Roger's Postings

Friday, September 16, 2011

Psalm 107:1.    St Marks 50th Anniversary                              18/9/11

  Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Act 2:46-47.

46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

 How great it is to be here today to celebrate and particularly to thank God for 50 years of God’s work in and through St Marks’ Congregation. We thank God for all of you here today, [the motley mob that you are] and for all those who have been connected here in one way or another throughout these last 50 years.

 It is amazing to look at you all here and to think that God has drawn you all together and blessed you, despite all the differences, personalities and issues that have been here over the years. Look around you, and see how we have been made up of a whole range of people; young and old; traditional Lutherans and new Christians; Africans, Asians, European and Australian: all brought together by God week by week through his Divine Service; for there he reminds us that he is here with us; that he forgives us; gives us through His Word what he knows we need for our daily life; where he gives us his very body and blood in holy Communion so that we can be sure that we are forgiven and that Christ is in us; and where he reminds us that He goes with us into the coming week to bless and keep us as we be his people in our day to day life.

 This congregation started out in a rented hall, that need to be cleaned up and set up before worship could begin. There however God would be present and give what was needed, in the Invocation; confession and absolution; readings and sermon; the Lords Supper; and blessing, so that this congregation could be established, built and grown. There God was at work, week in week out, establishing this congregation.

 Then when this congregation purchased the house here on this site and converted it into a worship centre, there God continued his Service of giving the same thing, week by week. He grew this little group into a strong, vibrant group to the point where this crowded little building was no longer sufficient. So comes the building of this wonderful building here, so that our gracious Lord could continue to weekly give his people what was necessary for their life and growth.

 Even when the numbers dwindled as time goes by, God continued to faithfully be present and give what he has always done. As people have come and gone; society has changed; and whims of the individuals for things new and exciting; as the secular world downplays and ridicules the Christian faith; as the busy-ness of life, all impacted this congregation, God’s Divine Service has been maintained. The essentials for this congregation’s life, has continued on.

 Whatever the latest program or style has been; the pastor that we have liked or not been impressed by; what the leadership has been doing or not doing; whether the numbers have been large or small, God has been here, week in week out, providing what has been necessary for the life and existence of his people. Whether we recognise it or not; whether we want it or not God has faithfully served us in this place through the means he has set for his church to be maintained. The Lord is good; his love has endured.

 So as members have continued to meet together here in God’s House, week after week; as they have received the Lord’s Supper on a regular basis; praising God with glad and sincere hearts; they have enjoyed the favour of people. And the Lord has added to their number as the years have gone by.

 Even in these days God himself has continued to draw people into our midst and bless them. Sure it may not always look grand and fancy; things may not always be done to perfection; the pastor may have had to hobble around; but God himself has been in the midst of all of this and has worked through our weakness and brought good to bear.

 On a regular basis, new faces appear in our midst, some to stay on and be very regular; others move on to pastures elsewhere or nowhere. Some of our regulars are very regular, while others are not so regular, but God has been here feeding and growing those who are, week in, week out. The Lord is good; his love has endured.

Notice in all of this; the one constant over that whole fifty years, has been God himself at work in the Divine Service every Sunday. While the regular liturgies have been used, God himself has been active. Where God’s Word is preached in truth and the Sacraments administered rightly, God has been at work bringing blessing and growth to his people.

 Sure, it may not always seem to be new and exciting and trendy, but God’s mercies are new every morning. Our worship may not be ‘ice cream and lollies’ but it is a good, rich and hearty meal for our souls. We have been reminded of God’s Law, which has shown us how far we have constantly fallen from being the people that God would have us be; but he also has regularly reminded and pointed us to Jesus Christ and his death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. So he has renewed us, over and over again. We have much to thank God for, week after week.

 When we think through our orders of service that are used, we see how God is working to give to us what he knows that we need, whether we realize it or not. Every week at the very beginning of our services we are reminded that God himself is with us: And by virtue of our baptism into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we are able to be in God’s presence. Of course, being in God’s presence very quickly reminds us that we have sinned much in the last week; and so we have our time of confession and absolution, so that God himself can pronounce to each of us through the pastor, that as a result of Jesus’ death on the cross our sins are forgiven: we are assured that our sins will not be held against us.

 Then every week through the Bible readings and sermon our God speaks to us and tells us the things that he knows we need to hear. It often will not necessarily be what we want to hear; but it will be what we need to hear. It will be both a message of Law and Gospel. For we need to hear that we not only fall far short of being the people that God would have us be, but particularly that we have a heart that is turned in on ourselves and what we want, and so gets us into trouble over and over again. But then being brought to this realization, he through the message of Jesus Christ and his death on the cross, turns us to him and the forgiveness and help that we need in order for us to go forward in life with hope and confidence, allowing him to work in us the life that he would have for us; which is good and positive for us and for the people we come into contact with; but also that is for the good of our relationship with him.

 Then through Holy Communion, Jesus gives us his very body and blood which he shed on the cross, so that we can be very sure that he died for each one of us individually and for us all as a whole and so we can be assured that we are forgiven and that salvation and eternal life are ours, guaranteed. So having received him in this way we are able to go forward with joy and hope to be the people that he wants us to be throughout the next six days.

Then before he sends us out from that Service to do this he pronounces his blessing to us. He tells us very clearly that he will go with us to bless us and keeps. He will make his face shine on us and what we do; and that he will be gracious to us. He will look with favour on us and give us his peace, throughout the week. He will be with us always.

 So week by week God himself has and will continue to richly bless this congregation in this way: Giving us so much that is good and beneficial. Over and over again he will point us away from ourselves and our wants and desires, to Jesus Christ himself and the vital importance of his death on the cross for us and for our salvation. For it is there in the Lord Jesus that this congregation has had its beginning and been blessed throughout the past fifty years. And it will be him alone who will maintain and grow this congregation into the future. Oh, Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

So to him again and again be all glory and honour, now and always. AMEN.






0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home