“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.” - I Peter 1:22
After a frenzied, crazy train ride and a freezing walk covering several blocks of remodeled 1940’s homes, we found ourselves enveloped in the I Peter 1:22 kind of love at the River of Life Church in the Jamaica Plain area of Boston where Tom S. might have been the oldest person in the building. http://www.rolcboston.org/. This church is incredibly vibrant, energetic, dynamic. We were instantly welcomed, fussed over and passed around like Aunt Shirl’s homemade fudge, everybody wanting to talk to us, befriend us, and help us out.
When the pastor spoke, he informed the congregation that missionary friends of theirs were weary and feeling beaten down, wanting to come home, and that perhaps the church should send someone out to help them, but it has to be the right person who can be a help and not a hindrance. He spoke of “Kindred Care” and read verses from Phil. 2:19-30, how Paul sent Timothy out. He said we Christians are brothers and sisters, a household, maybe a “sort of dysfunctional family under the care of a loving, strong father.” It made me homesick for my home church, FBC.
After a frenzied, crazy train ride and a freezing walk covering several blocks of remodeled 1940’s homes, we found ourselves enveloped in the I Peter 1:22 kind of love at the River of Life Church in the Jamaica Plain area of Boston where Tom S. might have been the oldest person in the building. http://www.rolcboston.org/. This church is incredibly vibrant, energetic, dynamic. We were instantly welcomed, fussed over and passed around like Aunt Shirl’s homemade fudge, everybody wanting to talk to us, befriend us, and help us out.
When the pastor spoke, he informed the congregation that missionary friends of theirs were weary and feeling beaten down, wanting to come home, and that perhaps the church should send someone out to help them, but it has to be the right person who can be a help and not a hindrance. He spoke of “Kindred Care” and read verses from Phil. 2:19-30, how Paul sent Timothy out. He said we Christians are brothers and sisters, a household, maybe a “sort of dysfunctional family under the care of a loving, strong father.” It made me homesick for my home church, FBC.
Pastor Griffith (ironic, eh, maybe a little subconscious action there in our choice of pastor to visit??)… anyway… Pastor TOM Griffith reminded us how “we are encouraged when we hear good news and when we hear each other doing well. We are saddened when we hear bad news. We are “of” each other. The whole Bible is this idea of us being partners with each other and with God as obedient children and as Ambassadors who represent Him and His values.”
Isn’t it neat how we traveled so many miles away and still found loving brothers and sisters ready to meet our needs even though we’ve never before met?! Complete strangers are eager to help Patti in many different ways if she decides to move up there. Complete strangers…. And yet…. Family. And doesn’t it give you warm fuzzies to know that we would act the exact same way to someone who came timidly into our community? We’ve done it. I’ve seen it. I’ve experienced it. I once was new to this community, too, and this church reached out to me and loved me…. And, well, couldn’t get rid of me. -- It’s so good to be home. --
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Testing out the comments app. Have enjoyed your blogs thus far!
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