To Worship as a Community

This coming Sunday we'll hear the account of Jesus talking with the Samaritan woman at the well. She is the one who was married five times and was living with someone who wasn't her husband. When Jesus shared with her that He knew that information, she immediately called him a Prophet. Later on when she returns to her village we read that "many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony, 'He told me everything I ever did.' So when the Samaritans came to Him, they urged Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days. And because of His words many more became believers. They said to the woman, 'We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this Man really is the Savior of the world.'” (John 4:39-42)

What we see throughout the New Testament is how the Holy Spirit moves the followers of Jesus to come together for worship as a community. Notice that the woman who when she first met Jesus seems to be avoiding community goes back to the community and encourages them to come and meet Him. And then the community wants Jesus to be among them so they can learn from His Word.

Community -- family -- is important to our Lord because He knows it's also important for us. So join your brothers and sisters for worship this Sunday and on Wednesdays not as an obligation, but as an opportunity to be together with Jesus. -- Pastor Schmidt