Speaker: The Rev. Nathan Stomberg

Few statements from U.S. history have been so misunderstood and distorted as this preamble to the Declaration of Independence. As our nation celebrates her independence this week, this most memorable text will be quoted (and mis-quoted) countless times by people who fundamentally reject the same Judeo-Christian worldview which made such a document (and such a nation) possible in the first place.

We are not all called to be Richard Wurmbrand (thank God!). In His mercy, God might not even call us to any serious persecution in our lives. But Jesus does send us out as sheep in the midst of wolves, he asks us to be ready, and he tells us not to fear.

What things are distracting you from the Gospel today? Which distractions are holding you back from sharing the Gospel with your friends and family? Our mission is short, the harvest is plentiful, and the laborers are few. Pray how God may use you as a laborer in His harvest, that He may help us lay aside every weight which clings so closely, and run the race He has set before us.

As sinful human beings, we have a unique talent for making ourselves and our needs the center of attention, if not the center of our universe. Holy Communion should shatter our illusion that we are the most important thing in our lives.

If Christianity is the true Faith, then what does that imply about every other religion? It means that every other faith is a false faith. This is not easy for us to hear, nor is it easy for the secular world to hear – but we cannot shy away from the Truth just because it is difficult. Trinity Sunday therefore reminds us that a profession of faith in God as Trinity is to assert the exclusivity of the Gospel message.

The Holy Spirit made possible the unity that was lost at the first Tower of Babel, and it is only by the Holy Spirit that broken humanity can today be renewed in the rubble of our modern Towers of Babel.

Fellow lovers of God: do not forget the Ascension of Christ. Without the Ascension, we have no salvation.

What are you most passionate about? If someone were to ask you about yourself, with what would you identify? Would it be the Church of Jesus Christ? Or is it some other organization or identity group which lays claim to your passions and desires? Everyone we meet falls into one of two categories – with Christ, or without Christ. May God fan that flame to burn within our hearts and stir us on to love our neighbor by sharing the Gospel!

God’s ultimate will is not for our earthly well-being, but for our eternal well-being. The Lord is not building for us a mansion here on earth, but a temple for us to enter in that heavenly City. As we grow in salvation – through searching the Scriptures, through desiring the spiritual milk of God’s word, and asking for help in Jesus’ name – our desires will inevitably look more like God’s desires; our joy will multiply; and we will steadfastly endure any trials as we follow in the steps of His Son Jesus Christ.