We all need Friends

I just had a horrible thought! What if I had to live by myself! I don’t have many things that I am afraid of, but the thought of living the rest of my days alone is last thing I would want for myself. I don’t need a lot of friends, but I can never survive not sharing experiences together. Love is the center of it all. God is love. How can we love unless there is someone else to love? I have heard the world is becoming a more lonely place.

People are withdrawing, we are not trying, and relationships are dying. Let’s be perfectly honest, what is church without relationships? Yes, we all want to go to heaven, but what is the point of going if people and Jesus are not the point of it all? Church is the precursor for eternity, we are practicing for what we will do forever. Loving Jesus, Loving others, spending time with people!

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Hebrews 10:23-25 (NLT)

I can not count the endless benefits of having friends and community. The fundamental feature that makes us human, but in many ways not prioritized. We are tired, we are busy, relationships take work, people can be annoying. Yes, all those things can be true, but because of those things we must be intentional to create loving relationships. What a wonderful place church is.

Anyone and everyone that wants to cultivate relationships can do so. People from every corner of the world, different, strange, and interesting. How can we find a place that brings so many people of various mindsets together? The common theme? Love. Jesus has brought all of us together, and what a blessing it is to make more friends. May our church be a place of warmth and connection. May we strive to love others as Jesus loves us. What an honor it is to have friends like you!

Connected to the Vine

-Pastor Danny