Dear Members of Lord of Life - It was another record setting Black Friday weekend this year. Total spending for the four day weekend following Thanksgiving was $52.4 billion. That was a 16% increase from the year before with the average shopper spending almost $450. The translation for all of this is that Americans are spending a whole lot of money this Christmas in spite of the economy.
Now there is nothing wrong with buying Christmas Gifts. I will admit I was at Walmart on Black Friday this year. I helped contribute to the $52.4 million spent on that one weekend. I know it will be a joy to watch my children and family open their gifts on Christmas morning in celebration of Jesus, the greatest gift ever given.
But in this season of gift giving I want to encourage you not to forget to bring your gifts to Jesus as well. With all the money we spend on stuff that has little lasting value, may we also consider how much we are giving for heavenly treasure.
As we look back to this past year it brings joy to my heart to think about the things the Lord has accomplished through our church. I think about the Haiti mission trip, Vacation Bible School, and the “Ready to Go” Community Week of Service. I thank Jesus for the dozens of cookies being baked for the Illinois Youth Center this weekend along with the visits to Marklund and St. Matthew’s Soup Kitchen. There have been so many prayers that have been offered to the Lord through the electronic prayer bulletin. Many of those prayers have been answered from jobs found, addictions overcome, and surprise gifts that arrived on the doorstep when least expected. I think of the children who have grown in the faith. I am amazed at how my daughter has learned and grown through Awana and Sunday School. I celebrate the learning that has taken place among adults through Bible Studies and Small Groups. We have had some powerful special events like the Seder Dinner, Women at the Well, and the Love and Respect Marriage Conference. Almost $80,000 has been given to missions outside of Lord of Life both locally and globally. This doesn’t even take into account the contributions made directly to these missions by Lord of Life members. For example, I know of two families at Lord of Life who are financing the building of two separate churches in India. Praise God for these things. I could go on. There is even more! Through trials and difficulties, God has continued and prospered the work he is doing through us. We pray that God will do an even greater work through us in 2012.
But as we enter the final weeks of the 2011 our church expenses have exceeded our income. At this point in time we have a few outstanding bills that have not been paid because we do not have the funds. We are matched with a potentially difficult December month to make up the difference because of how the Sundays fall. This year Christmas Day is on a Sunday which means we essentially lose a week of income that is normally available on most other years.
In light of this, there are a couple of things that I would ask of you.
Pray for God’s provision. Pray for God not only to continue the work but to prosper our work here in this place, beyond the walls of the church building, and to the ends of the earth.
Come to our Voter’s Meeting on Sunday following the 10am worship. During this meeting we will look at the budget for next year, pray for God’s work through us, and consider a “Call” for Brian Zielke as Director of Christian Education. There are some documents you can download from Lord of Life Online at lolchurch.ccbchurch.com in preparation for the voters’ meeting. These documents are also available to be picked up at the church office.
If God has blessed you at the end of this year, don’t forget where that blessing has come from. Consider bringing an extra gift this Christmas to help provide for the shortfall and to further the Lord’s work in the next year.
During the next couple of weeks we will set up a manger in front of the Communion table. Instead of passing the offering plate down the aisle I want to invite everyone to bring their gifts to the manger in recognizing we are ultimately bringing our gifts to Jesus. We can never out give Jesus. He has given us everything. So in this season of gift giving, we remember how it is truly more blessed to give than receive.
