Thanks Giving services/Sermon in Minneapolis 26.11.2006

Grace be unto you and peace from God, our Father, and from the Lord, Jesus Christ. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, let us quieten our hearts in opening prayer and thanksgiving.

Dear heavenly Father, righteous God, we come before you this day with hearts of thanks and praise to you, dear Father. Despite the many cares that come on the journey, we wish to pause around your word and to remember your great blessings. Dear Father, for these many temporal blessings, we wish to praise and thank you.

And as we gather this morning, dear Father, we pray together that your Spirit would be with us, guiding, leading our thoughts, our minds, and our discussion. That you would be with us, that you would be so close to us that we could feel your presence once again today. And as we gather, we also remember those who are not with us. Maybe they are gathered at home in their own place of watching. Maybe gathered around the Internet wherever they are, in hospitals, in nursing homes.

Father, take care of them as well. Give them the strength to travel and to trust in your promises and blessings and to look for that city, whose founder and builder is you, dear Father. And we yet enclose our prayers in the prayer that your Son taught.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

For our study this morning, I will read a very familiar portion of God's word from the tenth chapter of Saint Luke starting with the thirty-eighth verse on to the end.

And the words are in Jesus' name.

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word.

But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him and saith, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me.

And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her. Amen.

This happening that we heard, read, is recorded in only a few verses here of the many, many things and experiences that Jesus had during his time here on Earth. And we see that this event took place in the home of two sisters, Mary and Martha.

And it says that when Jesus came into this village, there was a woman named Martha who received him into her house. Even this small example that Martha left for us: What did she do when Christ came into the village? She wanted to bring him into her house, into her home.

And this is such a precious teaching for us as well, that there in our homes, we could bring the Lord Jesus to be a member, a guest into our home.

And he is such a special guest, a guest that even though we forget to remember to invite him, he will nevertheless come and be in our home. But we want to remember that the Lord Jesus wants to come. And to those that call and beg him to come, he will come.

And dear friends and saints, remember to invite the Lord Jesus into your home, that he could come and be a member, a permanent fixture in your home. That he could be there to teach you, to guide you, and be there with his blood flowing between the members of the home and teaching them of all things.

And we many times remember the Christian home, the Christian family, where you, dear parents, in weakness, sow the seed of God's kingdom. It happens there in those precious homes.

We have many activities here in the congregation, day circles, the Sunday schools.

They help, and they support that teaching that you do in the home. But it does not replace that whole teaching, that whole environment where the children would feel free to bring their matters to you and bring their matters with each other and care for them in that perfect care—the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel. To endeavor, dear friends, to keep the Lord Jesus in your home.

But as we have gathered for youth days, congregational days, I thought also of you precious young. Many of you have left your childhood home and have begun to make your own life. And for some of you, your life has been together with a spouse that God has left and granted. But for some of you, it has been a home where you do not have the member of the office of sex that you have joined in holy matrimony in marriage. But nevertheless, when you form your home, you are yet as a young traveler on heaven's way, and maybe not even so young a traveler, but there in your home where you don't, as we think of, have a mother and a father, but you have your precious escort.

Form that home together with them. And there in that home, remember to invite the dear Lord Jesus to come into that home, that He can be there with you. And there in that home, just as these young children find in the home of their parents, you can find a place of refuge, a place of support to fight against the world, a place where you can come to relax, to be away from the cares, and where you can turn to your friends and faith and take care. Unload the burdens, the cares of the journey, and have them forgiven in Jesus' name and blood. And then we can together gather around the Lord Jesus.

So be encouraged one and all. Invite the Lord Jesus into your home, and He will come. But in this home, it says that she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to Him and said, Lord, dost Thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me.

The home is a place where there is much activity, and there is work that needs to be done in the home. And sometimes we may tire of that work. Here, Martha was also doing work in the home, and she felt that she was in some way serving alone, that Mary was there not helping her. And when we think of the home, we also think of our home congregation—that place where we can feel that we are cared for, that place where we can feel that we belong and where all our needs are taken care of.

We do not need to feel that we have something to offer in our home congregation, but rather the home congregation can bless us and take care of us. And it is so important. I come from a very small congregation. We have 20 members. If we look here at our services, the first few ventures here tonight, this morning, would be the amount that we would have gathered.

But nevertheless, the home congregation is so precious, whether it is small or whether it is large, that it is here where I am known. It is here where my matters are known. And if I begin to have cares that are weighing me down, some brother, some sister will come to me and take care of me. It is also where I can share my heart, open my concerns of the journey, whether I am young or whether I am old, and ask, be friends, and say, how does it feel to you? It is that precious home congregation.

But there is also work that needs to be done in the home congregation. Where would our congregation be if we didn't have members? We as members make up this congregation. And as I have heard now coming here that there is going to be a new congregation in this area. God has blessed much growth, and we see here the centers are full.

And with that growth also comes forms of work, new forms of work, new people that will need to carry the work. And as you endeavor to follow God's will and His leading of His Spirit, remember, dear friends in faith, that there is work to do also in God's kingdom.

Without the members, we wouldn't have the congregation. And so it is on the work of the members that God does His work. And this work, of course, is not some our own part, but that Paul writes to the Corinthians that of the steward is required that he be faithful.

That is all that is required when we are asked to do a task, when we have been given a task to do, that we would do that which we have been asked. And when we have done that which has been asked, that we would admit, as Christ told His own, that we have been unprofitable servants. But it would be God that would give the increase.

As we heard in the discussion last evening, that I watered, another day planted, but it is God that gives the increase. And as Paul also writes to the Ephesians, that for by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.

It is not our works, but yet as we have been saved and given such a great blessing that we personally can own faith in our hearts and dwell in a home congregation where we are cared for, where our needs are taken care of. Isn't it, dear friends, a small favor, a small thing in return that we can give ourselves to the work of the kingdom?

And we can be free. We can be bold. We can, even when tasks come up in the congregation, we can volunteer.

We can be free to participate in those activities that need to be done. The prophet Isaiah comes to mind when he was asked, when he heard that who should go, who should go for us. He said, Here I am. Here am I. Send me.

That may we also all have this willingness to work in God's kingdom.

But Martha was cumbered. And Jesus answering said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things.

Yes. We can understand that Martha was careful about many things.

And one of them we see as an example, the serving. But Jesus does not say exactly what is bothering Martha. And I thought in this way that Jesus knew, of course, what was on Martha's heart and mind. And He says that you are careful and troubled about many things.

There are also many things in our life that can come to cause care, to make us careful, to make us troubled.

All of us in our different walks of life can be careful or troubled about many things. And if this trouble is of spiritual things, if it is because we have fallen into sin, then that trouble, that care, that rest, that press on our heart and mind is a precious trouble.

It is something that we should be thankful that the Spirit still reminds us. It still speaks in our heart that, dear one, you have erred. You have fallen into sin.

Find those grace footsteps to return to that perfect shroud of grace. And even if we have fallen, maybe into some specific matter, we understand that grace would still cover other than the sins unto death.

But nevertheless, we would wish that the journey could be as light as possible, that the enemy would not have a reason to accuse us. And therefore, we are encouraged to find a trusted brother or sister in faith where we can share of our burdens and the sin that has beset, and that we can bury them in the sea of grace.

But there are also many other troubles that we carry. It seems that we live in such a fast-paced life, so fast that we often don't have time to care for one another.

And this fast pace sometimes also means that we drive ourselves into difficulties. We may have many cares of this journey. Where will the food come from?

Where will God give me wisdom to care for these children that He has given? Will God give me a spouse? Will God bless me with children? Many things that relate also to this temple life can impress us, that can tire us. And where can we find help and support?

Is it not in the home, in that local place where we dwell with our brothers and sisters in faith, when we can invite the Lord Jesus to come into our home and care for us? Is it not also here in our home congregation where the brothers and sisters are so willing to care and take care of and help even in these temporal cares, to give advice from these spirits, to give advice from the scriptures? And we remember the widowed woman in the Old Testament time of the prophet Elisha. How when she had debts, the person who she had borrowed money from was going to come and take her sons. And she went to the prophet Elisha.

Where did she go? But she went to God's kingdom. She went to find help from those who can give the best help. And there, she was told what to do. And even there, she was told to gather empty vessels and pour from one empty vessel to another.

And when she poured from empty vessel to empty vessel, a miracle happened. The vessels were all full. No longer were the vessels empty, but that great miracle that God, the giver of all, gave. In a temporal way, she could sell the oil and pay the debt. But in a spiritual way also, those vessels were full of the oil of the Holy Spirit.

The enemy, as we heard last night so preciously in the discussion, was as if pushed away, pushed back for a moment when those empty vessels with nothing of themselves, but with that prayer, "Dear God, fill with your goodness." So as you have cares, whatever day may be, remember, dear friend, there is help in God's kingdom. There are trusted brothers. There are trusted sisters where you can come and where you can share. It doesn't have to be in front of the congregation.

Of course, no. But find those places, those times where you can take a trusted one. And the board members have been trusted to look after the congregation. Maybe you could approach one of them if you are having difficulty even in your temporal life. Maybe there is difficulty between spouses.

Maybe a courting couple has many questions. But there are also the servants of God's word, those speaker brothers, who you as a home congregation have called with love to do the work in the vineyard. Be free. Approach them. They will not look down on you.

They will, with the wisdom that God gives, answer, the guiding of the Holy Spirit, instruct, comfort, and they will be ready to preach the gospel as needed. And doesn't our last verse speak of that? When Christ told Martha that thou art careful and troubled about many things.

But one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. That good part may it also be always dear and precious to us. We could come despite our cares, despite our questions, despite our flesh, despite our doubt, that we could come and gather at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when we humbly bow before Him and come to His feet, then we can be cared for, then we can be blessed with the gospel. The core of the gospel, the forgiveness of sins.

Here, brothers and sisters, the feet of Jesus is the place where we want to dwell. And when we come there, we find ourselves holy and careful. But those cares can be cast away, and yes, they can be forgiven. Believe now, sins forgiven in Jesus' name and blood, and be of good comfort. May these blood drops cleanse your heart.

Maybe light that flows from the Heavenly Father continue to guide and continue to lead us to heaven's shore. But we are here yet for a moment on earth and endeavor, dear friends and saints, clinging to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, believing sins forgiven in Jesus' name and blood.

And as this is my last time to be speaking before you, I wish to thank you, dear friends, especially for those many prayers that you have prayed on my behalf that I could leave my flesh in the bench. Of course, it comes up with me. But that you have prayed that the Heavenly Father would guide, would give me strength to also come to serve before you.

And as you have prayed for me, I encourage you to pray for the other brothers that will come this afternoon, will come next week, that come before you in your home congregation to serve with the gifts that God has given. Pray for them. Carry them in your hearts. And also, I wish to thank you for the service of love that I have felt, the great blessings to be here with you, reminding me that I am not alone. I travel with such a great song that one day will be innumerable there on heaven's shore where we can gather to praise the Lord Jesus Christ for his great work.

Blessed journey, dear friends, towards heaven's shore and believe, dear friends, sins are forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood. And as we gather for the communion service, come boldly to participate in this festive sacrament. Take hold of the body of Christ, the blood of Christ to your hungering souls.

In closing, we will have a prayer for the new children who have been born into the homes of this congregation, have also been born into this home congregation where they can grow and dwell and be blessed. Eric and Janelle Hulet, the son Calvin Bruce, born 01/21/2006.

To Paul and Maya Stina Cernimi, son, Matthias William, 03/26/2006. Scott and Gloria Simonson, Miles Richard, 10/01/2006, Peter and Katie Hiluca, Nora Lynn, 10/15/2006, and to Rick and Helena Kairnemy, Nadia Marie on 10/24/2006.

Let us pray. We praise thee, oh, God, for the little children given into our keeping, for their purity of heart, their constant simplicity, their natural and trusting affection, and for the wonderful comfort and joy they bring to us. We praise and bless thy glorious name.

Continue, we beseech thee, thy protection to them, and grant us such a measure of thy Spirit, that we may work together with thee for their good. All which we ask in the name of him, who took little children in his arms and laid his hands upon them in blessing, thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

And also, friends, I wish to ask for myself that as I depart, that you would remember to pray for us there in Canada and for also our congregation in Calcutta too that God's work could continue there and also for my many cares and trials and my many sins and doubts. Can I still hear the gospel? I wish to believe with you.