November 1, 2023
Beloved of God,
God wants us all to have the cheerfulness of heart that constant gratitude brings. Thus, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 commands us to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
In the month in which the national holiday of Thanksgiving takes place, it is natural that the church emphasizes that it is God’s will that we give thanks day in and day out, month in and month out.
The best way to give thanks is to give out of grateful love.
Now, there is no loving without giving: giving of ourselves and our resources to bless God and neighbor. Hence, it is also natural that the church in November emphasizes stewardship and runs its pledge campaign.
To make a pledge is to make a faith promise to give a certain amount of money in the coming year in support of the church’s mission. Making a pledge to give, as opposed to giving without making a pledge, is valuable for two reasons. First, it helps the church leaders form a responsible, and yet daring, church budget for the new year. Second and more importantly, it helps pledgers grow spiritually. How is that so?
What we do outwardly not only expresses but also develops what we are like inwardly, and how we handle material things not only expresses but also develops how we handle spiritual opportunities.
For example, in prayer we may kneel, bow down and/or lift our hands. Those physical actions represent our fundamental values and convictions, but they also instill those values and convictions more deeply in our soul. Our soul often follows our body.
Likewise what we do with our money both represents our fundamental values and convictions and embeds them more deeply in our soul. We give generously both because we are grateful to God for all His grace to us and because we intend to grow all the more in our gratitude and love of God for His grace.
It is worth noting that Jesus, in speaking about giving in the Sermon on the Mount, does not state the truth that where your heart is, there your treasure will be also. Rather He says, in Matthew 5:21, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” In other words, our heart follows our money! Or, to put it another way, to give God our money is to give God our heart.
When we make a faith promise of a pledge, we make an investment in our spiritual development. We pledge, not just to do justice to the God to whom we owe a great debt of gratitude, but also to promote our becoming His stronger and more faithful servants.
We hope you will join in worship (in-person or on-line) on November 12th and dedicate your pledge to God that day with the rest of us. (Pledge sheets will be mailed out the following week to those who can’t join in worship on the 12th.)
We also hope you will join in worship the following Sunday for a Thanksgiving-oriented worship on November 19th (the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day), and at noon that day (following Sunday School) for a Thanksgiving potluck (details on page 2) and an afternoon of festivities. Further, we will be airing an on-line Thanksgiving service starting at noon on Thanksgiving Eve Day, November 22nd, and running it the rest of the week.
This month, we both give and give thanks! And the two of us give thanks for each of you every month!
In gratitude for Christ,
Rob & Adele
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