Letters from the Soul, July 2013
"Belonging to a Tribe"
I have truly enjoyed this past “The Tribal Church” sermon series with all of you, and I hope you have found it as enriching as I have! Working on this series has made me consider what it means to be a part of a tribal church, and I do think that part of being in a tribe means that not everyone is necessarily a member. But—church is such a tribe where everyone has the potential to become a member! So, how do we go about offering a welcome to strangers in our strange land who are interested in the little tribe we have going here on the corner of Kessler and 20th?
The first thing we can do is also the most important—we can share with our friends and loved ones how much our faith and our church mean to us! This isn’t the same thing as going up to someone and giving them the “turn or burn” spiel, this is sharing with other people a source of God’s love for you in your life!
There are also a great many other things to welcome newcomers to our little tribe (such as inviting them to stay for our hospitality hour), but I think the most important thing we can do is this: don’t assume anything! Remember, brand-new guests may not know that they are sitting in your favorite pew, or that there is nursery care available if they choose to use it. The gift of your patience and compassion means a great deal to many people, perhaps more than you might realize!
So as we go about being this tribal church that cares for one another, I invite you to ask yourself: how can you use your God-given gifts to roll out the proverbial welcome mat for someone who might feel foreign in our spiritual home?
Yours in Christ,
Eric
July 2013: Upcoming Sermons
July 7 (continuation of current "Tribal Church" sermon series): "Before the Bethlehem Star," Numbers 9:15-23
July 14 and 21: Guest preachers
July 28 (new sermon series, "The Gospel Gone Viral"): "You've Got Mail," Philemon 1-3
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