During the season of Lent, it is common to focus on the Gospel’s account of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness for 40 days. Lent after all is a season of 40 days which mirrors figuratively following Jesus in the wilderness. One major difference is that as God’s beloved we are not alone. Unlike Jesus, we will never have to face the devil one-on-one because Jesus has already done so on our behalf. In Christ, we are not alone, and we will never be alone. Not only as Jesus promised to be with us always but also has brought us into the church. It is within the church that we have the gift of not only fellowship with God but also one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Thus, in the church we not only have the gift of God’s presence among us but also fellowship with one another. Within the community of the church, God calls us to care for and encourage one another. The true strength and vitality of a church is measured in the quality of our relationships and fellowship with one another. The energy and warmth of the Passing of the Peace on Sunday mornings is living proof that at Wentz’s we are building deep and meaningful relationships with one another. It is impossible to have a healthy church community if we are not enjoying our time of fellowship with one another, nor is it possible to grow as a church if we can’t stand being around one another. We are following in the footsteps of Jesus, who during his earthly ministry built a community of disciples that would in time become the church. This community that Jesus started went much deeper than merely attending synagogue services on the sabbath, so our view of church should not be limited to Sunday mornings or even coming out to our church’s building. At the very least consider calling or even texting at least one person from church during the week. If you are able to, I encourage you to try to meet up with other members from church during the week to spend time with each other over a meal and possibly pray together. The most valuable gifts that we can give one another are our prayers and spending quality time with one another.
“Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NRSV)