God is good. He is goodness in himself, but more than that he is good to us. A profound part of the Gospel is that God, unsatisfied with just being complete within the three persons of the Trinity, decided to extend his loving, good nature to a creation of people whom he wanted to commune with forever. In spite of sin, in spite of ignorance, in spite of blatant rejection of the good and the holy on our part God had has persisted in his goodness to us.
God is good. This has been a trying year for us in many ways as a church. We, like most families and institutions, have struggled financially. We’ve also, perhaps as a consequence of our uncertainty and disgust with the economy around us, struggled spiritually. It is the witness of Scripture that God provides for his people in times of great uncertainty and trial; God will meet and exceed our needs when we remain faithful to the work he has called us to.
God is good. Last Sunday we had an impromptu revival. Our financial situation was dire, and was matched by a spiritual uncertainty and apathy in the direction of our church. However, God’s Spirit moved in such a way that hearts were changed, tears were shed, and we left with a sense of hope and an expectation of God’s blessing on us in days to come.
God is good. Next Sunday will be very special for our church. We’ll celebrate the accomplishments of our children and youth in all that they have done this summer from camps to VBS. We’ll celebrate with two new brothers in Christ who have come to be baptized. We will celebrate the presence of our newest members who have come in recent days. We will celebrate the sacrifice Christ made for us in the observance of the Lord’s Supper. Most of all, we will celebrate the good God who continues to bless us with life, finances, and the grace to lead us in using both.