October 24th, 2013 Commentary on Henri Nouwen's Daily Meditation

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Daily-Meditation--Loving-the-Church.html?soid=1011221485028&aid=Y9JvsZycr68

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Thursday October 24, 2013 

Loving the Church

Loving the Church often seems close to impossible.  Still, we must keep reminding ourselves that all people in the Church - whether powerful or powerless,  conservative or progressive, tolerant or fanatic - belong to that long line of witnesses moving through this valley of tears, singing songs of praise and thanksgiving, listening to the voice of their Lord, and eating together from the bread that keeps multiplying as it is shared.  When we remember that, we may be able to say,  "I love the Church, and I am glad to belong to it."

Loving the Church is our sacred duty.   Without a true love for the Church, we cannot live in it in joy and peace.  And without a true love for the Church, we cannot call people to it.

My Commentary:

Today’s Nouwen has a funny title I must confess… for do we love a building or do we love mission?  What today’s meditation has to say to me is in recalling wonderful, committed laity I have served alongside of during my training in ministry.  The church plant I recently served for the past year and a half had amazing devoted, passionate people.  The Body was in fine shape and everyone could see that!  The deacon of this former plant, in particular, is amazing.  He and his wife have devoted their lives to stewarding the various and often overwhelming duties the community needed to get off the ground!  One of the great tasks they would take care of week after week would be hauling all of the communion ware and altar items back and forth in their family van since the hotel wouldn’t give the church any storage.  Every little facet from the greeting prelude Powerpoint presentation to the elaborately set table, they took charge of.

At my new church family community, there are two congregants who are continually serving in worship.  They are active and passionately committed to the mission efforts of the parish.  They radiate living in the light of God’s GRACE which truthfully is why we gather.  We gather together as the Body to empower and motivate one another to be passionate disciples.  We need one another to live out Jesus’ great commission to us all: (Matthew 28:18-20) “¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

If I were to re-word this meditation, I would say to love first, the church within your heart built by the Holy Spirit and love/ grow and look forward to true koinonia (fellowship) with the family of disciples—the Body of Christ/ the collective church!

God Bless Your Thursdays!

Nicole Collins