Our Bible Study this term is based on a study guide by J.I. Packer called Meeting God. Over and over the study points to scripture reminding us that love for one another is the hallmark of the church, the body of Christ.
On Thanksgiving Sunday, SPPC practised love for one another with a lavish display of the harvest and cake.
One of our members celebrated her 90th birthday and we threw a party.
The guest of honour was happy to share her birthday cake and it looks like our organist got the biggest piece.
Of course, the best gift was a visit from her daughter, all the way from Australia.
It is very easy in today's culture to dismiss the church as a relic of a bygone era, a social club for old people. After all, the secularists argue, charitable organizations, without a faith affiliation, often outstrip local congregations in their good works. Sports teams foster an esprit de corps and encourage healthy living. Service clubs raise funds for good causes and provide fellowship for their members. Why bother with church? The answer lies in John 13:35. Only the church has a "constitution" that commands love. Love for insiders and outsiders, for those like us and for those unlike us, even love for our enemies.
As the body of Christ, we are called to the highest standards. We won't always succeed. After all, the church is made up of sinners, flawed human beings who must throw themselves on the mercy of Christ over and over, but we keep trying, we keep reaching higher, we keep our eyes on Jesus and we love one another. And that makes us relevant and necessary in the twenty-first century.
Come . . . be a part of Christ's amazing church. We'll throw a party.
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