What wonderful moments we have experienced in the congregations with our brothers, sisters, our children and our youth in the past year. Together with our Apostles, we carry you all in our hearts and prayers. We pause in spirit with each of you and thank our Lord for the privilege of serving together, the joy of sharing friendship and the grace of walking together toward the goal of our faith, which is the return of our Lord Jesus.
We have so many reasons to declare our love for our God, to express our gratitude to Him and to serve Him in His work.
As we prepare for the beautiful feast of Thanksgiving, let us be motivated by:
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Our love for God
He loves us first, Jesus Christ proved this love with His sacrifice. He remains in close communion with us and opens the way for us to live in perfect harmony with Him and one another.
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Our gratitude
Everything we possess comes from His hand. God’s love and grace, we also experience. In the hymn “Take my life, and let it be” the poet expresses …God take my life and let it be, take my hand, my feet, my voice, my will, my love, my silver and my gold, etc. How wonderful when this can be our disposition. Our Chief Apostle encourages us to ask the question, “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits?”
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Our love for our Church
As New Apostolic Christians, we also want to support our Church and congregations with our gifts and talents, as well with our offering and our sacrifices. We seek to serve our Lord in His work and seize the opportunity to do good towards our neighbour and one another.
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When inspired by the aforementioned motivations we can experience the blessings of our God, which foremost prepares us for the return of the Lord and remains the promised goal. Our triune God knows our needs far better than we do, so let us trust Him completely.
Our gratitude and preparation for Thanksgiving is deeply personal. Our reflection and preparation are a year-long activity which begins the day after our Thanksgiving Day. However, as we approach this special day on October 1, 2023, we occupy ourselves with our gratitude and inner disposition towards our Lord.
We wish you all a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. May it indeed be a feast of Thanksgiving in the warm fellowship of family and the congregation.