I also give thanks to God for all land and its fruitfulness. I give thanks for those who bend their backs to pick the berries, harvest the vegetables, and do the hard labor of picking fruit and planting crops. It is hard work. The work must go on even in the very hot sun, a soaking rain, or a frost-covered morning. Most of us forget the process that precedes our buying the produce in the stores or at the roadside stands. Have you thanked God for the wonders of our world and the food God provides? Have you recently said thanks to those who labor for our food? This Labor Day weekend, we say thanks to all who labor and toil in so many industries and physical jobs to make our lives better.

Deuteronomy 6 says, “Take care that you do not forget the Lord,” who will help you through the day, who will be there for you when you feel insecure, who has and will provide for your every need. Take care that you do not forget the Lord.

…people live in near isolation, yet they reach out to one another despite the odds of making true connections. It demonstrates how people cling to thin threads of hope and the possibility of healing, either through the cyberworld of rehab or spirit world of redemption.

Recently I read Practice Resurrection by Eugene H. Peterson who writes, “It is essential that we assimilate God’s Genesis week of work if we are to live what ‘God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.’”

As we gather back into the sanctuary again, let us encourage the children to be part of the worship, the fellowship, the mission, and the ministry of our church. Children of all ages have much to offer. Learn from them, model for them, and accept them for who they are. Together, we can discover and experience God’s Kingdom on earth.

…in the midst of our greatest moments of service and in the times of our lowest seasons of life, God is there. We are not alone. With God all things are possible.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?

Whether we are in an emergency room or worshipping at Faith Lutheran Church, buying groceries at Fred Meyer or gardening in our backyard, we are “somebodies” whom God loves—scarred, broken, imperfect people—children of God. God wants all of us to be “people lifters”—lifting one another up—affirming each other’s gifts, NOT judging others, or thinking we are better than they are. Paul puts it this way: “Therefore, children of God, be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.”

In the Biblical story of Naaman the leper, we read how Naaman wanted a miraculous, dramatic cure. It took his servants to remind Naaman that God does not necessarily use big, tumultuous means to bring wholeness or newness to his children. Elisha merely said, “Wash, and be clean.” Through those simple words and waters of an insignificant creek, Naaman was made whole.

Isaiah 55 is the picture of God inviting all to a feast where everything is free! Come, God says, come as you are, no limitations to social standing or dress codes! Come with your thirsty throats and empty bellies, weak bodies, broken hearts, and uncertain future.