A Church Going and Coming

Last week, people  of the congregation where I am priviledged to serve as pastor went out into the community and put about 100 “door hangers” at the homes of people within several blocks of our church in Concord.  I quickly confess that I do not know the specific area around our church  real well where I serve as pastor for a couple of reasons.  First, I have only been pastor in that church and community for a couple of months.  The second reason is that I live a few miles away from the church (though in the same city and county).    I saw a different view of the community as I walked its sidewalks and streets.  I had a chance to converse with people that I had never spoken with before.   It remains to be seen what fruit will come from those efforts. 

I was reminded in that experience that there is an ebb and flow to being a Christian community.  We go and we come;  we come to worship and go to serve.   We gather together for worship, study, and fellowship;  we go into the world to serve and share the love of Christ.  In Luke 10,  we hear of a time that Jesus was a guest in the home of two sisters, Mary and Martha.  The story of Jesus’ visit follows the parable of the good Samaritan.  Read these words from Luke 10: 38-42 which say:

³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feetlistening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”    ⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.^[f] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

 It is essential to the Christian life that we serve others as Martha did and the “good samaritan” did.  However,  it is also important that members of the Christian community have those times when they  come together to “sit at the feet of Jesus” as Mary did in Luke 10.    Christians worship and Christian serve.  Are you doing that?    Have a good week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   Remind us, O God, that you have called us to worship and called us to serve.  Help us always and every where love you and love others;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.