8-October-23 (Matthew 21:33-46)

In the story for today, Jesus talks about people who selfishly try to keep the blessings and love of God to themselves. That's the one thing we can't afford to do as the church.
There are a lot of things going on in the church, but all of them have one thing in common: They're all ways that we demonstrate the love of God, freely given to all people. When we lead and participate in faith formation classes, when we work in a food pantry or take up a hammer to help build a Habitat for Humanity home, when we see to it that our staff is able to support themselves and those who rely on them with their salaries and benefits, even when we contribute to keep the lights on, we're also contributing to get the message of God's love out.
Let's consider all the ways we can be a part of that as we take up this morning's offering.

Prayer:

Please join me in prayer.
Loving God, we're grateful that you have been so generous to us. We thank you for the gifts and abilities you've given us and especially for your love, which knows no bounds and no boundaries.
We commit a portion of those gifts back to you right now. We pray that you will inspire us to continue to reach out in your love as your church and discover new ways to do that as well.
Bless these gifts, that your message of love would reach out into a world that is longing to hear it and to see it.
We pray in Jesus' name, AMEN.