Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Monday 28 December 2020

Not created to be on our own

When God created the earth and placed human beings on this planet His intentions were that they would multiply and live peacefully together.

It was not in God's Plan that we all would live as individuals in our own little cocoon or bubble, isolated from the rest of the world.

2020 was a year where we were forced to go in isolation. Even to honour God and to have religious services we had to find means to have celebrations and Breaking of bread, without being together.

We once were a society that centred around family. Multiple generations often lived together under one roof and when families did live separately, they never moved very far. There always have been events to celebrate with each other. Often people looked for reasons to come together and have fun with each other in group. These days, we have become more of an individualistic culture. Most people today rely on themselves. In previous generations members of a family often came to live not so far away from the other members. Today, work has required many to live far away from where they were raised. Our connections with other people take place most often in the workplace. But those connections are usually shallow, fickle, and short lived.

In the church, we see this sense of individualism and disconnectedness as well. In certain countries people are obliged to move around because their work. They therefore do not have anymore what they would call their "own church". Some may stake a claim on a church but remain distant and on the margins, attending only when something better isn't going on. And then there are those who may indeed have a committed relationship with a church but they are not all in. They aren't fully known by their community. They don't rely on the Body when they are struggling or in need. Instead, they wear masks that cover the pain of their lives, pretending that everything's okay, even though it's not.

This year literally masks had to be covering our face. All over the continent religious people could not come together anymore to have a worship service together. Now the individualism and doing life on our own is not part of God's design. In creating mankind, God desired for us to participate in that community which in this corona period could not be realised in real life, but had to happen in virtual meetings.

Jehovah didn't create man to be in community with him alone. After he created the world and Adam, God said,

 "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him" (Genesis 2:18). 

God created man and woman to be in community together, to create families and live together, bearing the image of God.

Scripture is all about community. God chose the Israelites to be his people.

 "And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people" (Leviticus 26:12). 

They lived and worshipped him together in community. Following the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, God then instituted the church, the Body of Christ as a community of believers.

 "Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it." (1 Corinthians 12:27).

 This year, we as members of our church-community were not able to come together in real life with our brothers and sisters. But thanks to the contemporary electronica we were blessed to be able to meet by all those modern electric tools. Several electronic applications made it possible that we even could meet with more people from all over the world.

Being made to live in a humble, worshipful, and loving dependency upon God and in a loving and humble interdependency with others, we could share our union with Christ.


Not only were we created to be in community but we also need community. When we can come together we can share ideas and strengthen each other in our way of thinking and handling. In a way there is also social control. We need godly brothers and sisters to watch our back. We need to be connected in community where we can all be on alert together for the dangers that are all around us.

The truth is, we need each other. We need to trust, rely on, and depend upon other believers. God gave us each other to walk alongside, encourage, and spur one another one in the faith. The writer to the Hebrews says,

 "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near" (Hebrews 10:24-25).

James 5:16 says,

 "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." 

We are to carry each other's burdens (Galatians 6:2), care for each other's practical needs (Romans 12:13, Hebrews 13:16), warn each other of sin (1 Thessalonians 5:14) and rejoice and mourn with each other (Romans 12:15).

Though society might tell us that we can do life on our own, God's word tells us that we simply can't function without each other (1 Corinthians 12). We need each other and we need community. But we should know that in these times of the coronavirus we need to be careful not to bring others in danger, creating possibilities to infect each other.

At the moment we still do have to keep to the corona measures to keep everybody safe. We should not claim as some other Christians and certain Jews do that we have to have the religious freedom to have our worship and praise services in group. There are the meeting tools like Zoom, Meats, HouseParty, Jitsi, Hangouts, Google Meets, a.o. to join a virtual meeting. Lets make use of them for still some more months. And lets hope that from September onwards we shall be able to have again a normal life with many people, able to go to shops, restaurants, hotels and other places, like going back to a prayer hall or church.

Even when not created to be on our own, for the time being we shall have to be happy to keep it cosy in our small corona bubble.


Wednesday 7 October 2015

Two synods and life in the church community

English: Pope John Paul II on 12 August 1993 i...
English: Pope John Paul II on 12 August 1993 in Denver (Colorado) Español: Papa Juan Pablo II el 12 de agosto de 1993 en Denver, Colorado. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
At the  moment two synods may fetch the news.
the most spoke off is the meeting of the Catholic bishops at the Vatican. the other one is of the Church of England. They have a General Synod that experienced such a struggle over women bishops, only 28 per cent of the clergy voted on to it were women, and not one of them was under 40. Those who were openly part of racial, disability, or LGBT minority groups were woefully under-represented in the decisions that the Church made about them.

In Church Times Revd Sally Hitchiner is Chaplain to Brunel University, London, argues that we need to put our votes where our tweets are.
She writes:
The challenge and opportunity that we are facing now is that the General Synod seems to be leading and speaking for the Church more than the rest of us are. More column inches are given to Synod statements than to any other branch of the Church. The Reform and Renewal movement is Synod-led, not merely bishop-led. The opportunities for this Synod to have an impact on daily life for us all are considerable.
> Why the Synod is important

After Pope Francis‘s tour of the United States he looked having become much older and being very slow when he opened the Vatican’s synod on marriage and family topics.

Last year bishops gathered for an extraordinary synod on the family and they will continue on that issue to see what can be amended after the church-fathers spoke with their priests and flock. This synod should end with a document, and possibly from that document Francis will write an apostolic exhortation.

The very conservative  John Paul II presented some years ago the "Theology of the Body" but all that the Catholic church did seemed very far away from what Catholics were doing and believing. In Belgium every Catholic seems to make up his own sort of belief and does not really follow up what the Pope describes. The Catholic Church did not help it by not heaving an ear for divorced Catholics who still wanted to receive communion or to get remarried for the church.
The Catholic understanding of marriage is lofty enough that a “cheap grace” that gives up too early defrauds the recipients from a great gift – the strength that comes with fighting through hardship. But so many people, mostly women, have been damaged unspeakably by an ethic that is unrelenting in its call to keep returning to a bad relationship that the Church has to be sensitive to the need to protect its more vulnerable members. {Writing straight with our crooked lines: #Synod15, family, and the hot issues; Reading Francis}
writes somebody who claims to have studied Catholic social thought in graduate school 20 years ago.

When we do see and hear Pope Francis I  we get the impression he is really some one who is willing to listen to the ordinary folks and to come closer to them. this pope also wants to show the importance of forgiving love, and this could help into the guidelines for openness for those who went wrong in their life and want to restart again.

Too often the clerics had forgotten how the church community is made up by those people who walk every day on the street as unnoticed ordinary human beings, with their small and big problems in life. For much too long the church-leaders have been absent from their real life and did not have enough ears fro their little and big problems. Perhaps there might change something now.

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Friday 5 April 2013

Agape, a love to share with others from the Fruit of the Spirit

Yesterday we talked about the brotherly love which is important for the follower of Christ.

The brethren in Christ want to share the love of Christ with others around them. What would be the difference between a non-believer, an atheist, a paganist or a heathen doing good works and a Christian if there is not something more in the love for others?

The son of God radiated the love of his Father. God is righteous and full of love, wanting all the best for whole His creation. Though His Creation is not always interested in Him, He is always interested in His Creation and follows it up. He is willing to guide and help those who are interested in Him and His works. those who love Him also want to let others know the Works of God, feel and grow in the love of God and share it with others.

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance" Galatians 5:22,23
 
Tatjanka Tara Cuko says: the believers of God do not hurt person, no doubt about their imaginations but respect and Treat Just Like A Member Of Family every time, every where. God is love. And love transmitted in act not to hurt anyone or scoff, or mock but to help not to despise. Wealthy is not everything but Love of God is Everything.
 
If you believe in God you must respect others and must treat just like a member of your family. I know the Gos Is Love. And believers must have a sensible spirit not to go their imagination what they think and doubt about others. These people do not believe in God. They believe only what their brain imagination. Who believes in God do not hurt other person and see him/ her about wealthy.
 
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Wednesday 28 November 2012

Teach children the Bible

When we start a family we do have to take in mind how we are going to lay out the path of the children.

From the moment we realize God has given our next generation life, we should be thankful to God and pray for them.

As the blogwriter Sheena Steve remarks: A" positive pregnancy test or seeing the child’s heart beating on the monitor for the first time is a reminder of the responsibility God is entrusting in our hands."

We can train our kids to behave well, and we can try to get them to know God. But whatever happens always shall be there the influences from outside, school, comrades, friends, media, etc.. But God has to call them and pull them towards Him. We only can express our hopes that they shall get to learn the importance of religion and the belief in One God, Creator of heaven and earth.

We can read parts of the Bible regularly and discuss what is going on in the world in relation to the Master Worker. It is important that as soon as possible we let the children feel that God is in our midst.

As parents, we hold the bottom-line responsibility to teach our children about God. It is not something we can pass on to the church or the Sunday school teachers. But what do we teach them and when do we start?

Ex-software engineer, Sheena Steve, whose life turned right side up when she gave birth to triplets (all boys too!) started  “An Imperfect Life” as an attempt to document her day to day experiences as she enjoys the ride of her life as a stay-at-home wife and mom.

She brings a blog worthwhile to read or to follow how she allows God to enter her life and that of her family. It can be uplifting to see that not only your life can be troublesome and far from perfect but that you are not the only one who tries with falling and getting up to learn everyday that no matter how hard you try… only Jesus Christ and God can perfect it.

Sheena Steve believes that “God will perfect that which concerns me” (Psalm 138:8) and “In my weakness, God’s strength will be made perfect”  (II Corinthians 12:9).

An Imperfect Life” wants to be a mosaic of life stories compiled to encourage and inspire you. 

It wouldn’t do any good if we taught our kids how awesome God is, and failed to mention how personal He is to each of them. It will be of no use either when we do not show the kids how God interferes in our lives and helps us to grow. We also have to show the changes God makes in us. We do have to live a Christian life, breathing the spirit of Christ, before we can get our kids to see and feel Christ in our and their life.

We can pray all day for our children and diligently teach them the Bible, but all that won’t make a difference, if our kids don’t see us practising what we teach them. We can teach them that God’s given us everything we need, but if they see us being discontent and grumbling about what little we have, what are they taking away from it?
Even as babies, our kids imitate us – they smile, wave their hands and learn to clap, after seeing us do the same. Toddlers learn new words and mannerisms by observing us. If they see us reading the Bible and praying on a regular basis, won’t they want to do the same?
 
Your children will become who you are; so be who you want them to be. ~ Anonymous


We always should be patient and show how Christ works in us. For all that we teach our kids about God, none of it matters until they seek Him for themselves. While that may take a few years, we should remain obedient to God and teach our kids about Him and about His son, God's Salvation and the Kingdom of God.



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Please do find:

  1. Let The Children Come ~ Teach Them About God

  2. Let The Children Come ~ Pray for Them

  3. Let The Children Come ~ Be An Example

 

 

Wednesday 4 March 2009

Better loaves when the heart is joyous


"Better are loaves when
the heart is joyous,
than riches in unhappiness."
- Amenemope (c. 1000 BC)

"Better to live on a corner of the roof than
share a house with a quarrelsome wife."
Proverbs 25:24

Lord let me give my daily bread
to share with those close to my heart
and to those who feel favourably towards me.
Let my wife and children be a blessing and joy.



Dutch version / Nederlands > Beter broden wanneer het hart vrolijk is