COMMON UNITY

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Common-Unity.

Community.

A little play on words from Pastor Brooks yesterday. 

Made me think of this passage I often quote during my day/activities encouraging church and faith-leaders to help with the drug challenges.

I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one--as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. – John 17:21 (NLT)

Jesus wants us to be UNIFIED in community.  

He constantly emphasized loving each other, serving each other, gathering TOGETHER, and the importance of sharing life together.

And it was interesting that Mark went down this road with his talk yesterday.  It was on the heels of a very COMMUNITY minded week for me.

There were meetings with folks from one of Columbus’ largest gatherings to discuss “COLLECTIVE IMPACT”, a fancy term for communities and services coming together to deal with the opiate crisis.

There was a meeting with another large gathering in Montgomery County with a vision for a “DREAM-CENTER” a "community focused" entity designed to bring healing, restoration, and hope.

There was a fundraiser featuring the author of “DREAMLAND”, Sam Quinones, who chronicles the demise of an Ohio community due to the loss of the local gathering spot, the DREAMLAND pool and park.

Sam also spent some time validating that we live in a growing culture of isolation that has contributed to our recent challenges with addiction and that the only antidote is RE-CONNECTION and community.

My home church AHOP in Xenia has the following as its mission statement; to be a church dedicated to: 

“Learning Christ”

“Living Compassion”

“Loving Community”

To do that last one, I think Vanier in his writing entitled, “Community and Growth”, offers a little guidance as to how.

“A Christian community should do as Jesus did: propose and not impose. Its attraction must lie in the radiance cast by the love of brothers.”  And I think we can add sisters to that equation too.

I often say that “recovery is caught much more than it is taught” and that holds true with Christianity and community.  Jesus Himself noted that folks will be attracted to us, attracted to our community, by the way we love. (John 13:35) 

And it is LOVE for one another that can CREATE “COMMON UNITY” and that can’t help but evolve into COMMUNITY.

And here is the remarkable thing.  Community begins with each of us.  It begins with an attitude of service and concern… - Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. – Philippians 2:4 (ESV) …and grows from there.

Recently I posted this on Facebook.

MLK once remarked...

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.

Jesus said, "Love each other. You must love each other just as I loved you." 

John 13:34 (ERV)

Community.

So, let me wrap this up…

(and I am only going to use “one closing”, Mark - 😊)

Today…

Look to the interests of others.

Look to “live together” in unity, not apart in isolation.

Look to love each other with an attractive and GODLY love.

Do those things and WE WILL uncover more COMMON UNITY and hence a stronger COMMUNITY.

Be blessed today!

I love you all.

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE