Thankful for God's abundant gifts
We had a celebration this past weekend for 25 years of ministry (out of the overall 73) at our present campus of 6801 N. Allen, Peoria, IL. In that service we had reminders of why we moved (as Rev. Ron Miller and Rev. Steve Hartmann, the two pastors during the transition, preached), as well as elements of what takes place in this space God has provided (with the Preschool singing, a baptism celebrated, communion shared, children’s and women’s ministry involvement, and a meal to enjoy with one another). Through it all, the Gospel of Christ Jesus, crucified, risen, and ascended to rule from on high, was shared: the ministry of our Lord which has forgiven our sins and reconciled us back to God. Thanks be to God for His gift of this place and for all the willing workers who made the celebration possible!
Our message leads to contentment...
“It did for one wild moment cross my mind that, perhaps, those might not be the very best judges of the relation of religion to happiness who, by their own account, had neither one nor the other.” G. K. Chesterton
That quote came to mind as I was listening to someone lambasting the Christian faith. Certainly, there have been abuses perpetrated within the body of Christ and, lamentably, I can expect that there will continue to be such abuses due to the sinfulness of every last one of us.
But I suspect that many of the critics of the followers of Christ Jesus lack a sense of contentment (which I would rather use than the word “happiness” which G. K. C. used, above) either because (1) they have a skewed understanding of Christianity [ all legalism – “do this, don’t do that” – and no grace], or (2) it’s that they are a part of the group which can be described with phrase “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.”
That difficulty can best be described as dying to one’s self (i.e. leaving behind any notion that we can earn God’s acceptance and appreciation through our own efforts). We don’t want to do that because we quite naturally think of our accomplishments as good things, but which they are not when enacted apart from faith.
Dying to one’s self also includes then relying on the death of Christ Jesus on the cross for God’s acceptance of us. We, again, quite naturally shrink from such a gruesome spectacle and consider it a bad thing. After all, He was completely innocent. Yet, in the economy of God that weekend of death and resurrection ends up being the most Good thing the world has or will ever know! That, while it might not reach the level of happiness, it certainly brings comfort, peace, and contentment (see Heidelberg Disputation, thesis 21).
As St. Paul writes St. Timothy, he helps us to understand where true contentment lies; in knowing God’s love for us in Christ Jesus and the assurance that God knows our needs and will provide. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and[c] we cannot take anything out of the world.8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 1 Timothy 6:6-8.
As the invasion of Ukraine continues...
Robert Royal wrote in this morning’s “The Catholic Thing” The Psalms in Times of War:
The Psalms are a poignant reminder of things that many of us, especially those who have been fortunate to live for years in relatively peaceful societies, would rather not face – even might be tempted to deny.
Our God is not a suburban God who guarantees prosperity and peace. Several psalms praise the wonders of Creation and remind us that such good as we enjoy comes from following God’s law. But they also never let us forget that evil is real and powerful, which is why God had to die on a Cross to defeat it…
God intends some good to spring from allowing things like COVID and the invasion of Ukraine. In many cases, the good that results is that we are forced finally to become “woke” in understanding how radically we depend on Him.
That being the case, I’d like to couple that with the following quote, also received today, from “The Pour Over.”
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I’m convinced that if we have a God-sized, God-given courage, then we will be freed up to be the people of God, living out the mission of God, marked by the joy of God.”
Matt Chandler
We do have a God who is triumphant over evil, through the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus. Our Lord is the One Who has assured us “ I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33