Connecting Christians into Contagious Community

So far we have looked at 3 qualities of the EPIC church in postmodern environment: Experiencing, Participatory & Image-driven. C stands for Connecting, Connectedness, Community, Care, and Cure that it gives.
One interesting explanation for postmodernism is given: “Postmodernism is really looking at the structures that modernity built and saying that the bricks are not what matter, it's the mortar. The mortar allows you to place the bricks however you want to place them.” We are not dismissing the bricks but are invited to consider the mortar that holds us and our structures together.
We crave for community, as we lack of it! Just think of how widely this word is used now-days: COMMUNITY! Another pastor commented that “in the past people came together in church to celebrate community that they had the rest of the week, now we come to church to find the community that we don’t have the rest of the week.”
Having been your pastor for a whole year now I enjoy every time we come together as a community. Tonight we’ll all have another excellent community night prepared by German families. Nonetheless, I continually will encourage to build community beyond church walls, to build community in your everyday life.
Those of you who’ve got young school age kids, have you noticed what they do when they come home from school? Getting on the e-mail checking to see if they’ve got a message? We were created for community. It is our natural desire to belong, to experience community.
Modernity, originating in European individualism has built itself on motto “I think therefore I am.” Postmodern attitude is best expressed by saying of Xhosa people of Southern Africa “I am because we are.” Leonard Sweet coined this phrase “postmodern “ME” needs “WE” to “BE”
Today’s transient culture requires that our community building and hospitality be more planned, more intentional, more deliberate
Let’s put the salve into salvation, let’s connect our communities, so where two or three are together God may dwell among them. I can thing of two good reasons, and both of them are God’s promises to us: “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5) and Jesus’ parting words “I am with you always, even to the end of the age!” (Matthew 28:20) Power of connection is a healing power. This is what’s missing after preaching and teaching is done.
Some say “where there’s church there’s Jesus.” It’s almost right, only if turned around for the proper order: wherever Jesus is – there is a church! Wherever Jesus is present – people come together in unity, in love, in one accord. And as His Spirit fills the gathered, so the Body of Christ becomes living and active.
Enjoy community, create community, cherish community, experience His presence in community! May the wedding song be our prayer today:
Bind us together Lord with cords that cannot be broken
Bind us together Lord, Bind us together with love!