Dear Christian friends:

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12) Like Samuel we, the members of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod also should have thankful hearts. We too should say, "Ebenezer, the Lord has always helped us." Each one of us on our birthday this year should look back and remember God's many kind blessings to us and then thank God and show our thanks by sending an offering to the Church Ebenezer Headquarters.

By July 31st only nine of our members had sent in their thank offering. Sixty-two have already had their birthdays. So you see that our congregation needs encouragement to be thankful and help. So today our Church Council decided to ask me to talk to you about Ebenezer. I want to have a thankful heart and I want you to have a thankful heart, too.

I want to say that all of us should be sorry about our sins. We complain to much. We see many things that we do not have. Our neighbors have nice homes, nice clothes, new cars and new boats and we do not. We complain and feel jealous. We forget that we still have many blessings from God.

We may not be as comfortable and rich as our neighbor, but if we really stop to look around we have many blessings: a roof that does not leak; a car that runs; clothes that keep us warm; food enough and sometimes too much food. We are too fat for good health. Also we have good doctors and medicines; fine hospitals; good government; social security and welfare.

All these many blessings God has given us for the many years of our life. Also He gives us a beautiful, wonderful church here, one of the most beautiful churches in the world. Here at church we gather to meet one another and help one another. Here we have a pastor who tells us the Good News of Jesus Christ. Here our children are baptized. Here we go to the Lord's Supper. Here we receive faith, hope and love.

We should be very, very thankful to our kind, wise God who gives us all that we need for our life and for salvation. Shame on us if we complain. But you know very well that we all complain too much. Let us be sorry about that and ask God to forgive our sins because of Jesus who died for us. Let us ask God to give us a cheerful, thankful heart. Let's count our blessings and kneel to thank Him.

Let us also ask God to give us more strong faith to trust Him in the future. Often you hear someone say, "I can't give an offering. I must save lots of money in the bank. Next year I may get sick and need that money or maybe I will lose my job and need that money. I can't give so much for the Lord's work."

You have heard church members talk like that way yourself. Maybe you have said that, too. Are you trusting God if you say something like that? Is your God weak? Is your God small? Is your God dead? Maybe God is deaf and can't hear our prayers?

You know He is not weak or small or dead. You know He is not deaf. He is the almighty God who can help you in every need. He loves you. He will never fail to help you. So trust in Him and bring your Ebenezer offering to Him.

Someone may ask how much should I send? The leaders are suggesting that we give $1.00 for each year of our life. If you are forty years old then you will try to give $40.00 thank offering. That is not a law, only a suggestion. You will have to decide.

What will the money be used for? Our Synod hopes to raise forty million dollars for new buildings. Deaf Missions hope to receive about $800,000 dollars for church buildings at Memphis; Vancouver, B.C.; Great Falls, Mont.; Winnipeg; Denver; Pittsburgh; Riverside, California; West Hartford and here in St. Paul. Many other buildings college and seminary buildings, hospitals and churches for missions are needed. So by your Ebenezer thank offering you will be helping your Savior through your church.

If you have not yet had your birthday, please remember what I have said today and make a generous thank offering on that day. If your birthday has passed, you may still do it. It isn't to late.

May God's Holy Spirit give us all a very happy and thankful heart.

Amen.