Christ Memorial was a church plant of Salem Lutheran in Affton in 1948. Our history is God “sowing seeds” and “bearing fruit.” What will he grow in the next 75 years? Martin Luther once said, “Even if I knew the world would end tomorrow, I would still plant my apple tree today.” We continue to plant seeds for coming generations of gospel multiplication. More people loved in Christ, more people sent into the world.
Invocation
Make the sign of the cross, and say,
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation Prayer
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt. 5:5) O Lord, I am lowly and humble. You alone are my inheritance. Amen.
Word: Acts 11:21
“And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.”
Meditation
Eternal Joy by Brett Hartmann
What drew people to the early church? Stephen was martyred in Jerusalem. There were many Christians put to death at the hands of Roman emperors. But despite persecution, pain, and suffering, the Christian faith spread like wildfire in the early days of the church.
Perhaps the gospel resonated so much with the early church, because it gave them hope beyond this world. If you do not believe in the divine, eternal God, then this life really is miserable. Soren Kierkegaard, the great Danish philosopher, observed in Works of Love, “Despair is not, therefore, the loss of the beloved – that is misfortune, pain, and suffering; but despair is the lack of the eternal.” I can still hear the words of Dr. Gilbert Meilaender, my theology professor at Valparaiso – “Suffering is evil, but it is not the greatest evil. The greatest evil is losing God.” Ultimately, separation from God leads to despair.
In confirmation class, we teach that sin is separation from God. This is precisely why the gospel message is one of hope. Jesus Christ, God incarnate, came down to earth and dwelled among us. He lived a perfect life and died so that we could be freed from sin, death, and devil – so that we could be reconciled to God.
In the past I have thought, “God could never forgive me for that. My sin is too great.” I want to let you in on the greatest realization I’ve ever experienced. I still remember when I had it. I was 23 and was doing some journaling at my desk in a rental house in Maplewood. When thinking about my sin, I realized that God is greater than my sin, so I needed to forgive myself. If my sin is too big for Jesus, then it is like spitting at Jesus’ feet on the cross. Who am I to limit Jesus’ power? Who am I to say my sin is so great that Jesus can’t forgive it? No. It is not for me to decide. Jesus decided, and he acted. I should be weeping out of gratitude at the foot of the cross.
This is why people want to be Christians. We are so loved by God, that he would come to save wretches like us. And because we are loved, God sends us into the world. And sometimes we encounter pain and suffering, but those feelings are temporal. We know the eternal joy of the gospel.
Dear Jesus, thank you for bearing all our sins at the cross. Thank you for loving us more than we deserve. Help us to spread your message of eternal joy to a world riddled by brokenness and suffering. Send us out to be your light to the world. Amen.
Prayer for Family
· For my immediate family (parents, spouse, siblings).
· For extended family (cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents)
· For close friends that are as family to me.
· For those who don’t have families, or whose families are broken.
· For forgiveness and reconciliation where there is division in my family.
· For provision where there is need in my family.
· For God to be the foundation, and the cross the center of my family.
· For a generation yet unborn, future members of our family.
Closing Prayer
O Lord and King, your Kingdom comes even without our prayer. But we pray that it would also come among us. We are desperate for your reign and rule, for all we see is rebellion. Come into my heart, my home, my family, my work, my church, my community. Rule with justice and with mercy. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.