Thank God For…

Rev. Kurt Lehmkuhl has graciously agreed to serve as Trinity’s Vacancy Pastor while we wait for the Lord to send us a permanent Senior Pastor. Rev. Lehmkuhl will be helping Rev. Paul Rieger with our nursing home ministry, preaching, visitation, etc. A warm welcome and special thank you to Pastor Lehmkuhl!

He Owns It All!

Thanksgiving is sort of a “First Article” holiday when we remember that God “made it all” and that all good things are really His gifts to us. In the first article meaning, we confess that “He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still preserves them… also clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home…” and all the rest.  We should give thanks.

Giving Thanks in the Bible

The Bible also emphasizes this in various places, such as Psalm 103:2, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”

St. Paul adds another dimension to “thanks.” In I Corinthians 1:4, we read, “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus…”

Again, in Philippians 1:3-5 Paul writes, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you… because of your partnership in the gospel…” Paul is thankful for fellow believers.

Thank God for Believers

When we stop and think, we are also thankful for fellow believers.

They brought us to baptism; they nourished us in the faith; they share God’s special gifts for us in worship and fellowship; they comfort us during illness and struggle; and they encourage us with the promise of resurrection when we approach death.

Also, I have often found a sense of “home” when visiting other churches. I thank God for you. So let’s all take a moment to stop, and think, and thank—thank God for fellow believers.

Peace and Power!

About Pastor Lehmkuhl

P.S. By way of introduction, I grew up in a gas station; we literally lived on the second story of the business. In my college and seminary days, I felt a little out of place. The other students seemed to come from families with professional church workers. I was the kid from the filling station. Still, for some reason people kept electing me to positions for which I felt unqualified: president of the choir, president of the men’s dormitory council, and later in the ministry, the youth ministry task force, circuit counselor, Minnesota South District Board of Directors, and others. I am still puzzled about my call to leadership, but I made it through by the grace of God and more than a little help from my friends.