Dear Christ Gathered

       Our newest residents here at the church (baby swallows) are growing very quickly.   Last week when I wrote, all I could see were the eyes and beaks of two tiny and fuzzy chicks right out of their eggs.  By the next day, I could see a third bird sitting in the nest woven up under the eave by my office.
       They don't cheep as much and are very good at sitting very still as I near the door but they can't really hide anymore.  They are quickly outgrowing the nest and seem to spend a lot of time perched on the edges of the nest.  They should begin flying in a week or so but they may continue to come back to the nest for a time.  I will miss tracking their progress and watching them grow.
       Young things such as chicks and children grown up faster than we realize.  I was reminded of this yesterday as I talked to a soon-to-be eighth grade confirmation student. As often happens over the summer, he has hit a growth spurt and is getting taller.  I go through this every year; it is a stage that reminds me that I am getting older even as they grow up and prepare to go out and live their own lives.  It also reminds me how precious this time is that we have together to talk and learn together about God.
        There are many things that already clamor for their attention and draw them away from time together in study and worship; work, sports, family activities and commitments, and taking time for rest and relaxation often come first.  It is a common struggle for many people.  And now along with the question "how do we find time for church?" some people are asking, "is church necessary?".
        It's true; nowhere does Jesus say that one has to be a member of any organized religion to be a faithful follower.  However, we are called to be in community with one another.  Paul writes about it as the faithful being the body of Christ.  One of the early names for what we now call the "congregation" or "church" was "Dear Christ gathered".  It was both a symbol of Christ's promise to be with us when we gather two or more and a reminder that our lives are to be a witness to following Jesus.
       Together, God gives us comfort and strength (Isaiah 41:10).  We can learn from each other, support each other, help each other, and encourage each other.  Granted, we can also be a source of discouragement, disappointment, and even pain to each other.  Paul writes very clearly that we do not experience each other as equal in faith, gifts, or any other way and it's easier to include some people than others but then, that is God's point.  It is only by grace that any of us are included in the body of Christ.  We are gathered in God's love, by God's grace to be a sign of that love to the world.
       That can be difficult sometimes but it is the struggle we are given as those who follow Jesus.   Together, we can be the witness that shows God's love  to the world.  Now we won't always succeed because gathered in Christ or not, our failures and our shortcomings not only come along with us but sometimes we seem to feed off of each other.  But then is when we need to care for each other and forgive each other instead of stoking the flames of dissension and disagreement.   The words read at weddings (1 Corinthians 13:4-13) about love being patient and kind; about love bearing and enduring all things were written as part of the instruction on how to be gathered together in Christ!  That kind of love and care is the witness that the world sorely needs from the each of us and the church as a whole.  Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 22-26.