The Bright Love of Brotherly and Sisterly Service
A few months ago, I was standing in the narthex at the church ushering for a funeral, and I found myself oddly happy. I wasn’t happy because of the funeral or the hurting family, but joyful that I was amongst a strong community of believers, my church family. Before the service started, I saw and talked to people whom I had not seen in a long time. I witnessed many people talking with one another and loving on each other. It felt very good to be with family.
In his book Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that “the physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer.” There’s a marked difference between being in community with believers and being in community with non-believers (what Bonhoeffer calls human community).
The body of Christ here at NEPC is becoming a stronger body. I believe we are growing into what Bonhoeffer describes as the kind of community God has richly given us. A genuine Christian community has orderly brotherly and sisterly service, there is humble subjection to each other, communication is open and full of light (see 1 John 1:7), the Word of God alone rules and is binding, and all power honor and dominion are surrendered to the Holy Spirit. Or at least that’s the way it should be. Bonhoeffer makes it clear that that’s the ideal but rarely the reality. Christian community is a work in progress, just like we all are.
There is one phrase in his book that has so captured my attention that it rings in my ears all day long. Bonhoeffer claims that “in the community of the Spirit there burns the bright love of brotherly (and sisterly) service.” It is, I believe, the essence of how we can continue to pursue building a strong, vibrant, Bible-believing community here at NEPC. The key is to participate in service to God and to and with one another. That is, we come together to serve our great God, to serve one another, and to serve with one another.
This year, the Diaconate of NEPC is building in more opportunities for service. More opportunities to serve God. More opportunities to serve each other. More opportunities to serve with each other. More opportunities to build this community of believers up to the glory of God. Keep a watchful eye for those opportunities.
Mac Curfman - Chair of the NEPC Diaconate
