The World War II era Swiss theologian Karl Barth once observed that joy “is the simplest form of gratitude.” It is a line I share on every email I send. Being reminded of this truth daily is an essential part of my day. Because when I slow down enough to notice that each breath is a gift, joy follows close behind. Not the performed kind. The real kind. The sort that bubbles up without being asked for.
That is where I want us to be as we move into November. Our congregation has been doing beautiful, honest work these last months. You told us where you already serve on in our church. You told us what makes you come alive at First Baptist. The gifts of this church are not out there somewhere waiting to be discovered. They are already here, right in our pews. They are in you.
On November 15 and 22, I want to spend two Sundays to discuss what it looks like to actually use what God has placed in our hands. This is not obligation. It is not another ask from your pastor. It is an invitation to joy. Because the most grateful thing we can do with a gift is open it and share it with somebody else. We are “Entrusted” with much that we can share.
So come ready this November. Come expecting God to do something with you. The joy he has for you is on the other side of giving yourself away.