JUNE 2021
FELLOWSHIP
Article by: District Elder E. Damonze
Français

Eternal life with God includes eternal fellowship with our triune God and with everyone else (our neighbour) who is in fellowship with God. In John 14: 2-3 Jesus says to his disciples “…I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” During our lifetime on earth, we have the opportunity to prepare for our eternal life. This includes our fellowship with God and our neighbour. We look forward to and prepare for our eternal life. The blessing is we are not left on our own. We have help.

Jesus Christ established His Church to help us prepare for our eternal life. In Acts 2: 42 we read that the early Christians “…continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” All are essential for our eternal life. Our divine service experience includes, among others, the blessing of God in His word, sacraments, and our fellowship with God and each other. 

God’s word in the sermon, proclaimed through the activity of the Holy Spirit, helps us grow in faith as well as in our understanding of God and His will. During the celebration of Holy Communion, we have the opportunity to experience our personal and intimate moment of fellowship with Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Through the forgiveness of our sins, we have fellowship with God. We also have the opportunity for fellowship with each other. Fellowship with our triune God and each other is an integral part of our divine service experience and it impacts our lives as well as helps us prepare for our eternal life.

Our fellowship with each other is essential and a great help. Spending time together can also reveal differences between us and at times create conflict. All of it serves to help us. We can experience and embrace the love, warmth, support, and everything else that is good in our relationship with each other. We also learn to forgive and reconcile. We need each other in more ways than we sometimes realise. We cannot do it alone. It is a blessing from God that we have each other. 

During the time of restrictions due to Covid, we could not be together in person as before. However, we found a way to reach out to family and friends via zoom, more regular calls, driveway visits, etc. to maintain and strengthen our relationship. We’ve come to realise the value of our fellowship and look forward to when we can spend time together again without the current, required restrictions. 

 

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Passiontide   |    Sharing faith across generations   |    Prayer works   |    Close of the year   |    Christmas   |    Thanksgiving   |    Action de grâces   |    Learning and growing   |    The communion of the Holy Spirit   |    A living faith   |    Pentecost 2023   |    The love of God   |    Passiontide   |    Pillars: Shining for God   |    Older and powerful in Christ   |    Closing of the year   |    Christmas peace   |    Loving gratitude   |    Action de grâces   |    Thanksgiving   |    Back to school   |