Friday, July 10, 2020
Fellowship

Bonhoeffer pointed to three ways that people who follow Jesus have (and will have) fellowship:

• Fellowship in relationship with one another every day.
• Fellowship at the Lord’s Supper in worship.
• Fellowship in the Kingdom of God after Jesus returns.

Fellowship is festive in nature. It means that we share in the joy of our salvation, that we celebrate together! I have a friend, a pastor at a different church in Grand Rapids, who calls Sundays “party days”.

He calls them that because, as the sabbath, those are the days where we can rest and take joy in being together. For that reason, even though he fasts from things like treats for the season of Lent, he won’t fast on Sundays because they are “party days”.

I like that idea. I challenge you to try celebrating this Sunday like a “party day”! Eat yummy foods, play games with friends, sing songs, talk with people–celebrate the gift of life this Sunday! 

Read: Psalm 55

Sing: Song of Moses, sung by Aaron Keyes

Pray: A Prayer based on the Belhar Confession

​God of all things, including your Church.
We know that our unity is fragile unless we are bonded in our love for you.
So God we pray that the unity of the people of God will be manifested
and be visible in a variety of ways: 
in how we love one another; 
in how we experience, practice and pursue community with one another; 
in how we give ourselves willingly and joyfully to be of benefit and blessing to one another; 
in how we share one faith, have one calling, are of one soul and one mind; 
in how we have one God and Father, are filled with one Spirit.
God, we thank you that we are baptized with one baptism, 
eat of one bread and drink of one cup, 
confess one name, 
are obedient to one Lord, 
work for one cause, 
and share one hope.
Help us, that we might together come to know the height and the breadth and the depth of the love of Christ; 
that together we would be built up to the stature of Christ, to the new humanity; 
that together we would know and bear one another’s burdens, 
admonishing and comforting one another; 
suffering with one another for the sake of righteousness; 
praying together; 
serving together; 
and together, fight against all which may threaten or hinder the unity we have in You.

In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

This week’s devotions are adapted from the book, Life Together  by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Harper, San Francisco. 1954.