Tuesday September 19, 2023

Today is Tuesday, September 19 and we are exploring what the Bible says about being part of a church community.

As I enter this time of prayer, I pause and become still. I breathe deeply and slowly and focus myself entirely upon God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Pause and Pray

Blessed Lord, thank you for loving me. I am grateful you are always there to communicate with me throughout my day. Help me to slow down and seek your voice in my life. Teach me to listen with the ears of my heart and discern the particular message you have for me. Amen.

I praise the Lord and glorify his name with the ancient words of Psalm 63.

I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. Psalm 63:2-4

Pause and Pray

I return to the Biblical testimony to understand the concept of “church” and ask God to reveal his place for me in my congregation. The Church is a “fellowship” of believers. In the Bible, fellowship is a rich and vibrant concept that speaks to the human need to share life with God and with other human beings. Humanity’s sin broke fellowship with God. In the Garden, Adam and Eve tried to hide from God as a result of their disobedience. Throughout the Old Testament, despite the people’s unfaithfulness, God continued to promise that he would be with humanity. The coming of Jesus as God made flesh resulted in a restoration of our fellowship with God through Christ’s suffering and resurrection. The bonds that link us to Jesus also tie us to one another. Fellowship is described in the teachings of the Apostles, exemplified in the early church and symbolized in the Lord’s Supper.

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:3-7

The apostle John proclaims the truth of Jesus Christ, what he has seen with his own eyes and heard with his own ears. His words inform me that I share a special fellowship with those through the ages who believe in the truth of Jesus. When I have fellowship with God and other believers it brings me utter and complete joy in my life. I walk in the light, not in the darkness, and I do not walk alone. I travel with a community and God goes with us. Their fellowship keeps me connected to Christ, immersed in the Christian message, floods me with the light of the world, dispels the darkness of evil, empowers me to live out the truth and cleanses my conscience from all sin. In vibrant community with other believers I am encouraged, strengthened, cared for and held accountable. I learn, grow and mature. I find purpose and meaning for my life. I have this amazing beautiful gift of living in a fellowship of believers in Jesus Christ.

Ask: Throughout my life, how has the fellowship of Christian believers played a role in my faith development? When has the church failed me and not provided the fellowship promised?

Pause and Pray

Holy Lord, thank you for the witness of those who have gone before. I am grateful for the ones who told me the stories of Jesus and shared their faith so that I came to believe. Thank you for the gift of fellowship with other believers. Together enable us to share joy, grow in faith, walk in light, live out truth, receive pardon and find power over sin. I read the words from 1 John again and listen for the message you have for me.

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:3-7

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

God has given me the gift of the church. As I read this scripture, I consider what resonates with me the most. I recall the churches of my past, present and future. I remember churches I was a part of in the past, naming each one before God and giving thanks. How have the churches in my past formed me as a disciple of Jesus Christ? I consider the ways I grew in my faith, the things I learned and the fellowship I experienced. I also recall times when those churches fell short and failed to be all that God called them to be. I explore how I might need to forgive those faith communities for their shortcomings. I reflect on the church of which I am presently a part. I name before God what I love about my church and give thanks. I acknowledge my church’s shortcomings and seek forgiveness and guidance on how I can share in a solution. I consider the church of my future. What might God be calling me to do moving forward with my church home? What is my role?

Pause and Pray

Holy Lord, come and bless my church. Thank you for the incredible gift you have given me to be a part of this faith community. Give me your vision for how my church can move into the future you have for us, strengthen my commitment, deepen my relationships with other believers, and bring new vitality to our fellowship so that we might faithfully walk in the light of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:23-25

I leave this time of prayer thankful to be a part of the fellowship of believers, ready to pour love and encouragement into the lives of others.

Amen