifting more to other things, to the things we consider more worthwhile. Yet such things cannot satisfy; we are much happier when we rest in God.
If recurring giving is not yet a part of your practice, I realize it can be difficult to start. When you do, you will discover that there are abundant spiritual blessings in giving: the faith that grows from relying on God, the peace that comes from rejecting greed, the hope that comes from investing in God’s Kingdom, and the joy of giving itself. It is on account of these spiritual blessings that Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
Living Stones Update #16
The latest financials for the Living Stones project are available. You can find them together with minutes from our Vestry meetings, on the Vestry page.
The steel for the bell-tower has arrived at Bill Cober's shop, and cutting and assembly has begun. Meanwhile at the church, siding will go up soon, and final measurements were taken for the windows this week. After Thanksgiving, we'll be preparing the details of the transition to Sunday worship in the Family Center (which will happen in January).
We have another great Living Stones video, this time from our Sure Foundation verse writing. Check it out!
Yours in Christ -
Peter
The latest financials for the Living Stones project are available. You can find them together with minutes from our Vestry meetings, on the Vestry page.
The steel for the bell-tower has arrived at Bill Cober's shop, and cutting and assembly has begun. Meanwhile at the church, siding will go up soon, and final measurements were taken for the windows this week. After Thanksgiving, we'll be preparing the details of the transition to Sunday worship in the Family Center (which will happen in January).
We have another great Living Stones video, this time from our Sure Foundation verse writing. Check it out!
Yours in Christ -
Peter
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