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 merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matt. 5:7) You are the great Giver of mercy. Move me to show your mercy. Amen.
Word: Matthew 13:33
“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened”
Meditation
A Little Leaven by Julianna Shults
When I moved to St. Louis, I was excited to do something I had never done before: choose a home church. I am the child of a DCE who grew up to be a DCE, and aside from a short time in college, church membership had always been part of the package for me. I was a little excited by the freedom and the ability to explore.
Quickly my enthusiasm for visiting churches waned. Everything was more awkward and difficult than I expected. In every worship service I heard God’s Word and took communion which fed and sustained me in faith. Yet, I felt untethered. This space where I had always felt at home suddenly felt lonely.
Months into the exploration, I visited Reliant, I was greeted briefly, felt as comfortable as I had anywhere else, received God’s gifts like every other Sunday, and left with the idea to come back a second time. It was weeks later when I returned. I made my way inside and heard something I had not heard anywhere else.
“It’s Julianna, right?”
Dawn, someone who had greeted me weeks before and whose name I had completely forgotten, had remembered mine. This small act was balm for a weary soul. I nearly cried, which would have been hard to explain. One little thing made my decision to make Reliant my church home.
We often only recognize how God works through us in big ways: an accepted invitation to church, a chance to clearly share the Gospel, a big task completed while serving the church. It’s easy to give thanks to God when we can see the immediate impact. But if we only notice the big moments, we can miss all the small things that God is doing through us every day.
One of Jesus’s parables was so small it took one sentence: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened” (Matt. 13:33). Just a little leaven is needed to give rise to a whole loaf. In the same way, the little things we do can reflect God’s love and point them to the cross of Jesus.
A name remembered may be a small thing, but often God uses small things over time to share the Good News we have in Jesus as our Savior. God’s big love for us sends us, but through the work of the Spirit, small things we do can leaven a life of faith.
Heavenly Father, your love for us is bigger than we can even imagine. As we are sent out to share that love with others, remind us that you are working through all we do, big and small, to help draw others closer to yourself. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
· For my immediate geographical neighbors.
· For my community, neighborhood, town/city.
· For neighbors hurting from broken families, addiction, violence, abuse, poverty, sickness.
· For the eyes of the Good Samaritan, to see and help my neighbor in need.
Closing Prayer
O God of mercy, teach me to be merciful. O Humble Lord, show me the way of humility. You are the exalted King over all things. I worship you alone. Amen.