LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2013, Page 97

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and whether we act like it or not, we are in a relationship with our
family members. They’re stuck with you and you with them. Even
when we annoy or avoid one another, we are still family. Healthy
families realize this and work to get along and care for one another.

We too often fail to confess our sins to one another—to absolve
those who have sinned against us, to put the best construction
on what our brothers and sisters say and do, and to support and
defend them.

We would be a lot better off in the Church if we would remember
it is not a social club but a family. We might like some people more
than others. We might have more in common with one person
than another, but we don’t get to choose God’s children for Him.
He does that, and He calls us into relationships with one another.
We are going to spend eternity with one another, and He calls us
to recognize that now and to begin enjoying the relationships He
gives to us. He calls His family—the Church—to life together.
We’re probably tempted, when we speak this way, to think of some
of the “odd ducks” in our churches. But perhaps we might take a
step back to realize what good news this is for us. The fact that the
family of God can include odd people, challenging people, hurting
people, weird people—is truly good news. Because it means that
it can include me and you.

Is it any wonder that the world is scandalized?

Koinonia is, perhaps, easiest to describe in the Church. But at times
it seems hard to see because it is a gift of God. When we lose sight
of that, it becomes impossibly hard. It’s not something that we do;
it is what God creates.
In the Nicene Creed, we confess that we believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church. We don’t say that we see it, though we
certainly see signs. But so very often the Church doesn’t seem holy.
Its universality is hidden, and its unity is fractured. And yet, by
God’s calling, we believe what He tells us. This Church does exist.
And so does life together.
Koinonia is what Jesus does. When we lose sight of that, it becomes impossibly hard. Because you’re never going to experience
real koinonia if you spend all your time looking in the mirror or
considering only your own selfish needs and desires.
Real koinonia is focused outward. Life together thrives when we
are most focused on the needs of others, motived by Christ. Real
koinonia is expressed when we realize that it’s not my job to take
care of myself and protect my own rights and needs. That’s your
job. Real koinonia seeks to serve.
But let’s face it—we often are the worst examples of life together.
We are troubled when people stay away from the Church using
the presence of hypocrites as an excuse. We justify this by saying
that they’ll fit right in, but do we take the time to recognize that
they have a point? Might they be recognizing the lack of koinonia?
We too readily treat our church workers as employees who can
be quickly cast aside rather than fellow Christians and servants
sent by God.
Ministers too easily view their position as one of authority and
power rather than of service.
Members treat one another as punching bags that have to take
whatever we give.
We too easily hide behind majority decisions when we might better
be served by listening, talking, and striving for common understanding and vision.
We try to build honest, respectful dialogue through the Koinonia
Project, but perhaps we scoff, “Why bother? They won’t listen.”
C o n v e n t io n E s s ays

There is only one solution: We need to return to the water together.
The old nature needs to be drowned and die again, so we can rise
with Christ again today.
In Philippians, Paul lifts our eyes to consider the person and work
of our Savior. He introduces these powerful words showing how
the life of Christ shapes our lives together:
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also
to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves,
which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the
form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be
grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in
human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to
the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has
highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is
above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:4–11)
We need to look at one another with the eyes of Christ. We need
to be reborn again today so we can freely admit what we are and
gratefully believe what God declares us to be. God challenges you
today to believe what He says about you and believe what He says
about your fellow Christian: you are washed, forgiven, holy, free.
So are they.
This new life together is a great equalizer, for here there is no room
for boasting. It’s all about Christ. Our life together is His life.
Ephesians holds this life out for us and describes what Christ has
re-created us to be, what He empowers us to be.
Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have
been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 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 Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
(Eph. 4:1–6)
He’s calling us to life not only with Him but also with one another.
Just as it was not good for Adam to be alone, so it is not good for
Christians to be alone. It is true that God brings people into faith
one person at a time. We are called by name and marked with
the cross one by one. But God does not leave Christians alone;
He incorporates them into the Church, which He calls, gathers,
enlightens, and sanctifies. We simply cannot be the Church as
individuals. We cannot have life together without one another.
And there, as we join together, we find the merciful dimension of
koinonia—the koinonia Paul spoke of when he brought the great
offering to the saints in Jerusalem. Together we find we can accomplish more and reach farther than we can individually.
2 0 1 3 C o n v e n t io n P r o c e e d i n g s

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