Anne was looking forward to...
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Anne was looking forward to attending a women's conference in another town. Several of her friends from church would be traveling together to this event. Anne knew with the line up of speakers that the conference would be great.
The conference was everything that Anne anticipated. Her spirit soared as she listened to other women share their experience of faith.
On Sunday morning Anne and her friends attended a downtown church of a different denomination. She enjoyed the opportunity to worship with Christians from another faith tradition. She claims it gave her a greater perspective, which we could all benefit from time to time.
The highlight of the service was when the congregation moved to the altar for communion. As the bread and juice were given, Anne was deeply moved. The pastor said to each person, "the body of Christ, broken for you," and "the blood of Christ, shed for you." Anne looked at the faces of the people kneeling at the altar and realized that they were "my brothers and sisters in Christ."
At that moment she thought about her home church and the recent struggles that divided the congregation. There are times when as sisters and brothers in Christ we may disagree over all sorts of things, but she says, "When we remember and obey Jesus' command to love one another, we are the church."
Jesus was meeting with his beloved disciples. He knew he would not be with them as he had been, and he also knew that proclaiming the faith would not be easy. He promised them the Holy Spirit would be present with them giving them strength and leading them into all truth. "When the Spirit of truth comes," Jesus told his friends, "he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."
The conference was everything that Anne anticipated. Her spirit soared as she listened to other women share their experience of faith.
On Sunday morning Anne and her friends attended a downtown church of a different denomination. She enjoyed the opportunity to worship with Christians from another faith tradition. She claims it gave her a greater perspective, which we could all benefit from time to time.
The highlight of the service was when the congregation moved to the altar for communion. As the bread and juice were given, Anne was deeply moved. The pastor said to each person, "the body of Christ, broken for you," and "the blood of Christ, shed for you." Anne looked at the faces of the people kneeling at the altar and realized that they were "my brothers and sisters in Christ."
At that moment she thought about her home church and the recent struggles that divided the congregation. There are times when as sisters and brothers in Christ we may disagree over all sorts of things, but she says, "When we remember and obey Jesus' command to love one another, we are the church."
Jesus was meeting with his beloved disciples. He knew he would not be with them as he had been, and he also knew that proclaiming the faith would not be easy. He promised them the Holy Spirit would be present with them giving them strength and leading them into all truth. "When the Spirit of truth comes," Jesus told his friends, "he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."
