Tuesday, August 25, 2020
What We Miss About Church: Congregant Reflections
For our devotionals this month, we asked various congregants what they miss the most about being together. Join us for this series of reflections that remind us of what we miss and who we are called to be.
Scripture for the Day
Philippians 1:3-8
I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus.
As you read this text, it is obvious that Paul had a relationship of close fellowship with this church. It was not, often, what goes by the label, “fellowship” in American Christianity, the superficial chatting about sports or the weather over coffee and donuts. Even though they were miles apart, Paul’s heart was tied with these people and their hearts were with him. There was no natural explanation for this closeness between this Jew from Tarsus, who was now in prison in Rome and this community in Macedonia who themselves, were no homogeneous group. What knit them together was true Christian fellowship.
True fellowship means praying for one another, serving God together, trusting in God’s sovereign power working in one another, partaking together of God’s grace and heartfelt affection for one another.
Some of us may have taken our Christian fellowship for granted, at times. What a great privilege it is to be able to share together in the fellowship of God. Whether within the church pews, or within the Spirit of God, which unites us all, wherever we are. Thanks to the incredible leadership of our staff, the pandemic that has separated us from our times of physical fellowship will never be able to separate us from the fellowship that we share through Jesus Christ.
