The Walk - Forgiveness

When my niece and nephew were young, every August, near the end of summer vacation, my sister would say too much togetherness is not always a good thing.  After two weeks of being home spending more time with your spouse than you have in months - or years, being a full time employee, full time teacher, and full time parent to kids who can’t play with others, maybe you are about ready to say the same thing.  Too much togetherness is not always a good thing. 

When we suddenly start spending a lot of forced time together, in stressful situations, unable to get away, let’s be honest, people start getting on our nerves.  Tempers begin to flare, words are said, feelings are hurt, and about now forgiveness is needed all around.  The road we are walking today is one very familiar to Jesus and the disciples. 

Jesus called people to leave behind their old lives and routines and to walk with him.  We heard a few weeks ago that Jesus created a new community.  Fishermen left their nets and boats and routines behind and travelled with Jesus.  They were joined by others who also left their homes and business and started spending all day, every day, with the same people.  We know that the disciples began to get on each other’s nerves.  James and John wanted special places of honor at Jesus’ right and left hand.  Other disciples talked about wanting their own place close to Jesus.  The Bible says they argued among themselves as to who was the greatest.  Any of you parents hear your children arguing this week?  Too much togetherness is not always a good thing.

If we are going to walk with Jesus, we need to be people who will walk in forgiveness - we need to ask for forgiveness and we need to forgive others.  This season of Lent has truly been unprecedented.  We had no idea how important this series of messages was going to be for us, but as we walk through this crisis together, we need to think about who we are when we walk with Jesus and how we can be more like him because it’s going to be by loving one another they Jesus did that will help us get through this - together. 

Following Jesus means walking together in a new community.  A new community means new relationships and new ways of being in relationship with people who might be very different from us.  All of this creates tension.  We rub up against people and it can be uncomfortable and painful.  We will say or do things that will offend others, and others will say and do things that will offend us.  For any relationship to survive, for any family to thrive, and for any community to hold together there is one required element - forgiveness. 

If it hasn’t happened yet, at some point during our time of social distancing, and during this stressful time with work, family, and finances, we are going to say or do something that will offend or hurt someone.  And someday someone will say or do something that will offend or hurt us, so now more than ever, we need to focus on forgiveness as an essential part of our life and faith. 

As the disciples walked with each other, and rubbed each other the wrong way, and offended each other at times, it’s not surprising that one of them would go to Jesus and ask him, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? 

Have any of you parents heard that question this week?  Mom, how many times do I have to forgive him?  Dad, how many times do I have to forgive her?  When we live in community, this question is going to come up.  Peter asked the question, and wanting to sound good and righteous, he gave this answer.  Up to seven times? 

For Peter, forgiving someone 7 times was a lot.  He was thinking of himself as an upstanding and faithful person, but Jesus' response tells us a lot about forgiveness and what it means for us to walk with Jesus.  Jesus said, not 7 times but 70 x 7 times. 

Jesus took the number that Peter gave and did two things.  He multiplied it, and then he multiplied it again.  When it comes to forgiveness, whatever we think might be enough is never enough, we need to multiply it by 10, and then multiply it again. 
What Jesus is saying here is that forgiveness isn’t a requirement we fulfill up to the limit, it is an ongoing lifestyle.  70 x 7, (or as some translations say, 70 x 70) was not a limit for Jesus.  We don’t forgive some 490 times or even 4,900 times and then stop, this was Jesus’ way of saying we forgive every time.  This is how we live the rest of our lives.  When we walk with Jesus we are walking in a life of forgiveness and grace and the reason we do this is because we are walking in a way of love.

1 Corinthians 13 is the famous love chapter and this is what it says about love.  Love keeps no record of wrongs.  Isn't this just another definition of forgiveness?  Forgiveness means we don’t keep score.  We don’t keep track of how everyone treats us and we don’t hold on to all the hurt and pain that has come when we have been offended. 

Now let’s be clear, forgiveness does not mean we allow ourselves to continue to be hurt and offended.  Clear boundaries might need to be established in relationships to keep us safe physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  Boundaries and limits on relationships can actually be a good thing.  We set boundaries with our children.  We put them in separate rooms for a while when they are fighting.  In the car my mom told me constantly that I had to stay on my side of the back seat. So boundaries in relationships might be needed, but as we are able, we need to let go of the anger that comes with being hurt.  We can’t keep any record of the wrongs done to us. 

But, you might say, you don’t know what has been done to me.  You don’t know the depth of betrayal, pain, and hurt that has taken place in my life.  You don’t know the horror that needs to be forgiven.  You’re right, I don’t - but God does, and God is ready to heal us when we are ready to forgive.  Yes, our ability to forgive others blesses us and heals us. 

Forgiveness is often more about setting ourselves free than setting others free.  Keeping no record of wrongs means that we aren’t carrying around all the hurt and pain that weighs us down, and so as we learn to forgive - we are set free - which gives us more strength and a new life.  As we forgive, the power of God’s grace flows through us, and as it does, it heals us.  Forgiveness is vital to healthy relationships in any and all communities, but it is also vital to our own emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing.

I’ve also heard people say that forgiveness isn’t fair.  It’s not fair to forgive someone and let them off the hook.  We think that they need to pay the price for their offense and the pain they have caused.  In some sense, all forgiveness is not fair, and thank God it’s not fair because if we had to pay the price for the times we have offended and hurt both God and others, we would be crushed.  If we had to pay the price for our sin before God, we would be destroyed.  The Bible says that the wages of sin - the penalty for sin - is death, but we have been forgiven by God, and as we have been forgiven - so we need to forgive. 

This is what Jesus taught his followers.  In fact, it was important enough that it made it into the model of prayer that Jesus taught his disciples, and a prayer we teach our children, and a prayer we pray often.  Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  We ask God to forgive us, and God does.  In love, God keeps no record of wrong.  God is merciful and extends grace to us not 7 times, or 70 times, or even 70 x 70 times, but all the time.  Walking with Jesus means receiving God's unlimited grace and mercy and then extending that grace to others.

Jesus didn’t just tell us to forgive, he taught us and showed us how to become more forgiving.  If we want to be more forgiving. the first step is to PRAY.  We need to pray for those who have hurt us.  We need to pray for those who have offended us.  We need to pray for those we might even consider our enemies.  Jesus said, You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” but I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.

Walking with Jesus means we become people who don’t talk trash about our enemies, but pray for them.  Because we are part of a larger community, a true family of faith, we are children of God who are called to pray for our enemies.  The first step in our struggle to forgive someone is to pray for them.  And I don’t mean we pray for their destruction, or pray that they come to their senses and beg us to forgive them.  We pray for their wellbeing.  We pray for God to bless them. 

Praying for those who have hurt and offended us wasn’t just what Jesus taught, it’s the example he gave us from the cross.  Jesus had just gone through an unjust trial.  He had been wrongly accused and condemned to die.  He had been physically mistreated, humiliated, scorned and laughed at.  He was nailed to a cross and even then people continued to insult and mock him.  It is in that moment of utter scorn and offence, that Jesus prayed for his enemies.  Father forgive them.  For they do not know what they are doing. 

When we are struggling to forgive, or even have no desire to forgive, we need to pray for our enemies and those who have hurt us.  Prayer may not change that person, it may not open their eyes to the error of their ways, it may not bring them to their senses and repent, but it will change us.  Praying for our enemies and those who have sinned against us helps us keep no record of wrongs - it helps us forgive.

The second thing we can do when we are struggling to forgive is to be HUMBLE.  If we aren’t feeling very gracious and forgiving with others, then we need to do a quick examination of our own lives and think about our own need of forgiveness.  Most likely there is someone in our lives that we need to turn to and ask for forgiveness. 

When we can humble ourselves and see our own need for God’s grace, and the grace of others, it helps us be willing to reach out and forgive others.  The Apostle Paul said, Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.  Ephesians 4:32. 

Paul also said, As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.  Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.  Colossians 3:12-15.

When we pray for others, our own hearts and attitudes change so we are more willing to forgive.  When we humble ourselves and see how much God and others have forgiven us, we are more willing to forgive.  At some point in time, however, we need to LET GO.  We have to let go of the offense and keep no record of wrongs.  And for many of us, this is the difficult step. 

If there is some hurt or offense that you are struggling to let go of in your life, if there is a person or a situation that you have been holding on to with a clenched fist, with anger and resentment, then I want to invite you this week to literally write down the person’s name and begin to pray for them.  Pray for the person in whatever way you can and ask God for help. 

After a few days, I want to invite you to write down some of the ways you have been forgiven in your life.  Write these down underneath the name of the person you are struggling to forgive.  Are there people that you have had to ask to forgive you - write their names down.  Are there situations where you have had to ask God to forgive you again and again - write those situations down.  Ask God to humble you as you consider your need to forgive others. 

As we begin to see how God and others have forgiven us, it helps us be willing to forgive others.  It helps us get that place where we can let go of the paper.  Ask God to help you let go, to rip up the paper, or throw it away, so that you are not keeping any record of wrong and truly forgiving.  Does that mean you will never wrestle with that person or situation again?  Nope.  You will.  You might need to do it again, and again, and again.  Maybe 7 times, or 70 times, or 70 x 70 times, but in time you will be set free. 

Who we are when we walk with Jesus are people who forgive.  In a world that is growing more fearful, stressed, and anxious, we will need more grace to offer one another.  As we live on top of one another at home, and distance ourselves from others in the community, we need to be gentle with one another, pray for one another, and keep no record of wrongs.  Today and everyday may our love be seen in our ability and willingness to forgive. 


Next Steps
The Walk - Forgiveness

Reflect: Who are the people you are struggling to forgive?
● What offenses and hurt are you struggling to let go? 
● Identify these situations and ask God for strength to forgive.

Read: 
● Matthew 18:21-35
● Matthew 5:38-48, 6:9-15
● Luke 23:32-34
● Ephesians 4:25-32
● Colossians 3:12-17
Identify what we learn about Jesus from his teaching and example.  What other examples of Jesus’ forgiveness can we see in his life?  Why is forgiveness so important to Jesus and to the community of faith?

Respond:  To help us forgive one another
● Walk in Prayer: Who do you need to pray for this week?
● Walk in Humility: Identify the ways that you have been forgiven.  Give thanks to God for His grace.
● Walk in Freedom: Keep no record of wrongs.  Let go of the people, hurt, and offenses that you have been holding on to.
● Walk in Community: Ask others to help you forgive.

The Walk - Peace

It’s been a difficult week.  The coronavirus has spread to more people and we hear of more cases in PA, the US, and around the world.  Travel bans have been instituted, communities have been quarantined, colleges have been shut down, jobs and paychecks seem more uncertain, sporting events have been cancelled, the stock market has gone down significantly, cleaning supplies are hard to find, and maybe the most fearful thing of all - you can’t buy any more toilet paper.  I’m not sure what the connection is between coronavirus and toilet paper, but I’ll leave that for another day.  And to be clear - I have plenty.  Thanks.

 Now I don’t share all that to cause panic or get us more anxious, and I don’t bring up toilet paper to make light of the situation.  I share it because we are facing challenging times.  The reality of sickness in our community, whether it is the flu, pneumonia, or the potential of the coronavirus, is something we need to take seriously.  We need to think about how to minimize the risk of exposure and spreading the disease.  Here at the church we don’t want to stop meeting and worshipping God as a community so we have made some changes: no hand shaking, no passing items through the pews, and no helping ourselves to coffee and snacks, we can do this.  There may be more changes to come, and the day may come when we won’t be able to gather together, but we can do this.

We have also put together a small group of church leaders that will continue to monitor the situation around us and help us figure out how to continue to meet as a community and keep ministry going.  And I hope we will all take seriously the call to stay home if we are sick or have underlying health issues that might cause us to get sick, and above all - please wash your hands!  These are things we should be doing all the time.  What’s challenging at the moment, for all of us, is to find any sense of peace in the midst of the storm.

And yet… as followers of Jesus, our lives are to be filled with peace.  Jesus said to his disciples, Peace I give you.  My peace I give to you.  I do not give to you as the world gives, so do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid. 
Jesus didn’t say this to the world, he said it to his disciples, those who walked with him.  Not that God’s peace isn’t available to all, but Jesus specifically wanted those who walked with him and trusted him to experience God’s peace.  And I love how Jesus said he didn’t give as the world gives.  This means Jesus doesn’t give and then take back.  He doesn’t give in part but in full.  There is an enduring and abiding peace that we can experience in the midst of this storm. 
During this Lenten season we have been talking about who we are when we walk with Jesus.  How does our faith shape us?  How does being close to Jesus, listening to him, following his example, loving him, and sharing his love with others make us different?  If Jesus gives us peace, then we need to be people who don’t panic when things get crazy, get angry when things become chaotic, give up in the face of uncertainty, and give in to hopelessness when things get hard.  We are not people of fear but faith, so we need to learn how to be people who walk in, experience, and share God’s peace at all times, but especially at this time and in times like this.

So what is peace?  Peace is not the absence of war, which means that peace is not the absence of problems.  Peace is knowing that we have strength and hope and power in the midst of the problems.  Peace is trusting that God is with us and that God is with us to help us.  Peace is looking around at all the uncertainty and knowing that God has a certain plan for us all.  It’s looking around and being frustrated and afraid but moving forward because there is a purpose for us in this moment. 

When Jesus said he was giving his disciples the gift of peace it wasn’t in a moment of calm, but a moment of uncertainty.  Jesus' words came right before he was arrested, beaten, and crucified.  Life for the disciples was going to radically change forever.  There would be doubt and fear and turmoil.  They weren’t going to understand their world for months to come.  It was going to get difficult and Jesus knew that, which is exactly why he gave them this gift of peace.   This moment was not unknown to God.  This moment and many others in history, and many more to come, is exactly why Jesus, peace I give, my peace I give to you. 

Peace is still a gift that God gives us and we are able to receive and experience the fullness of tist gift as we walk with Jesus.  In fact, the more we walk with him, the more connected we are to him, the more peace we will experience.  In Galatians 5:22, Paul says that when we are connected to God and walk with Jesus we will experience the fruit of God’s spirit, which is:  love, joy, PEACE, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

So peace is a gift God gives us when we walk with Jesus, and it is a gift we can nurture, pursue, and develop in our lives.  And peace is most powerfully developed not when things are calm, but when things are rough, in the midst of a storm, and things have been rough.  There’s a storm blowing around us today.  A storm of fear, uncertainty, frustration, disappointment, and anger, but we don’t have to be overcome by the storm, in the midst of it all we can find and experience and develop peace. 

Today let’s talk about how we can specifically become people who walk in peace.  Here are 5 specific things we can do to be people who experience peace and therefore will be able to share it. 

P.E.A.C.E.
Pause
Earnestly Pray & Praise
Accept the Day
Connect to Jesus
Enjoy Life & Enter the Church

PAUSE.  To experience the gift of peace we first need to pause.  Stop.  Take a deep breath and please - please - pause the remote.  Better yet, turn off the TV.  While it is important to get up to date and accurate information so we can make smart decisions and remain healthy, too much information can become overwhelming.  When moment by moment we watch the stock market numbers go lower, hear about schools shutting down, games being cancelled, and watch footage of empty shelves in local stores - it makes us anxious.  It can feed our fear.  Sometimes it makes us laugh, other times we cry, but it doesn’t lead to peace.  So please, pause the remote.  Turn off the news for a while.  Don’t check social media every hour.  Pause. 

This doesn’t mean we don’t tune in to get accurate information that is important.  And it doesn’t mean we don’t read information from websites like the CDC, and the PA Department of Health, we should.  But I am going to tell you that most of the information being shared right now about how to prevent the spread of this virus is what our mothers told us. 
Wash your hands. 
Don’t touch your face or cough into your hands. 
Wash Your Hands. 
Stay home if you are sick and have ongoing health issues.  WASH YOUR HANDS! 

Pause and take some time away.  Take a walk, go for a drive (gas is $2.00 a gallon!), enjoy the spring weather, play a game with your children or friends.  When we pause we get perspective.  When we pause we take our eyes off the problems, the storm, and remember that God is with us and that God is with us to help us. 

After we pause we need to EARNESTLY pray & praise God.  Don’t just pray in the storm, earnestly pray.  Earnestly means with sincere and intense conviction.  Pray as if we knew God was actually listening.  Pray as if our lives depended on it.  Pray with intensity for God to speak and guide us and help us.  Don’t panic and give into fear - pray and live by faith.  Earnest prayer and praise (thanking God for who he is and what he has for us during difficult times) helps center our hearts and minds on the power of God.  Earnest prayer reminds us that God is with us.  Earnest prayer reminds us of the passion God has for us, that God loves us. 

When the disciples were in the midst of a storm, they lacked peace because they didn’t pause and they didn’t earnestly pray, what they did was panic!  Mark 4:35-41

When the storm came up, the disciples didn’t pause and look at their situation.  They didn’t remember that they had a strong and secure boat that had weathered other storms.  They didn’t remember their training as fishermen and how to survive in a storm.  They just looked at the storm and panicked.  They focused on the furious winds and waves and all the problems they were creating.  They didn’t pause and they didn’t earnestly pray, actually they didn’t pray at all.  Did you notice that?  Jesus is right there with them, the picture of peace napping on a pillow, but they didn’t ask for help, they didn’t turn to him with sincerity or purpose, they just accused him of not caring.

While the disciples didn’t respond in faith, Jesus still gave them peace, which again shows us that peace is a gift.  But think of how much better it might have been if the disciples had responded to the storm with faith?  If they had said, look, we will be ok, we have been through this before and we can work through this.  And this time we actually have Jesus who might be able to help us. 

What if they had just paused for a moment to assess their situation and sincerely asked Jesus for help - their experience through the storm would have been so much better.  If we will Pause and Earnestly pray - we will experience peace and be able to share that peace with others. 

Peace also comes when we Accept the day.  We need to accept what is going on today and know that God will see us through.  Last week as we were thinking about changes we need to make in worship due to the virus, one of the things we thought about and a few of you mentioned was not passing the offering plates.  I’ll be honest, I had a hard time accepting that.  The offering as part of worship is important to me - not because of the money but because the offering is the most ancient part of worship.  Before anyone sang, prayed, read scripture, or listened to a sermon, people gave an offering to God.  It is the most ancient part of worship and so I pushed back on that a bit, until Amy Laubscher, a NP, said we should probably not be doing that right now.  I heard her wisdom, listened to her guidance, and accepted that this is where we are right now.  I accepted the day – and I began to experience peace. 

Accepting the day doesn’t mean we ignore or minimize what we are going through, it means we do everything we can do, and work as hard as we can, and then release the rest.  It is my goal that we work as hard as we can to keep our Sunday morning ministry going even if it means more work.  For example, hospitality is big part of who we are, so providing coffee and cookies is important.  You may not get coffee here, you may not get a cookie, but for some people this is important.  This time of fellowship is one of the few times during the week that some people get to see and talk to friends.  And kids run in each week with immense joy and head straight to the cookie tray where they are told they can have one. 

When my Dad was an Army Chaplain and preached on Sundays, I remember that if I was good during worship, I got a piece of cake.  It was a white cake with white icing and coconut.  Being good meant not fidgeting during the sermon (no children’s church in those days and my dad was the preacher).  I wanted that cake!  I am cake motivated!  That food was important and because of that cake I remember the joy of going to worship. 

There will be kids who will remember the cookies.  Every week I see the joy of children coming to church and getting a cookie.  Every week I see the 60+ year friendship being nurtured over coffee.  Coffee and cookies are important so we aren’t going to do away them, we are going to find a way to make it happen.  We will accept that things have to change, but we will work hard to keep the mission, ministry, and love going.  If we can accept what is going on and release what we can’t change - we will experience peace. 

Peace also comes when we Connect with Jesus.  Once the disciples connected with Jesus, once they woke him up and told him they were in need, they began to experience peace.  God says that he will keep us in perfect peace when our minds are steadfast and fixed on him.  Keeping our eyes on Jesus, our hearts tuned to Jesus, our hands reaching out to Jesus, and our faith trusting in Jesus, will keep us from being afraid.  Being connected to Jesus brings peace. 

During these uncertain times, we need to remain steadfast in our devotions.  Keep reading God’s word.  Keep reading a chapter of the gospels every day.  Our small groups won’t be meeting but we can email insights to one another to help one another keep our eyes on Jesus.  Together let’s look at how Jesus helped people overcome obstacles, problems and storms.  Jesus healed the sick.  He restored sight to the blind.  He fed the hungry.  He forgave and loved the sinners.  He welcomed the stranger.  He offered peace to people in countless situations and as we stay connected to Jesus we stay connected to that source of peace.  You have probably seen the saying:  NO Jesus - No Peace   /   KNOW Jesus - KNOW Peace

It’s true.  When we know Jesus, when we are in a relationship with him, connected to him, we know peace because he has given us this peace as a gift.  So stay connected to Jesus.

And the last thing that can help us experience peace is to Enjoy Life and Enter the Church.  Enjoy the day.  Yes, things are pretty uncertain right now.  Lots of things are gone and even some of the things that we enjoy in life, like wrestling, basketball, and bell choir festivals are cancelled, but many things are still right here.  Enjoy life.  Play games with your kids and grand kids.  Go for a walk.  Watch a movie.  Read a book.  Do some spring cleaning (ok maybe that is not fun for you).  Do something fun.  Enjoy life.

And then Enter the church.  I don’t mean the building.  I don’t mean come and gather for worship, I mean go out and be the church in the world.  Share life and joy and peace with others.   We will experience more peace if we find ways to share God’s peace with others. 

As you may know, the nursing and personal care homes are shut off from visitors indefinitely.  So let’s go be the church - we can’t visit but we can send a card, so send a card to everyone in the nursing homes.  Make a phone call to those who are at home and won't be seeing people for a while.  If you know someone is sick, don’t ignore them, offer to help them.  You may not be able to go into their home but you could run an errand for them. And if you know someone who is out of toilet paper - offer them a roll.  If you know someone who is sick and needs hand sanitizer and they can’t buy any right now - give them yours.  That’s what Jesus would do, it’s what he calls us to do, and it is who we are when we walk with Jesus. 

Who are we when we walk with Jesus?  We aren’t people who panic but who live in peace.  Pause, Earnestly pray, accept the day, connect to Jesus, and enjoy life.  And let us enter the church, let us be the church in an uncertain and fearful world.  And let us offer one another and all those around us God’s gift of peace. 

Next Steps
The Walk - PEACE

Reflection
● Where in your life do you need to experience peace? 
● What are the causes of your fear?  Doubt?  Anxiety? 
● What is it about the situation with COVID-19 that has you most stressed and concerned? 
● Identify past experiences where you felt peace in the midst of the storm.  What helped you find that peace? 

Read
● John 14:25-27
● Mark 4:35-41
● Isaiah 26:1-6
● Galatians 5:22-25

What do we learn about peace from these passages? 
What examples can you think of where Jesus experienced peace in the midst of the storm? 

Respond: 
In the midst of our current health crisis, economic concerns, heightened anxiety, and daily uncertainty - find specific ways to walk in P.E.A.C.E.
● Pause - Take time away from news, social media, and the constant flow of information to breathe and rest. 
● Earnestly Pray & Praise – Each day find two things to pray for and two things to give thanks for.  Sincerely lift these to God in prayer.
● Accept the Day –More change will take place.  Do all you can and release the rest.  Who can help you accept the difficult changes?
● Connect to Jesus – Read a chapter of the gospels every day.  Turn to Jesus for help and strength. 
● Enjoy Life & Enter the Church – Do something fun this week for yourself and your family.  Share God’s love and joy with others in need – be the church!

The Walk - Community

During this season of Lent we are talking about who we are when we walk with Jesus, and one of the most powerful things about Jesus is that as the Son of God, he not only allowed people to walk with him, he invited people to walk with him.  In fact, Jesus made it a priority, maybe his top priority, to invite people to walk with him and form a community.  The first thing that Jesus did when he entered into public ministry was to call people to follow him and be his disciples.  While this may not seem extraordinary, it really was.  Rabbis, teachers, and leaders in Jesus’ day didn’t ask others to be their disciples, people asked if they could be a disciple.  Jesus turned this entire practice around and when he did he showed us two important things.

First, we see through Jesus that God reaches out and invites us to be in a relationship with him.  We never reach out to God without God first reaching out to us.  The Bible says, it’s not that we first loved God but that God first loved us.  When Jesus reached out and invited people to experience the kingdom of God he was saying that we are all loved by God and God wants all of us to be part of his kingdom, his community, his family.  Instead of us thinking that we have to be good enough to be a disciple, Jesus says, you are already loved enough to be my disciple.  Walk with me and I’ll help you experience more of the life God has for you. 

The second thing that Jesus’ inviting people to follow him shows us is that community is important.  Creating a community was a priority for Jesus because he knew that his time on earth was limited and therefore people were going to be needed to share his message.  From the very beginning, Jesus knew a cross awaited him.  He knew that death and resurrection was part of God’s plan, so if the message of salvation was going to continue, it was going to need a group of people who would carry it forward.  John McAurhtur, in his book 12 Ordinary Men, said, Jesus knew his earthly work would have to be handed off to someone else. 


Community was also important to Jesus because he knew that we are more influenced by relationships than by teaching.  Faith is more often caught from others than it is taught by a leader.  We understand Jesus more from being loved by others than by listening to a sermon (but keep listening), and for love to spread, for the love of God to spread, a community is needed.  Jesus knew that the power to spread God’s love to the world needed not one or two leaders but a community of people who would love. 

The power of community in our own personal faith and in faith sharing was made clear to me the summers I worked with A Christian Ministry in the National Parks.  The first summer I worked in Yellowstone NP and was part of a ministry team that formed a real community.  At the beginning of the summer we all agreed to get both Sunday and Monday off from our jobs so we could lead worship services Sunday morning and evening, and then travel together on Mondays.  We started doing this to just get to know one another, but as we spent time together we started having a lot of fun. 

Every week we came back from our Monday adventures with amazing stories and soon others were asking to take Mondays off to join us.  The fun, and honestly the love, of our group was contagious and we were able to share our faith with many people.  Not only did my faith grow that summer but I was able to share my faith and God’s love in powerful ways all through the community. 

The next summer I worked in Rocky Mountain NP, that ministry team fell apart.  A couple of people never showed up.  One person left after a few weeks, and another person decided they didn’t want to work with us in ministry.  I was left with one other person in ministry, but he didn’t work where I did so I only saw him for a few hours on Sundays.  It was very lonely. 

I was also the only employee at the store where I worked who had Sundays off, which meant that other than the worship services in the morning and evenings, I was alone most of the day, and it was my only day off.  There wasn’t a ministry team to hike with, sightsee with, or do anything with.  My faith floundered and the spiritual impact on the people I worked with was minimal. 

That summer I learned how important community is for our personal faith and for the ability to share the love of God.  Jesus knew this!  He knew that we were created to be in relationships with one another.  He knew that our faith in God would grow most powerfully when we are in fellowship with one another, and he knew that we would share the love of God most effectively when we are in community.  Jesus knew all of this, so forming a community was his top priority. 

Building community was so important to Jesus that he didn’t call just one person at the beginning of his ministry but 4, and not 4 people who didn’t know each other, but 4 people who already had solid working relationships.  Jesus called two sets of brothers who knew each other and worked together.  Matthew 4:18-22

The first 4 disciples were Peter, Andrew, James, and John, two sets of brothers who all fished from the same shores along the Sea of Galilee.  They knew each other.  They worked together.  The gospel of Luke tells us they were partners.  They knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses.  They were already a strong working team that would become the core of Jesus’ new community. 

Jesus never invited people to believe a certain doctrine or follow specific rules, he invited people to walk with him and live within a community.  The entire story of Scripture is the story of God inviting people to walk with him and live in community.  It started when God looked at Adam and said, it’s not good for him to be alone.  It is the only time in the creation story God looked at something he made and said, this isn’t good.  Adam alone wasn’t good, so God created Eve, a helper and a partner.  God walked with Adam and Eve in community.  It is God’s plan for us to walk with him and live in community. 

God then called Abraham and said, I will make you into a large family and a great nation.  God then said he would use the nation of Israel to be a light to the world.  God’s plan was always to use a community to share his life, and love, and light to the world, so it is not surprising that when Jesus came he also formed a community.  Today, if we are going to walk with Jesus we need to walk in community with others who walk with Jesus.  There simply is no getting away from being part of the community of faith.  For us to fully follow Jesus, we have to be willing to enter into fellowship with one another. 

The Apostle Paul reinforced the importance of community when he talked about the church as a body.  Paul says, you are the body of Christ and each one of you is part of it.  1 Corinthians 12:27.  Being part of this body, the church, isn’t an option for Paul.  He said if we follow Jesus we are part of a body and we will only experience the fullness of life and faith when we live as an active part of that body.  Each one of us is to be part of the body, the community, which means that each one of us is blessed when we live in the community and each one of us has responsibilities in the community.  We have a responsibility to love one another and what that love looks like is outlined in many places. 

The bible is full of one another passages.  These are places where we are told what our relationships with one another are to look like.  We are to:
• Accept one another
● Greet one another
● Serve one another
● Bear with one another
● Comfort one another
● Build up one another
● Pray for one another
● Forgive one another
● Love one another

Think about what our personal lives would look like if we treated one another like this?  Our own lives and faith would be so much stronger.  We would be more faithful, more stable.  Our lives would simply be better!  But then think about what our community would look like.  We would be stronger.  We would be more powerful, more pleasing to God, and most important of all more inviting to the world around us.  People would literally be beating down the doors to join our community. 

To walk with Jesus means we need to walk with one another in community, and in his book, The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren says that strong communities require 4 things:
● Honesty
● Humility
● Courtesy
● Confidentiality
● and I’ll add one more - Commitment. 

Honesty is vital to a community and yet we often fail to be truly honest with one another.  We don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings, we don’t want to appear judgmental, or we don’t want to get involved, so too often we simply stay quiet about concerns we might have, but honesty is important.  To build up one another we need to be able to speak the truth in love, and that’s the key, love.  Honesty is not rudeness and judgement, it is kindness mixed with concern.  And don’t forget honesty doesn’t always have to be constructive concerns, it can be supportive praise.  Let’s honestly tell people how much we appreciate them, value them, and are grateful for their contribution to our lives and our faith.

When I first started in ministry, I had two friends who were honest with me in many areas of my life.  I didn’t always like what they said, but I knew they were right and I needed to listen.  They also affirmed me more than they shared any concerns with me, which reminded me that I was loved and supported no matter what.  Most of us long to be loved and supported.  We want to know people are there for us no matter what.  Most of us also can be honest enough to say that there are areas of our own lives that are a challenge for us.  There are areas where we need to grow and change and for us to be able to move forward we need people to be honest with us. 

The single most important thing to remember about honesty is that we cannot simply speak honest words and then move on - we need to speak them in the context of a relationship where it will help, support, encourage, and walk with people in the future.  Don’t tell me all I’m doing wrong without also walking with me to make changes to do things better.  Jesus was honest with people and then he called them to walk with him and others in love. 

Honesty also calls for humility.  If we are going to speak honestly into someone else’s life we need to do it with humility.  We need to evaluate our own lives before we evaluate anyone else’s life.  Jesus said we can’t point out the speck in someone else’s eye and ignore the log sticking out of our own.  But this doesn’t mean we simply put ourselves down.  Humility is not thinking less of ourselves - it’s thinking of ourselves less.  Humility means just thinking about other people more often than we think of ourselves, and striving to meet the needs of others before our own. 

When we do this, humility will then lead to courtesy - which means being considerate of others.  Courtesy means bearing one another’s burdens, meeting their needs, and taking the time to understand their situation.  Courtesy goes beyond opening a door, it means taking the time to understand what others are going through, what their needs are, how we can meet their needs, and anticipate their future needs.  Courtesy means we respect who people are, where they are in life and faith, and then find ways to walk with them. 

Community also requires confidentiality.  Nothing breaks down relationships and therefore destroys community more than gossip.  In a culture where everything seems to be shared, and where people want to seem like they know everything, and be the first to share everything they know, gossip is a problem.  We never find Jesus talking about the disciples behind their back, and the Bible is full of teachings about the destructive nature of gossip.  James said we need to tame our tongue, and we do.  We need to check ourselves when we want to share information about others, and then love others enough to keep quiet. 

When I think of this list of honesty, humility, courtesy, and confidentiality, I realize that when it comes to living this way in the larger community, I will get it wrong more times than I get it right.  I won’t always speak up when I should, or I might say the wrong thing to the wrong person.  I might not put others first, or take the time to understand where others are coming from, and too many times I will only think about myself and getting my way.  When I get it wrong, and when others get it wrong, when I get hurt, and when I hurt others, the answer isn’t to give up but to keep going.  The answer is to forgive, ask for forgiveness, and keep going.  Being a community takes commitment.  It takes hard work.  It takes failure and starting over.  It takes honesty, humility, courtesy, and confidentiality being lived out over and over again. 

If we can commit to this way of life, if we can walk with Jesus and in fellowship with one another - we will experience the true fullness of life.  If we walk alone, in time we will find ourselves empty of faith, empty of joy, and empty of life.  When we walk with Jesus, we are a community and a family that builds a stronger faith in us and helps spread the love of God to others. 

Next Steps
The Walk - Community

Reflect: When have you experienced strength, grace, peace, or comfort because you were part of a larger community?  When has the lack of community been a struggle in your life and faith?  Why?

Read: Matthew 4:18-20.  How does Jesus show us the importance of community in this passage?

Read these “one another” passages in the Bible:
● Accept - Romans 15:5-7
● Greet - 1 Peter 5:14
● Serve - John 13:12-17; Galatians 5:13
● Bear with - Colossians 3:12-15; Galatians 6:2
● Comfort - 1 Thessalonians 4:18
● Build Up - 1 Thessalonians 5:11
● Pray - James 5:13-16
● Forgive  - Matthew 18:21-25; Colossians 3:13
● Love - John 13:34-35, 15:12-17; 1 John 3:11, 4:7-11

Respond: Community calls us to walk with:
● Honesty
● Humility
● Courtesy
● Confidentiality
● Commitment
What does walking in this way mean for you today?  Which are your strengths and weaknesses?  Where can you grow?

Paul used the image of a body to talk about the followers of Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:12-31).  What is one thing you can do during this season of Lent to be a strong part of the body?  Who can walk with you to be a support?