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Gloria Dei Evangelical Lutheran Church |
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Helping our community experience a new life with Jesus |
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The
Blessings of Community Driving home from a meeting the other
day, I listened to part of an interview with an author who had recently
written a book on the subject of suffering.
By way of introduction he mentioned that he had been an active
Evangelical Christian, but because he felt that the Bible did not provide him
with satisfactory answers to questions raised by suffering, he abandoned his
faith and became a self described agnostic.
Certainly the subject of his book was interesting, but what really caught
my attention was the final question the interviewer put to the author: “Do
you miss anything from your former life as a Christian?” Without hesitation he replied, “I miss the
Church.” He went on to explain that
now, being separated from a faith community; he was pretty much on his
own. He half joked that he really had
to pay attention to his friends and family because he was no longer sure
there was now any group of people who would be obliged to care for him
regardless of his shortcomings. The Church being a human institution is frequently riddled
with imperfections, but in its concept and often in its reality the Church is
the place where diverse types of people come together and, among other
things, care for each other. We do
this because of the example of Jesus Christ.
During his earthly ministry Jesus lived out God’s care for people, not
in the isolation of a hermit, but in the midst of real people. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, wept
with those who mourned and was friend, teacher and traveling companion to a community
of imperfect men and women. We also
care for each other because Jesus told us to do so. In Matthew 25 Jesus reminded us that those
who would share in the I heard another news report later that same week that
seemed related to, but in someway was the mirror image of, the agnostic’s
experience. This report stated that a
growing number of people who identify themselves as Christian, at least in
name, did not feel it was important to belong to a worshiping community. Well if you’ve been around any church for
very long you know that being in community can, now and then, be difficult
and sometimes it can be very difficult.
It requires a little faith and a lot of work to care for and, in turn,
be cared for by imperfect people. It’s
understandable to want to shy away from the heavy lifting of life
together. But, as the agnostic author
pointed out, there is a blessing to be found in a place where, even on your
worst day, people will care about you, not because at that moment you are
loveable, but because you are beloved by God and we, the Church, are just
doing our best to follow Jesus.
Ah Ha Moments for Everyone Early
Christians measured the year differently than the world does today. For the ancient Church the year cycled
around the events of Jesus’ birth, ministry, death and resurrection. Therefore, the Church began its year near
the first of December looking forward to the celebration of the birth of
Jesus and anticipating the return of Christ at the end of time. That season, Advent, continues to be celebrated
by Christians and for many still marks the beginning of the Church liturgical
calendar. Advent is followed by the
season of Christmas, beginning with the Nativity of our Lord on Christmas Day
and going for 12 days. Christmas
season ends with the feast of Epiphany on January 6th. A major theme of Epiphany, and the weeks that follow all
the way to the next Church season, Lent, is that Jesus is the Word made flesh
and has come to dwell among us. And by
“us” we mean everyone. Given his
ancestry, it would have made sense had Jesus to come only for the people of God’s grace continues to be revealed. Christians believe that God remains active
in the world and that the Body of Christ, the Church, is an agent of God’s
grace. But there are also those very
personal epiphanies when we suddenly realize that we have experienced God’s
grace. Where have you experienced such
grace recently? Perhaps it was in
answered prayers; perhaps it was, as the Garth Brooks’ song reminded us, in
unanswered prayers. Sometimes we just
suddenly realize, like a light unexpectedly breaking into the darkness, that
God is Emmanuel, the God who is with us.
In that epiphany we find strength, comfort and meaning. Thanks be to God.
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church is a congregation of the |
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