Aldham 9.15, MT 11am
Jeremiah 23.1-6
Aldham SoW:
7th Sunday afterTrinity
19/7/2015
Ephesians 2. 11-22
Sound Ken, Lead Martyn Drain
Envelope for us in Vestry...
Notices:
Collect: Generous God, you give us gifts and make them grow: though our
faith is small as mustard seed, make it grow to your glory and the flourishing
of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
S&HOF 104 Fill thou my life O Lord my God
Meditation Martyn
S&HOF 54 Christ is made the sure foundation
First Reading: Jeremiah 23. 1-6 (p.782)
Wendy Doncaster
purple 27 The Lords my Shepherd ( for the psalm slot)
Second Reading: Ephesians 2. 11-22 (p.1174)
Jennifer MacCallum
say the Song of Zechariah
Intercessions Iain MacCallum
purple 61 Make me a channel of your peace (Barbara will play this one)
Sermon
purple 78 Lord of the Church
Sermon: “The Wheel” - Fellowship
We are in a sermon series
suggested by Peter Strode,
called “The Wheel”
Wheel 6 Fellowship.jpg
We are picturing the
Christian life like a wheel:
Jesus Christ himself is the
hub, the centre, around
which everything else turns. On the outside, the rim
of the wheel is Walking with Christ, our behaviour
and lifestyle, which is our contact with the world
around us. Two spokes connect us vertically with God:
the Word of God, the Bible; and Prayer, which Andrew
spoke about last Sunday. And two spokes connect us
horizontally with other people: Fellowship with
Christians, and next week’s subject, Witnessing to our
neighbours.
What do we mean by Fellowship? It’s a bit of a
Christian jargon-word. It’s different from Friendship.
We make friends with people because we have
something in common with them, we share an interest
in model railways, or baking cakes, or football. Our
friends are people we like, naturally. But Fellowship
is the connection we have with fellow Christians.
With them we may share anything or nothing in
common, except our faith in Jesus Christ. We may all
be white, Anglo-Saxon and middle class; or we may be
any colour, race, class and every other category you
could mention. In Galatians 3.28, Paul said that ‘in
Christ’ there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave
nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all
one in Christ Jesus. It’s a bit like family – you can
choose your friends, but your family are a given. It’s
also true that you can dump friends, but blood is
thicker than water. Fellow Christians are like your
new family in the kingdom. They’re a funny lot – have
a look around!
We often call people ‘children of God’. Well, that’s true
in the sense that God made them, like He fashioned
Adam and Eve. We are His creatures. But the Bible
tells us that God only had one Son, one natural child,
Jesus. But then, the Bible goes on to say that He has
many adopted children – you and me. That’s the
amazing truth – when we become Christians, we are
adopted as God’s children. We are ‘in Christ’, brothers
and sisters of Jesus. Why not turn to the person next
to you, and say, “Hello brother, hello sister. We are
family, we are children of God.”
People often ask why they have to go to church, as if
attendance is some tiresome duty. But when you
realize what has happened to you, what being ‘in
Christ’ means, then you begin to grasp that this is
your true family, you have come home. The true point
of meeting together is both worship together, and
fellowship together. Relationship with God, and
relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Some churches have “Welcome Home!” over the door,
or up on the screen – I think that’s great, profoundly
true. Some Christians believe that faith is an
individual thing, that they don’t need other
Christians, they can have faith alone. So why are we
always on phones and social media, then? We have
this weird double-think with relationships – we want
them, but we don’t want them. We sit together with
other people, all looking down at our screens. We were
made for relationship with God, and with people; and
yet we find relationships so difficult – we break up,
and then we try again; and again. Meanwhile, the
truest and best relationships are those with the
strongest connections: Jesus Christ Himself – that’s
why Church, that’s why we are here.
That means there are strong bonds between us, forged
by God himself. We share a Unity in Christ. Our
reading from Ephesians explained how Jews and
Gentiles, who were especially divided, are brought
together in Christ. The Temple had an outer court for
Gentiles, then a ‘dividing wall of hostility’, and an
inner court for Jews. But Jesus has destroyed the
barrier, and has made us one people, one building.
In his Introduction to this series, Peter Strode quoted
two texts on Fellowship:
In Matthew 18:20, Jesus said, “Where two or three
gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Our unity is based on the presence of Jesus: He is the
one who unites us.
Peter also quoted Hebrews 10:24-25 “Let us consider
how we may spur one another on towards love and
good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some
are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one
another – and all the more as you see the Day
approaching.”
Peter said, “Fellowship is not just idle chit chat with
other Christians. True Fellowship means Christ
centred sharing of our experience of God and our
understanding of the bible; praying and supporting
each other and giving support and encouragement as
appropriate.” We are focusing on what’s important in
Christ, the spiritual aspect of our lives. So, when you
meet with other Christians, of course you have fun;
but spend a moment at least talking about faith. I
remember one elderly Christian, already forgetting his
own name and yours, who would still ask, “How’s your
walk with the Lord? How are you with Jesus?”
If you are not already part of one of our network
groups I would press you to join one: they are the best
way to connect with other Christians, and encourage
one another. You will also find it helpful to get
involved in some work for the Lord, perhaps
something like Messy Church, or Open the Book, or
Foodbank. Working with other Christians can assist
our spiritual development and encourage us as we see
God at work in these activities. Bible reading, prayer
and worship are like food for our souls; but Christian
service is like exercise for the soul, it helps you grow
strong in your faith.
Welcome to the kingdom of God! Welcome home!