November

November is the month of Thanksgiving. As we have been observing the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation much of our focus has centered on the chief article of the Christian faith – justification. At the center of this Christian faith is the understanding that a sinner is justified by grace alone sola gratia through faith alone sola fide for the sake of Christ alone solus Christus, a truth revealed to us in Scripture alone sola Scriptura.  God gets the credit. To God alone be the glory. Sola Deo Gloria This month, we focus on the centrality of Christ. In other words, at the center of all that we do is Jesus! Our focus is on Christ and Christ alone. 

God has given the ultimate revelation of himself to us by sending Jesus Christ. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Colossians 1:15. Only through God’s gracious self-revelation in Jesus do we come to a saving and transforming knowledge of God. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.-1 Timothy 1:5. 

Because God is holy and all humans are sinful and sinners, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- 1 John 1:1; 

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” -Hebrews 7:25; “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” - Romans 8:34. 

Neither religious rituals nor good works mediate between God and us. ”And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." -Acts 4:12 by which a person can be saved other than the name of Jesus. “The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office,” -Hebrews 7:23. Only Jesus’ sacrificial death alone can atone for sin. Christ is the center of our faith. - SOLUS CHRISTUS we are redeemed by Christ alone!

In recent weeks we have witnessed Hurricanes, a mass-shooting and devastating fires. The Lord calls for us to pray without ceasing. May we continue to remember in our daily prayers those who suffer the result of living in a broken world. The philosopher Os Guinness 1  reminds us, “Christianity is the only religion whose God bears the scars of evil.” 

Amidst the brokenness of our lives. Amidst the power structures and manipulation. The violence. Racism. The hurt. Comes the Christ.  Who breaks in. Who shares our flesh. Who carries our burdens. Who bears our sins. Who will suffer the scars of evil. Who exchanges our shame for His glory. And calls us to be the very light of the world.-A light that is not ours but His.  Gifted to us. For us to undermine the darkness. Which cannot stand against it.

St. Paul would remind us,” So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” –Galatians 6:10

Our prayers of intercession include those affected by terrorist acts of violence in our own country and scattered throughout the world. We pray for those who were lost and injured, for their families, for those who were traumatized by all reckless behaviors, and for all those who oppose evil in all its forms.

O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, whose heart is glad when all Your children live together in unity; we lift to You the grief of our hearts, hoping that You will not only comfort those hearts, but change them; that we may be the people You have created, and called us to be;

We pray too for those who consider bigoted and racially prejudiced ideologies acceptable - that they will see through their sin to the deeper truth of Christ’s love for all and our need of one another.

Holy Father, God of mercy, God of comfort, as the darkness grows and hatred and violence seem to triumph in this world, embrace in Your tender compassion all who suffer from this latest terror attack. Remember all who have lost loved ones, and the many who are injured and dying. Grant to them Your mercy, Your healing, Your peace. 

We remember that in Your Son You have given to us the Love that no hatred can overcome, the Life that no death can destroy, the Forgiveness that exceeds all the violence that fallen humanity inflicts upon itself. Make Your Church a firm witness to this unfailing hope. We pray these things in the saving name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Most merciful Father, with compassion You hear the cries of Your people in great distress. Be with all who now endure affliction and calamity as these wildfires burn in California. Bless the work of those who bring rescue and relief, and enable our pastors and congregations to bring comfort to those who are suffering that they may find renewed hope; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to You even if, in this moment, that may be colored with anger, weariness, and questions about Your presence during the storm.

O Christ Thou Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Grant us Thy peace…

Did you know that Time magazine once declared Henry Ford “the soybean’s best friend”? In the midst of the Great Depression when grain crops were failing, animal feeders discovered that livestock fed on an oil-rich soybean diet bulked up quickly. To Ford, it made perfect sense to subsidize research into the uses of farm products. Numerous auto parts were made from petroleum-based plastic, and of course, all of Ford’s engines ran on diesel and gasoline refined from petroleum crude. “If we want the farmer to be our customer,” he said, “we must find a way to be his customer.”

Ford authorized dramatically expanding the agricultural laboratory in Greenfield Village at Ford’s headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. To encourage production, he made 400 Fordson tractors available for free use to Michigan farmers and offered gas and diesel at a penny per gallon – less than a quarter of what it cost at the pump. He bragged, “There is a bushel of soya beans in every Ford car,” in Fortune magazine.  Farmers put more than 35,000 acres of land into growing soybeans, and Ford bought their entire output as promised.

Ford even switched the company commissary over to baked goods made with soy flour and ice cream made with soy milk. In the spring of 1935, farmers planted soybeans in record numbers. In preparation for the coming harvest, Ford spent $5 million to construct his own soybean mill with solvent extraction at the Flagship River Rouge plant in Dearborn – and boasted that he had jumpstarted demand for soybeans nationwide. 

That year roughly 70 million bushels of would be harvested. In the absolute depths of the Great Depression, soybeans were hailed as a godsend. Cargill, which specialized in milling grains as feed for livestock producers eagerly built new soybean-producing plants, along the rivers and the Great Lakes from Minneapolis to Chicago, where the great stockyards were buying unprecedented quantities of soybean meal as animal feed.

 –Read this fascinating book, “This Blessed Earth” by Ted Genoways 

“A universal story of family farmers and all they’re up against.” – Willie Nelson

1 His great- great grandson Arthur Guinness became the brewer of Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of at St. James's Gate brewery in the capital city of Dublin, Ireland