In Him, In Love...

This morning as I prepared my heart for my weekly gathering with kindred believers, just after a morning sunrise while enjoying the indescribable love that flows so freely from the new pup, the verse from Acts 17:28 subtly came to mind: "in Him we live and move and have our being."

Who is this "Him"? First John 4:8 offers us an answer: Him, "God is Love!" So what is love?

I'll ask, "What is air? It's what we breathe, so as to survive...so it is with love! In fact, when we breathe, that is we inhale, then lungs fully expanded, we exhale, we in fact hear one of Love's other names, "YAHWEH". Try it and listen.

Now hold your breath, pretend you are in a vacuum. With this lack of air, we soon die. What is hate, but the lack of love, a vacuum. Without love we also die, though a much longer and more painful death.

Religion can help us process this Being, providing quick answers, easily memorized, but only relationship with this Being and then true relationship with others can assure the breath that affords true life and being.

The beauty of all this is that when we gather with those who are in relationship, truly in Love, so to speak, our love is multiplied and a certain empowerment occurs that at times manifests in miraculous, some even physical!

In fact, the bonding that occurs between believers becomes so much like connective tissue, that the collective is then referred to as the Body of Christ.

Koinonia, a Greek term speaks to community, communion, joint participation, sharing and intimacy.

My belief is that the Lord's supper was as much about encouraging community as it was a symbolic representation of our participation in his blood and flesh, which I believe was offered up for the redemption of such deep relationships.

When I hear, "Do this in remembrance of me", I can always see the Lord's hands moving laterally and toward his disciples around the table, implying and encouraging fellowship and community. They would need that in His absence.

Community is as equally life and love giving as the cup and bread are believed forgiving!

Think of how powerful life giving love would be if we sought out community as ardent as we do congregation and with as much energy as we religiously seek forgiveness.

Why not take a deep breath, hear His Name anew, experience life giving love, relinquish any vacuum of hate, then begin to "exhale" Love throughout your community!