Stewarding Life Part 6: Stewards of COMMUNITY

Bible Texts: 1 John 4:7-12 and John 13:34-35

In Part 6 of our Stewarding Life series we consider the Apostle John's reminder that the love of God is the measure of Christian community. With the help of a French social worker turned theologian, a German pastor turned prisoner, and a London barrister turned barista, Paul challenges us to consider how we measure up as stewards of community and wonders whether serving coffee might just be the most important job in the church...

References:

“Often it seems that beneath the pleasantries of daily life there are many gapping wounds that carry such names as: abandonment, betrayal, rejection, rupture, and loss. These are all the shadow side of the second love and reveal the darkness that never completely leaves the human heart. The radically good news is that the second love is only a broken reflection of the first love and that the first love is offered to us by a God in whom there are no shadows.” Henri Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus

“…maybe Jesus simply loved John with that same holy love he had for each one of his followers and has for us. Could it be that John simply became so struck by the overpowering reality of Jesus’ love, that he Christened himself ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved,’ just as each one of us might as we enter into a true understanding of this fantastic, unending love of our Saviour for us?” Commentary from Life With God Bible 

“Christian [community] is not an ideal which we must realise; it is rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate. The more clearly we learn to recognize that the ground and strength and promise of all our fellowship is in Jesus Christ alone, the more serenely shall we think of our fellowship and pray and hope for it.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

Stephen Foster's testimony.