Well, looking back on my post. It is apparent, I have not posted a thought of the week since 2017. I know, ha, ha that was only a few days ago. But here we are in a new year. With all of the joys, anticipation and fear which comes with new things.
Sunday we finished 2017 with a new series for the New Year. The series is entitled Vision. Within this four part series, is the vision for the congregation in Tomah for this year. Sunday’s sermon was on love and why we gather each week, my text was Romans 12:9-13. Before we get into the passage, I want to do two things. First I want you to interlace your fingers. Then if you are familiar with the exercise make the steeple then open the doors and see all the people. Now get that stupid saying out of your head because it is not true.
If you know what I am talking about you know you interlace your finger then say here’s the church; the outside of your hand. Then you open your hand, wiggle the fingers and see the people. What is wrong with this cute saying is it has us thinking the building is the church. Wrong thinking which has invaded many people’s minds in the U.S. Both those inside and outside the church. The church is not the building, it is the place where the church the people come to worship.
Now the second thing I want to do before I get into the scripture passage. I want to talk about April 26, 1997. That is the day the women of my dreams walked down the aisle. When I saw Alisha for the first time in her wedding dress, I thought there was no way I could love her more than I did at that moment. But I was wrong, now almost twenty-one years later I know I do love her more. I know her on a deeper level. We are able to express our love for one another on a deeper plane. I can feel her love through a touch of her hand, without her ever saying a word. This is what we will be talking about in the post this week.
I have no doubt that most congregations want to be known by love. They want their number one attribute to be their love for God and those in their community. But sadly enough the church in America as a whole has forgotten how to love. We pick our pet sins and the things that get on our nerves and hold them over people’s heads. We forget gossip is a sin and get on the phone or FB to talk about things which are none of our business; things we do not have the full story on. You see we are stuck in that initial love with Christ. Like I was on my wedding day. Instead of putting time into the relationship to go deeper.
Let us now take a look at Romans 12:9-13. In this passage we are reminded why we the people of God gather each week and what the results of that gathering should be as the church goes out into the world. We learn we should have a love which is sincere. A love which does not wear a mask, but one which looks for the lovable in all humanity; after all we are created in God’s image so we all must have something which is lovable. We also learn that as a people of God we must have a love which hates sin. Meaning we are grieved by sin in our lives and the lives of others and we seek the Kingdom will come in all people’s hearts. Further we see love has actions. Actions which include caring for the needs of both those in the congregation and those outside. We don’t get to choose one or the other it is a both, and.
Like the people of Tomah Church of the Nazarene there are many congregations who are loving and welcoming. But we can all learn to love better and deeper. So this is my first vision not only for us, but for all Christian churches in the U.S. So will you seek to love better and deeper? Will you lead your congregation to love better and deeper? Pastor Travis out.
