Tomorrow, we'll be getting ready for 40 Days of Community a six week emphasis on why we need each other and how we live that need out in the context of a church family.  Pastor Brad will be preaching on how we prepare ourselves for a "God visit."  God can visit us anywhere, anytime.  That's one of the many amazing traits of God--His ominpresence, being everywhere, all the time.  Yet, Jesus told us that wherever two or more are gathered in His name, He is there among us.   It isn't that Jesus isn't with us when we're alone.  He's just there in a special way when we're together.

Corporate worship (the word corporate contains the root of the Latin word for "body"), offers us the opportunity to be together in an intentional way in Jesus' name.  Corporate worship draws us close to God and introduces us to one another.  Corporate worship isn't for developing close friendships, although we can work on that before and after worship in our times of fellowship, and even working together to set up or tear down the "stuff" needed for our worship--chairs, sound equipment, hospitality items, etc.  The point is over the next 40 days (actually 49, counting tomorrow as the beginning of the "pre-week" for 40 Days of Community, we're going to be emphasizing and focusing on what Christian community is and why we need each other to be all that God created us to be.

I hope and pray you'll set aside as many of those Sundays to be with us as possible.  I hope and pray you'll sign up for a L.I.F.E. (Living in Faith Everyday) Group, and that you'll commit to reading and living out the daily Scripture you'll find in the daily blog posts for the next seven weeks.  I know business or family matters make take you away during this time--our family is going to be in Philadelphia over this weekend for Emmy to visit three different colleges one today, one tomorrow and one on Monday--but the greater priority we can make to be together with one another during the 40 Days of Community the greater impact we'll experience individually and together.   After tomorrow, I'm going to be at each of the six actual weeks of the 40 Days of Community­--the Lord willing of course.  I invite and challenge you to be there as well.  I don't know if you realize it, but if everyone who attends New Life and thinks of New Life as their church home or family came to worship each Sunday, we would already need that third worship service we asked you to give us your input about last Sunday! 

Making regular corporate worship a priority in our lives is part of being a member of a church family.  We don't get "gold stars" or "brownie points" for coming, but we do draw closer to Jesus and one another when we do.  We enjoy the blessings of gathering together as the Bible calls it (See Hebrews 10.) I am going to miss you all tomorrow, and look forward to participating in the rest of the 40 Days of Community with you!  (Due to family opportunities such as weddings and now this college visit, I have been away from New Life more over the past month or so than ever, and I really miss being with you when we can't be there.  For me the old saying is true:  absence does make my heart grow fonder!)  I hope you'll mark your calendars now and do all you can to join us for the next seven Sundays as we draw closer to God and invest more fully in one another!

Please pray for Nancy, Emmy and me this weekend as selecting a college for Emmy is a matter of major importance, as those of you who are going through that process or who have been through it know!  THANKS!