Deeper Still: With our Neighbors

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.  1 John 4:7, 8

This is one of those verses that rolls around in my head constantly.  I have known and tried to live out 1 John 4:7-8 all my life.  Doing my best to love others as we are commanded.  But I have to admit it is not easy!  I often wish I could pick and choose who I am supposed to love and only interact with those on my list and avoid all others!  Unfortunately, that is not how it works.  In fact, I often find it is those that are hardest to love that I find myself face to face with the most.

It reminds me of Jesus’ encounter with the young man who asks the question, “who is my neighbor?”  Jesus answers his question with the story of the Good Samaritan.  As Jesus finishes that story he asks that young man, “which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”  The young man answered, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

It is easy to pick and choose who we will love.  Easy to look at people who are similar to us and show kindness or mercy or love.  But we are commanded to look beyond the familiar and love our neighbor…those that are different from us.  We are to step beyond our comfort zone and extend to those who are homeless, speak a different language, have mental limitations, or are hostile towards us.  Our neighbor lives beyond next door.  Our neighbor, according to Jesus, is anyone we encounter, anyone in need to help, anyone who requires love, mercy and grace.

The end of this passage in 1 John 4 says, The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.  There are no parameters on whom we are to love.  No geographic limitations on how far we are to extend our mercy.  No limitations on how many people we are required to show love to. 

How big is your neighborhood?  How can you expand your reach to love more deeply?  I look forward to continuing to go deeper as a community of faith and I am excited to see how God will continue to use our community to bless others. I hope you will continue to join in this adventure and see how deep you can go. 

Blessings, 
Pastor Jenni 

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV)

They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers. Acts 2:42

I love the story of the Early Church found in the second chapter of Acts; how it started and what life was like for that new community of faith.  Sometimes I think about what it would have been like to be a part of that community.  What was it like to be on the ground floor of a movement that changed the world.  How did it feel to be a part of something so life changing…but then I remember I am a part of something that is life changing!  We are all a part of something that is life changing…a community of faith that loves and supports us. 

I have always loved being a part of a church family.  As a child, my family was always at church.  Reality is it was two or three times a week – Sunday morning worship, midweek Bible Study, Sunday evening worship with a potluck and various other activities – though as a kid it seemed like “always”.  Church for me was family…I was literally and figuratively surrounded by family.  As I grew older, church became my social group, my circle of friends, my community.  As an adult church continues to play a huge role in my life, it is not only my profession, but it is filled with my people, my community, and my heart!

Community is about who we are together, not exclusive like a social club, but who we are as a part of the Body of Christ. We were not created to go about life on our own, even the Lone Ranger had Tonto! Community is what makes us stronger, holds us up when we are weak, celebrates with us, prays for us, loves us unconditionally. Community at its core is the most beautiful thing we could ever be a part of, because it provides us that place where we belong, an extended family that makes us feel at home.

How has your experience of community been?  How have you been community for someone else? How can you go deeper into your faith community?    I look forward to continuing to go deeper as a community of faith and I am excited to see how God will continue to use our community of faith to bless others. I hope you will continue to join in this adventure and see how deep you can go. 

Blessings, 
Pastor Jenni 

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV)

“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.”  - Colossians 3:16

I love this verse from Colossians.  It speaks to my heart and my love of scripture.  God’s Word has played a powerful role in my life for as long as I can remember.  As a child I can remember holding my dad’s Bible on my lap while we were on our way to church.  It was big and heavy with a well-worn brown leather cover.  I can remember opening the pages, they were so thin and fragile, and there was a distinct sound they made as I carefully turned each page.  “In the beginning…” the words came to life as I read them.  “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”  These were the first verses I ever memorized as I read them over and over again, sitting next to my dad in the truck on the way to church.

Scripture has continued to shape and form my life.  I have a huge memory bank full of scriptures that I have learned over the years.  Most of those I have learned through song – thanks to “Psalty, the Singing Songbook,” the Gaithers and my Sunday School teachers.  I am grateful for my childhood and the knowledge of scripture I have acquired and been able to recall when I need a little lift.  I am always amazed at how God works and that I can bring God’s Word to mind at just the right moment.  (Though the older I get the longer the moment of recall!)

It seems that no matter the situation, God has something to say. 

• “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Phil 4:6
• “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.” Proverbs 3:5
• “What does the Lord require of you…Do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God” Micah 6:8
• “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”  John 15:12

I could go on…and on…as this is just the tip of the iceberg, but the power of God’s word to speak into our lives is such an amazing gift.  What are your “go-to” verses?  How does God’s Word speak into your life?

This week I want to challenge you to dive deeper into God’s Word.  My hope is that we all spend some time reading and listening to what God wants to speak into our hearts.  In going deeper into God’s word the result is God’s Word dwelling richly in you.

Blessings, 
Pastor Jenni 

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV) 

There have been many times in my life where I have waited (anxiously) for something – news of a loved one’s surgery, test results, the arrival of a new baby, a much-awaited date on the calendar.  Some of those things were waiting with great anticipation, while others were waiting with worry.  All times were filled with prayer in the waiting.  Sometimes I feel life is what happens while we wait.  But it is how we live that truly matters. 

So often my worry meter is working overtime!  I sometimes think worry is my love language.  Yet, at the same time I am filled with worry, I have a sense of peace and calm that all will go according to God’s plan. I guess you can say that is because my faith runs deeper than my worry!  Faith, a deep faith, is what we can draw on in those moments. Confidence that God walks with us – beside us and before us – filling those dark places with his light. Not only that, but we can also draw on our community to support us when we are weak and vulnerable. We can count on our friends to pray for us, encourage us, love us and be present for us.

How often do we let worry, fear, or anxiety overwhelm us? Paralyze us? Or incapacitate us? In those moments I often have to remind myself it doesn’t have to be that way. Prayer is the greatest tool to combat those feelings.  Knowing that we always have a direct line to God, who hears our prayers, our grumblings, our thanksgivings, and our hearts when words fail. 

We are all drawn in, to go deeper, and deeper still. Friends, there is no time in our lives when we have reached the point where we can’t go deeper. There is always more to explore, more to experience, more to gain! So, how have you gone deeper lately? Deeper in your faith? Deeper in prayer? I am excited about all the wonderful opportunities we have planned this month and those coming up for all of us to go Deeper. I hope you will join in this adventure and see how deep you can go. 

Blessings, 
Pastor Jenni 

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power,  together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV)