Celebrating And Embracing God's Salvation

I don’t know about you, but that speaks to me. Here is a man, a leader in the faith, one who sacrificially and obediently in response to God’s call is spreading the Good News, saying, “I am still learning how to live for and walk with God.” That’s a word of both challenge and encouragement to me because I too, am still learning how to live for and walk with God. It needs to be for all of us.

But, Faithful, honest, and consistent living out of our “profession” of faith (walking the walk not just talking the talk) is not just one of the ways that we celebrate God’s salvation. It is also a key way that we embrace God’s salvation.

The story of the ten lepers is helpful to us as we consider the connection between celebrating and embracing God’s salvation. Luke 17:11 – 19 tells the story:

As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the boarder between Galilee and Samaria. As he entered a village there, ten leapers stood at a distance, crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests. And as they went, their leprosy disappeared.

One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God, I’m healed!” He fell face down on the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Does only this foreigner return to give glory to God?” And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go, “Your faith has made you well.”

All ten were healed. All ten lives were changed for the better. But, only one returned to give thanks to Jesus and glory to God for the healing. And by that act Jesus affirmed his faith.

This one leper embraced God through his act of thanksgiving and praise. He acknowledged the work of God in his life and Jesus affirmed his commitment.

We must continue to do the same. And we must continue to do the same as a church.

Our history as a church has been based what we remembered in word, song, and prayer last weekend. Over 6 decades ago, Cecil Knight and a host of others brought that message to this community.

Now others had also brought this message of resurrection and salvation before this church was planted. But, we have been able to tell this story to some who did not hear it from the others. And we have connected with those who believed but had not joined a community of faith, like all of us need to, in order to more fully embrace this salvation.

And we celebrate this history. We have been a part of God’s work and God’s kingdom in this community for 61 years. And that is something to celebrate.

But, there is a future to embrace as well. It is based, in part; on our past but more importantly it is based on our message that came into being a long, long time before we did. It is based on God’s word. It is based on the work of the Holy Spirit. It is based on the doctrines of the church that existed before we, individually and as a congregation, existed.

The future that we are to embrace is based on God and His salvation for all of us!