At the feet of Jesus...

Community Lutheran Church has been in a sermon series entitled: At the Feet of Jesus. We are looking at stories of different people who came into the presence of their Savior. Each of these individuals came with something different on their hearts. Some were ready to worship. Some were in search of a miracle. Others came to Jesus out of gratitude, or they wanted to learn and grow in the Spirit. However, all of these people lived by faith, and they were able to trust that Jesus was the answer to everything they had been searching for.

I think it is incredible for people to find Jesus and discover that He matters most. It reminds me that, whatever I am carrying on my heart, I can let it go and turn to Jesus. However, this week we are going to turn the tables a little bit. We are going to consider who Jesus was seeking after. The answer to this may seem obvious:  He sought after God... and that is most certainly true, but Jesus also seeks after us. As much as we need to be in the presence of Jesus, Jesus wants to come to us. Jesus sees each one of us as sacred, and God knows we all have gifts we can use to serve and love others.

There are so many times I forget to look for God's presence in my life. Each day becomes a blur filled with ordinary activities, but last week I had the opportunity to travel to Colorado with my family. We didn't hike any mountains or explore any new trails. We were there to be with family. My wife's parents opened there home to us, and we had a joyful week of love. Sure, my family is a little wild and crazy, but we were welcomed in. It can be important to seek after God in far off places, but my trip last week reminded me that we can find God in the people who surround us. We can find God, just like Jesus did, in our relationships with others. 

Enjoying the simple moments!

Today I hope you can all experience a little bit of God's love today. I hope you can all learn what God is doing, and I hope you can realize that you are a blessing as well.

Peace,

Brian Ward

Gratitude

Can you think of a time that you have been overwhelmed with gratitude?

My oldest son just turned eight years old, and he has lived the last few days with an incredible amount of joy. He couldn't wait to open his presents. He immediately had to start building the lego sets, wearing his new costumes, and playing the new games with his brother. He was also excited to call his grandparents to say thank you for all the good things that they gave to him. 

I think there are a few important steps to gratitude that my son lived out. First, he took time to value each and every gift. Next, he shared his gratitude with the people around him and those who gave the gift. Finally, he is enjoying life with the presents that were given to him. He is living life with in joy and gratitude.

At Community Lutheran, we are taking time each week to consider the people who found themselves at the feet of Jesus. Each person who we have followed in this series has come to Jesus for a different reason. The wise men were inspired by Jesus, and they bowed down with awe and wonder. The family of Jarius and the hemorrhaging woman fell at Christ's feet while they prayed for healing. This week we are going to meet at woman who came to Jesus feet with an immense feeling of Gratitude. Her gratitude brought her to her knees. 

Life is filled with moments to be grateful for. However, there are plenty of times I find myself too busy to really appreciate the gifts around me. Stress and anxiety can consume us, and we can forget to say thank you for some of the most beautiful gifts that God has given us. We can also forget to live a life that is filled with joy. 

I recently met with a person in the hospital. He has faced a number of difficulties over the last few months, but he was also filled with gratitude. Some of the trials he faced reminded him of all the gifts he had but that he had taken for granted. He was now going to intentionally live every drop of life to the fullest.

Today I hope that we all and take a bit of time to appreciate the gifts that God has given to us. I hope we can take time to say thank you to God and to the people who have blessed us. Finally, I hope we can all intentionally live each day with joy.

Blessings,

Brian Ward