August 7, 2011 - The Seventh Sunday after Trinity

Today's Reading: Mark 8:1-9

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 20:24-42; 1 Corinthians 1:1-25

So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.(Mark 8:6)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus takes care of you. He takes care of your body. He takes care of your soul. He makes sure you have something to eat. He makes sure you have forgiveness and eternal life. But the Lord doesn't take care of us out of thin air. He provides us with the people who take care of us and the means by which they do so.

Consider the verse above. Jesus didn't pass out bread to every person Himself. Rather, He broke the bread and gave it to the disciples and they gave it to the people. Just so, the Lord gives you your parents and others to care for you and provide for you. Consider that your parents go to work and use the money they earn to provide for you. That's the Lord taking care of you through your parents.

But He also takes care of your salvation that way, too. Christ came as a man, to suffer and die and rise again. But how does He give that forgiveness to you? How does He bestow that salvation upon you? Through His called and ordained pastors who preach and teach God's Word to you and give you Jesus' body and blood to eat and drink. But there, too—that's not your pastor doing His own thing. It's the Lord working through your pastor to give you His gifts.

It's easy to think of God “up there,” and down here it's “every man for himself.” But His Word teaches us that all we have, whether it's our physical needs or even better gifts like forgiveness and eternal life, comes from our Lord. The Lord truly does provide for you. He does it for you through others. What joy that you can look at everything you have in your life and give thanks to your heavenly Father that these are all His gifts to you in and through Jesus because you are His beloved child and He has compassion on you. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

O God, whose never-failing providence orders all things both in heaven and earth, we humbly implore You to put away from us all hurtful things and give to us those things that be profitable for us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for Trinity 7)

Questions or comments regarding the Reflections may be sent to the Rev. Mark Buetow, Reflections Editor, reflections@higherthings.org.

---

---

Visit our website at www.higherthings.org to read Reflections online each day. Or sign up to receive daily Reflections in your e-mail Inbox by sending subscribing at: http://higherthings.org/reflections.html

Higher Things exists and grows on the basis of donations and free-will offerings from congregations and individuals. All donations are tax-deductible. If you wish to contribute to the work of Higher Things, Please send your donation to:

Higher Things, Inc.
P.O. Box 155
Holt, MO 64048

(Donations are also accepted at www.higherthings.org via credit card or PayPal on our support page.)