taking in others

Some people are hard to take in, and it's almost like a step of faith, certainly one requiring a fresh enduement of grace from God, to do so. But God in Jesus seeks to bring all people into communion with him, and if with him then with each other, as well.

It's not something we can put on and just do. It is something that requires the work of God. Yet we at the same time must be endeavoring in that work, to do our part. It's a work that while of God, involves us. If we don't do our part, then this work of God can fail. Or maybe better put, simply not come to fruition through our lives.

I was glad to see something like this take place yesterday, and I certainly had to be a part of it, for it to happen.

Anyone with an added thought to this?

quote of the week: Dietrich Bonhoeffer on the prevailing unity of the Church

The spiritual unity of the Church is a primal synthesis willed by God. It is not a relationship that has to be established, but one that is already posited (iustitia passiva), and remains invisible. It is not made possible by concord, similarity or affinity between souls, nor should it be confused with unity of mood. Instead it is real just where seemingly the most intractable outward oppositions prevail, where each man leads his quite individual life, and it is perhaps absent where it seems to prevail most. It can shine more brightly in the conflict between wills than in concord.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Communion of Saints, 137 from Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart, 186.

blogging and community

A good post on blogging. Definitely worth your read, and see the comments.

Blogging has me in a kind of quandary. I like it, and I dislike it (love and hate, too strong).

Real community is both what we all need in Jesus, and what the world needs to see from us. It's to be a community not turned in on itself, a missional community, like Jesus welcoming all the outsiders in. Allowing for the fact that conversion normally (and probably always, even if we can't see it) involves a process.

Back to blogging. I guess I'm in kind of a mini-identity crisis, and naturally that involves everything, including my blogging. I'm just not sure what I'm going to do, or how it matters. Having my own blog benefits me in thinking through some thoughts, sharing with others from what God is teaching me, and in having an outlet for writing. If there are any readers, and among them some commenters, that's a bonus. I am thankful for each of you. I do have at least a couple commitments, so I will fulfill them through this blog.

But I'm wondering if I haven't been too taken up with friendships online, to the neglect of friendships in my face to face, everyday world.

But go to the link, above. A most interesting read.

loving the person

We all have issues. Sadly sometimes we lose fellowship with someone over them. It might be over a sin, or not, but our attitude because of it can become a sin. Perhaps it's over something we don't like about someone, an annoyance. It may or may not involve sin, but it gets to us, just the same.

I had one such problem recently and it came to me somehow, that I need to make a clear distinction between the person, and what I perceived to be a wrong attitude coming from them. After that thought came to me and I sought to do it, almost immediately, as God would have it, this person and I had a friendly conversation and it just seemed like a cloud had been lifted so that the sun was shining down on us and our relationship.

I find that I need to keep putting this in practice with something like the axiom in mind, "Hate the sin, but love the sinner." Or simply look over their faults and shortcomings, and see the person, as one like myself. One loved greatly by God. Having flaws and sins. But a person with whom relationship with, should be sacred, since we are made in God's image. And hopefully they will learn to cut for me the same slack.

What would you like to share here on this?

at home

Life is likened to a journey in Scripture in which God's people are considered pilgrims, strangers, or sojourners through a land that is not yet their home. It is stated that we have no home or resting place in this world, but we seek one that is to come.

Actually in Jesus we begin to have that home right here. That doesn't negate Jesus' promise of preparing a place for us, but by the Spirit there is a place where we can begin to be "at home" even now.

We read that where just two or three are gathered together in Jesus' name, he is there. Even though this is in a certain context, it still applies to any gathering of God's people, such as when we gather on Sunday mornings, or at homes for fellowship.

Jesus claimed that his real family were those who obeyed God. His biological family was not necessarily where he was truly at home. Thankfully later we know that his biological (half-)brothers who had not believed in him, did, after his resurrection.

We can take for granted this oneness we have in Jesus, as Bonhoeffer reminds us. But it's a blessing, though with the tension of us not having arrived to complete maturity in Jesus. Though that's the goal we should all be moving toward together in him, now.

The point here is that we begin to be at home in God and with God's people through Christ by the Spirit. Even with the challenges that brings. This can begin to be true wherever we may be now. And someday will be perfected and true everywhere.

So we need to work at making each other be "at home," in Jesus, through the community we have in the one Spirit and one faith. And we need to help others through God's working into this same fellowship through Jesus, a fellowship of forgiveness and love. And we must show that love to members of our immediate and biological families. Not abandoning them, but praying and seeking their good in Jesus.

What would you like to add to this?

communion

Something I long for, but seem to too rarely experience is communion with other people. I would define communion as being in fellowship with others on a level that touches the deepest and most significant part of who we are.

On some important human levels we can have communion potentially with any other human being. And that's important, and not something we should despise. We are all made in God's image, even though broken or cracked through sin. We have much in common with others.

But what I'm thinking of today is the communion we're to have among those of us who are "in Christ": in union with God through Christ by the Spirit. Having a common purpose as Christ's Body in this world.

I do enjoy the communion I have daily with my wife, Deb. We share as those who are one flesh. So we can share with each other what is in our hearts and thoughts, and just be together in loving companionship and communion. Learning to see and let our differences complement rather than divide each other. And blessed in that we are also one in Christ.

I also enjoy the communion I find weekly at our church gathering. All kinds of people gather, with all kinds of differences. Some of those differences that can be, and in this world are divisive by nature. Yet we are one and in communion because of Christ. The Spirit in love brings us together, and we find the basis of our fellowship to outweigh any and all such differences.

Communion with God through Christ by the Spirit is what I long for more of. And this includes communion with God's people. We remember this monthly, and for those who want to, weekly at our church gathering, as we gather around bread and "wine", in remembering and proclaiming the Lord's death by our participation together, of this "meal." This ends up being not only a personal matter between ourselves and God, but a matter between each other. Indeed this practice is called "communion" for good reason. As we recognize and acknowledge the Body of our Lord in both the elements used, and in our union together in Christ by the Spirit.

We were made to live in communion with God and with each other. Nothing less will satisfy us. And by the Spirit through Jesus we need to learn more and more about our life together in God. Being taken up into the love life communion of the Trinity, as participants by grace in that.

What other words might you like to share on communion? Or whatever else you might like to say here.

come to the table

In rereading again, Scot McKnight's book, The Jesus Creed, I'm reminded of how the table as in society, in Jesus is meant to bring in people, all sinners, to include all. Jesus invites all to come. This table is about fellowship and the fellowship at this table is centered in Jesus, though all enjoy and participate freely in it. We come just as we are, unlike the Pharisaical take on table fellowship, which was all about excluding any who did not keep/obey the Torah/Law of Moses, or Scriptures and their way of keeping it, and thus remaining pure.

Just showing up is important. We can't change ourselves, only God can. But our part is in making sure that we're present. If we sin we're sinners. So we always need a Savior. And we likewise see more change in us that needs to occur. This is the blessing of living among others; we then get to see our faults and more clearly and look for God's grace in Jesus among and with others. Jesus touches the unclean, making us who are unclean, clean.

And we need to keep the door open for everyone else to come. We not only must not give up on ourselves, because of God's good work in Jesus for us, but we must not give up on others. It's a table prepared for us not only in the presence of our enemies, but to bring reconciliation between us and our enemies, potentially, in Jesus. Jesus died for all, therefore all are welcome to come to the table.

This works out in terms of fellowship: having folks over to our homes, inviting them to our churches and to do other things that acquaintances and friends do. I'm not referring here to Communion or the Eucharist, though indeed any repentant sinner may share in that, as well.

In a sense we need to be at home with all people because of what Jesus has done. We're all in the same need, and we all need the same Savior- Jesus. God has made us for fellowship or communion with other people, and in Jesus this fellowship will in time take on a new, life-changing meaning.

What would you like to add here?

quote of the week: Dietrich Bonhoeffer - fellowship through Christ

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity" - this is the Scripture's praise of life together under the Word. But now we can rightly interpret the words "in unity" and say, "for brethren to dwell together through Christ." For Jesus Christ alone is our unity. "He is our peace." Through him alone do we have access to one another, joy in one another, and fellowship with one another.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, p. 39

a time to work, a time to play/rest

Yesterday's post pointed out the need to slow down. In it I was not primarily thinking of needed sabbaticals or rest stops which we all need, and often don't get enough of. I was thinking of how we work.

Rest is important. We need those times where we kick back, relax and do nothing. Nothing at all. Maybe read from a book we really want to read from, get some extra sleep, best case: get away and enjoy some of God's good creation somewhere (and here), or maybe a place less strenuous like here (or more likely for us- here- here).

Today I want to remind myself and any reader of the importance of good old fashioned work. I may need to slow down in it, but I also need to be reminded of the goodness and value of work.

Work is not post-fall, but pre-fall. God put Adam in the garden to work it, and made and brought Eve alongside him to be his helper in doing so, as well as for the procreation of more humans to inhabit and rule over the works of God's hands. Work is a big part of who we are, made in the image of God. And it will go on forever.

Of course work now is bereft with problems that are the result of sin and the fall. It's now by the sweat of our brow and with thistles and thorns (Genesis 3). It seems like no matter what we do, there's always something undermining it. It takes plenty of endurance and perseverance to see a work finished, and hopefully well done.

We must be careful in reacting to our American bent (over here) to work excessively so as to fulfill our version of "the American dream" that we don't throw work overboard in the name of our faith. Quite to the contrary we need to be known as good workers who are not negligent in their work.

I find that when I'm discouraged it's easy for me just to throw in the towel and do nothing. But in Jesus we're called to good work. We're callled to a work that will bring rest to our souls, a work in which we are side by side with our Lord himself!

To the title, balance is not such a bad word in all this. We need to have fun and play in the midst of our work. We need to know when enough is enough. And also when we need an extended rest, recreation and rehabilitation. I love to work hard on something I'm interested in. But I also love to enjoy something just for the sake of enjoying it. I don't see this as wrong, but as a part of living as one of God's children in our Father's world. And I believe that someday we'll have this down perfectly, forever. Of course not having the limitations we have now due to the fall. But what we do now in its imperfection carried along by God's grace, perfectly fulfilled in God's ongoing grace in Jesus then.

What would you like to add to this? And where would your dream vacations take you?

Tomorrow: "Palisade Cliffs - doubt", from L.L. Barkat's book, Stone Crossings: Finding Grace in Hard and Hidden Places