Psalm 145:3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable.

Psalm 147:5 Great is our LORD, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.

These two passages are combined to form the first line of one of the greatest theological books ever written. This book, Confessions, was written by Saint Augustine in the middle to late 300’s, after growing up in a Christian household. Not only does this book hold valuable information about the theology of the church during Augustine’s lifetime, but it also gives us a glimpse at what was going on in history during that time. Augustine includes personal information in it as well, such as the death of his parents and of other family members. It also portrays his travels that he had, everything from when he was in certain sects of Christianity to his life as Bishop of Hippo.

Confessions is more than just a book of Catholic theology though. Martin Luther studied Augustine’s book regularly, and was even a part of the Augustinian Order that was in the Catholic Church. If we were to read all of Martin Luther’s works, we would see a highly Augustinian Language being used. Martin Luther and Augustine have several things in common though other than their writing style. They both knew that for them, God and God alone came first. Augustine started Confessions with simple yet elegant praise of God. Martin Luther did much the same in many of his writings. In the Small Catechism, Luther begins every explanation of the Ten Commandments with “We are to fear and love God”. Both Luther and Augustine knew that if it were not for God, neither of them would be in the places where they were. They knew that they would neither be involved in writing theological works or teaching others about the wonders of Christianity if it were not for the God they both loved an d feared. For both of them, everything they did was for the Glory of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

For us at Springs of Grace, we too know that everything we do is for the Glory of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit. However, there are times that the things we do might seem way too hard for us to accomplish. But as someone who is still new to this congregation, as well as new to the area, I can see God working in each and every single one of you. I see God working in our congregation as well. Do you realize that we have had visitors now for the past 5 out of 6 Sunday’s? God is at work in our congregation, bringing people into our midst. However, this is a place where we need to do some more work. Those of you who have been coming to Sunday School have heard me say that we are about the most welcoming church that I have ever seen. When people walk through those doors they almost get mobbed with kindness. The problem is getting them to walk through those doors. As a church that is looking to gain some membership, there are things that we must do, things that we can not solely rely on others to do. One thing is that although we have had a recent spurt of visitors, we have not had any of them express interest in joining. They have also all found our church by themselves, and not by the help of members of the congregation. If we want to grow, if we want to build on our property, then we need to make some changes. Both Augustine and Luther made changes in their lives. Like both of them experienced, sometimes changes are hard to make. We get in a mold that is too easy, too familiar, and too comfortable. I am challenging each of you to break that mold. Start inviting people to church. Don’t wait for someone else to do it, because then it will never happen. You church council has put together a budget for 2008. It is actually a little higher than what you all had previously estimated. However, as I told the council the other night, if we were to receive about 10 new members, that would take care of a large chunk of that overage, if not all of it.

God is calling each of us to spread the good news, proclaim the life and death of Jesus Christ, and to make disciples of all people. I encourage you to heed this call. Invite someone to church; make it a priority by the end of the year. When it comes to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, there are no excuses. As sinners, we may think we have an excuse, but in the end, the excuse lies only with ourselves.

Go, in peace, to love and SERVE the Lord.

In our prayers this week: Brenden S. Fancher and Madison J. Fancher (grandchildren of John and Sandy, who are in intensive care after being prematurely born), Buddy and Ann Kelley, Linwood Hackett, Michael Ablett and Chris K. Leins (grandson of Buddy and Ann)

God's Peace,

 Pastor Judson