Day 4

Any fellowship?

Ps Carol Hanes

Fellowship – it seems like a word from by-gone days. Jack and I met in 1974 at a Baptist Church in Tacoma, Washington. The Church consisted of three separate buildings: the Sunday School and Nursery, the Sanctuary and the Fellowship Hall. Our wedding was at the Church, followed by our reception in - you guessed it, the Fellowship Hall.

Actually, fellowship has never gone out of style. We might describe it differently, but the fact is, it's a Bible word, so we very well cannot dismiss it. In Greek, it's that beautiful word, koinonia. This is much more than food in the café after Church (although that's good); it's the shared experience and partnership we have as followers of Christ.

Philippians 2:1 NLT

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate?

In our modern vernacular, we use the phrase "doing life together." The past few months, hard as they have been, have also served to show us how much we appreciate the family of God. Many have been encouraged by door-step visits and mailbox gifts; we've lost loved ones and felt the comfort and prayers of others. Then there were our meetings on Zoom, where we all bumbled along learning the new technology. We endured, appreciating how good it was to see the familiar faces that we love.

Now that we can gather, let's go deeper in our friendships, and can I say it? Fellowship. Let's rediscover what it means to experience belonging to Christ and to one another. 

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for placing me in a community of believers. May these months of separation help me to appreciate my Church family more than ever before. Help me to find new ways of strengthening our ties of friendship and love as believers. I pray you will bless me with strong, life-giving friendships and fellowship. Amen.