Today's the day!  40 Days of Community begins.  I hope you'll be with us at New Life today, and that you'll get involved in a L.I.F.E. (Living in Faith Everyday) Home Group where you'll have the chance to live out the community that we're focusing on during this vital series.  Today's scripture to commit to memory is  "Since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others."  Romans 12:5b (NLT) 

Each of us needs all the others!  That is so countercultural in the individualistic 21st century America in which we live.  Practically from birth we're taught to be independent.  In fact, those who can manage to become financially independent are supposed to be the happiest people of all.  Somebody should tell them.  Just look at the lives of celebrities across America, those with the most money, and theoretically the most independence. Many of them are on their second or third marriages or "meaningful relationship."  Many are using alcohol and other drugs to give them a thrill or a sense of meaning.  But God's word reminds us that when we are interdependent, when we're living life in community with God and each other is the only time we're ever going to be truly happy.

I hope you'll commit to being here every day during the 40 Days as we dig into God's word and reflect on its meaning for our lives.  I hope you'll join us in worship each Sunday during these six weeks AND that you'll participate in a L.I.F.E. group as more than 70 of you have signed up to do so far.  I hope that because when we live, worship, fellowship, learn, serve and tell others the Good News of Jesus TOGETHER, we'll fulfill our God given purposes in ways that we can never do on our own.  We DO need all the others in the body of Jesus in order to live out our faith in Him fully and effectively.  I hope you'll join us!

Let's pray:  Heavenly Father, Thank You for creating us for life together--together with You and with all the others in Your family.  Fill us with the Holy Spirit that we may break down the walls of isolation and live in the community You intend for us.  This we pray in Jesus' name.  Amen.