Resurrection Power and St. Paul's

Dear Friends in Christ -

Christ's resurrection is for us as individuals AND for all of us together as a faith community - and it poses an important question for us as individuals and for all of us together. The question for us as individuals is: what does God want Resurrection power to create, renew, empower in me? The question for us as a church family is: what does God want Resurrection power to create, renew, empower in our church?

The question of what Resurrection does for our church is an important one, especially at a time in our country when there's a lot of talk about the demise of Christianity (last week, Newsweek magazine's cover article was about the decline and fall of the Christian church in this country).

I think the #1 thing that Resurrection power does for our church is hold us - a very diverse bunch of people with very diverse opinions and perspectives on life - together. God is jealous for the unity of His sons and daughters, so it's no surprise that His power goes forth from him to do the work of holding us together.

The following article from yesterday's Forward Day By Day is an excellent reflection on unity. I was inspired by it, and I commend it to you.
Blessings!
Janet+

Psalm 8 - "You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, to quell the enemy and the avenger."

The psalmist probably had in mind a fortified hilltop city, but a recent visit to Botswana's glorious Okavango Delta widened my understanding of what a stronghold can be.

Surrounded by water-starved land, the Okavango is the world's only inland delta, a lush garden teeming with herbivores (impala, antelope, Cape Buffalo)-and carnivores (lions, leopards, hyenas). A fellow traveler lamented the plight of the prey: "There's nothing they can do."
Actually, there is plenty: sticking together as a herd with multiple ears and eyes makes life easier for all. They keep quiet and stay hidden. The grazers' skills combined with the lush foliage routinely frustrate nature's most accomplished predators. In essence, the Okavango is one huge,
camouflaged stronghold where grazers not only survive, but flourish.

Life with God is much the same-or can be. Stick together; stay vigilant; hide in God-for God is not only a secure stronghold, but also our sure Deliverer.

The unity of the Church is...something much more than a means to any end-it is itself the one worthy end of all human aspiration; it is the life of heaven. -William Temple