From The Pastor.....
Colossians 3:12-17
“As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
The scripture above is one of my favorites in talking about community - being the body of Christ lived out. These 5 verses have a lot of great nuggets of wisdom. “Bear with one another.” “Clothe yourselves with love.” “Be thankful.” “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.” These 5 verses pack in a great deal about how we are to “be” with one another. Being in community, if we’re really in community, is hard. Because we know at the end of the day, in our heart of hearts, we need to love as Jesus loves and forgive each other just as Christ has forgiven us.
I love the poems in the Alive Now devotionals by Roberta Porter. This one is called simply “Gift.”
It is no small gift to be a faith community,
to worship, to witness,
to walk the way of love
in the name and strength of Jesus.
And in community,
When brokenness and sorrow come,
those in need are surrounded
with prayer and compassion.
Our caring goes beyond ourselves,
and the stranger, in many places,
Is touched
by the healing love and grace of God.
In our failures, in our busy forgetting,
we are forgiven, renewed
to continue to be the hands and feet of Christ –
no small task,
no small gift.
Let us as Disciples United Methodist Church bring all of ourselves, all of our gifts and graces, all of our time and talents, to continue to be the hands and feet of Christ as the body of Christ. When we feel our gift is too meager or when we get too big for our britches, suffering from BHS (Big Head Syndrome) that’s the world’s way of looking at things. Not enough or too much. But if we look to the Lord, keeping our eyes focused on Jesus, letting Christ dwell within us richly, it will all fall into place. God will cover our weaker areas with another’s strengths. That’s the great beauty of being a part of the body of Christ! We don’t have to do it ALL. We just have to do our part! May God keep us meditating on those 5 powerful verses in Colossians and remember Lamentations 3:22-23, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Amen and Amen.
Grace, Peace, & Love,
Pastor Narcie