“We belong to one another only in and through Jesus Christ. What does this mean? It means, first, that a Christian needs others because of Jesus Christ. It means, second, that a Christian comes to others only through Jesus Christ. It means, third, that in Jesus Christ we have been chosen from eternity, accepted in time, and united for eternity.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community
Dear HBIC Family,
One of the great blessings of my life has been having mentors every step of the journey. We all need people who are investing in us, people who are showing us how to walk in the faith, and people who are holding us accountable. Though it is easy to think about our faith as personal and individual, it is just as much or perhaps even more about doing about life together in community with one another.
We are called the Body of Christ. We are together in Christ, and members of one another. We are to love, be devoted to, honor, care for, live in harmony with, build up, be likeminded towards, accept, serve, carry burdens for, forgive, be patient with, be kind and compassionate to, comfort, encourage, teach, and pray for one another. One consistent message through the Scriptures is that we belong to God and one another, and we are to live for God and together with one another.
Early on in my teenage years, one of my mentors presented me with a gift that changed my life and faith forever. This blessing was Life Together, a short but very jam-packed book by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The book was written while Bonhoeffer taught at an underground seminary during the rise of Nazi power and oppression in Germany. Bonhoeffer dared to teach this united message of Scripture that, as Christians, we need others, we only come to others through Jesus, and we belong to each other today…but also yesterday and tomorrow as well.
This week, we will be returning to our Acts: The Church Then and Now series by learning how the Church supports. I’m excited that Pastor Lynda will be sharing about how the church back then lived as community with each other, and how part of their work was being a support for one another. To prepare for this week’s services, I would like to invite you to reflect on the mentors and supports you have had and still have in your life that keep growing you in your faith. As you reflect, I would like to ask you to focus on the following questions:
What do your mentors and supports say about God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)?
How have you learned the importance of doing life and faith together in community?
What are some of the ways that God has used others to serve you?
Who is one person God is now calling you to mentor and support?
One way that life together continues to be challenged is in the wake of this COVID-19 pandemic. We are not seeing each other as often, and we aren’t able to move about as freely. We have been challenged as a church, a family, and a community. Life has been forever changed and impacted for so many of us. Nevertheless, our good God continues to see us through. The joy of our community here is that Jesus remains at the center of it all, and the Spirit continues to lead and guide us, as God our Father keeps and holds us all together.
Sisters and brothers, we are family together here. We are privileged to belong to God and each other here. We are blessed to have God on our side, and a wonderful community to love and support us here. May we continue to be faithful to God and one another here. And may our world know us by our love for God and one another.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Hank (Romans 12: 9-13