| Rev. Dr. Gary E Nelson |
Gathering Together "King David brought together all the Israelite leaders and all the priests and Levites... The king assigned 24 thousand to administer the work of the Temple, 6 thousand to keep records and decide disputes, 4 thousand to do guard duty, and 4 thousand to praise the Lord, using the musical instruments provided by the king for this purpose." (I Chronicles 23:2-5) Whew, talk about big government! The fact of the matter is that it takes a lot of folks and a lot of help sometimes to accomplish the goals of an organization (or a kingdom in David's case). This month laity and clergy from all our United Methodist churches in the West Virginia Annual Conference will gather in Buchannon to "administer the work of the Temple... decide disputes... and praise the Lord." This annual gathering reminds us that we belong to a church that stretches around the world. It takes a lot of people and resources to accomplish the goals of ministry that God's Holy Spirit has placed before our global church. Gathering together is vital to the work of the church and the lives of its members. I've lost count of the number of times I've heard someone say, "I can be a good Christian and not go to church." For a long time I just let that be, but now I'm at a point in my life and ministry where I need to say, "That's not true." In order to truly be faithful to our calling as Christians we cannot neglect gathering together. Each of our relationships with God in Christ is not simply a one-on-one between each of us and God. My relationship with God is only truly whole when it's a relationship between me, you, and God. There are many reasons for my saying that we cannot neglect our gathering together as Christians, but I'll focus here on just one. I truly believe that every Sunday morning there is someone (or several) sitting among us who needs to see our faces for the support they need to get through a difficult time in their life. That person needs to see the presence of others in the house of the Lord testifies to the fact that God got them through difficult times in their lives, so God will also help the one currently in need. We need to see each other to be reminded we are not alone. Our gathering together is not a measure of whether we are good or bad Christians. Our gathering together is essential to our very nature as Christians. Our absence from the gathering does not merely disappoint God, it also disappoints and hurts those who needed to see us and worship with us on any given Sunday. Your presence means a lot to me each Sunday. I cannot say that enough. Thank you for gathering together with me as the body of Christ. Hope to see you each week! Blessings and Peace, Pastor Gary |
