A recruiter for a company asked a job candidate, “Why do you expect such a high salary when you have no experience in this field?”

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  The job applicant replied, “Well, the job is much harder when you don’t know what you’re doing.”

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   As we start a new Church Year next week, with the beginning of the Advent season, we need to resolve to, as Christians, make ourselves more qualified to be more effective in doing our work as Christians in the coming year.

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I Cor. 11:28 “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.”

 

   In this new Church year I'd like us to consider two ways that we can resolve to improve, not only for next year, but for the rest of our lives here on earth.

 

   The first is to be more concerned about taking care of those less fortunate than ourselves.

 

  During the Advent season, as we prepare to celebrate our Savior's birth, we must remember those in need around us.

 

   We are told by Christ himself that in feeding the hungry, caring for the stranger, and in visiting the sick, we are doing these things for Him. “In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

 

   We of course can never repay Christ for His saving love in the redemption of the world by his death on the cross for us. If we expect to be inheritors of the kingdom however, our duty as children of God to love and assist our fellow man is very clear.

 

   To be able to do this duty we need to be strengthened.

 

  This is where St. Paul's message to the Corinthians and our second point of needed improvement for the new Church Year comes in.

 

   We need the strengthening power of Christ in the Holy Communion to enable us to do all that we should.

 

For us to get that power we must truly examine ourselves.

 

If we do that we will realize how far short we fall and how much we need to truly repent of our sins.

 

We need to realize how much we do need to really “lead a new life”.

 

This means we should be following God's direction and not that of the world.

 

   So as we enter the new Church Year let us resolve to truly follow God's direction in helping the unfortunate around us and come to the Lord's Supper as prepared, as we possibly can, to receive this Holy Sacrament to our soul's comfort.

 

  So that we may obtain all the blessings intended for us as God's faithful children and then be better qualified to do our job as Christians of bringing others to the saving love of Christ.