God ministers to us
Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
He keeps your gates strong;
he blesses your people.
He keeps your borders safe
and satisfies you with the finest wheat.
(verses 12-14)
A wife remarked to her husband after a church service, ‘Did you see what Mrs Jones was wearing?’
‘No’, said her husband, ‘I didn’t’.
‘Did you see how tired Mr Smith looked?’ she asked. ‘I bet his wife doesn’t give him a moments peace’
‘I’m afraid I didn’t’, said her husband.
To this his wife replied, ‘Well a fat lot of good it does you to go to church!’
What is it that draws Christians to worship God every Sunday? At the Sunday service, God meets us and ministers to us through his word and holy communion. We may come to worship carrying heavy loads—anxiety, poor health, grief, failed relationships and bad decisions. We come wanting God to minister to us. We confess our sin, and he lifts the burden of our guilt and announces that we are forgiven. He ministers to us as we hear his word of comfort and hope and gives us the strength and courage to face another week. He reminds us of his baptismal promise to walk with us through all the ups and downs of this life. He gives us the body and blood of his Son and reassures us that we are loved, even though we don’t deserve it. We respond to God’s goodness with our songs, our prayers, our gifts and our lives of service to others.
Loving Father, lift me up with the knowledge that you love me and are always ready to help. Amen.
by Vince Gerhardy, in ‘Guidance for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2002)
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