OzThoughts – Friday 7th November, 2008

OzThoughts – Friday 7th November, 2008

Last Friday, I was in Sydney and stopped to take a photograph of Liverpool Citadel. I remembered one occasion when the friendliness of this Corps was demonstrated to others.

The Corps became aware one of it most faithful members was to celebrate her 40th wedding anniversary on a coming Sunday. For much of this time, this lady had attended the corps which she came to when she and her husband settled in Australia as immigrants from England. Although she was not as well as she had been, she was still one of the most faithful and active people in the Corps. Her husband was also a very faithful Christian attending his Catholic Church on Sunday and at least one day during the week, and on special days for worship and the Mass.

The Church decided that a special morning tea before the Sunday worship was appropriate to mark this milestone as no other celebration had been planned by the couple. It was a lovely informal occasion when we congratulated this couple on their many happy years together.

When I spoke to the wife privately afterwards she told me her husband was absolutely delighted and completely overwhelmed. She said her husband could not understand why his wife’s church would want to do this. She also said she doubted whether her husband knew more than a handful of people at his church although he has attended several times a week for more than 20 years. He was amazed again at the friendliness of our people.

This special occasion was an outcome, I believe, of the real community that the Church is. The Christian community is more than just a collection of saved people sitting in the same building on Sunday morning. It is more than blending our voices in hymns and spiritual songs. It is more than a quick ritualistic handshake.

The outcome of the coming of the Holy Spirit was that the 120 became a community of more than 3,000. The story of the coming of the Holy Spirit is the beginning of a new phase of community as they shared together. On this day the community we call the church was born.

The Christian community is one for responding to and sharing the love of God. It is the sharing of that love with each other as we worship, fellowship and serve. It is community through love adopting and adapting our Spirit given gifts in meeting the daily demands of God’s will. God chooses to use us in community. He brings us to a community. He directs how that community should serve him in living in the society where he has placed it. The Christian community is the body of Christ. Christ is its head.

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the church community where you have placed me. I thank you for each friend I interact with there. I pray that the community might grow in its love for you and its care for each other and those who you bring into community with us. Help me to be faithful to your will, today. Amen

MEDITATION:

A New Commandment
A new commandment I give unto you,
That you love one another as I have loved you,
That you love one another as I have loved you.
By this shall all men know that you are My disciples,
if you have love one for another.
By this shall all men know that you are My disciples,
if you have love one for another.
- John 13:34-35

Bind us together, Lord,
bind us together with cords
that cannot be broken.
Bind us together, Lord,
bind us together,
bind us together with love.

There is only one God.
There is only one King.
There is only one Body.
That is why we sing:

Made for the glory of God,
Purchased by his precious Son,
Born with the right to be clean,
For Jesus the victory has won.

You are the family of God,
You are the promise divine,
You are God's chosen desire,
You are the glorious new wine.

38Peter said, "Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39The promise is targeted to you and your children, but also to all who are far away--whomever, in fact, our Master God invites."
40He went on in this vein for a long time, urging them over and over, "Get out while you can; get out of this sick and stupid culture!"
41That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up.
42They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.

43Everyone around was in awe--all those wonders and signs done through the apostles!
44And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. 45They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met.
46They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful,
47as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved. (Acts 2 The Message)

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