Intent

[God] alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. – Psalm 62:5

Yesterday, in worship, we invited everyone to bring in their Statement of Intent. In prayer and hope, we came together to commit to the mission of this congregation. We celebrated God’s generosity to us by sharing that abundance with our church and community. It truly is an act of worship to dedicate our financial gifts to God’s glory. I cannot express my gratitude enough for all of you who made your commitment yesterday.

But honestly, some of you were ready to go the moment we asked. We hadn’t even mailed out Statements of Intent to everyone before people started turning theirs in. You knew. You were ready. And the best part was seeing how many of those early commitments chose to increase their giving – in some cases more than doubling what they’d given the previous year. I praise God for your bold, quick YES!

And there are still more of you who haven’t had a chance to turn in your Statement of Intent yet. Don’t worry – I’m one of you. This happens to me every year since I started making a monthly gift to my church. I get so deep in hearing the stories of God’s goodness, so excited hearing about what the church will do in the year to come, and so caught up in fall events that the day to bring my Statement of Intent always sneaks up on me. If you’re like me, good news: you can participate by mailing your Statement of Intent to the church, bringing it to the church office, putting it in the offering plate on an upcoming Sunday, or going to easter.org/annualappeal to use a digital form.

Here’s the most important part: spending the time you need to prayerfully, thoughtfully, gratefully consider what God has given you and how you can put that to work to God’s glory and for the sake of the world. We share a mission here at Easter Lutheran Church to grow in faith and carry on the work of Jesus Christ, which we do together with the abundant sharing of our time, energy, attention, and money. So take the time you need to reflect on what that mission means in your life and how your faith can be put into action through your giving.

When you’re ready, let us know. Submitting a Statement of Intent means the church staff and leadership can plan for the ministry we will enact in the year to come. But it also means you can be intentional about the way you give and live out God’s call in your life.

I’m so grateful for you. I’m so grateful for God’s generosity at work in you. I’m so grateful to be right here at Easter Lutheran Church, sharing in the holy work of worship, service, learning, and fellowship together as one faith community. Thank you for supporting the Spirit’s work among us.

Let us pray:

God, you are so generous, and we give you thanks for all your gifts. In joy and hope, we return to you what you have first given us. May our financial giving be a special blessing to our neighbors, the work of this congregation, and the sharing of the good news of Jesus Christ, your Son. Amen.