Grace Newsletter - November

G.R.A.C.E. News:

“Intentional Community”

From Nancy Stevens

We are all Children of God and no one has the right to treat anyone as if they do not matter. This may sound a bit elementary, but wouldn’t it be nice to have this approach in everything we do as our community of faith here at FPC? “Intentional Community” is a phrase that we are trying to live by in our G.R.A.C.E. Youth Group community, as well as our FPC community as a whole.

So, how do we live out “Intentional Community?” Scripture tells us that we are the “body of Christ.” That, in itself, is the most important statement that our faith community needs to attach itself to. In intentional community, we intentionally focus our hearts and minds on how Jesus would want us to treat each other. And if we are wondering what that looks like, we can always turn to the gospels and see how Jesus did it Himself. Even though there was no organized Christian Church when Jesus walked the earth, if we look at scripture, Jesus shows us, and tells us, how we should live as Christ in our world.

If we create and are a part of intentional community, this means that church should be where we come “in” in order to go “out.” Church should be a place where we treat each other as Children of God, no matter the age, and get spiritually strong to go “out there.” Out there is different for each of us. Some of us have issues at work, some issues at home, some issues with friends, some issues at school, some issues with children, some issues with parents, some issues with alcohol, some issues with divorce, some issues with drugs, some issues for failure at jobs, some issues with other people’s children, and although the issues are different, we have a tie that binds….at least we say we do.

If this tie is Jesus, shouldn’t we look to Him for guidance in living out community? Or do we just read the passage that tells us we should “bear one another’s burdens” and then go on about our daily business knowing what it says, but not having the courage to actually do what it says? Bearing one another’s burdens is a part of community. So is celebrating one another’s joys. The question I pose is this-are we doing this? Or do we pick and choose what burden of another, if any, we bear, and what joy of another, if any, we share.

How many of us can think back to when we were younger, let’s say, middle and high school, and remember how special it was when someone praised us for a well written paper, well delivered speech, well played game, good grade in a class, nice singing in a choral performance, nice musical instrument recital, great job cleaning your room, or just simply said “I love you” whether it was deserved or not.

Carrying this one step further-how many of us when we were in our hormonal, passionate, teenage years needed someone to tell us they loved us no matter how we performed, or what grade we made, or no matter what our rooms looked like? You see we all need love and praise and most of the time we need it the most when we are carrying our heaviest burden or failure. So, who is required to do that? Jesus’ answer-His body-our church-WE ARE. If we believe Jesus is who He says He is, then we must actually DO something. It is up to all of us to create an intentional community of faith in where all are accepted and young ones are supported and encouraged, whether they deserve it or not. After all, we are all offered that same love from Christ.

I challenge all of us to become an intentional community-a community that crosses generational lines and actually fellowships with one another. One in which our separate ministries actually work together for a common goal. To love one another, support one another, challenge one another, and most of all, show an upcoming generation a love they can get nowhere else but with a body of believers because that is what our young ones will take with them. They will not take our meetings, our committees, or our order of worship, (even though all of those are crucial to ministry), but what they will take is how they are treated and whether they are loved and accepted. As adults, we have a responsibility to our risen Lord to love them as He would have and to have them be a part of intentional community that they can feel-not just read about. If we want our church to really be a place of sanctuary for those who are burdened, no matter the age, then it is up to us to make it one because we are His body.

You see none of us deserve the love of Jesus, but we have it anyway - without asking, as a matter of fact, without even believing in Him, we still have it and we can’t escape it.