Tapping into Your Passions and Gifts

The church is a gifted community. That is the way God has designed the organization that we call the “church.” The Holy Spirit is a gift-giver!

Our baptism has made each of us to be special. Have you identified what is special about you? We do not all have the same gift(s). God created variety so that we could complement one another in our work. Where you might be weak, someone else might be strong.

It is like a symphony orchestra. Many different types of instruments are needed to produce a beautiful melodious sound. It’s not just that different notes or chords are produced, but also the texture of the different instruments adds richness to what we hear. For us in the church, when each of us is using his or her gifts, we can be at our best. We can be doing what God has designed us to do. I come to preach on this topic at this time of the year because we as a congregation become most effective when everyone is using his or her gifts.

It all starts by looking at our passions. The things we enjoy doing, most likely, will help us zero in on our strengths. We can then look at develping these gifts, focusing on what manner we are using them.

What contribution do you want to make with your life and what God has given you? Can you identify it in a specific way? Do you feel you have the opportunity to use your giftedness?

The Power of God's Kingdom in My Life

This Sunday, October 28, concludes my series on “The Invisible Powers,” when I focus on the kingdom of God. There is a power at work in each of our lives that can overcome any evil force that we as Christians are up against. We are reminded in the Reformation hymn, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, that “Though hordes of devils fill the land, all threatening to devour us, we tremble not, unmoved we stand; they cannot over power us.”

As believers there is an invisible and powerful force within each of us. This force is related to the kingdom of God, God’s rule in your life and mine.

It is Jesus who came to bring good news, and this positive message centered on the kingdom of God. I believe that his message was not just to bring salvation for lost sinners, but to help create a world that God intended it to be. We are Jesus’ hands and feet to carry out this mission.

Consider that the miracles Jesus performed were not just for showing that he was the Son of God, but also for restoring creation; that is, individual lives to wholeness. When the rich young ruler came to Jesus to ask about what he must do to have eternal life, Jesus told him to sell his possessions and give to the poor. We can’t help but to notice God’s concern for the poor and oppressed throughout the pages of Scripture.

Here’s the point: You and I as followers of Christ are on a mission to use his power to make this world a better place. There might be all kinds of resistance - including Satan. I am wondering what we at Savior Divine can do to help bring God’s transforming work to our own community.

Do you think the church is doing all that it can to help alleviate some of the major problems in our world with injustice, disease, war, and the growing gulf between the rich and the poor? Do you see the Christian Church as a powerhouse in today’s world? Do you see yourself as powerful to assist individually or with other Christians to bring “good news” to those around you or in the world?

Satan: The Hidden Terrorist

Last Sunday I spoke on the role of angels, who can be a positive force in our lives. This Sunday, October 21, I want to talk about a negative force- an evil one- who comes under the name of Satan.

Satan is the hidden terrorist. Satan is a "terrorist" because of seeking to wreak havoc on those who are God’s children. The evil one is "hidden" because we cannot see this being face-to-face, yet the damage that is done to us is enormous. Satan is bent on destroying human lives. I think of the passage in Scripture" “Be sober, be watchful, your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

My fear is that we become naïve about the work of Satan. We believe that this talk about Satan is nothing but religious jargon, or that Satan was real only years ago, but not today. If you deny Satan, then I’m afraid this evil one has already established a beachhead in your life.

My message will address the fact that Satan has been part of a cosmic conflict where there was war in heaven (Revelation 12) and that this war has implications for us in our lives and will rage until the end of time. Yes, we are caught up in it! We need to use all the weapons that God has given us to fight off this evil one (Ephesians 6).

Have you ever felt the force of Satan in your life? Do you think we are really aware of the full force of Satan’s power?

Angels: God's Special Forces

This coming Sunday, October 14, I begin a three part sermon series on “The Invisible Powers.” I ‘m going to be focusing on another realm of existence beyond what we can see. It involves angels, Satan, and the kingdom of God, and their power to influence our lives.

In our scientific age, it is important for us as people of faith to acknowledge that there are other forces at work, invisible ones, for either our good or for our destruction.

This Sunday I launch into a look at angels. What is your image of them? Is it one of seeing them floating around the atmosphere as very serene creatures? You might be surprised that the Scriptures give us a more fierce view of them such as going to battle and striking down the enemy (e.g. the Assyrians). Note also how the shepherds at the time of Jesus’ birth reacted when an angel appeared to them. They were terrified!

I want to highlight the following roles of angels in my message.
1. They serve as God’s messengers to announce a birth.
2. They may be sent to bring judgment.
3. They free people from their enemies.
4. They protect people.

What has been your image of angels in your life? What role do you think they might be playing in your life at this present time? Do you think the church gives enough attention to these invisible powers?

Celebrating Savior Divine's 67th Anniversary

In this month of October the congregation reaches 67 years of ministry. I have come to believe that anniversaries are a time of not only looking down memory lane, but also looking at where you are at the present, and where you want to go in the future.

This perspective is important because as followers of Jesus Christ, we not only think about our individual lives but also about our presence in a spiritual community. What does it mean to belong to a local congregation? How can we collectively be a blessing to the community? Along the same lines, the question could be asked: If your church were to close its doors today, would it be missed by the community?

The challenge for us at Savior Divine is to examine how we can answer that last question! How can God’s message become “incarnate” to the people in Palos Hills and surrounding communities at this time and at this place where God has placed us.

My message will reflect on these thoughts. I think also about the Gospel reading for Sunday where Jesus says to his disciples: “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it would obey you.’” (Luke 17:6) We need to have a faith, even if it be a small faith, that truly believes God can do great things through us.

What has been your experience in celebrating church anniversaries? How do you think they can become a meaningful experience?