2 thoughts on “A Community of Peace-02-Lon Bjornrud”
Katie on said:
What a beautiful picture of unity! Good reminder that unity does NOT equal uniformity. When we are focused primarily on Christ and are loved by him through the people around us, we are free to be the unique people we have been created to be! The orchestra analogy was illuminating.
I love that there is unity and community within the Trinity–distinct and creative personalities within the Oneness of God, all loving each other and experiencing deep relationships. I had never really considered that we don’t CREATE unity within the Body of Christ, but that it already exists as an extension of God’s character. It’s actually rather freeing. God is the so-called glue that holds us together, we just get to participate and cultivate.
The sermon began with the analogy of a battering ram and our “battle for unity”–this isn’t just touchy-feely stuff, but our purpose in bringing the PEACEful Kingdom of God to this war-torn and wounded world. Wow. That raises my relationships with followers of Christ to a whole new level!
Maybe the reason that community is so key to our witness is because it reflects the very nature of our God–the unity of relationships that exist within the Trinity.
Another thing, it wasn’t explicitly said in the sermon, but obviously implied that this unity is completely based on our love for God, and our love for others. (Now that I type that, I think that it was said…)
And, I meant to start the 3rd paragraph of my first entry with “The sermon began” 🙂
What a beautiful picture of unity! Good reminder that unity does NOT equal uniformity. When we are focused primarily on Christ and are loved by him through the people around us, we are free to be the unique people we have been created to be! The orchestra analogy was illuminating.
I love that there is unity and community within the Trinity–distinct and creative personalities within the Oneness of God, all loving each other and experiencing deep relationships. I had never really considered that we don’t CREATE unity within the Body of Christ, but that it already exists as an extension of God’s character. It’s actually rather freeing. God is the so-called glue that holds us together, we just get to participate and cultivate.
The sermon began with the analogy of a battering ram and our “battle for unity”–this isn’t just touchy-feely stuff, but our purpose in bringing the PEACEful Kingdom of God to this war-torn and wounded world. Wow. That raises my relationships with followers of Christ to a whole new level!
More thoughts…
Maybe the reason that community is so key to our witness is because it reflects the very nature of our God–the unity of relationships that exist within the Trinity.
Another thing, it wasn’t explicitly said in the sermon, but obviously implied that this unity is completely based on our love for God, and our love for others. (Now that I type that, I think that it was said…)
And, I meant to start the 3rd paragraph of my first entry with “The sermon began” 🙂