President’s Message November 2012

Dear members and friends of our ELS:
One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving (Psalm 62:11–12).
Power and love. Novels and movies know how to weave these two key concepts into exciting plots, subplots, and mysterious twists. The fascination over the details of the lives of kings and queens, presidents, influential CEOs, and Hollywood stars often can be summed up by an attraction to the intrigue found in power and love.
Power without love is scary. Think of how tyrants and dictators have wreaked havoc on their citizens when power has not been coupled with love. People like Nero, Bloody Mary, Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi, and the late Kim Jong-il of North Korea come to mind. Can you imagine the terror of living under such evil on a daily basis, especially if there were reasons to question your “good grace” status before the controlling regime?
The psalm verse above speaks of ultimate power coupled with ultimate love. Unlike the tyrants and czars of the world displaying little love for their subjects, the God of this universe not only wields a scepter unmatched by any human authority, but also has a love that far exceeds what the mind of sinful man could ever conceive.
Isn’t this what captures the significance of Thanksgiving for the Christian? We are not like the proverbial atheist who had a sudden urge to be filled with gratitude but didn’t know who to thank. The God we have come to know—all due to His grace in seeking us—is the creator of all that we have around us, the preserver of all that we need for this body and life, and is the redeemer of our souls!
When the psalmist speaks of power and love in connection with this Ruler, we truly are comforted and want to take notice! Though we would have reason to fear His power to crush us because of our sins—including ingratitude and worry—we now, because of His deep love for us as shown in the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, have every reason to be confident and filled with joy!
How will you celebrate this Thanksgiving? As you think of family, friends, good food, recoveries from illnesses, protection, and care offered to even the less fortunate, think on this above all else: We have a good, great, and powerful Ruler who loves us so much that He entered our fallen universe with flesh and blood to rescue us from eternal destruction. Will He not continue to use His almighty power to have all things turn out for our good (Romans 8:28, 30–31)?
Sensing the urge to offer praise? You know where to direct it. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is the one true God who does all things in love for us as shown by the intervention of the Christ. Truly, thanks be to God!
Rev. John A. Moldstad, ELS President