Evendays

We were blessed by Andy and Adam and their families who came from Geneva to preach on Sunday and then to eat with everyone. Afterwards, we played ping pong and they set up a big table out under the walnut tree and played NERTZ. (No idea how it’s spelled.) 8 young ladies from the Pepperdine program were here for worship and 4 stayed for the AGAPE meal (that’s “potluck”, in Greek). And there were three from Bern with us and a couple of visitors from the neighborhood and most of the members.

A good morning, though few of the members stayed for the AGAPE. Wife and I, and I think the kids too, hunger for fellowship. Except for a few notable exceptions, and praise God for those people, our local church does not always express that same hunger.

How do we, without ignoring the work of God, stimulate the Body’s members to greater fellowship? Any ideas? I ask, because for me fellowship has always been a natural thing… A part of being a Christian.

But now I’m stumped…

I had the privilege of teaching last night in Geneva the passage from 1 Peter 4.1-11. Peter reminds the reader that since Christ suffered for sin and because he will judge both the living and the dead in the end, lives should be focused on the will of God rather than on the desires of men.

Then there is that one little quotation he stole from Proverbs 10.12 that hits the heart: Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

The OT text has this: Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs. NT Christians must have been impressed with the saying, or maybe they just needed constant reminders, for James 5.20 uses it too, saying: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Covering sins: seeing them, confronting them in love, then moving on is what we need to do, but often don’t because we do not love enough. Several times recently I’ve looked into friends’ eyes and told them just that: Love covers a multitude of sins. And hundreds of times I’ve looked in the mirror and been thankful for God’s covering and mindful that I’ve got a ways to go in "this pretty little thing called love".