“Love each other with the same love you have for your family. In fact, you should love each other with the same love that is shared between two brothers. The value you place on each other should be so high that it makes you desire to see those you love excel and achieve much in life, even if it means that they excel and achieve more than you do.”
Romans 12:10
( Rick Renner: Sparkling Gems of the Greek)
reading this right now explains a little why if there was a litmus test for what level of grief and sadness you were going through I think I would be scoring on the higher end...
having been blessed by the Lord to be part of a "church family" where this kind of brotherly, (and sisterly ) respectful love was flowing freely for almost all of my Christian life, it makes sense that there is a profound sense of loss.. makes sense that walking in and out of a church without so much as talking to someone for a moment let alone connect meaningfully just feels so VERY wrong...
another passage of scripture comes to mind:
While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”
He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Matthew 12:46-50
the closeness we have, kind of by default, as fellow believers planted in the same church, called to ministry together, called to love one another with this kind of "rejoicing together-mourning together - being Jesus to one another" love is rooted in sharing what is most important in our lives and that is our Saviour.. the call to be like Him, the call to point each other to Him as the source of all we need to know for life and godliness.. there is something about this that is thicker even than blood...
it's the spiritual family.. not surprising really, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ..
so, I am acknowledging that God, the Sovereign God over all creation has us in this place where for now we are lacking these kind of relationships.. has us in the place where being ripped out of the fabric of such family ties and intimacy we feel like all our limbs have been amputated.. acknowledging that only the manufacturer can heal such wounds and He will, in His time.. He will also allow new connections to grow.. based on that same "co-heir of Christ kind of kinship" and allow us to bless and be blessed.. again...
As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”
1 Peter 2:4-6
I am looking forward to the new year to connect in some more meaningful ways with this new family, while worshipping together and hearing the Word preached each Sunday is laying a foundation for all the things He has for us.. to become crafted in, to bear fruit, to find our place as living stones, part of this building, the church, to minister and come along side each other, thankful and expectant to find out what this will look like!!! God is GOOD all the time!
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