Life Together

Send a link to a friend  Share

"

Are you aware our church’s slogan is: “Life Together”? Do those words truly describe us? Or, do you feel that is just a hope we’re aiming for? How would you answer that?

Maybe the bigger question is, “Does life together capture the heart of God?” Community
does seem to be a major hope of God for His people. There are many Bible verses that clearly call us to work toward community. Here are a few:

“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)
“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.” (I Peter 3:8).

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28).

“Live in harmony with one another.”(Romans 12:16).

When you read those, do you hear the heart of the Father for us to have community? Why? Could it be that community not only honors our Father, but also is what is absolutely best for us? Do we need life together?
What is the interest in TV show s about fighting Zombies? I mean really? My little granddaughter was taught the animal sounds early. “What does a cow say?” “Moo!” “What does a cat say?” “Meow!” “What does a doggie say?” “Woof!” And then my twisted son-in-law would ask, “And what does a zombie say?” And our little angel from heaven would suddenly transform her face into a growling monster with her hands up like claws and
she would answer, “Grrr!” (Obviously, my son-in-law needs therapy.)

Why zombies shows? If you can endure all the gore, what you soon discover is that the Walking Dead show is more about community than monsters. The Walking Dead show is about the value of being together . . . Life Together. Is this a need in our lives?

God, too, has always valued community, the community of a family, the community of the
church, the community of heaven.

Why is community so important? My wife and I have two quilts, both made for us by my Amish grandmothers as wedding gifts. They are beautiful and unique and hand-made. My grandmothers both collected old, discarded, and worn out clothing of diverse colors, cut them into series of patterns, and then stitched them all together in a masterful way. That which may have been trash to others became part of a bigger plan of beauty. They could see the beauty the old discarded fabric could become. Some of you have been involved in such projects. You know the work involved in quilting. You understand the labor of love it took. Quilts are costly. The time, the energy, the quality, the beauty of them grabs you and they often become a treasured item within a family for years. Sometimes, we even display them.

Quilters take what was laid aside, discarded, and forgotten, and fashioned something that is quite beautiful and unique.

God does a similar thing with our lives. He picks up the pieces and sews us together.

A quilt, with all its different squares, is a wonderful image of what God is doing with His people. He brings us together, diverse and different though we may be. Then He brings us together in community, attaching us to one another in spiritual friendship. Our God is creating a quilt.
Life Together is God’s nature. Life Together is God’s hope for us. The only real question
becomes, is God’s hope for us your hope as well?


[Ron Otto, Preaching Minister
Lincoln Christian Church]

 

 

Back to top