"Amen, O hear us, Lord!"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Our Father, who from heav'n above

Bids all of us to live in love

As members of one family

And pray to You in unity,

Teach us no thoughtless words to say

But from our inmost hearts to pray (LSB 766).

Our Father in heaven bids us to pray, and in today's Gospel lesson, His Son, our brother, teaches us how to pray, so that we may pray not with thoughtless words and unsure hearts, but with faith and confidence, believing that He will give us all that we need.

For you, O Christians, have the joyous Word and promise that God is with His people. He is with you every moment of your life, from the instant of conception until the end of your last breath, and then He continues to preserve you in glory in His eternal, heavenly kingdom. Your God is not distant or far off or caught away in the furthest heavens, far removed from you. No – your God is Immanuel, God-With-Us.

Do You Want What He Has to Give?

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Have you ever been to a “white elephant” gift exchange? You know, where people bring wrapped gifts, generally of relatively low value, that they proceed to exchange, usually via some some sort of lottery or raffle. Of course, part of the fun of a white elephant exchange is to find amusing things to give to your friends. I remember, as a child, tagging along with my mother to our church's LWML Christmas party, where the ladies would always come up with odd or amusing things to exchange, often items re-gifted from other sources. One time, one prize that floated around was a plush cat, limp and flat, with almost no stuffing, and a tag that said “roadkill”. Such items, and such exchanges are amusing for a moment, but they hold no lasting blessing or value.

Or perhaps you have received a well-intentioned gift from a loved one, for which you struggled to show gratitude as you thought, “What in the world am I going to do with this?” It may have been obvious that the person genuinely meant well, and wished to give you something that would be of value and maybe have meaning, but had neither for you.

How often do we receive gifts that we would rather not accept? Or, perhaps more common, how often do we receive gifts but fail to realize the source and worth of them?