Dear Calvary Church,
The Family Night of Worship was incredible. To see some of our school and church families there with their kids was really beautiful. And I love hearing about how the elementary and middle school students at CCS are learning about and enthusiastically engaging in worship in their chapels. So, to have a Family Night of Worship is—and will continue to be—a soul transforming experience for us all. I look forward to several more nights of worship!
This Sunday we will be re/considering biblical community. You likely know that the giant Redwood trees of northern California are the tallest trees in the world. Apparently, they are the largest living things on the planet. Whoa. Some reach 350 feet in height and are more than 2,000 years old. Their scientific name is sequoia sempervirens, which means “ever living.” You might be surprised to know they have a relatively shallow root system that reaches only 10-12 feet down into the ground. Normally shallow roots put tall trees in danger of being ripped up and toppled by high winds. But the secret to their stability and strength is that their roots spread 60 to 80 feet outward, intertwining with the roots of other nearby Redwoods, which creates an interlocking root system that supports and sustains the stand of trees. They very literally need one another to survive.
Throughout the Bible we see over and over again that, like the giant Redwoods, you and I need authentic community in order to not only survive but also to thrive. As we will be reminded on Sunday, God Himself has never been alone, but has existed eternally in a community we call the Holy Trinity. The Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit have dwelled together in perfect unity, love, and joy for all eternity. Whoa. And this triune God created this world and you and me to invite us into relationship and to grow in authentic community that seeks to demonstrate God’s redeeming love to a lost a broken world. The Benedictine writer and sculptor Hubert Van Seller, noted for writing about human suffering, said, “The soul hardly ever realizes it, but whether he is a believer or not, his loneliness is really a homesickness for God.” During this transition season we have the opportunity to re/evaluate and re/engage all of the foundational essentials and expressions of church life and witness. That’s why this series is so important.
See you Sunday,
Pastor Gregg