Blessings in Abundance: Lift Your Hands in Praise

When was the last time that you completely and wholly gave praise to God? Was it when you finished that big project at work? When one of your family members married the love of their life? Did you receive the recent rain with great thanksgiving? Have you just been grateful for being allowed to breathe the crisp air in the mornings? Have you ever felt the urge to stop what you are doing, lift your hands to the sky and give a strong ‘Praise be to You, Giver of life’?

Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-12 and Psalm 65.

What about the times in your life when things aren’t so joyous? Do you take time to admire your Creator as a dear friend suffers through stage four cancer? How do you feel as your best friend struggles to find a new job after being laid off after numerous years of hard work and dedication? How about your sister who isn’t able to become pregnant? When your teenage cousin is killed in a car accident because a driver was texting, do you still raise a prayer of happiness?

As we move about through our daily lives, we take advantage of all of the blessing that are freely given to us from our Writer of life. The overflowing gifts that are offered to us on a daily basis quickly add up as the weeks and months go by. The speed of time seems to accelerate at a faster pace every time we turn around. Our Redeemer doesn’t ask for thanks or praise, but it is well deserved. We wouldn’t have the ability to overcome the difficult circumstances that we are faced with if we didn’t have those around us to support and lift us up when needed. God is often called upon in a pleading manner when we are overwhelmed with our schedules and lists of ‘to-dos’. How can we change the way that we call upon our Lord as we are challenged throughout life? In what ways can we begin to give back or share our blessing in order to honor God more for the everyday miracles that we benefit from?

Grace and peace,

Melissa Ansberry

Stewardship Chair

Blessings in Abundance: Turning Blessings into Praise

What’s the last big transition you went through in life? A job change? Divorce? Birth of your child? Consolidating and moving to a smaller house? Your child’s wedding? Death of a loved one? At Trinity, we’re currently going through a pretty big transition time – Pastor Shelley has retired, and Pastor Alex has yet to start. We are living patiently and a little anxiously through a liminal space, continuing to journey on, wondering what is on the other side.

Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-12 & Luke 17:11-19. 

Jesus encounters the lepers in Luke in a liminal space – the border of Samaria and Galilee. Jesus was on His way to somewhere else, until the lepers made themselves known. After their encounter with Jesus, the lepers then also start a journey to somewhere else, and, while on their way, they are healed of their isolating disease. The healing is freely given and freely received, and the lepers can be restored to their community. 

The healing story in Luke clearly mirrors our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The ten lepers did not earn their healing in any way. Out of His goodness and compassion and love for the lepers, Jesus makes them whole once more. Out of His sacrificial love and desire for reconciliation, Jesus went to the cross and was resurrected three days later, making us whole again and again. 

The healing and the saving power of Jesus Christ are freely given blessings from God, blessings in abundance. The question that both Luke and Paul present to the reader is how will you respond to these blessings? Are you the one leper, who comes back to praise Jesus, who turns his blessing of healing into praise? Are you cheerfully sharing your abundant blessings for every good work through Trinity? Or are you hedging your bets, waiting to see what’s on the other side, waiting to see if you really want to share your blessings, waiting for this liminal space to end? 

Jesus is with us at Trinity through this liminal space, on the border between pastors. Jesus continues to pour out blessings in abundance at Trinity, regardless of our hopes and fears during this time of transition. And God continues to challenge us to share all our blessings in abundance so we may share in every good work. How can you share your time, your gifts, and your money with Trinity so that we may glorify God, share Christ’s love, and make new disciples? Through our commitment and our giving, we may show the world the gratitude we feel for the blessings we have freely received. Through our commitment and our giving, we may continue our ministry to the least of these, even in the liminal spaces. 

Grace and peace, 
Pastor Kate