Hope-Filled Waiting

Waiting is not much fun. No one really likes to wait all that much. I mean who comes home from a trip to Disney or Cedar Point and says, “Oh man. It was awesome. We did so much waiting. The insanely long lines were the best part.” No one says that. No one thinks like that, unless you are afraid of the rides. But for the most part we don’t like to wait.

Today marks the beginning of Advent. This is a season of waiting and expecting Jesus to return in all of his glory that from that day on we would experience life with our God as it was meant to be experienced; a new creation with no more sin, sickness, suffering, injustice, death, evil. Everything that is wrong with our world will be made right. It will be better than anything we can imagine. It is something that we are to look forward to with great anticipation and expectation and hope. But it is also something that we have to wait for. And waiting is not much fun. After all who likes to wait? But what about you, what are you waiting for?

Our text this morning is from the 64^th chapter of Isaiah. It is very rich and extensive.  It is a text that is wrestles with the concept of waiting. Only this is not waiting in lines or waiting for Christmas. It is waiting for God to act. This text is a prayer that is prayed in the midst of trouble and tribulation.  The last two verses of the previous chapter help to set the stage.  They read “Your holy people possessed the land for a little while.  Our enemies have trampled on your holy place.  We have become like those whom you never ruled, like those who are not called by your name.”  And then we get to the first verse of our text which perhaps should be read, “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down!”  In other words, Lord, things are really bad, you could have prevented it. 

           

Now remember we are talking about the exile again.  Around the year 587 B.C.  The Babylonians have come in to Jerusalem.  They destroyed the temple and lead the most important people in the city away to Babylon.  This is the event that is in the mind of the author as this prayer is being prayed.  For the people of Jerusalem the exile is a defining moment in their history.  At the very least it is like the Revolutionary War for the people of the United States. 

The prayer goes on.  “When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.” As I hear these words this image comes to mind. About two months after Moses and the children of Israel had exited out of Egypt they arrived at Mt. Sinai.  You can read about it in the 19^th chapter of Exodus.  Listen to verse 18. “All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had come down on it in fire.  Smoke rose from the mountain like the smoke from a kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently.”  Asking God to split open the heavens and come down is not an unreasonable request.  He has done it before and now in the 64^th chapter of Isaiah he is being asked why he didn’t do it again. 

These seem like some pretty bold things to be saying to God.  I mean who are we to question his ways and how he works.  And yet this prayer does just that.  It’s important to realize however that it’s not questioning God in a disrespectful way.  This is not a question that arises out of doubt.  No this question comes from faith.  You see our author knows who God is.  He knows God’s love for his people.  He knows how God has consistently acted on their behalf.  But in spite of that there is this whole exile thing.  He seems to be asking, “God, in the past you have acted toward your people one way.  Now you seem to be going in the opposite direction.  What gives?”

He doesn’t attempt to answer his own question.  Instead he goes on to say that there is no god like God.  He is faithful.  He helps those who wait for him.  He greets the one who gladly does right and remembers his ways.  Yet he was angry because of their sin.  The prayer informs us that everyone had become unclean.  Even their good works were like bloody rags.  This ruined their relationship with God and thus they were ruined by their sin. 

At this point things seem pretty depressing and desperate.  However, it is at this point that we see great hope. Which works out well, because that is the theme for today. Hope. It is the name of the candle we lit in our Advent wreath, and we see it in the following verses,  “But now, Lord, you are our Father.  We are the clay, and you are our potter.  We are the work of your hands.  Don’t be too angry, Lord.  Don’t remember our sin forever.  Now look, we are all your people.”  In the midst of trial and tribulation, in the midst of our own sinfulness there is hope in God and who he is.  So when we talk about waiting, we are talking about waiting for God.

Well this is a very appropriate theme for Advent.  After all, Advent is a season of waiting.  We are waiting for Christmas, where we celebrate Jesus coming into our world, true God and true man.  Who lived the perfect life in our place.  Suffered and died on the cross and raised to life on the third day.  Taking our dirty filthy rags and washing them, making them whiter than snow.  We are also waiting for his return when he will restore all things to himself.  Now that seems pretty simple.  What are we waiting for?  This Advent season, and all year long we are waiting for God.

Now there is something you should know about the word “waiting” in our text.  It is not the kind of waiting we might normally think of.  It is not just standing or sitting around until something happens.  Rather the Hebrew word that is used here is one that denotes an expectant and hope-filled waiting.  It is a waiting that is sure and certain that God will act in his time.  And because there is that sure and certain hope-filled waiting, it is a waiting that is active, it is a waiting that is full of action; it is a waiting that remembers God and his ways. So the question isn’t what are you waiting for?  Rather the question is, “How are you waiting?”

We know that God will keep his promises and so we live that out in lives.  Even in the midst of exile, trial, tribulation, and sin.  Even when all things seem to be hopeless and void, we know that because God is faithful, we can actively wait for his return. So how do we actively wait for God?  We do it in service to him and to one another.

We actively wait for God as we come to his house to worship every week.  Because we know that he strengthens our faith through the hearing of his word and in the sacraments.  We actively wait for God as we take care of the homeless, the poor, the needy, those whom society has neglected and deemed to be merely a burden.  We actively wait for God as we walk with each other.  Bearing one another’s burdens, by praying with and for each other, by providing a shoulder to cry on, and just listening.  Now to be sure I am not saying that God is not currently active in our lives.  He certainly is.  But we currently are waiting for all of his promises to be fulfilled.  His promise to return.  His promise to completely restore all of creation.  So even though he is active.  Indeed the light of his Son has shined, and continues to shine in our lives.  He is not finished.  And so we wait for that completion. 

Because the light of Christ has shined in your life and in mine we can carry that light out into the world.  Because we know that God is faithful the waiting that we do for him this Advent season and all year long need not be a passive waiting, but and active waiting.  That is a life of service. 

           

In college I had the privilege of spending my spring breaks on various servant events in Orlando.  Every year a group from my church would spend the week working with Habitat for Humanity building a house.  However, one year we did not build a house.  That year we re-furbished a house.  We did some minor repairs, a lot of cleaning, and a lot of painting.  It didn’t seem as glamorous as the previous years.  That is of course until we met the man who was going to live there.  He didn’t have much of an education.  No more than fourth grade I believe.  He was quite poor.  Yet he was one of the neatest men I have ever met.  This man, who had so little, spent most of his time in service.  He would volunteer for a consignment shop, driving a truck and stocking shelves.  He would also spend a lot of his time working for Habitat himself.  To be sure he could have been doing many other things.  But he wasn’t.  Instead he lives a quite life of service to others. 

You and I are blessed in this congregation for many reasons.  One of those reasons is that we have many opportunities to serve around here.  If you have something that you enjoy doing, then there is something here that allows you to use that gift in service to others.  Whether it is doing something like Habitat or working with the Youth our volunteering for the altar guild.  There are many opportunities for active service.  We do these things not because we have to, not because they will make God love us more.  Indeed they will not.  But we do them out of thankfulness for his love and grace.  In this way our lives are consistent with his character.  We show the world who God is, in the lives of service that you and I lead.  

What are you waiting for?  The answer is God.  More importantly, how are your waiting for him?  May our great and gracious God bless you and me as we actively wait for him.  Amen.

                                                                                                             

Happy Thanksgiving!

A lady went to the pet story looking for an animal to welcome into her home. She looked through all the different kinds of animals, but her heart was caught by a parrot. It was a beautiful bird and she knew immediately that this was the perfect pet. But when she told the clerk that she wanted to buy the bird he refused to sell it to her. “I’m sorry ma’am. But the bird use to belong to a sailor and he talks just like one. His language is terrible.” But the woman insisted that she take the bird home, and promised that she would be loving but firm and would be able to change the bird’s ways. Sure enough no sooner did they get home and the bird began to cuss up a storm. The woman put the cage in the freezer and said, “you will stay in there for ten minutes, and every time you talk that way, you will get ten minutes in the freezer.” When ten minutes was up she retrieved her shivering bird and he said, “Wow. Lady. I promise I will never do that again, but can you answer just one question for me? What did the turkey do?”

Thanksgiving. What a great day. What a great idea. I mean, I don’t know about you, but any day that is celebrated by getting together with friends and family, eating a whole bunch of food and then falling asleep on the couch watching football, well that is a pretty good day. Now I don’t want to get caught up in the controversy about when the first Thanksgiving was or where it was celebrated. I don’t want to just write it off as secular day that was signed into law in 1941. No matter how you feel about those things; taking time out to pause and give thanks for the many blessings that we have in our lives, well that is a good thing to do.

And indeed there is much to be thankful for. That is the amazing thing about life. It can be really hard and scary and challenging, and yet in the midst of all that, we can still be thankful for our God and the amazing ways that he works in our lives and for the awesome promises that he makes to us, and that we place our hope in.

Consider our Epistle lesson from Philippians. Just Two verses before Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;” and then it gets into the beginning of our reading for tonight. “But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Sometimes this is easier said than done. I mean when everything is working out the way that it should, and everything is going according to plan and all the pieces are falling into place, well then it is easy to rejoice. But when everything is not going according to plan, and the hits just keep coming and you find yourself in that place where you feel like every time you hit bottom some throws you shovel. Well, when you are there, it is much harder to rejoice. It is more difficult to give thanks.

You don’t need me to tell you the harsh reality of living in a world that is so broken and corrupted by sin. Where we deal with the effects of our own sins and the sins of others in our lives. Where there is pain and suffering and injustice on a daily basis. But it is in the face of, in the midst of these things that we give thanks. And not because we have to, but because we are able to.

This rejoicing is not just putting on a happy face and pretending that nothing is wrong. Neither is it something that we do in isolation, but we do it together. We rejoice with one another. Because even when life is at its worst, we still have a God who is with us, who forgives us our sins, who gives us life and salvation, who will never give up on us or abandon us. And who always gives us hope. We have something to hold on to. We know that God is faithful. We know of that future reality that awaits us, but we also know that we have a taste of it now. Right now we get a sample of it; it is a foretaste of the feast to come. Because these things are true for us, then no matter what we are facing we can rejoice, we can give thanks, and that is what we are doing this evening.

Paul is no stranger to suffering. He certainly had his fair share of it. At the time that he is writing this letter he is in prison. He is there because he is telling people about God’s love in Jesus. Now he could cry about how unfair this is. He could complain about the suffering that he endures. But he doesn’t. Instead he rejoices. He gives thanks. And again, not because he has to, but because he is able to.

Do you know how awesome it is to be able to rejoice and give thanks regardless of our circumstances? Do you know how powerful it is to be able to rejoice and give thanks even when there is no visible reason for it? Because as we do this we are saying there is more to life than just the things that are going on around us right now. And no matter how difficult they are, they do not define us and we are not bound by them.

You see, without our God, when we go through difficult times in life, there is nothing to hold on to. There is no guarantee that things will get better. There is no hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. But that is not the case. Our rejoicing and thanksgiving is not proportionate to our trials or troubles. But our rejoicing and thanksgiving are there because of who our God is and the ways that he works in our lives. In other words, we don’t have to wait for life to get better to rejoice, because we have our God and he is with us and he works in marvelous ways in our lives.

This is a message that the world needs. In Jesus there is forgiveness, life and reconciliation with God and one another. In Jesus there is hope. And because we believe this and because we know this and because we experience this, we gather together to pray, and give thanks to praise and worship our God. So that we are persistent in our rejoicing and in our giving thanks.  The Lord is at hand. He is here. He is with us. And because this is the case when we pray, when we make requests, we can do so with thanksgiving. And as we do this, the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding will keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  

God works in incredible and awesome ways in our lives. He gives us many, many good gifts. So many that we can’t even number them. He gives them to us, not because we deserve them or have earned them, but because of who he is and how awesome, gracious and loving he is. And so we give thanks.

One of the ways that we see him working in our lives is through Holy Communion. The body and blood of Jesus are in, with and under the bread and wine. And when we receive these things we receive forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. For wherever there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. By the way, do you know another name for communion? Eucharist. The word Eucharist comes from the Greek work and means give thanks. You hear this in our communion liturgy as we say, “Let us give thanks to the Lord or God,” and the congregation responds with “It is right to give him thanks and praise.” It is right to do so, because of all the awesome ways that God works in our lives.

And when we take that into account, we realize that there is indeed much to give thanks for. I thank God for you. For bringing us together. For your love and support. And for your partnership in ministry.  I am looking forward to this next year together, and to being able to work, study, serve, worship, give thanks and rejoice with you. Rejoice in the lord always; again I say rejoice. Amen.

4 Important Lessons

Just this past week I have officially begun my research for my doctor of ministry thesis project.  As I have been reflecting on this I realized that in my thirty-three years of life I have spent all but eight of them in school. Spending that much time in class rooms will give one plenty of opportunities to learn some really cool stuff.

I have learned a lot of wonderful things in seminary. But not every lesson in life is learned in a class room. There are very important lessons that cannot be taught, they must be experienced. These are things like: Lesson number one, when you are reading a lesson on Sunday morning and you are unsure of how to pronounce a word, say it with confidence, and then everyone else will go, “oh. That’s how you say that word.” Lesson number two, when you read the same word twice in one reading make sure you pronounce the word the same way both times, otherwise lesson one does not work. Lesson number three, any event in a Lutheran church will not actually begin until fifteen minutes after the advertized start time. And finally, you don’t mess with the LWML.

Today is LWML Sunday, and not just because I don’t want to mess with the LWML. Actually, I’m sure that if you were to ask any of these wonderful ladies they would tell you, “Even though this is called LWML Sunday, it is not about us or what we do. It’s all about Jesus. It’s all about living life with him.” And you can see this in the theme for today. Being with Jesus – living on the edge.

Now maybe those are not necessarily two phrases that you would think right away about associating with one another. Being with Jesus and Living on the edge. After all we live in a place where we are free and safe to worship as we chose. The greatest dangers we face on a Sunday morning are having the heat go out in the winter or the air go out in the summer. Being with Jesus seems to be quite safe. Living on the edge is something that people do when they want a rush of adrenaline. It’s what they do when they stare danger right in the face and say, “You will not win the day.” You know they do things like bungee jumping, sky diving, running into lake Huron in December, or mixing in a scoop of regular coffee grounds in with your decaf.

But is living on the edge the kind of thing that we really associate with being with Jesus? I would guess to say most people don’t. We grow quite comfortable in the routines of our lives. Week in and week out it is pretty much the same thing. We get up. We go to work or school. We spend time with family and friends. We attend our extracurricular activities. On Sundays we worship. There is maybe some bible study, prayer time, devotional reading. It is part of our lives that is very important to us. It is very comforting and encouraging. We couldn’t imagine life without it. And yet, have you ever put on a safety harness on your way to worship? Have you ever need head gear or protection before a bible study? Have you ever had to dawn a parachute before your devotions? Probably not.

Maybe we are being too narrow in our definitions and understandings of things here. Maybe we need to broaden the understanding of both of our phrases here, so that as we talk about being with Jesus we understand that that includes more than worship once a week. And also so that we understand that living on the edge isn’t limited to only those things which get your adrenalin going.

After all, to talk about being with Jesus is really talking about something that is a reality in our lives in every area and moment of our lives. We are never at a point when we are without Jesus. There is never a time when we are away from him or separated from him. There is never a moment in our lives where Jesus is not present. As much as we can talk about being with Jesus, we can even more so talk about Jesus being with us. And this is the promise that he makes to his disciples at the end of Matthew’s Gospel, and also to us as well. “I am with you always. Even to the end of the age.”

Jesus has gone through great lengths to be with us. He did not go through these lengths so that we would feel guilty and obligated to do what he wants us to do, but he went through these great lengths because he loves us. He went through these great lengths because he loves you so very much.

Our God loves his creation. He is passionate about it. He would not allow the brokenness and separation that comes as a result of the fall to keep his creation from him. So he becomes a human being. In his life he perfectly fulfills and keeps all of the requirements of the law. In his death on the cross he pays in full the price for all our sins, and for all of the sins of the world. Taking that punishment upon himself, our sins are removed from us as far as the east is from the west. He destroys the power of sin, death and the devil in his resurrection from the grave. At his ascension he was seated at the right hand of God, where he rules and reigns on our behalf.

This is the God who is with us always. We never have to be without him, because he is always with us. He is active in our lives. He works through word and sacrament. Through these faith is given and strengthened. He provides us with everything that we need to support our body and lives. And did I mention that he is always with us?

Being with Jesus, having Jesus with us, means that we can be certain that forgiveness, life and salvation are ours, and are not based on what we do. Having these things means that when Jesus sends us to the very ends of the world, when he sends us to live life on the edge, he is sending us to live life in relationship with him. He is sending us to live a life that shows and invites others to know the love, grace, mercy and forgiveness that he free offers, and graciously, abundantly, lavishly pours out into our lives.

Living on the edge may not require that we dawn a helmet or a parachute. But it may require that we step out of our comfort zones in order to have the opportunities to show God’s love to others. Living on the edge may not have us jump off a bridge with a giant rubber band around our ankle. But it may require us to take that leap of faith and reach out to that person who has been on our hearts lately.

Living on the edge is not about danger, but it is about life. It is about living, and it is about living life with Jesus. In living life with him we go out to share that life and to invite others to know that life as well, that they too may know the love, mercy, grace and forgiveness that our Jesus offers.

Sharing God’s love is not just limited to the words that we speak. Although that is part of it. But there are some wonderful things that this congregation does to share that love. Whether it is a collection of food, or coats, or money for servant events, time and time again I have see the people of this congregation step up to the plate. And give freely and generously.

I have seen people in this congregation give of their time in service to others. You go to Mexico. You go down the street to rake leaves for people you may hardly know. You stand outside on a cold Halloween night giving away hot dogs and cider and candy and coffee. You set up and volunteer for giving away an entire semi-truck full of food. You even give your own blood at a blood drive.

You support others who serve as missionaries. You welcomed our new friends Mandy and Amy this year and allowed them to share with you the work that they are doing in one of the most dangerous places in the world. And I am just scratching the surface. This doesn’t even begin to include the many times and ways that you surround, love and care for one another too.  Your generosity is a reflection of God’s generosity in your life. Your love is a reflection of God’s love in your life.

These are the kinds of things that God’s people do, living lives of love and service, because Jesus is with us. No matter where we are or what we are doing. Even to the very edge. Even to the very end of the age. These kinds of things are what our LWML does, because this is what God’s people do. There are so many ways and opportunities for us to share and make know God’s love in Jesus with the people around us.

The LWML in this congregation does many wonderful things, in this congregation, in this community and even in our world. So we set aside a day like today to give thanks to God for them and for all of his dearly loved daughters and sons who give us themselves, who love and serve, who share and witness to God’s great love in Jesus. And they do this because they know that Jesus is with them.

May his presence in your life, and the knowledge that Jesus is with you, be for you a constant source of comfort, peace and strength. Now and always. Amen.

Happy All Saints Day

This weekend is All Saints weekend.  This is like the Memorial Day for the church. It is a day of remembrance, it is a day of celebration, it is a day of thanksgiving. It is a time to give thanks to God for those people that have been important in our lives and in the life of the church throughout time.  Some saints have their own day, Saint Peter, Saint Mary, Saint Augustine, but for those who do not have their own day, there is always All Saints day.

So why do we celebrate this day?  What is the big deal?  Well some of these people have done some pretty amazing things.  But as neat as that may be, what we are really celebrating is the one in whom these saints have put their faith.  You see, if we were to ask them, they would say, “Oh no, it’s not about us.  We are not the important ones here.  It is all about Jesus.  He is the one who is worthy of all praise and thanksgiving.” 

So today is a day of prayer, praise and thanks to our God for the saints that he has blessed us with.

Our first reading is taken from the seventh chapter of Revelation. The picture that it paints is absolutely breath taking. My hunch is that a lot of people are intimidated by Revelation. It is associated with gloom and doom and things that we cannot understand, and maybe don’t even want to understand. And yet, that is not actually the case. 

You see, the book of Revelation was written to be a great source of comfort and strength for both the church and the individual Christian. Especially as that church and as those individual Christians are about the mission and work that God has given them to do. It wasn’t written to tell us when and how the world would end. Instead it was written to remind us that even when things are bad beyond our imagination, there is always great hope. 

Our reading begins at the ninth verse of chapter seven, but you really need to go back to verse one.  Because this chapter as a whole paints a picture of God’s people.  When you read that chapter as a whole, you see portrayed the entire people of God.  The beginning of chapter seven shows the people of God on earth.  They are portrayed as 144,000. This number is a way of picturing the completeness of God’s people. No one is left out. And something very special is happening. They are being sealed.  They are being given a special protection. This happens through God’s Word and through the baptism and communion. Through these things, the Holy Spirit strengthens our faith. Through these things we are reminded of God’s great love, mercy, and forgiveness that we have through Jesus.  And through these things we experience God’s presence in our lives.

You and I are included in this picture. So as you and I live our lives in this place.  As we experience challenges in ministry, at work, in school, at home, in our families with our friends and neighbors.  Wherever we experience trials and troubles, especially when they come because of our faith, when we experience these things we are reminded of God’s holy and gracious protection in our lives. This a great hope for you and me.

Our verses in our celebrate insert give us part two of this picture of God’s people.  This is the picture of God’s people in heaven these are the ones who have moved from the church on earth to the church in heaven.  They are at peace, and will spend the rest of time in the presence of God. They are his own dear children.  And what are they doing?  They are praising and worshiping God.  And all the angels of heaven around them join in that praise.  This is really the only proper response.  So what we have then is a picture of two groups of people that together form the entire people of God.  For one of these groups there is the promise of protection, for the other the realization of peace.  And though they are in different places they have a special connection.

For the early church, stories of those who gave their lives because they believed in Jesus were a source of hope and encouragement. “if this guy can do it, we sure can.”  That was kind of the gist of it.   There was a sense of connection that the people of God on earth, had with the people of God in heaven.  They ones on earth viewed the ones in heaven as a cloud of witnesses who encouraged them to be faithful in their journey of faith. After all, this cloud of witness knew exactly what they were going through.  So this was an important part of life in the early church. 

Now allow me a definition clarification here.  What is a saint?  Is it only someone who is dead?  No.  A saint is anyone who is a member of the body of Christ. That is it.  Now here is another question.  Who has been an important saint in your life?  Who has been that person who modeled for you the importance of your faith?  Who is that one who taught you the joy of being in a relationship with God?  Who is that person through whom you saw God’s love for you?

For me there are several that come to mind.  The first one that I think of however is my papa. David got his middle name from him that is how important he was to me. The day that I was old enough to sit at the table and be his partner in a game of Euchre was the day that I knew I was no longer just a kid in the family.  I remember my Papa on Sunday mornings before church.  He would be sitting at the kitchen table.  The radio was planning hymns.  He had his hymnal and his Bible opened in front of him, and he would spend time reading his bible, praying and praising his God.

At the time I didn’t understand what was going on. I could not figure out why in the world Papa was doing more church. I mean it was long enough as it was, and he was just making it longer. I wasn’t able to fully appreciate how important his faith was to him and what it meant.  But rest assured that that was something that has stuck with me to this day.  It has been almost twenty years since my Papa has passed away, but this is one of the few memories that I have of him.  Thinking about him and his faith helps encourage me in mine. And though I treasure the few things I have to remind me of him, The greatest treasure I have is knowing that my faith is the same as his, and that his savior, is mine also.

So who are the saints that have been important for you?  Does anyone feel brave enough to share? Or at least share with the person next to you. Now we don’t have the time to share now, but I would imagine that if we had the time, then we would easily be able to spend hours sharing stories. On this All Saints day it is important to remember those who have impacted our faith. It is important to be encouraged in our faith by their faith. Because this too is one of the gifts that God gives to the church. It is important to give thanks to our God for them, and that thanks and praise is the only proper response.

My last question today is this? Who is the person in your life that God is calling you to be a saint to? Where in your life are there people who need to see God’s love for them lived out in flesh and blood?  Who are the people that God has placed you into their lives so that through the relationship that they have with you, they will see and know of God’s love for them.

My papa did not do his morning devotions at the table on Sunday morning so that I would see him.  That was not the point.  He was doing them because it was him living out his faith.  I just happened to witness it. When the saints, that is the people of God lives out their faith, they are not doing it so that people will look at them and say, “Wow! What a great person that person is!”  No.  They do it so that people will look at them and say, “Wow! What a great God that person has!” Because in the end that is what it is all about.  You and I, and all of the people that God sets aside for himself, have been made his own, has been forgiven of their sins, has been given the promise of life in Jesus so that we can live in relationship with our God, and live in a way to bear witness to that God to the world around us.

So to whom is God sending you to be a saint? What are some things that you can do to make that witness known?  Spend some time today thinking and praying about how you can be a saint.  And as you are living this out, be encouraged by that great cloud of witness that encouraged the early church. And do it in the confidence of knowing that through Jesus we have been given everything that we need in order to do this. 

So as we consider the great things that our God has done for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus, as we consider the way he has worked in and through the lives of his people, we remember that the only proper response is to praise our God.  Now and always.  Amen.