For through Jesus we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whom structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:18-22)
This explanation from Paul is one of my favorite expressions of “Being the Church,” our theme for this fall. The past seven weeks we have reflected on the Priorities & Practices Jesus us to cultivate as the Lord builds Immanuel Anglican Church:
· Reflective Listening: Understanding the heart of Jesus and others by listening, asking questions, restating meaning, clarifying, and then responding.
· Adventurous Thinking: Having a “God-dominated imagination” in which we release our expectations, assumptions and agendas regarding our future, turning instead to the Resurrected Jesus to lead us into God’s future with faith-full risk taking.
· Intentional Diversity: Cultivating relationships in which we recognize and receive the gifts each individual, generation, and culture brings into our family, remembering that we are an ongoing, new creation in Christ.
· Creative Connecting: Connecting with God and each other, and drawing disconnected ones into our common life in Jesus – which is essential for everyone. (Connect with the Body of Christ. Get in the chariot. Get uncomfortable.)
All of this is woven into what it means for us to “Be the Church.” The next two weeks we’ll explore this further, ruminating on how our Father is creating us to be the unified body of Jesus through the Holy Spirit, his gifts, and love (1 Corinthians 12-13).
I look forward to being with you on Sunday.
Your pastor in Christ,
Travis+