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| Spiritual Tossed Salad |
| Written by Martin Brieschke | |
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Dear friends and fellow spiritual connoisseurs in faith. I’m a meat and potatoes kind of guy. My idea of a good meal is a nice hunk of beef, some mashed potatoes and gravy, some bread or a roll with plenty of butter, and something sweet for desert. Give me protein, carbohydrates, and sugar and I’m a happy camper. Now, before all you parents get upset with me, I do know that a nutritious meal has several bottom layers to the food pyramid that contain veggies and fruit and stuff like that. I know that my body needs those vitamins and minerals from those bottom layers in order to promote optimum health. I just don’t always want those things. My wife knows this about me so she often makes salads with lots of fruits and veggies in them so I can get lots of those vitamins and minerals in one fell swoop. And she knows that I am more likely to eat the salad if it has lots of stuff included with the lettuce. And over time, I have actually come to enjoy salad as a part of my regular diet. Which brings me to today’s epistle lesson. Did you notice that the last paragraph of today’s epistle lesson sounded like the writer was putting together a salad? “Let us” this…; “Let us” that…; “Let us” not…; and so forth. That’s a lot of “lettuce” being sent the reader’s way. I’d like to spend a few minutes this morning considering the ingredients of this spiritual tossed salad. There is a reason the writer of this letter suggests we “chow down” on some spiritual salad. In verses 19 - 21 he reminds the readers that we have been reconciled to God through the death and resurrection of Jesus. We are now in a new relationship with God. In fact, we have our very own high priest – Jesus Christ, himself – who is our intermediary with God on our behalf. Therefore we are now in a position to change our behaviors and move forward in our relationship with our Father and brothers and sisters in Christ. The first piece of “Let us” in this salad goes like this: “Let us draw near to God…” How can we get closer to God? I’ll bet you already know some answers to that question. One of the first that comes to my mind is getting into God’s Word – through personal Bible reading, Sunday School & Bible classes, Christ Care Small Groups, and the like. Another way to draw near to God is through participation in the Sacraments; a third might be in regular worship attendance. One of the key premises of “Experiencing God” was to see where God was at work and join with Him in that work. There are plenty of opportunities I see where that could happen. I’m thinking of our school ministry, the work we’ve been doing with Redeemer and Resurrection, the Backside Ministry efforts at Churchill downs, the opportunity to serve in leadership positions or on various boards and committees, the Braille ministry, the meals on wheels service, Habitat for Humanity, and so forth. As a forgiven child of God, why not consider how you can join with God in one of those significant ministries or any other you see that needs your help. The second leaf of “let us” in the spiritual salad we’re instructed to consume is this: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess”. In the very next chapter of this letter to the Hebrews, the writer speaks to that “hope we profess”, which we often call our faith. Please read together with me what he writes. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, certain of what we do not see.” (Heb. 11:1) As forgiven children of God, we can be sure that Christ’s death and resurrection assures us of our place in heaven; we can be certain that God is in control of our lives and using all to His glory. We can be certain that when we join with God in ministries where He is at work, our efforts won’t be in vain. After first focusing on our relationship with our God, the next several leaves of “Let us” the writer shares with us deal with our relationship to one another. “Let us consider how to spur one another on” he writes in verse 24. God would have us use our nearness to Him and our unswerving hope to motivate our brothers and sisters in the family of God. What motivates you? What spurs you on? Is it a “thank you” or “pat on the back”? Perhaps it’s another form of positive reinforcement? I know what doesn’t spur me on – constant complaining, criticism without suggestion for improvement, being ignored by others. How about instruction in what needs to be done, or setting the example? These may be the very things that motivate another child of God to join with Him in the work He is doing. And sometimes it might be just as simple as extending a sincere invitation. My prayer for you is that you look for the opportunities you have to spur on your brothers and sisters in Christ here at Our Savior. And selfishly, I might add don’t forget to spur on His called workers and all our staff. Sometimes we can use some motivation too. Verse 25 gives us the last two “Let us” leaves of this portion of scripture. “Let us not give up meeting together.” Although we often think of this as worshipping together, I would submit it includes a multitude of other times and places when we can gather together as God’s people in fellowship and service. Once again consider, Bible study, fellowship events, meeting as a congregation to do the business of the church, Christ Care small group meetings, special ministries with Braille, meals on wheels, the backside ministry, and many others. And the final “Let us” leaf is this: “Let us encourage one another…” Let me conclude this morning by sharing some encouraging things I see God doing in our midst. Each week there are visitors galore in worship with us. I see us changing to a more positive culture of welcoming those we may not know. PRAISE GOD FOR THAT! Our Day School ministry has grown by over 20 students in the midst of a recession economy. PRAISE GOD FOR THAT! And we begin working on next year’s enrollment at our Open House this afternoon. If you have not been in the school area recently, let this be my sincere invitation to you to stop by between 2:00 and 4:00 and see what God is doing. Are you aware of this congregation’s significant contributions to God’s work at Redeemer and Resurrection Lutheran churches here in town. We’re actively involved in food pantries; in providing worship and organizational leadership; and beginning in January, in Bible study together. PRAISE GOD FOR THAT! I constantly marvel at the level of musical talent God has provided to us – our choirs, bell choirs, instrumentalists, praise teams, and musical leadership. What a joyful noise they make and lead us to make to our God. PRAISE GOD FOR THAT! And one more area of encouragement for us is our Christ Care Small Groups. There are now 11 such groups meeting regularly in fellowship, in Bible Study, and in service to our God. Some have divided and expanded, some have figured out ways to accommodate a large group and still keep it small (You’ll have to talk to Luther Oberhaus about how that works), and all are looking for more ways to reach out to those who do not know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. PRAISE GOD FOR THAT! So there it is; a spiritual tossed salad; a variety of urgent appeals to you and me, the redeemed. And what a salad it is! It’s chock full of things that are needed to keep us spiritually healthy. And if we partake of this salad on a regular basis, we might even come to enjoy it, just as I have learned to enjoy the salads my wife makes. Would you read with me once again these ingredients to spiritual health. • Let us draw near to God • Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess • Let us consider how to spur one another on • Let us not give up meeting together • Let us encourage one another May God grant us the will and the ability to accomplish these things in His name. Amen. |