7-22-2016

Good Morning All!! 

              1 John 1:3; ^“that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

    There were many common themes of life that went on at the youth gathering.  We saw and heard the voice of those who were celebrating their faith and we heard and saw the cry of those who were hurting.  We saw big themes. We also saw same themes like how everyone huddled up against the wall either hoping to find an electrical outlet or never leaving the one they had.  They were busy recharging their phones so they could continue to keep up with their family and friends.  They needed to stay connected to get a new charge for the day.

      We need the same thing in our faith life.  There are lots of ways to interpret the word.  We use fellowship, participation, partnership, connection and the like.  We are connected to Jesus.  We are connected to Jesus through the bond of love and mercy that he poured out upon us.  We find this connection when God comes to us through the Holy Spirit and we live connected to him.  And just like that phone, if we do not recharge we will soon be dead and unconnected.  We will no longer know our way or hear our Father’s voice. We need to stay connected.

    The thing about this connection that we often miss is that we have very flesh and blood benefits.  Because when we are connected to Jesus; we are connected to every Christian, living or glorified, through the connection we have with Jesus.  Our connection is because of Jesus and in a mystery that we cannot fully comprehend, we are connected with all the saints, living and glorified, for eternity.  In the Creed this is the phrase “communion of saints”.  It means we are connected.

    So in that great power and awesome event, when we commune and participate in the body and blood of Jesus; we participate with every saint in that wondrous feast.  So when I commune, somehow, I am connected with you my brothers and sisters in Christ and I am connected with those who went before us and with those who are still to come.  We all share in this mystical union and in this connection we find our source of hope, our source of life, our purpose and our identity.  We are God’s redeemed children.  We know his love for us and when we get lost along the way or forget how the path goes; we have the love and encouragement of every redeemed child, living or glorified, to help us and to give us an arm to lean on.  We are connected to each other because of Christ and it is through Him that we can look to each other with compassion and concern.  We have a place to find consolation and comfort; we have a place where peace abounds.

Gracious Father, keep us safe from all our pains and worries.  Remind us that we are never alone and that we are always connected to you and that we are always connected to our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Guide us to seek our comfort there.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret