October 4th will be our first worship gathering in the building for Prince of Peace since March 8th! That date was also my first full Sunday as the senior pastor at POP. We have endured a lot and much of our world is different today than it was back in March. Yet, through it all, God is faithful and He continues to walk with us. Thanks be to God.
One of the hardest parts of these recent days is our lack of connection with one another. Even as we have gathered to worship in the parking lot, which has been wonderful, we still are alone together. God created us for community. You are hard wired to be connected and invested in other people. In fact, studies show that the best way to kick a bout of sadness and gloom is by serving and loving others. God knows we need good and healthy relationships with others. It’s part of the reason He made it a remedy for our sadness. We function better when we function together.
I think this is what Paul is getting towards in Romans 12:4-5, when he equates us to the various parts of a body. We each come with gifts, talents, perspectives, and observations. And we each need the gifts, talents, perspectives, and observations of others to help color our world more fully and beautifully. Maybe you, like me, have struggled during these days of isolation, quarantine, and social distancing. It has become easy to let the circumstances of our world dictate our joy and response. We have been drug through the mud of anger, bitterness, frustration, and discord. Community—togetherness—is the safety rope that pulls us out of the raging flood of discontent. This is the hope of our Koinonia Groups. To help us be together in intentional and faithful ways because faith is made whole in community.
If you haven’t heard about Koinonia Groups, that’s okay. They are a new initiative to help our Prince of Peace family be together. Koinonia is the Greek New Testament word for fellowship. A Koinonia Group is a gathering of people (you can pick your own group of friends or POP will help put you in one) who get together to share life and seek Christ together. By using Following the Master: Stories of Sacramental
Discipleship and study guide handouts, each group will be guided through a process of sharing, investigating, and diving deeper into our faith together. Learn more at: https://www.princeofpeacefayette.org/koinonia-groups/.
