Community of the Cross
In my Heartlight.org article this week, “Woman Behold Your Son,” I continue my series on the 7 sayings of Jesus from the Cross. In a couple of days, I will share a little insight on some of John’s terminology that adds some depth and meaning to the meaning of Jesus’ words to Mary and the Beloved Disciple.Today, however, I would really love to get some feedback from you on a couple of questions that I hope help us make this story not only touching, but also the motivation for us to do some things in our church families to live out Jesus’ example.
How do the events of the Cross create a new community of care?
Why is it important for us to care for the least, the last, and the lonely?
What are some practical ways that Jesus’ community, our church families, can care for those who are older or in need of protection and friendship?
I’d love to get your input on this in the comments section below.
You have nailed one of the basic concepts of Christianity that we overlook so many times – that of care for Christ’s “family.” My best friend is the PERFECT example of this teaching; she spends all her days taking elderly widows to doctor’s appointments, shopping, lunch, etc. I only hope I can be half the Christian she portrays.
If we look at members of the body and think “their business is no concern of mine” we completely forget what Christ said was most important through Paul in 1 Corinthians 13: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
If we neglect love for our brothers and sisters we neglect Christ himself as stated in 1 John 4: “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Christ says this in Matthew 25 concerning those who will be separated on judgement day to go with Him,
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Christ is telling us how we show that love. James tells us that without ACTING with love toward our brothers and sisters our faith is DEAD. We can have the perfect doctrine according to God’s Word, sing with enthusiasm, pray the best prayers – but he says In James 2: “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
James is reiterating Christ’s parable and 1 Corithians 13’s defintion of love – there MUST be loving action in the form of caring for Christ’s family for us to pleasing to Him.
Linda Hoeck
21 Jul 08 at 9:28 am
One aspect of God’s Word I love is that whether you believe in it or not, the consequences apply. His Word is natural law. I don’t need to believe in “gravity,” but if I drop a ball, it will fall period.
God says to honor our mothers and fathers and to take care of the widows and of the least of His. A natural consequence of doing so is it gives us, the caregivers, a sense of security. We naturally believe in what we can see. If I care for those in need, I can believe that I will be cared for in my need. This is a practical aspect to obedience.
Because of Jesus’ teaching (especially the Sermon on the Mount), His followers should know beyond a shadow of a doubt, how to interact with another whom He has created. Our giving lifts that individual up, but it lifts us up–in the spiritual sense–at the very same time.
Our motivation for obeying God’s Word should be love for what He sacrificed on our behalf. But with that love and obedience comes so many natural blessings–blessings that bring us closer to His likeness.
Lisa
21 Jul 08 at 10:37 am
Concerning your second question -
Western Hills in Temple, where my parents were members, handled the caring for widows issue by assigning each widow a deacon to care for their needs. Any time they needed assistance with anything, they called their deacon. Sam Nix, the father of our Clint Nix, was Mom’s deacon and was a great help and comfort to her. He would even come to change light bulbs and do small tasks. I think that just knowing there was someone she could depend on was very comforting.
In another congregation where we worshiped, once a month our Ladie’s Bible Class broke into groups and visited the widows and did small things for them like running errands or just visited with them. They really looked forward to the visits.
Dena
24 Jul 08 at 9:33 am