Last evening, at the Sunday night small group, we began with the question: “Can I get to know Jesus without being involved in church?”
When someone asked him this question, the author of our study, James Harnish, answered it this way. “Because I believe Christ is risen and present in the world, I suspect that it’s possible to run into him just about anywhere and he [the person asking the question] could get to know the story of Jesus by reading the Bible. But …I know of no way to experience the fullness of Christ’s presence without being a part of a Christian community in which to worship and grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
It is a great answer. It lifts up the importance of being with other Christians to worship and grow in faith. I have found this to be true in my life. Alone, I might be able to be spiritual or even religious, but I can’t be fully the person God created me to be because God created me to be in community with other followers of Christ. I need others to keep me accountable, to encourage me, to correct me when need be, to be living examples of what it means to follow Christ.
That means it’s important that we worship together regularly and meet in small groups. Harnish also says, “Worship begins by awakening us from the intoxicating stupor of the culture around us. We are called to wake up to what God has done and is doing in Jesus Christ. “ We need to worship to help us focus on God and not all the stuff around us, good or bad. To come to be present in worship is a choice we make, because we love God and know it’s vitally important to a vital and growing relationship with God. There are lots of other good things happening on Sunday morning, but why settle for good when you can have the best as we gather to praise God, to listen to what God might say to us, and to respond in how we live.
There are some special services and events coming up that you won’t want to miss.
- June 10 both services will focus on the meaning of the symbols in our stained glass windows.
- Tuesday, June 12, at 7:00 PM, a 70 member youth choir and drama team from Atlanta will be with us.
- June 16 & 17, at 4 PM, Rock the Lakes Rochester at Sahlen’s Stadium.
- June 17, we will be celebrating fathers and graduates.
- June 23 at 7:00 PM & during worship on June 24, we will hear from Danny Cahill, the “Biggest Loser” from Season 8.
- July 15, nationally known Christian musician, Celia Whitler, will be leading both services. You can check her out at celiamusic.net.
I pray I’ll see you there.
In Christ’s love,
