The Well Church of the Nazarene

We've begun a new series entitled Fuse Breaker, and the idea behind it is that God is inviting us to unplug, to let go of things in order to leave space for relationship with both God and others. As we're using the Lord's Prayer as our reference guide for Fuse Breaker, both this scripture and Lent are the basis of today's series discussion on the balance between busyness and boredom.

Like Lent, the Lord's Prayer is an invitation to let go of what's weighing us down. It's an invitation to relationship, trust, and direction by way of self-realization--a fuse breaker to prevent an overloaded life.

It's important to recognize the distinction between unity and uniformity when we're talking about how we can be Better Together as the body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, Paul addresses some major differences between the people of the early Church. We can say the same about our culture today, right? That there are some significant differences between us?

The power of unity (in the Holy Spirit) is that, in our differences, there are strengths. But, what does that mean for those who are struggling in their faith? HINT: It's not always black and white.

In today's discussion, Pastors Mara, Josh, and Paul dissect the content of Sunday's sermon and what practical applications we can take away from reading 1 Corinthians 12-13 through the lens of koinonia, unity in diversity, and how our unique giftings make us Better Together.

Our differences provide the greatest potential for our connection and effectiveness. We are better together, because the body thrives in diversity. Are you using the unique gifts and talents God's given you for God's purposes?

Koinonia sounds like a fancy word, but pastors Paul, Mara, and Josh break it down in this week's discussion using Acts 2:42-47's depiction of the early church. When it comes to our church and community, Koinonia is important. It's a shared purpose--loving God and loving others. 

But...what exactly does that look like at Marysville Nazarene? How can we as a church renew, redeem, and/or reestablish Koinonia in the midst of the culture of conflict we live in?

As we've learned over the last several weeks, community is woven into the fabric of creation--and that includes the church.

Despite its problems, and the imperfections of its people, the church is intended to be a place of deepening connection, just as it was in the days of the apostles. The early church was together--in teaching, fellowship, communion, and prayer. 

It's easy to say we want our community to be ever-expanding, but when you start talking about ever-deepening connections, things get hard. It takes perspective, intentionality, and as we discussed on Sunday, a level of vulnerability to build deeper, more authentic relationships.

Pastors Josh, Mara, and Paul discuss the many obstacles that keep us from vulnerability: maturity, self-worth/acceptance, past hurts, guilt and/or shame, etc. It's definitely a conversation worth hearing, and we hope you'll take what is shared around our table and continue the discussion around yours.

Deepening community requires deepening vulnerability. Relationships are worth the risk! Vulnerability is a process that begins with authenticity--the courageous willingness to open ourselves up to others and to allow them to open up to us.

Could it be that our vulnerability results in not just true connections with others, but a deeper relationship with God, our mission...all of life?

In this series, we've been taking a closer look at what we want our identity to be as a church. We know that we want the ever-expanding, ever-deepening connection God calls us to, but sometimes there are barriers to that: time and vulnerability.

If you haven't yet heard/watched Sunday's sermon, we encourage you to do so (https://youtu.be/Z3zZkmcxH54), as Paul talks about Sabbath and how critical it is that we take time to rest and worship in community with others. In this week's discussion, Josh, Mara, and Paul further peel back the tradition of Sabbath, its relevance today, and what practical observance of Sabbath looks like for each one of us.

Our series discussions are back! For the first time following a brief holiday hiatus, our pastoral staff--Josh, Mara, and Paul--gather to talk about the importance of worship, connection, and intimacy during a time when physical togetherness is a challenge. 

Topics include the role creation, specifically our having been created in the image of God, plays in the call on our life, as well as what it means to live in relationship with God, with others, and with creation itself. Connection looks different for everyone, but we are all called to a level of connection that's reflective of God. What does that look like? What are the challenges? And how can we grow beyond those challenges, and in so doing, model that growth to our families and the next generation of our church?

This conversation expands on our Sunday morning teachings from "Better Together." Catch up on the sermons you've missed on our website: marysvillenazarene.org/media

(NOTE: There was no series discussion for part one of this series.)