God is great. God has created the universe and everything in it, imparting a special image upon humankind and cultivating the earth with a delicate and purposeful touch. God is so large and unsearchable that we can only imagine all the things God could do if God desired. But out of everything that God is capable of doing, God has chosen for his mission to primarily be one of presence, to be with us as his children. This is our celebration and joy, that our Father who art in heaven would so constantly delve into our midst, even though we first turned away from God.
God's decision to be God with us, Immanuel, in the flesh through Jesus Christ, is the boldest claim of Christianity and is the center of everything we are and believe. Yes, God has saved us through his Son, but he has only done so because he resolved to spend eternity dwelling with us. Yes, God works miracles of healing and reconciliation, but only because first he chose to be in solidarity with us throughout our lives. Everything in Scripture can be routed back to the idea that God wants to be in relationship with us, all of us, forever; so what does that mean for us at Bell Springs UMC, for our church's mission to the community?
If God's greatest act of love is to be with us, then our greatest act of love is to be with God as well, and to be with one another. Often when we think of giving to others, we think of wealth, skills or other goods that they need. But the greatest gift we can offer anyone is the gift of ourselves, the gift of presence. When we think about growing in God's love and developing as Christians, as more deeply committed disciples of Jesus Christ, we cannot do so without intentionally being present with people as God has already chosen to be with us. If you want to come closer to God, then coming closer to God's children is an excellent place to begin.
God's being with us is not limited to the spiritual realm. God has proven that God has decided to be with us in the flesh, which we of course know because Jesus Christ came to be with us in person. Even though it may seem that God is too big or beyond us to become this intimate, he appeared in Christ to show that God is fully resolute to be with us physically and relationally. But God does not stop there, as Jesus was not simply roaming the streets trying to convince us of anything. Jesus Christ intentionally takes the time to form relationships with people in order to connect emotionally. Think of the time when Jesus wept over the death of Lazarus; the time when Jesus was betrayed by his own disciples; the time when he cared for the Samaritan woman at the well. God has resolved to be with us physically, spiritually and emotionally, and we are called to do the same as his disciples. This presence does not happen automatically; it is with great intention that we form such relationships with new people and enter into their lives in an intimate way which transforms them and us.
So if God's greatest gift is to be with us fully, and our greatest gift to one another is to be with one another fully, then inviting others into our midst is the single greatest gift we have to offer. Often, churches run membership drives and campaigns out of a desire to build up their own church and even carry out their own agenda. But this is not our motivation at Bell Springs. If we seek to carry out God's mission for us, then we will act like we believe that God is with us, and we will intentionally enter into relationship with those around us with the goal of inviting them into our church so that they may know the God who has amazingly and unselfishly decided to be God with them. The mission of God--Father, Son and Holy Spirit--is to be with us fully, and for us to be fully with him. The church is merely those who have gathered to begin this process, and we cannot grow in this mission without more people inviting more people to be with God. How could we claim to be God's disciples without inviting everyone we can to be with us, to be with God, and to participate in God's Kingdom here on earth through the church?
A point most people miss or forget - God wants a PERSONAL relationship with us! Amen!
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