Category: Church

For we are the aroma of Christ to God …  2 Corinthians 2:15a

Though I rarely have to face this challenge, I do still remember a certain “aroma.”  The baby wipes box boasts that the wipes are fragrance free. If only there was a guarantee that the used baby wipe was also fragrance free! Like, me, you’ve probably had a couple gagging, eye-watering moments when duty calls! Before we judge our babies by what they sometimes produce, we need to take a whiff of ourselves. Scripture tells us that we were dead in our transgressions and sins, and dead things tend to be very smelly. In contrast, the apostle Paul wrote about a pleasant aroma, the Gospel of Christ, which makes us alive by His grace. The stinking, rotting self was left behind. We have the sure hope of eternal life, and that is news that must be shared!

You may think you are not up to the task of spreading this fragrant Good News. Paul also wrote that our sufficiency does not come from us, but from Christ alone. The Holy Spirit empowers us, making us bold in our witness to others.

Christmas evangelism – Our Savior Jesus Christ, we cannot go shopping at this time of the year without being reminded that Christmas is coming. We know that this holiday is the celebration of your birth, our God who became fully human to take away the sins of the world. Sadly, we realize that not everyone knows this good news even though it is for all people. Bless our congregation and our synod as we strive to bring this gospel about the Savior to the people living around us. Empower each of us to invite someone to worship Christ, the newborn King, along with us. By your grace, bring many more to hear the true message of Jesus Christ, which alone can bring true joy to the people of this world. We pray in the name of Christ, who became our brother to save us all. Amen. (more…)