Most Sundays are filled with people getting up and going to church. This was not the case last Sunday when winter storm Jonas went through much of the east coast. Instead of going to church, many went outside to work in the snow, helping each other, being a community.
A former seminary professor of mine, Dr. Kirby Keller, shared his thoughts on Facebook:
What a beautiful sunny day! Of course with at least two feet of snow and churches all closed in the Myerstown area we went out this morning to start shoveling out. Around 9:00 a.m. practically all the neighbors on our street came out and began helping each other blow snow and shovel. Neighbors stood and talked, kids played in the snow and everyone got shoveled out in record time because everyone pitched in. It actually felt like a neighborhood family. It was neat. What is sad about it, is that it took a blizzard to get us all together.
Did you feel it? Did you have a greater sense of community than you typically feel? Did you go out to help?
What if we were more the Church this past Sunday morning than we have been for a while?
The sense of community, belonging and being there for one another should overwhelm a church each and every week. This community, this fellowship, as John writes is made possible by something much greater than snow.
3 What we have seen and heard, we also announce it to you so that you can have fellowship with us. Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that our joy can be complete. (1 John 1)
Our fellowship is through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He loves us. He loves you. Filled with His love we then love, loving God and loving those around us. Later in his letter John writes,
16 This is how we know love: Jesus laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 But if a person has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need and that person doesn’t care—how can the love of God remain in him?
18 Little children, let’s not love with words or speech but with action and truth. (1 John 2)
Jesus laid down his life for us. As followers of Jesus Christ, this is our calling, to love in a sacrificial way so that others will come to know Christ’s love. This, the love of Christ, brings us together every day, not just on “blizzard Sundays.”
Blessings,
Pastor Matt
(All scripture cited above from Common English Bible Copyright © 2011)