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Peoria Times
RELIGION
July 29, 2021
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The obvious difference of being a ‘belonger’ CHURCH-COMMUNITY CONNECTION
Pastor Ed Delph Peoria Times Columnist
We often miss the obvious. Let me illustrate with a story. A farmer couldn’t tell his two horses apart, so he tried cutting the tail off one horse. That didn’t work because it grew right back. Then he cut the mane off the other horse. That didn’t work either because it grew right back. Finally, he measured them and found that the white horse was 2 inches taller than the black horse. One of the most significant casualties of the COVID-19 virus has been the destruction of relationships, especially where connections are required for the best results. Zoom meetings, masks, social distancing and fear of death, to name a few, have distanced us from one another in what should be obvious ways. It’s affected politics, marriages, business and friendships as
people, hypnotized by watching mainline and social media, become more “angry and relationship challenged.” Unfortunately, it seems like the only ones who have benefited from COVID-19 are our dogs. COVID-19 restrictions have affected the church and its congregants. How? By eliminating a vital aspect of the church. Let me explain. Luciano DeCrescenzo once said, “We are all angels with only one wing; we can only fly while embracing one another.” That’s quite a word picture. At the beginning of time, before there was ever vision, tasks, achievement, goals, politics and the like, there was a relationship. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit were (and are) so much in a relationship that they were called “One God.” Becoming a Christ follower is about connection. The church was designed by God to be upward, inward and outward, all at the same time. Christians were intended to connect with God, connect with each other and then connect with the community. In the con-
text of connecting with one another (their inward ministry), we discover and embrace our other wing. The Bible says that every believer has a measure of grace. So, if I have a measure of grace and you have a measure of grace, and we connect in a godly relational way. We both move from a measure of grace to grace without measure. That’s why God designed the church to be a team. The church is called to exhibit grace without measure, or the ministry of Jesus, to the world. Teamwork makes God’s dream work. When God’s people connect with God and one another, it creates a “vibe” that gets into the atmosphere of the church and then spreads to the community. Jesus pointed this out in John 13:35: “By this, all men (the community) will know that you (God’s people) are My disciples if you have love one for another.” Right relationships release real ministry both inside and outside the church. The Greek word the Bible uses to describe this supernatural synergy is
Shepherd of the Desert
Lutheran Church - ELCA 16000 N. Del Webb Blvd., Sun City AZ 85351 Tel: 623-974-3611
10250 N. 59th Ave. 623-937-9216 Sunday Services: Bible Study ....................................... 9:15 Morning Worship ............................ 10:30 Discipleship Training ........................ 4:45 Evening Worship .............................. 6:00
IN-PERSON WORSHIP SUNDAYS - 10 AM
am am pm pm
Wednesdays: TeamKid, Youth Worship Bible Study & Prayer........................6:00 pm Dr. Mark Mucklow, Pastor www.fsbcg.org
Music Begins 9:50 AM Live-Streamed at www.scfaith.org
SUNDAY, AUGUST 1
Rev. Dick Zabriskie, Guest Speaker “Summer Cinema Supper “SOUL” Thurs. Aug. 12 at 4 PM in Illingworth Hall. Movie: FREE — Catered Supper: $10 Tickets on sale now — call for details.
“An inclusive, welcoming, caring community, serving Jesus Christ”
11025 N. 111th Ave., Sun City/Youngtown
• Worship Saturday 4pm, Sunday 9:30am • Holy Communion both services • Pancake Breakfast 8-10am Last Saturday Every Month Drive-Thru Only • In-Person Bible Study Wed 6pm Handicap Bus - Call for pickup
(24hrs in Advance) 623 340-8232 Pastor Phil Gustofson, Interim Pastor
623-933-1359 shepherdofthedesertelca.org
Email: sodsecretary@qwestoffice.net
“koinonia.” Koinonia is fellowship and connection with God through the Holy Spirit and fellowship with others in the Holy Spirit. It’s when people who have the Holy Spirit connect with other people who have the Holy Spirit and then relate in a way that the life of God happens among them. It’s the right relationships on steroids, empowered by God. It’s alive. It’s beyond being friends. It’s belonging, not just believing. It’s spontaneous. It’s refreshing. It’s healing. It’s grace in action, in and among believers. It doesn’t have to be inside the four walls of the formal church. Koinonia can happen where two or three gather in Jesus’ name. Koinonia was designed to distinguish a Christian gathering from other types of meetings. Hashtags, Twitter, iPhones and Facebook can’t compete with koinonia. Socializing is fine, but it doesn’t create the awe and wonder of the life of God flowing through and among Christ believers and “belongers.” Think about it. What is the church? The church is a community of calledout ones who come into unity (oneness) around Jesus and each other. The church is where the pursuit of Christ, with others, is the ultimate goal. It’s living the Word of God, not just learning the Word of God. Our desire to pursue Christ with our church family must be more than the pain of a rebuke, the disappointment of a moral failure, and the ups and downs of church life. The church is family. I don’t choose who my family is. God does. The church is where people persevere together through the ups and downs, victories and disappointments of life. It’s growing up together. It’s part of
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