A "To Do" List > Mount Calvary

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Thursday, September 25, 2008

A "To Do" List
By Pastor Eggebrecht @ 1:34 PM :: 64 Views :: Pastors Message

Get a load of the "to do" list that St. Paul has for us as we gather together this Sunday:

--Hold on to the same love
--Bring your innermost lives into harmony
--Fix your minds on the same object
--Never act out of selfish ambition or vanity
--Regard everybody else as your superior
--Look after each other's best interests, not your own

As I look at this list, I feel sorry. The church of Jesus Christ, both here and elsewhere, has certainly failed to "live up to the list." God's call is to repent of our sinfulness, and live as true sisters and brothers in the faith.

The story is told of a man who invited twenty or thirty well-known public figures to a luncheon. As he said the prayer before the meal, he also said, very firmly, "Remember: the most interesting person in the room is the one you're sitting next to!" That's what Paul is saying to us, the people of Mt. Calvary.

But we are unable to do what God would have us do. We are too weak; we are too sinful; we are too selfish. We need a Savior who will provide the means for us to carry out the "to do" list which will unify, unite, and bind together.

Check out the other list in Sunday's epistle lesson. It provides the means and grace we need to view the person sitting next to us as "the most interesting person in the room":

--There is encouragement in Christ
--Comfort from His love
--Participation in His Spirit
--Affection and sympathy in the body of Christ

It all results in "being of the same mind." And it comes together on Sunday mornings when Jesus reveals His "mind" to us. It is His desire to love, forgive, and deliver grace. That's what He does at church. Join us!

Pray that Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church and School would "be of the same mind." Bring others to worship on Sunday morning, so that we can love and serve them. Tell others about Jesus, the One who encourages, comforts, and gives us His Spirit.