Happy Sunday

HE GAVE THANKS

by C. R. Stam

At the institution of the Lord’s Supper, as He took the bread and the wine, we read that he “gave thanks” (Matt.26:26,27; Luke 22:19,20).

Surely on this occasion He did not give thanks for food supplied! He was handling the symbols of His broken body and His shed blood. How we would like to know just what He said at this solemn moment; just what He gave thanks for!

This we shall never know in this life, but there are some basic facts we do know.

It was for love for sinful men that He was to die. He was to pay their debt of sin, and He looked forward to the time when, not only redeemed Israel, but the redeemed of every nation and dispensation will rejoice in sins forgiven and all that this entails for them. As He “gave thanks” in view of Calvary, He will then rejoice at the results of Calvary. The overflowing joy that will be the portion of the redeemed will be a greater joy to Him.

Thus Paul’s words in Hebrews 12:2 give us cause to rejoice in true thanksgiving of our Lord’s finished work of redemption on Calvary cross:

“Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Thank You LORD
Some thank the Lord for friends and home
For mercies sure and sweet
But I would praise Him for his grace
In prayer I would repeat
  Refrain:
     Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul
     Thank you, Lord, for making me whole
     Thank you, Lord, for giving to me
     Thy great salvation so rich and free

Some thank Him for the flow’rs that grow
Some for the stars that shine
My heart is filled with joy and praise
Because I know He’s mine

I trust in Him from day to day
I prove His saving grace
I’ll sing this song of praise to Him
Until I see His face


Daily Smile:
What do you call a pig with no legs?

A groundhog!

In The News:

New Jersey Substitute Teacher Fired for Giving Student a Bible
New Jersey's Phillipsburg School District Board has suspended a longtime middle school substitute teacher, Walter Tutka, for breaking two district policies -- handing out religious literature on campus and not being neutral when talking about religious material – when he gave a student a Bible, WORLD News Service reports. According to CitizenLink, the incident started last September when a student came to school late and Tutka, who was standing by the door of the building, said, "The first shall be last, but the last shall be first." When the student asked about the quote, Tutka said it came from the Bible. Later, the student asked more questions about the quote, and Tutka had his Bible with him, so he showed the student the verse. Then, after the student said he did not have a Bible, Tutka gave him his. The board made its decision on Monday, but Tutka and the Christian law firm Liberty Institute are considering an appeal or other action so he can keep his job.

Even Amicable Divorces Result in Less Religious Kids
A new analysis of data about children of divorce reveals that kids raised in happy, intact marriages are twice as likely to worship later in life than children whose parents divorce amicably, Jim Liebelt reports. Researchers said they hoped the project would awaken pastors to a common oversight contributing to the decline in mainline Christian denominations and religious affiliation in general. "Mainline [Protestant Christianity] has done very little and has largely trusted that as long as everybody gets along and keeps their conflicts down, things will be OK," said the project's lead author, Lake Forest College professor Elizabeth Marquardt. "We're really trying to upend that view. Children of divorce are on the leading edge of the well-documented spiritual-but-not-religious movement. These are potential leaders. As we grapple with more and more people growing up without a married mom and dad, the church can make more sense of that."