Reflections on Easter

“There is one body and one Spirit, 
just as you were called to the one hope 
that belongs to your call, one Lord, 
one faith, one baptism, one God 
and Creator of us all, who is above all 
and through all and in all.” 
Ephesians 4:4-6

How good it is to be part of the body of Christ!  Having just shared in my 10th Easter celebration here - I feel very much a part of The Neighborhood Church.  And for that I am deeply grateful.

Many of you know what it is to move from the known to the unknown, from thefamiliar to the unfamiliar.  Such movements in life are times of both anxiety and excitement.  And such transitions provide possibilities for reflection and growth.

I have been considering such things recently, as my retirement looms just a few short weeks away.  The spiritual life is all about making connections, and I continue to be amazed at the rich relationships that have been formed over these past years. This not only includes mine with many of you, but you with one another - and that’s what makes the work of God’s Spirit among us so mysterious and wonderful.

Some of you have journeyed here for decades and others have come along in the last few years and there is another ingredient that helps us all feel connected beyond our common shared history - and that is the sharing of along corporate history – namely, the Christian tradition and a common faith.

It is a real blessing to have people to “be with” and to be a part of the body of Christ.  Michelle and I give thanks to God for all the opportunities and ministries that have formed our common histories.  To name them all here would be an overwhelming task.  For me personally, worship has been the central experience to know and grow our connection to God, our faith, each other, and even our deepest selves.  For sharing in worship with God, one another  and with us – thank you!

The apostle Paul understood our connectedness in Christ well. "Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”  (I Corinthians 12:27)   He said this after talking about how each part (organ and limb) of the body needs the others for the body to work together in unity.  No individual part can say they have no need for another.  He reminds us, that we all need to have thesame care for one another.  If one member suffers, all suffer together with it.  If another member is celebrated, all rejoice together with it.

One of my most insightful seminary professors, Robert McAfee Brown, put it this way,

“Christianity is first and last a religion of community. 
Christianity without community is not Christianity; 
it’s something else. Individual Christianity is a contradiction in terms.”

For the gift of community – praise be to God!  And for the opportunity to share in it alongside you – thank you!          

Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister