Monday, April 02, 2007
Behold How Good...
Psalm 133:1 Says "Behold how good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity"
Sometimes in our current cultural situation it can seem like there isn't much unity (war, violence, politics, different "world views") both with in and outside the church. It is also hard in busy modern lives where we often don't live near each other to just have fellowship of believers outside of Sunday morning. This can make it harder to "bear one another's burdens" and to "rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep".
This weekend I had a wonderful dose of that sort of fellowship and unity of brothers and it was balm to my soul and a reminder that God is operating in our midst....
-Friday, a friend and 7 of her 8 home schooled kids came and joined us for a few hours to process some books to be added to the church library. The littler kids played together in the living room (with not fights!!) while my dining room became a work room for getting books ready to be added to the shelves. It was just great to see fellowship and service work hand in hand and the kids (and moms) enjoying not only each other's company but the work at hand.
-Sunday School was a parenting class where we shared the joys and struggles of being examples/models to our kids in living a Godly life. To be reminded that your struggles and needs are not unique and that we are living it out together was great.
-After church we attended a new members lunch at the pastors house as representatives of our parish. It was good to see the kids all playing nicely together (many too busy and excited to bother to eat), adults talking, women working together to get the potluck meal organized, on the table and to fill in any gaps by sending willing bystanders to the corner store (a practical out working of loaves and fishes) There was also just a good informal hum of conversation between old friends and people making new friends.
-In the midst of the lunch a church elder who we don't know especially well casually encouraged my husband both through his talking to him in the first place and in commenting positively on his place and ministry in the church and the value it adds to the body.
-Evening church brought a chance to welcome a visitor and help her find the sanctuary and to help a mom from the morning Sunday school class find some resources in the library where I had gone before worship to do some other tasks (which got set aside).
-Evening church also showed the lighter side and sense of community of our church, which can sometimes seem large, impersonal or stodgy when some gold fish appeared in Pastor Ryken's water glass just before his Window on the World segment (April Fool's from family and friends). It worked in perfectly as a segway to the evenings window on taking risks.
May God show you the joy of the fellowship of the community of believers he has given to you this week too!!!
Sometimes in our current cultural situation it can seem like there isn't much unity (war, violence, politics, different "world views") both with in and outside the church. It is also hard in busy modern lives where we often don't live near each other to just have fellowship of believers outside of Sunday morning. This can make it harder to "bear one another's burdens" and to "rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep".
This weekend I had a wonderful dose of that sort of fellowship and unity of brothers and it was balm to my soul and a reminder that God is operating in our midst....
-Friday, a friend and 7 of her 8 home schooled kids came and joined us for a few hours to process some books to be added to the church library. The littler kids played together in the living room (with not fights!!) while my dining room became a work room for getting books ready to be added to the shelves. It was just great to see fellowship and service work hand in hand and the kids (and moms) enjoying not only each other's company but the work at hand.
-Sunday School was a parenting class where we shared the joys and struggles of being examples/models to our kids in living a Godly life. To be reminded that your struggles and needs are not unique and that we are living it out together was great.
-After church we attended a new members lunch at the pastors house as representatives of our parish. It was good to see the kids all playing nicely together (many too busy and excited to bother to eat), adults talking, women working together to get the potluck meal organized, on the table and to fill in any gaps by sending willing bystanders to the corner store (a practical out working of loaves and fishes) There was also just a good informal hum of conversation between old friends and people making new friends.
-In the midst of the lunch a church elder who we don't know especially well casually encouraged my husband both through his talking to him in the first place and in commenting positively on his place and ministry in the church and the value it adds to the body.
-Evening church brought a chance to welcome a visitor and help her find the sanctuary and to help a mom from the morning Sunday school class find some resources in the library where I had gone before worship to do some other tasks (which got set aside).
-Evening church also showed the lighter side and sense of community of our church, which can sometimes seem large, impersonal or stodgy when some gold fish appeared in Pastor Ryken's water glass just before his Window on the World segment (April Fool's from family and friends). It worked in perfectly as a segway to the evenings window on taking risks.
May God show you the joy of the fellowship of the community of believers he has given to you this week too!!!
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i was home with christopher on sunday night and tried to listen to tenth's web service, but i couldn't get on. i missed the goldfish in phil's water?? bummer.
i was home with christopher on sunday night and tried to access tenth's web service, but couldn't get on. i missed the goldfish in phil's water? bummer!
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