It’s Biblical … it’s a God demand, or as we might say, a God Commandment! It’s in the Old Testament. The above quote is from Leviticus in the Torah in the first five books of the Bible. And very clearly it is a Jesus directive, repeated over and over again in the Gospels.
People who believe in God … people who believe in Jesus Christ … there are two very clear lifestyles that verify that our faith is real and not merely words. We are to LOVE GOD and walk humbly with God and yes, even in these divisive times we are REQUIRED to LOVE ALL our neighbors as Jesus loved us … as we love ourselves … absolute love!
And in loving our neighbors and obeying God we open up an incredible opportunity to follow the last command of Jesus Christ, which is to make disciples throughout the world. To share our faith, which begins with loving God and loving all our neighbors, and to be invitational to our neighbors, our co-workers, our friends, and yes … even to our family members. Inviting others to discover what we have … God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
On SEPTEMBER 21st you have an opportunity to celebrate St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, to be invitational, and to show love for all of your neighbors by volunteering to share some of your time at West Deptford’s Family Fun Day. St. Paul’s once again will have a booth, and wouldn’t it be great for our neighbors to see the joy and love we share on Sunday mornings? Wouldn’t it be great to invite families and individuals to come to a church where all God’s people are always welcome? Wouldn’t it be great to celebrate your love of God and Christ by sharing a smile with our neighbors in West Deptford?
Jim Verfaillie has once again stepped up to lead our team on SEPTEMBER 21st but he can’t do it by himself. Frankly, he should have lots of St. Paul’s members excitedly telling him that they will be there to celebrate our church beyond the walls of our Church Street building. Is that you? Will you bring your children? Will you share your smiles?
St. Paul’s can only grow when those who love our church, like you, invite others to worship with us. When faithful members of the church tell people who don’t go to church how wonderful it is to go to church. When folks who sit in our pews on Sunday excitedly tell people who are searching for a joyful non-judgmental church where God and Christ are worshiped, that they can find that special church right here in West Deptford. Can you imagine how happy they would be to discover St. Paul’s on West Deptford’s Family Fun Day?
Most of you are reading this before SEPTEMBER 21st, which means that YES YOU CAN volunteer to be out amongst our neighbors at the Family Fun Day at RiverWinds. YES YOU CAN smile a smile of joy and tell folks passing by our booth that we have an awesome church where they would be welcome. YES YOU CAN … express joy and show love of all of our neighbors because of your faith. Will you?
YES YOU CAN!! See you in church on Sunday, but let’s have a great joy-filled gathering at West Deptford’s Family Fun Day!! If you miss Fun Day … still invite someone to come to church with you!
Blessings,
Pastor Dave