I
pray fervently that every participant in every ministry of our church would
find and hold onto that kind of connection! People need to know they
matter. Christians grow strong when they are loved and love deeply. Few
things are more critical to emotional and spiritual health than being part of a
network of relationships that provides opportunities for service and support.
Ours
is a fragmented, broken society, with many lonely and isolated people, isn’t
it? Large extended families in America are near extinct, torn apart by
our mobility and quest for prosperity; and yet, we need to belong! But, it
isn't easy to build or maintain that kind of web, is it? Too often
conflict is allowed to tear up families and churches! I have experienced
estrangement from family and the stress of a ‘church split.’ Removed from
those situations by decades, I still feel something like physical pain at the
memory! We need to be bold in addressing dysfunction – in ourselves and others-
to bring about healing, not separation. Then, too, many of us hang onto an
exaggerated sense of privacy and/or individualism that allows us a high level
of autonomy but robs us of the joy of really loving and being loved. We
must resist the temptation to just ‘stay home.’
A church that opens her doors and hearts to others will look very messy! Some expect their church to be like an army on parade, in neat uniforms, marching in lockstep. A real church will resemble a family reunion, chaotic, relational, glued together not by rigid discipline but by profound love! A loving church will have the full complement of characters - just like any other family. There will be the leaders and the followers, the stars and the silent workers, the cranks and the jokesters, the sages and the fools, the highly productive and the VNP's (Very Needy People), the good and the bad, the whole and the broken, the joyful and the sad.
Let me ask you a couple of questions today.
A church that opens her doors and hearts to others will look very messy! Some expect their church to be like an army on parade, in neat uniforms, marching in lockstep. A real church will resemble a family reunion, chaotic, relational, glued together not by rigid discipline but by profound love! A loving church will have the full complement of characters - just like any other family. There will be the leaders and the followers, the stars and the silent workers, the cranks and the jokesters, the sages and the fools, the highly productive and the VNP's (Very Needy People), the good and the bad, the whole and the broken, the joyful and the sad.
Let me ask you a couple of questions today.
Are
you part of a church, attached deeply to others in His Body?
Are you helping her be a real family?
Are you investing yourself in forming and maintaining close relationships that will return rich dividends to you and for the cause of Christ?
The word from the Word is a familiar passage so I've used The Message to help you see it with fresh perspective.
As you read, invite the Holy Spirit to renew the family of God, to glue us together, to help us to love each other.
"What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, "Get lost; I don't need you"? Or, Head telling Foot, "You're fired; your job has been phased out"? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way-the "lower" the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it's a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn't you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?
The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.
You are Christ's body-that's who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your "part" mean anything. You're familiar with some of the parts that God has formed in his church, which is his "body": apostles prophets teachers miracle workers healers helpers organizers those who pray in tongues. But it's obvious by now, isn't it, that Christ's church is a complete Body and not a gigantic, one-dimensional Part?
Are you helping her be a real family?
Are you investing yourself in forming and maintaining close relationships that will return rich dividends to you and for the cause of Christ?
The word from the Word is a familiar passage so I've used The Message to help you see it with fresh perspective.
As you read, invite the Holy Spirit to renew the family of God, to glue us together, to help us to love each other.
"What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, "Get lost; I don't need you"? Or, Head telling Foot, "You're fired; your job has been phased out"? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way-the "lower" the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it's a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn't you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?
The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.
You are Christ's body-that's who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your "part" mean anything. You're familiar with some of the parts that God has formed in his church, which is his "body": apostles prophets teachers miracle workers healers helpers organizers those who pray in tongues. But it's obvious by now, isn't it, that Christ's church is a complete Body and not a gigantic, one-dimensional Part?
It's not all Apostle, not all
Prophet, not all Miracle Worker, not all Healer, not all Prayer in Tongues, not
all Interpreter of Tongues." (1 Corinthians 12:20-30, The Message)
___________
Welcome
to the family,___________
We're glad that you have come
To share your life with us,
As we grow in love
And may we always be to you,
What God would have us be,
A fam'ly always there,
To be strong and to lean on.
May we learn to love each other
More with each new day,
May words of love be on our lips
In ev'rything we say.
May the Spirit melt our hearts,
And teach us how to pray,
That we might be a true family.
Welcome To The Family
Rettino, Debby Kerner
© 1982 Rettino - Kerner Publishing (Admin. by Word Music Group, Inc.)
CCLI License No. 810055
Early in my ministry, the church I served as an associate pastor assigned me the job of supervising the building of a new worship center. From early morning until late afternoon, I spent every day on the site, reviewing plans, talking with the contractors, meeting with the architect and engineers, watching the project take shape. Despite the hard work, that year, 1979, was one of the most fun in my memory! 
