Pastor’s Message for November 2021

Giving Thanks in All We Do

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:15-17 (ESV)

As we come upon another Thanksgiving holiday and times of eating with family and loved ones, we anxiously wait for joy to fill our homes. Thanksgiving football, the battles for the turkey drumstick, homemade stuffing, and sweet potato pie are some of the reasons why this holiday occupies a special place in my heart. Even though I look forward to the joy I experience every Thanksgiving, this year I am going to make a major change. Going forward, I am going to celebrate Thanksgiving all year round. Through Christ, we have been blessed with riches beyond measure, and because of those countless blessings, we should be thankful. Beginning this Thanksgiving, I want to give Christ all of the thanks our Lord and Savior deserves, but I want to give it to Him all year round.

Paul assumed the church knew Christ’s teachings even though written Gospels were not yet available. Although early Christians had access to the Old Testament and freely used it, they did not yet have the New Testament or any other Christian books to study. Their stories and teachings about Christ were memorized and passed along from person to person. Those teachings had become authoritative for the church as they were preserved, passed on, preached, and interpreted in oral form. Jesus is no longer a collection of oral stories. The New Testament is now available for us to read, to study, to gain intimate knowledge of Christ and who we are in Christ. It is through this intimate knowledge our relationship with Christ is born, strengthened, and, through our acceptance of Him, made visible in our lives. Christ is alive and He is found in God’s Word. How wonderful is it to have Jesus with us every day and receive the countless joys that are available as a result of a life in Christ.

This year I want to ask all of us to give thanks to God for the gift of the Son. Our life in Christ has given us the guidance and support we so desperately need. In addition, we must give thanks for where this life, this relationship with Christ is grown and strengthened; the Word of God. God has done wondrous things for us all, and I am thankful for everything
God has done through me. But, I cannot give the amount of thanks and praise God deserves for Christ Jesus. Through Christ, I have been saved and I am being shaped on a daily basis to be who I have been called to be. Beginning this year, let’s start to celebrate Thanksgiving all year round. Christ deserves it.

May you have a joyous Thanksgiving!

God’s blessings in all we do,
Pastor Ross