“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42).
Life is difficult. Life is sometimes painful. Life is often messy.
As Christians we are on about life. The resurrection is the greatest vote for life that there could be. Sadly, human behaviour means that we often vote for death, for self-interest, for power and control over love and service.
This week will mark 100 years since Gallipoli. We will remember those who died. The desire for power, control and military might was a vote for death. The thought will be put forward that our soldiers died so others might live. Yet many young lives were wasted because of the agendas and decisions of others.
Life is about the choices we make. The values we adopt. The beliefs and principles we live by. The people we share life with and how we act towards them. Life is dealing with money, people, sex, sickness, ageing. It is about laughter and tears, work and rest, challenge and comfort, grief and joy, pain and disappointment, love and betrayal, success and failure, hopes and dreams, frustration and breakthrough.
Life is so many things. It is not easy to live well. It is not simple to make choices that affirm life, to discern what these are.
We worship a living God. God is life. He is the source of life and goodness. He helps us, through the Holy Spirit, to live in such a way that healthy life prospers.
Those first disciples found ways to nurture life. They continued learning from the apostles/scriptures; they met together; they ate and pray together.
Church is about doing life together. It is making the journey of life with others who share a common foundation in Christ, whatever other differences there may be. It is celebrating, overcoming difficulties, finding ways forward to be a people of life in a culture of death.
Our Life Groups are about life together also. They build friendship and mutual care, participating in mission together, drawing on the scriptures together as our compass for life.
May we be a community of life, and a life-giving community, as God’s people here where we are. Vote for life!