You are what you…
How would you finish that sentence? You are what you… There are a lot of answers to that question. Just google it once and see what comes up. You will find all sorts of answers. You are what you eat. You are what you do. You are what you think.
There are, of course, other more powerful and important answers to that question. You are what God says you are, and he says you are forgiven. He says you are loved. He says you are sent. He says you are holy. You are what Jesus did for you, and he paid the price for your sins and credited his own righteousness to you. Moreover, you are what baptism makes you. You are a beloved child of the heavenly Father, a co-heir with Christ of all things, and co-ruler, seated with him by faith in the heavenly realms. This is a powerful identity bestowed and given to you by the power, might, and love of God our Father.
Yet, this does not mean that what we do is irrelevant or unimportant. What we do and how we live is vitally important. First, it is part of the way by which God does his work in the world. I’m talking, of course, about the doctrine of vocation. By virtue of your vocation, you are God’s mask in the world, the way by which he does his work.
What you do in your daily life matters because it orients you and centers your life on your God. Your eating is a spiritual activity because by it we seek to honor God and care for the body God gives us. Your drinking is a spiritual activity since, through it, we seek to live a life that honors him. Your simple attendance at worship is a spiritual activity since by showing up for church, you have told yourself (I hope!) that your God and your life with him is worth prioritizing.
Tomorrow, we’re going to dig into Nehemiah 5. We’ll have an honest conversation and study of the Scriptures regarding the place that our offerings have in our spiritual journeys. Our offerings are really not about raising money for the church. They have a higher calling than that. Your offerings are a spiritual discipline and activity that serves to center your life on God and his Word. Tomorrow, I’ll prove it to you.
The life of the church goes on. Word and Sacrament continue on day after day, week after week. Tomorrow, we’ll do it again. Centering our hearts and lives on the God who gives, on the God who saves. See you then!
Pastor Nate