October 15, 2007 by admin.

1 Timothy 6:15-19

In the name of him who deserves all honor and glory, dear fellow recipients of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Does a day ever go by in which you don’t have to deal with money in some way? A day in which you didn’t have to pay a bill or take out your wallet or purse to buy something or use your credit card to fill up your car with gas or to buy groceries? It would be a rare day indeed! Whether we like it or not, money plays an important role in our lives. Every day confronts us with issues and decisions about money. But is that all life is about? Do we give the indication that our lives revolve around money and all the things that it can buy? If so, then we’re in direct conflict with Paul’s statement, “For to me, to live is Christ” (Php1:21). As our Lord himself tells us (Lk 16:13), “You cannot serve both God and Money.”

In our stewardship emphasis the past two weeks we’ve learned that living for our Lord affects our daily tasks and our personal relationships. Today we’re going to talk about a topic frequently found in Scripture. We’ll learn how living for the Lord also influences what we do with our daily resources. When using each blessing the Lord has given to us, let’s learn to ask ourselves:

“How Should I Honor You with This, Jesus?”

Sometimes we forget who we are and what we’re doing here on this earth, don’t we? We work hard and we play hard as if life is all about us and all about this world. But it isn’t about us, and it isn’t about this world. It’s about our God and living for him. That becomes clear the more we get to know our God, the one described in our text as “the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no once has seen or can see” (vv 15,16). We have a God whose power is unmatched by any on earth. He is so unapproachable in his full glory that no sinful mortal could see him and expect to live. He is King over all and Lord of all. If this is so, shouldn’t our lives be centered in him and consumed with him?

But are they? Or do we find ourselves easily tempted into chasing after another god, one more materialistic that promises happiness and contentment but never truly delivers? Are we guilty of taking the resources with which we’ve been blessed and elevating them above the one who has given them to us? We wouldn’t be the first to do so. Earlier in this chapter Paul tells Timothy (1 Ti 6:9,10), “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith.” It was happening in Paul’s day, and it’s still happening today. How often don’t we find ourselves in that revolving lifestyle of trying to keep up with everyone else but being unable to afford it? Or how often haven’t we equated happiness with having more things? What do we do to get out of a bad mood? We go shopping! We surround ourselves with “stuff,” being convinced that we deserve the latest and newest car or cell phone or computer or clothing. We love stuff – the best and newest stuff – and we love what gets it for us. In the end the love of money corrodes the heart and takes real life away instead of giving it. That makes money more than just a financial issue. It’s a spiritual one. If we were to use our bank and credit card statements as theological documents to show us who and what we worship, what would they tell us? Perhaps we’d see just how much money has become a god-like force in our lives, one that has become a genuine rival to our God.

God can put up with a lot from us, but he will not allow anything to rival him for our love and trust. That’s why Paul warns those who are rich “not to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (v 17). “But, Pastor, it says that Paul was to ‘command those who are rich.’ That leaves me off the hook, because I’m far from rich.” Maybe you don’t live in a mansion or drive a Rolls Royce, but how do you measure wealth? Let me tell you how rich you are and why Paul’s warning applies to you as well. Did you know that if you make more than $1500 a year (that’s less than $30 per week), you are still richer than 75% of the rest of the world? Do you realize that many of today’s so-called “necessities” such as cable TV, microwaves, a car for every driver in the family, cell phones, going out to eat, air-conditioning, airplane trips, cruises, and the like – all of these were considered extreme luxuries just two generations ago? My own personal inventory reveals cable TV (on each of the four TV’s in my house), two microwaves, a car for each of the two drivers, three cell phones, going out to eat, central air-conditioning in my house and vehicles, airplane trips – so am I rich? Guilty, as charged. And so are you.

So why don’t we feel rich? Why are we so discontent? Why do we feel so stressed out? Because we believe the devil’s lie that happiness is just around the corner, that contentment will come when we get just a few more things, that we’ll be satisfied when we can make just a little more money. The Lord tells us that by trusting in him we can be content with just having food and clothing, but we’d rather listen to the devil who tells us that we need so much more. The extremely rich John D. Rockefeller Sr. was once asked how much money it takes to make a man happy, and he said, “Just a little bit more.” Then, after he died, someone asked, “How much did he leave behind?” Someone answered, “All of it.” The writer of Ecclesiastes, believed by many to be King Solomon, puts it all in perspective when he writes (Ecc 2:18), “I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.” When it comes to money and all that it can buy, the saying is true – you can’t take it with you!

And yet you’ll always be rich, even after death, when you’re rich in faith. As a Christian you are blessed with a God who loves you and continues to work out your life according to his good purposes. Even though in his holiness he remains an unapproachable God whom no one can see and live, he chose to approach us through his Son who came into our world to provide meaning to our otherwise meaningless lives. He became our mediator, taking on the full punishment for all the times we’ve followed rival gods instead of the true God. He was put on the cross to rescue us from God’s anger – anger that we fully deserved – and to pay the debt of our sin so we could finally stand in God’s presence, sinless and righteous as he demands. When you live your life for Christ, he offers you a life that is far superior and longer lasting than anything this world advertises. He offers you an eternity with him in heaven!

Until we get there, the Lord calls us to live our lives for him. In Romans Paul writes (Ro 14:7,8), “For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” Live for your Lord, and you have to give up every allegiance that competes with him. That doesn’t mean having money is bad. Paul isn’t telling us that we have to live a life of poverty or feel guilty if his blessings to us happen to be financial ones. It doesn’t mean that we have to give all our money to the church (although I won’t stop you if you’re so moved!). Paul tells Timothy that he should let people know that the Lord “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (v 17). He wants us to enjoy life and whatever gifts of grace he gives to us. But he doesn’t want anything in our lives to take his place.

So we use our blessings to honor him. Paul writes (v 18), “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” Interesting, isn’t it, how materialism today has become to generosity what kryptonite is to Superman? How many truly generous people do you know? Generosity ought to naturally flow from the life of a Christian, and yet it seems to be headed for extinction. Just what is it that’s strangling your generosity? The worry of an overwhelming credit card debt? An excessive need for security that keeps your fists tightly clenched around your finances? A feverish pursuit of recreation or pleasure? Or, more simply put, have we put ourselves ahead of God and everyone else, choosing to live only for ourselves?

We need the antidote to selfish living, to learn once again what it means to be generous. Generosity begins with the desire to honor the God who dared to step into our world so that we could now share his. We do just that with our offerings. In Proverbs we’re told (Pr 3:9), “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing.” When it comes to our offerings, let’s ask, “How should I honor you with this, Jesus?” As for giving back to the Lord, keep in mind “the four P’s”:

Priority – You honor God when you put him at the top of your list – before your bills and your other purchases – and then determine your lifestyle choices from what’s left over. Put God first and it will help you focus your other priorities too.

Planned – God is honored when you determine ahead of time what you will give back to him instead of just giving whatever “the Spirit” moves you to give at the moment. Anything important involves planning – trips, birthday gifts, special meals. Why not your offerings to God?

Percentage – God is honored when you return to him offerings that represent the level of gifts he’s given to you. In Christian liberty he lets us choose what percentage to use, but let’s strive to show our love and trust in him with a significant percentage. If you need a goal, grab the Old Testament tithe of 10%, but use it as a benchmark, not a stopping point.

Plentiful – This is another word for generous. Give offerings that celebrate all the great things he has done. Give offerings that respond to crying needs. Give offerings that model those of the Macedonians, Christians who Paul said “gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability” (2 Co 8:3). That’s plentiful, generous giving.

The financial challenges we face leave little room for sloppy stewardship or misdirected loyalties when it comes to our offerings. Our synod is once again asking for a 10% increase in our mission offerings for 2008, a goal that I’ll be encouraging our voters to approve. Here in our own congregation you should be well aware of the challenge we face to come up with $179,000 in pledges over the next three years to help lower the interest rate for our next building program. And I know you have your own personal challenges tugging at your financial shirttails: braces, college tuition, house payments – fill in your own blanks. Let’s be reasonable! There’s only so much to go around!

Yes, let’s be reasonable and let’s see if we’re really asking the impossible. Take into consideration that the average WELS member doesn’t give 10% of their income to the Lord. They don’t even give 5%. The average is about 3%. Here at Messiah we do a little better, but not much, giving about 4% of our income in offerings. So do we have a leg to stand on if we’re going to argue that we can’t meet the financial challenges set before us because we don’t have enough from the Lord to go around?

In 2 Corinthians Paul tells us (2 Co 9:6), “Whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” Even better, listen to God’s challenge in Malachi (3:10,11), “‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.’” Honor me, the Lord says, and I will honor you. Turn your life over to him and learn to live generously for his purposes. As Jesus tells us (Mt 6:33), “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Let go of any sinful holds you may have on worldly wealth, and let God show you how richly he can bless you!

“How should I honor you with this, Jesus?” Christians who take this approach with their offerings have a new grasp on life. Paul describes them as those who “lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (v 19). By God’s grace you and I have the opportunity to take hold of that very same kind of life, one that honors God and brings us abundant blessings. This next week I ask you to take some time with your family to discuss how you can make an impact with your resources — an impact that will reflect your love for your Lord, an impact that will bring him honor. Make a commitment to grow in your faithfulness through your resources. Then step back and experience the lasting joy and impact it will have on you and on so many others!

“For me to live is Christ.” May that be your cause, your challenge, and your commitment!

Amen

–Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff

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October 9, 2007 by admin.

II Corinthians 5:14-16

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.”

Last week we began our stewardship emphasis under the theme, “Let this task be lived for you, Jesus.” We were reminded that everything that we do in our lives, since we were redeemed by our Lord Jesus, is now for Jesus. No matter what we might be doing, we are to do it to God’s glory.

As we try to do that for our Lord, we often face obstacles. Often times those obstacles are people. I am sure that you all know someone that has made your life more difficult, or who routinely makes your life difficult. Maybe you’ve even thought about how nice it would be and how much more pleasant your life would be if that person wasn’t there.

The Apostle Paul had to deal with people who made his life very difficult. Some hated him so much that they tried to kill him. On a number of occasions, Paul was put into prison or beaten, several times so severely that he almost died.

In spite of that, Paul traveled from country to country and often forfeited life’s simplest comforts. Paul was driven by love, not love that comes from people who are trying to hurt or even kill you. He was driven by the love that had come to him from God. Writing a second letter to the Corinthians, he spoke of that love and explained how it had affected him. Let’s turn to a few of the verses from that letter to see how Paul was led by the love of God to live his life with love toward others.

“What Does Love Look Like Now?”

When we first heard of Paul in the Bible, he was known as Saul. But it wasn’t just his name that was different than the person who wrote these two letters to the Corinthians. His life was quite different, too. Early in his life, Paul, then known as Saul, had attained a reputation as a hater and persecutor of Christians. When we heard about what he did to those who followed Christ, we may have asked, “Why didn’t God just get rid of him?”

God had a plan for Saul. He not only changed his name to Paul, but he changed Paul’s life ambition as well. The greatest persecutor of Christians became the greatest missionary of Christians. Paul explains what happened with the words, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.” (5:14)

Paul understood God’s love, and that love completely changed him. It’s a pretty amazing and unlikely story. But the fact of the matter is, the same can be said about each one of us. We were also enemies of God who didn’t understand his love. But in no less a miraculous way, God came to us and called us into his family. When we realize what God did for us, and the price that it cost him, our lives are also different. We understand what Paul meant when he wrote, “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” (5:15)

That means that there will be a difference in the way that we view other people and in the way that we treat other people. Paul added, “Form now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.”(5:16) After Paul’s encounter with God on the road to Damascus, he saw people differently than he had before. He saw them, not as people who were causing him trouble and making his life difficult. He saw them through the eyes of his Lord, as lost sheep who had no shepherd, who needed guidance and protection. God’s love compelled Paul to forfeit his own comforts, time, and money to seek and save those lost sheep.

The Christian Church has always been a church concerned with the well-being of people. As a congregation we work together to feed and nourish God’s people with the Word and sacraments so that they will not stray from the path that leads to heaven’s gate.

But keep in mind that this church, and every Christian church, is made up of individuals. And each individual has been called by God to be trained to love people, to love not only the kind and gentle, but also those who make their lives more difficult. God wants us to look at the lives he has given us and see the people who are there.

Each of us has a home and a family. These are people who need our love. It might just be mom who is carrying in the groceries and could use a hand. It might be the young child who is struggling with his or her homework who needs a few minutes of your time. It could be a husband or wife who has come home from a long day of work or a challenging day at home who needs a few words of encouragement. God established families so that love could be shared, not only his love with them, but their love with one another. God’s love compels us to live with love in our hearts for one another.

When we step outside of our families, it might become just a bit more difficult to love the people who surround us. They might not have our same backgrounds, or interests, or even our same faith. Sometimes loving them as Christ loved us isn’t always that easy to do. Is it really necessary for us to apply these words in every case?

Don’t forget, Paul spent most of his time away from his family. As a missionary, he spent most of his time with strangers, some who appreciated his efforts and some who didn’t. There were many occasions when the devil made life so difficult for Paul that we wouldn’t have been too surprised to hear that he reacted angrily or with hatred instead of with love.

But Paul knew God’s love—love for the very man who was trying to destroy his people. Love that sent his only Son to pay for the very sins that he was committing. And that love from God compelled Paul to love even the difficult people.

So how far does that go? The disciples once asked Jesus how often they should be willing to forgive someone who repeatedly sinned against them. They thought 7 times would be a fair number. But Jesus told them that 70 x 7 would be more like it. His point?—You don’t stop loving someone with Christian love because God didn’t stop loving you.

When God looked down from heaven, he saw people who needed him. Paul was one of them, but so were you and I. We were traveling the same road to hell that Paul had been on. We would not have found our own way to eternal life. So God did what he had to do. He sent his Son to us, just as he sent him to Paul, and he saved us from an eternal death.

There are now people in our lives who need our love. Sometimes these people come into our lives through the roles that God has given to us. In our jobs we have contacts, clients, co-workers, and customers. They might not come to us and tell us that they need help with their sinfulness. That’s probably not very likely. But there might be an opportunity for us to build a bridge, a bridge that would later on enable us to talk to them about more than just what they need for their lives here on earth.

None of us lives in an isolation chamber, as far as I know. We are surrounded by neighbors, friends, and acquaintances, some of whom do not know their Lord, and, therefore, do not know the danger that they are in. At times, there are openings for us to show them compassion or kindness. Matthew recorded a list that Jesus shared which shows us opportunities that we have to serve our Lord by serving our neighbors. He said, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Mt 25:34-36)

There is a prayer in the front of your hymnal on page 129 in which we ask God to help us see those opportunities. It reads, “Open our eyes to see the great and noble mission that lies before us. In the hurting eyes of the lonely, in the painted eyes of the sick, and in the searching eyes of the lost, help us to see your face, O Jesus, and to serve others as we would serve you.” Granted, at times that will be easier than it will at other times. But motivated by the genuine love that God has shown, and shows to us every day, we will make the efforts to represent him well in our lives. Knowing that, because of God’s great love, we will one day be in our perfect home in heaven, we can forfeit some of the comforts of this life for the sake of others.

So whether it is a friend or one who is not so friendly, a neighbor or someone whose name you don’t know, remember that God loves them and sent his Son for them. See them as God sees them, as a soul paid for by Christ. Then use the opportunities that God gives to you to help them, to help them in their lives here on earth, but more importantly, toward their life in heaven one day. That is your highest calling in life, and it will be your greatest privilege.

Amen.

–Rev. Roger Rockhoff

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October 1, 2007 by admin.

Ephesians 2:6-10

In the name of him who makes all our tasks worthwhile, dear fellow followers of our Lord and Savior,

Wouldn’t it be nice to be a king or queen, a prince or princess? Who wouldn’t want that kind of honor and respect! You’d get to dress up and wear the finest clothing. People would be excited to have you come through their town. You’d be someone important! And you’d have a purpose in life – to represent the crown and take care of the kingdom. But then we shake our heads and wake up from our daydream and find ourselves back in our rather routine, anything-but-special lives – lives that often seem void of any specific direction or purpose. You get up, eat, go to work, come home, and go to bed. In between any “free” time is spent running the kids from place to place or putting out the little fires that seem to pop up on a daily basis or just keeping the cars running and the house in good repair. What’s the purpose of it all? What does it matter? Is it all even worth it?

For the next three Sundays we’re going to be taking a look at our Christian calling and how it affects our view of life. You’ll learn that your life does matter, that it does have purpose, and that God has a plan for using each of his children here on earth. Today let’s spend some time with Ephesians 2:6-10:

“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

This morning may we learn to proclaim with everything we do:

“Let This Task Be Lived for You, Jesus!”

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians unfolds many mysteries about daily life. We learn that, contrary to what it may seem at times, the world isn’t spinning out of control. On the other hand, we’re not the ones responsible for holding things together. But that’s a good thing! Even though we may be good planners – constantly checking our pocket planners, PDA’s, and Blackberrys – still God is much better at planning than we are, and we’re all very much in his plans. In the first chapter of Ephesians Paul explains that God’s individual plan for each one of us began even before he created this world. He meticulously unfolded a world that he created in six days, and right in the center of it all he placed his greatest creation – mankind – you and me! And he gave us tasks to perform (Ge 2:15), “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Everything Adam and Eve did in caring for that garden was part of their calling, part of their spiritual worship of their God. Even such simple tasks brought joy and honor in a perfect world.

But things have changed. Now terms like “jobs” or “housework” or “homework” don’t seem all that honorable or spiritual, do they? And what emotions emerge when people mention “Monday”? For many it’s the worst day of the week because it’s the day when they have to go back to work or back to school after a weekend of freedom. It’s back to the same old grind, the same old weariness that causes us to complain and moan about what used to be a joy but now has turned into a struggle. When Adam and Eve decided to follow a different leader, their unfaithfulness to God set off a chain reaction that has affected the rest of humanity for all time. Now our tasks are too often laced with pain, frustration, and a perceived lack of purpose. All too often we’re tempted to believe that God has given up on us, that he’s left us to figure it all out on our own. In the end we feel like a hamster running in a wheel – making a good effort but really not going anywhere. We feel as if our life has no purpose.

But then we’re reminded from Scripture that God is still in control, setting up tasks for us to perform that give our lives purpose and meaning. He sets up governments to provide protection and peace. He entrusts parents with children to raise. He calls some to be teachers to develop our abilities. He has employers in place to give us employment and to provide what we need to live. He is still in control and is still using you and me here on this earth for his own good will and purpose! Yes, our lives do have purpose, because God says so!

Before we go on, let’s remember that we don’t gain any favorable standing before God by the kind of job we have, by our position in society, or even by how well we perform the tasks before us. When it comes to our salvation, our works are really worthless. In Romans we’re reminded (Ro 3:10,20), “There is no one righteous, not even one …. No one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” We knew the rules, but we chose to break them. That’s what sin is. But keep digging in Scripture and you’ll find a God who didn’t toss us aside like yesterday’s newspaper but instead had a plan. He would give us what we needed for salvation, something we could never obtain by ourselves (vv 8,9), “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” Peter told the crowd at Pentecost (Ac 2:23), “This man [Jesus] was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.” God loves us so much that he set up a plan to condemn his very own Son in our place in the heavenly court of justice. You and I were merely spectators as Jesus took on the full punishment for all the times we’ve failed to live up to God’s standards. It was Jesus who snatched us from the curse of hell itself, and our most important task in life – to find favor with God – is finished. Jesus said so. In John 17:4 he tells his heavenly Father, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” Mission accomplished!

What a relief to know that our standing before God isn’t based on what we do, but on what Christ has already done. That changes our whole perspective and focus on life. Think about it. Jesus paid the price – we owe him our very lives, our eternities! More than that, he is our life! He has plans to keep us close to him, plans to use us in his service, plans to reach out to others. Like Paul our motto has become (Php 1;21), “For to me, to live is Christ” – no matter what our task may be! How can we do any less when we remember the high position we all share because of Christ (v 6), “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” There are lots of callings in life, but none can compare with the special union we have with Christ himself. Just think of how it all started at your baptism. You were “buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God” (Col 2:12). Jesus made us respectable in the eyes of the only one who counts. In Colossians Paul tells us (Col 3:1,3), “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ . . . your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” Here’s where we differ from the world around us — everything a Christian does, any task we may perform, is wrapped up in our God and not just in ourselves. Christians “no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them” (2 Co 5:15). That’s what changes the routine, menial, everyday tasks into something special, something that matters, something that serves our Lord and makes us useful in his kingdom!

After all, that’s why God brought us into this world (v 10), “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” It’s true that we’re not saved by our good works, but that doesn’t mean that we’re not supposed to do them. Just the opposite is true – God handcrafted each of us for specific tasks that he prepared in advance for us to do. The Greek actually says that these tasks were prepared for us to “live” or to “make a part of our daily walk.” These “good works” make up our “calling” here on this earth as Christians. Later in Ephesians Paul encourages us (Eph 4:1), “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” He’s not just talking to “called workers” here, those who have received a unique calling into the public ministry. Whereas there’s a reason why we invest so much time and money in training pastors and teachers for full-time ministry, that doesn’t mean that all other tasks within the church are secondary in importance. Each Christian has been given different gifts to use in doing the “good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” In a sense, we’re all “called workers” when you think of it. Counting the offering, setting up for Communion, cleaning the church – there’s a sacred value to each of these tasks in the eyes of God. Martin Luther put it well when he said, “The works of monks and priests, however holy and arduous they be, do not differ one whit in the sight of God from the works of the rustic laborer in the field or the woman going about her household tasks, but that all works are measured before God by faith alone.”

We’re not talking just about the things done at church. Everything we do is affected by our relationship with Jesus. There was never meant to be a barrier between the sacred and secular tasks in our life, as if some are better than others. Everyday tasks such as caring for children, doing homework, helping neighbors – they’re never just routine and “unspiritual.” They’re all ways of serving the Lord. Meals have to be prepared, floors have to be cleaned, garbage has to be collected. This is how God cares for the world and how he uses us to serve. Luther once wrote that God and the angels smile whenever a man changes a diaper. This is what Paul meant when he wrote (Col 3:17), “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Another Martin Luther – Martin Luther King Jr. – put it another way, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted – so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lives a great street sweeper who did his job well.” Your job isn’t just to get a paycheck or to bring home good grades on your report card. They’re ways to glorify God with the gifts he’s given you. Whether at home, at work, or at school, Paul says (Eph 6:7,8), “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does.”

If God has a plan for us, it makes sense for us to begin each task with the goal, “Let this task be lived for you, Jesus.” No, this doesn’t mean that the tasks before us will be easy. Paul often talked about the suffering he endured as he lived for Christ. But it does mean that what we do has new meaning. We are all “priests” of God, called to “declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Pe 2:9). We’re part of our Lord’s church, the “ekklesia” in Greek, which means “the called out” ones. We’re meant to work together. There’s not suppose to be any solo acts in God’s symphony, but we’re all part of the orchestra where individual notes and talents are blended together. We come together for worship and instruction in God’s Word. Scripture tells us why (Heb 10:24,25), “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.” Here together in study and worship we grow in our understanding of what God’s plan is for us. Then at the closing benediction, the church commissions her priests – each one of us – to head out into the world that so desperately needs us. That’s where we belong, out in our everyday lives, performing the tasks that God prepared in advance for us to do, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem.

That’s because everything we do is important to God. We represent his crown, and he uses us to care for his kingdom. He uses our lives and our witness “in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (v 7). That’s the bigger picture. With that in mind, we really have only one job description, no matter what the task. Peter describes it this way (1 Pe 2:12), “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

You are a valuable part of God’s plan. So tomorrow morning before you start taking on another “Monday,” spend a few moments in quiet prayer. Look over all the daily tasks that await you. Then, throughout your day, whatever task you undertake at home, work, school, church, or in your community, let this prayer be in your heart: “Let this task be lived for you, Jesus!”

Amen

– Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff

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