Faithfulness"The crying need today is for people of faith to live faithfully.” Richard Foster In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, the master’s response to the trustworthy servants is the same: Well done, good and faithful servant…come and enter the joy of your master. God is faithful. It is his nature and character and as his people he expects us to reflect his faithfulness. The Christian life is about living by faith and in faith. It is by faith that we seek to live a life true to God's call to us. It is in faith that we act on that call, trusting that God himself is faithful. In light of God's faithfulness, we steward our lives to reflect God's character by our: Faithfulness in prayer Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6) I encourage you to pray daily trusting in God's faithfulness. Pray for the people of St. John’s, for our life together, and for our ministry in the communities of Grand County. Pray for the other churches in our community, for our diocese, and for the church throughout the world. Pray that we might be faithful to the gospel work to which we are called. Faithfulness in study We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God's word, which is also at work in you believers. (1 Thessalonians 2:13) Set aside time each day to read and study the scriptures. There are many guides available to help structure your study. For some, the daily lectionary provides a way to read a little bit of scripture every day. Please talk to me if you would like some suggestions. Faithfulness in worship They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Acts 2:42 NRSV) It is a good thing when God's people gather to worship and I encourage you to make our times of worship a priority. When we gather together, we are reminded of God's mighty acts, his faithfulness to his people and above all his love poured out to us in Jesus Christ. As we are faithful in coming together we find that we are formed individually and corporately into the likeness of Christ. Faithfulness in giving The earth is the LORD's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it. (Psalm 24:1 NRSV) Finally, I encourage us to be faithful in our offering of ourselves: our time, our talent, and our treasure. This giving is a natural extension of our faithfulness in prayer, study and worship. We give not out of duty or obligation but out of gratitude that the One who called us into being claims us as his own and as precious in his sight. When we steward our lives by faith and in faith to God's call we offer a powerful and counter-cultural antidote to an anxious world that desperately needs to know that the God we serve is a good and faithful God! Blessings, Matthew+ Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. BCP p. 236 | 
