Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“We declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, June 25, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
We are invited into community with God. As I discussed yesterday, witnessing is an enormous part of this. When we share our faith experiences with one another, we find commonalities that bind us together in ways that aren’t found in other contexts—not at the office water cooler or on the pickleball court or over the neighbor’s fence. Fellowship with our Christian communities is fellowship with God (of course I could make the argument that any fellowship with others is fellowship with God, as God is present in every single one of us, but nowhere is this fellowship more powerful than in a place where open sharing of faith is encouraged and nurtured). When we declare to one another what we have heard and seen, and listen to others do the same, God shows up: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20) Notice how I italicized the word “listen” above. This is the part where some of us have a tendency to miss the boat. We might be great and sharing our own experiences of God, but do we create a space for others to do likewise? When we do, we may find an even more powerful experience of God’s presence. Fellowship with one another is a joy not to be missed!
How do I create space for others to share their spiritual experiences with me and the community?
