Bible Verse: “My prayer is not for (the apostles) alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” John 17:20-21
Scripture Reading: Romans 12
I’m writing this devotional in early December, and as a pastor I’m already in Christmas Eve planning mode.
Christmas is a big day — a defining part of God’s story. The Word became flesh. It’s also a day most churches think about those not following Christ.
Parents will walk into church on Christmas Eve with kids who have long since stopped attending.
A middle-aged woman will drop in too, some undefined longing wooing her through the doors.
A few Christmas and Easter spouses will pay their dues.
I long for them all to meet Christ that night.
I’m excited about a few of our Christmas Eve service ideas and how they might impact visitors and Christians alike. We’ll work hard to show how compelling the story of Christ is. God as a zygote, the Creator taking shape in His mother’s uterus, and the whole world changing without anything going viral. We love a good Christmas Eve service.
A friend of mine became a Christian in his twenties. A critical stage of his journey was when his immigrant family was invited to spend Christmas Day with a Christian family each year. Another was the intimate sharing and shared life he found in a Christian college ministry. Students loved one another and made the life of Christ visible through their community.
What if Christians loved a healthy church family as much as great services?
Average services might be enough, if everyone walking in the doors intuitively understood they were welcome, wanted, and could find a home there.
At our best, Church is so much more than our services. Could someone attending your church’s next service expect to find a family? We have space for them in our services, but do we have space in our lives?
Jesus’ prayer for us always keeps me repenting of my individualistic ways and thanking God for each step our communities take in loving one another. God’s mission is linked to the quality of our communities!
Will you make space?
Prayer: Lord, community is hard. Show me how great You are, how much You love those in my church, and how I can join You in loving them well. Amen.
Reflection: Think of one tangible way to draw closer to and practically love people in your community that you usually don’t connect with. One of the measures of our community is whether we learn to love those we didn’t like!
Copyright © 2024 Impactus. All rights reserved.
About
