WATCHWORD:
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:5-6
37 Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.’ 38-39 This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: ‘Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.’ Matthew 22:37-39
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35
Meditation:
Fellowship I
“One of the most beautiful things that God is calling us to is unity in Christ Jesus. There is fulfillment in being together with other believers as a family in Christ. Each believer is stronger when in community with other believers. Be encouraged to seek out other believers and to join together with them for God’s glory. This is according to His design. Doing so will build up the body of Christ, and help to build your faith in Him.” (Verse-A-Day Commentary)
I wonder if we have grown to underestimate the importance of fellowship in the community of believers. Have we been conditioned to avoid gathering in groups and now, although our situation has improved, we still hesitate. The pandemic has been largely the culprit in discouraging gatherings and that has set us back.
I believe the influence of the virus is beginning to wane as a result vaccinations and our own exercise of common sense. But I think there is an equally insidious influence affecting our society that has to do with social media and discrimination on a whole range of topics: Racial, political, ethnic, even religious. We do tend to set ourselves apart based on legitimate demographics, such as age, interests, geography.
But, what is the role of members of the Christian community in all this, as it relates to fellowship, the heart-beat of our faith? As I write this, I am burdened by a sense of guilt. A long-time, colleague and dear friend is now with Jesus. My last face-to-face conversation with her was nearly a year ago, and my last telephone contact was months ago. I call her friend, but where was the evidence? And I wonder about our own Christian community and the support it extends to those members who are absent from our fellowship.
What about our broader Christian Community? Is it feeling a move toward exclusiveness?
Have we not recovered from the pandemic? As Christians, we are called to fellowship. We have been given two clear, unavoidable commandments by our Lord. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…” and “Love your neighbor…” Maybe it is that last one we stumble on. Jesus expanded on that with this clarification: “As I have loved you, so you must love one another…” Those instructions are hard to duck, aren’t they? Yet…
I suspect that most of us look around our shrinking congregations and wonder, “Where are they?” There is another question, maybe one we avoid. What does it take to be a disciple of Christ, an Apostle of the One True God? Reaching out to our sisters and brothers would seem to be a role of a true disciple.
Today’s Lenten Passage to Ponder:
Romans 10:6-7: But the salvation that comes through faith says, “You don’t need to search the heavens to find Christ and bring him down to help you,” and, “You don’t need to go among the dead to bring Christ back to life again.”
Lenten Prayer:
Jesus, help me to not fear death, for I know that you have gone ahead and made a way for me into eternal life. I choose today to accept again your great gift of life eternal in heaven with you, and pray that you would give me confidence for every step of my journey until then. Amen.
