Sometimes independence is the problem

01 Jul Sometimes independence is the problem

Happy Tuesday afternoon! (ok…maybe you’ll get this Wednesday)

Someone shot off some fireworks in our neighbourhood last night. I thought I heard something at one point & this morning on my bicycle ride through the light fog, I saw the leftovers…evidence of something being sent skyward to go “Boom!” from near RedHill Road. Whatever it’s supposed to mean around here these days, it put me in the mind that this Friday, in the United States, there’ll be lots & lots of fireworks displays all over the country in celebration of the 4^th of July…Independence Day. The yearly commemoration of the fledgling 13 original colonies separating themselves from the British Empire. It wasn’t a “once & done” thing. There were battles & bloodshed, & to this day, I suspect we’re still working out the details of what it means to be an independent  Republic of 50 somewhat interdependent states.

The Bible reminds us that drive for “independence” from the beginning takes us away from God, alienates us from one another, & corrupts the way we relate to the “very good” creation in which we live. The very idea that “I am the boss of me,” “I get to define my own identity,” or “I can override for myself how God established his world” is the real cause of our troubles. The Bible calls that “sin.” It’s the soul-deep wound in each of us that leads us into deeper & deeper misery trying to live apart from the One who made us to depend on Him for all things. Created for responsibility within our relationship to the Father, sometimes the problem is our striving to live independent of him & others.

This week in worship you’ll hear Paul write these words to the Church in Ephesus: So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers & foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles & the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. – Eph 2:19-22

Without spoiling it for Sunday…God’s intent in Jesus Christ is to unite his people into a dwelling for himself; empowered by the Holy Spirit. No follower of Jesus is independent of any other; we are united in the risen reigning Jesus Christ. You can’t claim faith in Christ & at the same time independence from his church. You can’t simultaneously be a follower of Jesus & consider gathering among his family optional. In both his letters to the Church in Rome and the Church in Corinth, Paul uses the language of “the body” to describe the church. In both instances, the implication is that you can’t just  lop off parts of the body & pretend it’s still whole or pretend those parts that aren’t attached still are. This is why it is so important that you invite & encourage those you know who were once connected but now aren’t, to reconnect to the family of Christ on a consistent, if not weekly, basis. There is Power in being Christ’s church…life-changing, hope-restoring, love-outpouring & joy-multiplying power. Invite someone you know who just needs to be with you in worship.

Speaking of the week ahead of us…

1. Zoom Bible Study Catch-up

Friday 4th July 2025  @ 1:00 p.m.

Join Zoom Meeting  —  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89674789066  —  Meeting ID: 896 7478 9066

2. THIS Sunday 6^th July – Giving Beyond Ourselves for Myanmar Earthquake Relief through ALWS and Morning Tea!
3. Thursday 10^th July – Ladies Fellowship – 1 John 3:11-24
4. Saturday August 23^rd – Albury Men’s Convention – I’ve signed up! I reckon we’ll have a good group going from here.

We’re heading into school holidays at the end of this week. You know that means there’ll be lots of folks travelling hither & yon. Pray for safety in what is shaping up to be a pretty dangerous year on Australian highways. Pray for the teachers & school leaders to get some much needed rest & reset for the rest of the year. Pray especially for year 12 students. Major works, Trial Exams, & then HSC exams are all right around the corner…there are less than 100 days left for them & those may be the toughest 100 days they’ve yet encountered. Plenty to pray for.

See y’all Sunday or somewhere along the way!

God’s peace!

John