Church for the Sake of the World- Accompaniment



When we consider "we are church for the sake of the world," it may be tempting to think that "world" is a place far away, somewhere overseas, a foreign land, or simply not in my backyard. 

But the world is here, the world is exactly where you are, the world includes you and your community. You could easily swap out the word "world" with "neighborhood, or town, or people living under the overpass, or city, or farm down the way, or visitors to the local food bank or coat closet"

Jesus might say that the "world" is the "hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned." 

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to notice our neighbors in our community. When we keep the "world" far away, it can be easier to feel good about benevolent work abroad, while the needs, rights, voices, representation, and opportunities of our neighbors right beside us are neglected. 

God's Spirit gathers the scattered and forms into a community of saints and then scattered the gathered community back out into the world to share God's love and be the disciples whom God calls us to be. 

This is why care and accompaniment, love and service with our neighbors, locally and globally, is how we are community together, this is how we are called to be church for the sake of the world! 

To read the We are Church for the Sake of the World Newsletters and listen to the Podcasts, click here. For the introduction to We are Church for the Sake of the World and Accompaniment podcast click here.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

First Lutheran of Lincoln - a Bit of History

Stories from Across the Synod

Proclaim the Good News