Tag: community

Lent 2022 | Day 29: Charity

In our modern translations of the Bible one word has been modernized that can leave us with, what I believe, is an incomplete impression of its meaning. That word is love. The depth of meaning of this word in English can be difficult to describe. And understanding how we should understand this word’s usage when we find it in the Scriptures can create some unhelpful confusion.

We have all heard that in Greek the word love can be represented by several Greek words. We will not rehearse that here. However, it is worth noting that in older versions of English translations the word love was very often translated as charity. The meaning of the word charity has shifted in the centuries since it was first used as the translation for the Greek word agape. And in the transition, I believe that we have lost an important aspect of what God’s love looks like towards us.

In common usage today the word charity describes the act of one person towards another where the first person is offering benevolence towards the second. The idea is that the person extending charity is giving to the other person something that is not within their power to attain. This is often seen in the form of giving food or shelter or money to those in poverty. But there are other forms of charity many of which you may already practice.

The question I think we should consider is why do we not want to see God’s love toward us with this in mind? In what way or for what reason should we not see God’s grace as a form of charity toward us?

We are incapable of accepting this, I believe, because of our sin. The separation our sin causes in our re-establishing our relationship with God can make us feel worse when God what’s to show his love toward us. But God, who is love, has reached down from heaven in the person of Jesus Christ and has made a way for us to reconnect with him. This demonstration of love is in its truest form an act of charity. Where God is extending to us what we could never acquire for ourselves.

There is no reason to feel that this diminishes us in any way. Just because someone receives charity it is not an attack on the inherent dignity they possess. But it could be easy to see why some would be concerned with this understanding. We should do all we can to remember that love is the act of one performed for the benefit of another. The way that that love is expressed is dependent on the circumstances in which the recipient finds themselves.

When we fully understand the state in which we find ourselves because of sin we should adopt a posture of humility. To reject God’s love because God recognizes we can do nothing without him is a form of pride. And it is one that should be rejected.

God’s love toward us is something we can never earn, and in a very real sense, do not deserve. This is not a statement designed to make us feel bad. It is a statement designed to help us gain the perspective we need to approach God and receive from God in humility and sincerity.

As we continue our journey towards Easter morning, I pray we will not be distracted by the circumstances of life that would keep us from receiving God’s love. The fact that God, who does not need to earn our approval, has chosen to extend his love toward us should inspire us to seek him more intently. God’s love, properly defined, is charity toward us. For God who knows all things, who sees all things, and who has all power has chosen to extend toward us his infinite charity.

This is a reason to rejoice and worship God. Let us do that without reservation today and every day of our lives to come.

Lent 2022 | Day 19: Gathered

There has been a lot of conversation in the last couple of years about what it means to be the Church. In this time in history, when much of the world has been affected by a global pandemic, the church has to reflect on what it means to be the Church. The struggle has been around discerning what it means to be the body of Christ. Particularly in light of the rules imposed upon large groups of people by governments around the world.

In the midst of these new challenges, insights have been gained as a result of extended periods of separation and even isolation. In the opening chapters of the Bible God tells the first man it is not good for him to be alone. And an implication is that isolation is not good for anyone!

The immediate context of his declaration is Adam’s discovery that of all of God’s creatures man was without companionship. And so while there is much that can be said about the need for community and fellowship as individual members of society, there is also a lesson about what it means for us to be a community of faith.

In the New Testament, we find the admonition that we should not refrain from gathering together for worship and instruction. There is no prescription as to what that should look like. But there is a warning that we should not keep ourselves from coming together regularly. We should ask ourselves why is this oftentimes is something we have avoided.

The gathering of God’s people is not merely a social event. The community of God exists to foster the kind of growth which leads us to a deeper appreciation of God’s grace.

I think the challenge of understanding the gathered nature of the church hinges on our understanding of what it means to be people created in the image of God. For those of us who hold to a Trinitarian understanding of the Godhead, the notion of divine community makes sense. While we do not fully understand how God exists within the divine essence we can know that God exists in perfect community. The mystery of the Trinity is not something that can be explained. It is a truth of faith that is revealed and must be believed.

This reality of God’s own existence helps us to see that as image bearers we too will find our emotional and communal needs satisfied when we gather together with others who share the journey with us. The gathering of God’s people is not merely a social event. The community of God exists to foster the kind of growth which leads us to a deeper appreciation of God’s grace. Not only are there opportunities for instruction and correction but there are opportunities for sharing in one another’s lives. This sharing includes the celebration of the joys in the distribution of the burdens among those who are doing life together. This is a key element of the community of God.

One of the wonderful aspects of celebrating the season of Lent is this shared experience of reflecting and preparing for Easter morning. All over the world there are countless millions of Christians who in this season slow down enough to remember all God has been doing in their lives. By doing this we give testimony to the grace of God offered to everyone who finds themselves alone. Being grafted into the body of Christ gives us access to a fellowship that fosters our development as the children of God.

And so we gather together not merely to perform religious ceremonies or to receive doctrinal instruction but to enjoy the company of those with whom we share a common faith.

By a former Youth Student | “Redemption in Community”

This young lady is one of my (former) youth. She was the speaker for the youth Sunday on August 7, 2016 at Cordele First UMC. Continue reading “By a former Youth Student | “Redemption in Community””

The Foundational Purpose of Discipleship: Looking at One of Jesus’ Most Astonishing Claims about Discipleship

Over ten thousand, seven hundred words and I am only scratching the surface. I am writing this short introduction to let you know that this is not a short essay! I am also writing this introduction to ask you to take the time to read this entire essay and consider (or maybe reconsider) what you think you know about discipleship.

Introduction​

Over ten thousand, seven hundred words and I am only scratching the surface. I am writing this short introduction to let you know that this is not a short essay! I am also writing this introduction to ask you to take the time to read this entire essay and consider (or maybe reconsider) what you think you know about discipleship. I am not pretending that I have all, many, or any answers on the subject of discipleship. As a matter of fact, I may have raised more questions, and that may be a good thing. What I hope to do through this essay is to share how God has been challenging me to rethink how I have understood and undertaken discipleship in my own life. As a pastor, I feel the weight of this constantly. But, more importantly, as a disciple of Christ, this has become a passion that I cannot dismiss as someone else’s responsibility. Jesus has called me and you to make disciples. I hope this essay will help you understand some of the “what” and even more of the “why” of discipleship. Continue reading “The Foundational Purpose of Discipleship: Looking at One of Jesus’ Most Astonishing Claims about Discipleship”

Family, Community, and the Blessing of Being Connected

Everybody is alright, but yesterday we had a bit of a scare. My sister started feeling ill all of a sudden. We had to call 911 for an ambulance and then she was carted off to the emergency room.

To say that I was a little freaked by it would be somewhat of an understatement. I am not typically an outwardly emotive person. I like to think that I can and do remain composed in difficult situations. However, when your little sister, who is a nurse, is in some medical distress and she does not know what’s going on, you can get flustered. And I did.

I was at the office when my dad left to go check up on her. She had finished her night shift at the hospital and was sleeping at my parent’s house. For those who do not know, I serve as a pastor in the church my father planted in 2007. So, when he goes to the house and I get a call from my mom not to minutes later, alarms start to go off in my head. As I sit in my office, trying to figure out what is going on, I decide to just go over to the house. I knew that is where I needed to be.

As my wife and I were watching our nephews (she had decided to come over as well thank goodness), this thought came to my mind: I am glad that I was close enough to jump into action.

It has been a long time since I lived close to family. These last two years have been especially nice for us as a family. And, it’s when things like this happen that you begin to understand how important family is. But, I also realized how important it is to be and stay connected with those who, while not blood relations, provide a stabilizing effect on your family.

There are three comforts I believe we can enjoy when we stay connected with others in close relationship.

1. When we are connected we are never alone.

The world can be a lonely place. It can be so easy to get disconnected and to miss out on so many wonderful things. Life was never meant to be lived alone. God, from the very beginning, understood that it was not good for people to be alone.

One of the greatest tactics of the enemy of our souls is to tell us and trick us into isolation. When we are separated from one another we are vulnerable. When we are are cut off from the rest of our community we are susceptible to believing lies and half-truths. Our community can provide a counter-measure to our insecurities and doubts and fears. When we are surrounded by others who love us, we can face far more difficulties than we ever thought possible.

2. When we are connected we learn to appreciate those who chose us.

It is true that when things get hard for us is when we know who are friends are. Many people are friendly. Many people can be counted on to offer kind words and even encouragement. But, there are some people in our lives who show up unasked. Who do without being told. Who are ready to enter into the hell of your circumstances and wait with you for it pass.

It is then, at that moment, when you you know you have found a friend. I am not trying to discount what many people do. I am pointing to a specific kind of friendship that we all need. We need to have friends like this but, we should also be friends like this.

3. When we are connected we share life with others.

This is, in the final evaluation, what we should be striving for. We should not only be looking to provide support or help to others. We should be offering ourselves.

This is Christ’s example. Jesus came to serve and not to be served. Jesus humbled himself and became like a servant for our sake. Jesus was not trying to impress anyone, he was trying to impress upon us the importance of forming bonds with others that go beyond the physical to the spiritual. A friendship forged in the fires of faith are destined to last.

I am fortunate to count my siblings among my friends. This may not be true for everyone. However, this does not mean that we can not cultivate deep, meaningful, and enriching friendships with those in our churches. It can be a risk. And, it can be scary. But, in the long run it will most certainly be worth it.

Exit mobile version
%%footer%%