Together with the Church

Intro

Sometimes (oftentimes), what we do as the church and as Christians is weird

Take these retreats as an example!

Tell story of the youth retreat when I saw someone get clotheslined by a literal clothesline… why are we doing this?

Of course, there is s areson we do these things, and it is often in the name of community and togetherness

I moved a number of times as a youth; church became a vital community to feel like I belonged somewhere

It certainly is still that way for us all; let’s talk about being together with the church (one another)

Pray

God is One

Yesterday we focused on the relational aspect of the Trinity

God is love = The Father, Son and Spirit are the community of love

God is also one (we are still monotheists!)

God is love = this perfect and complete love is what creates the unity of Father, Son and Spirit

The unity of God is nothing less than the self-dedication of the trinitarian persons to each other. Indeed, God is love - the divine essence is the love that binds together the Trinity

Don’t ask for an analogy… they all break down (often into heresy)

Show “St. Patrick’s Bad Analogys” video

We often define the Trinity better by what it is NOT (like ditches or bumpers)

Why is this important? Because it is the perfect and complete unity of Father, Son and Spirit that is the foundation of our togetherness as the people of God

Cf. John 17:20-23.

Just as we are invited into the love relationship of God, we are also invited - together - into the loving unity of God

God’s People are One

The promises Jesus makes in his prayer for us are meant to be read corporately, not individually

“They,” not “him”

We tend to over-individualize everything (even did this yesterday… by choice)

If our unity as God’s people is to reflect the perfect divine unity… that is a tall task!

We should not set our goals too low

Talk about giving premarital advice; more than just avoiding divorce, it is about thriving. Same goes for the church (splits)

We should also recognize the need to rely on God’s power for true “unity”

We learn that the source of our unity is not some social contract that we devise where we each mutually benefit from our own selfishness. And it's not a gathering of people with likes and preferences that are similar to each other. And it's not about people that have the same politics or whatever. It's really ultimately a joint partaking or a joint sharing in the spirit of God. (Patrick Franklin, The Armchair Anabaptist, Season 2, Episode 3)

This would also require that we not lose heart when things are not perfect

There will be disagreements, conflict and splits in the church

Instead of giving up, we are called to learn from these mistakes and lean into the unity of God; this is when we need it most!

So God before creation isn't alone in the dark. God is delighting and being delighted in. God is filling and emptying. The early church fathers said that God was dancing, and that creation itself, I think, was born more like a child from an overflow of passion, not from some kind of need or deficit like other ancient stories said. And if that's the image of God, if that's who God is, this eternal flow of love moving back and forth, of self-giving moving back and forth, it's obvious that we humans can't become fully in the image of God alone. We can't enter that self-giving flow by ourselves, which I think is such a huge realization to have at a time when many people are being becoming disillusioned by community, becoming disillusioned by the church and walking away in disappointment. I can totally understand becoming disillusioned. Community doesn't always live up to its promise, but the reality of a Trinitarian God, I think, is there's no way to grow in God or in love all by yourself. It requires relationship, it requires community. Your rightness doesn't do the job. It's the negotiation of self-giving that happens in community that is the core of what the project of maturing an image of God is. And more than that even, I think we could say in light of the Trinity, that this the modern romantic ideal in the west of two people completing each other also isn't what we're talking about, that a Trinitarian community is a circle. It's a moving circle of interconnection and giving and taking and naming and being named, that is the process of becoming like a Trinitarian God. (Meghan Larissa Good, The Armchair Anabaptist, Season 2, Episode 3)

What goals are we aiming for as we live together as the church?

Living Together as the Church

Cf. Philippians 2:1-11; highlight the “participation in the Spirit” (v. 1)

One in purpose (v. 1-2)

Paul talks about this as having the “same mind” or “one mind”

Not referring to a hive mind or uniformity

Time for a Star Trek joke! Borg = resistance is futile

Instead speaks of common priorities and purpose

Our top priority is the same, even as we have different personalities, opinions, etc.

The top priority and purpose is the pursuit of God’s kingdom in Jesus Christ

This has to be number 1! Churches and Christians get side-tracked when side issues take the top spot

Can I talk about Covid? This was one of the very real dangers. Keep the main thing the main thing, and the main thing is Jesus

Let us constantly ask each other, “How can I know Christ and make Him known?”

One in love (v. 2)

This is really what we have been laying the groundwork for all weekend

God is love (3 in 1; social and community)

He extends this love to us personally (we join in this mutual love relationship between Father, Son and Spirit)

He extends this love to us communally (we experience God’s love together and it hold us together)

The thing to remember is the nature of this “love”

I love Karen… but I also love tacos

This type of love is why Paul continues in Philippians 2, and uses language of submission and humility

One in submission (v. 3 - 4)

Biblical humility is about submitting to one another out of the love of God

Easy to understand; so hard to do

Share story of my brother giving me his hockey gloves during beer-league play

If we can all leave here fully committed to counting others more significant than ourselves, unity will NEVER be a problem

Yet there is a greater call to submission, and that is to mutually submit to Jesus Christ (v. 5 - 11)

Christ Jesus alone is exalted about every other name; He alone is worthy of all worship from all people; we confess that He alone is Lord, to the glory of God the Father

Before we seek to be of one mind/purpose, before we seek to be one in love, before we seek to submit to one another, we need to submit to Jesus

Have you submitted to Him as Lord? What area of your life needs to be submitted once more?

Pray