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A major blessing of being a pastor is that I get to be present for many big moments in people’s lives. I appreciate the trust and honor people give to me when they ask for me to officiate their daughter’s quinceañera, to baptize their child, to perform their wedding. These joyful moments in people’s lives bring ample opportunity to give thanks to God and ask for his continued blessing through special devotions and services. Funerals are the type of “big moment” that any pastor should expect to be called upon to officiate. Funerals seem to engender a different set of emotions. This was shown in our discussion during last Sunday’s Bible study hour. When asked to describe what the word “funeral” means to them, the participants’ responses indicated a complicated mixture of feelings of grief, loss, mourning, and somberness alongside feelings of celebration, love, remembrance and even worship. Participants discussed with me the complicated nature of holding both of these categories of feelings in our hearts when we have to say goodbye to a loved one. The circumstances of the loved one’s passing will change the intensity and nature of our grief, but the same core idea is there: we don’t want to have to say “goodbye,” but when forced to do so, we look for something to bring us some joy to answer our tears. It is popular to shy away from the subject of death, and we can certainly see why. As a consequence of sin, death is the unwelcome intruder into God’s good creation (Genesis 3:19, Romans 5:12). It burdens every relationship; every achievement; every endeavor with the looming threat of separation from this life (Ecclesiastes 12:1-7). But if we continue the trend to avoid speaking about death, we will miss out on a lot of encouragement from Scripture. Yes, death has arrived as a consequence of sin, but by suffering the eternal, spiritual death we all deserve, Christ has removed its sting (1 Corinthians 15:55-57, Romans 6:8-10). Through faith in Christ, death has no power to stop us from experiencing the eternity of joy and bliss that await us in the life to come (John 11:25-26). When we pass away in Christ, our souls join believers throughout the ages in the unimaginable and eternal joy of being in Christ’s presence (2 Corinthians 5:8, Revelation 21:3-4). It would seem wise, then, to hear Scripture’s witness about what happens when we die, because doing so will equip us with the greatest comfort possible when faced with grief over the death of a loved one, or fear for our own death. At his crucifixion, Jesus spoke to the criminal being crucified next to him. Upon hearing this man’s confession that Jesus has a heavenly kingdom beyond this world, Jesus responds by assuring him that he will enjoy the presence of heaven through the gift of faith in the gospel “today,” that is, immediately upon his death (Luke 23:42-43). Consider also when Jesus taught about the rich man and poor Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), an account that describes Lazarus’ entrance into heaven after death, but the rich man’s sentencing to hell (Luke 16:22-23). The Bible teaches that the moment we die, our souls separate from our bodies and are taken to their eternal places: heaven for those who die in faith, hell for those who do not. This likely produces some questions in your mind, so hang on for a moment. It could be supposed that because our souls and bodies separate upon death, our souls are what matter and our bodies do not. But that would miss the point of Scripture, and even more comfort. In the soaring “Resurrection Chapter” of 1 Corinthians 15, Paul describes the necessity for our bodies to join us in heaven. That’s what Jesus will accomplish on Judgment Day aka “The Last Day.” According to passages like 1 Corinthians 15:53-57 and Philippians 3:20-21, the final act of Jesus’ redemption is to raise and glorify our bodies, uniting them with our souls so that we enjoy a body-and-soul life of perfection with him in heaven’s bliss. What will that look like, feel like, sound like when it happens? What will heaven be like? These questions are posed to me regularly, and I wonder if my response of “I can’t say for certain,” is disappointing. It shouldn’t be. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 and 1 Corinthians 13:11-12 show that our sin-darkened imagination can’t comprehend what eternal, perfect happiness heaven will be like. That’s the point – it is incomparable to any joy this world has to offer. We’ll just have to see when we get there. Imagine standing by the graveside of a dead Christian, and these Scriptures are preached to you and your fellow mourners. What comfort there is to know that you will see your loved one again! What peace to hear that they are not suffering, nor did they simply stop existing, but they live on in the presence of their Redeemer! We would never want to command people not to feel sad at their loved one’s passing, as if they aren’t supposed to miss them, or prevent them from meditating on the ways sin and its consequences have altered our world. But we can use grief and pain to drive us back to the cross. We don’t grieve as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), but that doesn’t mean we don’t grieve (Romans 12:15). We let Christ dry our tears with his gospel, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to cry (Psalm 6:6). Feel your feelings, brother or sister, and take them to Christ (1 Peter 5:7). What about the time we have before our death or before Judgment Day? Far from telling us to sit around and wait for Jesus to come back, the fact that heaven awaits us after death is frequently used as a motivator for living out the lives of service that we are called to, and that demonstrate the gospel to the world (See 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 for example).  What about those who don’t believe? Often this question is posed to me as a request for information, which is completely appropriate. We should talk about the need for saving faith. But isn’t this question also a “marching order”? It’s true that amazing things await those who are in the Lord when we die or when Jesus comes back. Isn’t it terrible to think that there are others who won’t experience that? While we can’t cause the gospel to take root in the hearts of others (1 Corinthians 3:5-7), God will use our witness to bring others to this saving faith. I realize that some churches have used the fear of hell to motivate their members to evangelize their friends and neighbors, but instead of going that route, simply think of this: after meditating on the beauty of the message of Christ’s victory over our sin and death, the promise of greater things after this life and of purpose and meaning in this one, after receiving the gift of being able to grieve as one who has hope, don’t we want that for others? If there are others who have not tasted of that joy found in God’s eternal goodness, don’t we want them to? As you share the goodness of this eternal hope, who knows?, maybe you will get to be present for one of life’s biggest moments in someone’s life: the moment they realize that God loves them and that they’re going to heaven. There are so many parts of Scripture that use what we’ve discussed today for comfort and encouragement. I’ve only referred to a handful of them. Please consider joining us for the larger discussion of these things throughout our Sunday Morning Bible Classes at 9am and worship at 10:15am! God bless you! - Pastor Mike Cherney

What does basketball have in common with relationships? In both, boundaries are crucial. Try to imagine what a game would look like without the players’ knowing what’s in-bounds or out-of-bounds. That same level of chaos and disarray that came to your mind is what happens when someone doesn’t respect the boundaries of the workplace environment, or those of the person with whom they’re out on a first date, or those of someone who just walked into church. I know I’m not the first to point out the necessity of boundaries. It seems that we have recently entered a new level of collective consciousness of the need for boundary-setting and boundary-respecting. This can only be a good thing, especially when everyone understands what boundaries are for. I asked the participants in our Sunday morning Bible study to describe healthy boundary setting as they understood it. What unfolded was a masterclass in social skills and social awareness. They told of the loving intentions behind healthy boundaries – that one shows love for another person by respecting their privacy or personal space. They told of the need to pay attention to body language and social cues that indicate that you may be crossing a line in conversation, or about to. Above all, what rose to the top of the feedback I received was the idea of protection. Boundaries are set to protect something good, whether for the one setting them or the ones called to respect them. The most important thing that boundaries protect is the relationship between the boundary-setter and the boundary-respecter. We want to keep that relationship as good, healthy, and reciprocal as possible, and that’s why we set boundaries. Boundaries are not always interpreted that way, though. Sometimes drawing a line that you wish not to be crossed is seen as an affront. Someone might even say, “You mean I can’t do X? Are you saying that you don’t want to do Y? I thought we were friends!” And no matter how you strain yourself explaining, “We ARE friends! That’s why I’m telling you this!” the hurt feelings don’t seem to go away. Sometimes, “You can’t talk to me that way,” sounds like aggression when it’s really protection: of the relationship, and of yourself. If this is a risk we’re willing to run in our various relationships, from our deepest friendships to our freshest acquaintances, then how about at church? What kind of boundary-setting and boundary-respecting is appropriate within the family of God? What about between those within the church and outside of the church? First, let’s talk about the goal. What are we trying to protect with social and biblical boundary setting? For this I’d like to share a little Greek. The word “Koinōnia” is the Greek word that encapsulates the blessing that comes with gathering with people of common faith. In 1 Corinthians 1:9, Paul uses this word to describe what we have with Jesus our Lord – translated “Fellowship.”* In 1 Corinthians 1:16-17, Paul says that when a church family eats the bread and drinks the wine in communion, we are conducting a Koinōnia in the body and blood of Christ – translated “participation.” In Philippians 2:1-2, Paul says that Christians who join together in the love of Christ have a “common sharing” (Koinōnia) of the Spirit. In Philippians 1:3-5, Paul thanks God for the “partnership” (Koinōnia) fellow believers share in gospel ministry. After examining these passages, participants were asked to share what other words came to mind when they consider the concept of Koinōnia. Responses included: “Joyful shared participation,” “common sharing,” “family,” “united participation,” “being in common faith,” “a congregation,” “intimate,” “the Body of Christ.” Three words stood out above the rest: “Community,” “Unity,” “Togetherness.” To summarize, Koinōnia is the word used in the Greek of the New Testament to describe that beautiful joint-partaking in the truth of the gospel enjoyed by brothers and sisters united by faith. Koinōnia is observed in the mutual joy the flows in response to the truth content of the gospel. Koinōnia is expressed in partnership in gospel ministry efforts. Koinōnia is expressed at the communion railing when brothers and sisters of the same faith kneel to receive the sacrament together. I then asked the participants to tell me when they feel Koinōnia at its best. Each person had a different moment to call out. One participant said that they feel it most strongly when we jointly confess our faith in worship using the Apostles’ or Nicene Creeds. Another said it was when we confess our sins in the service and hear the announcement of our forgiveness in Jesus’ name. Another said receiving the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper together when it feels more pertinent. Another referred to those efforts we undertake together to serve our community, as in our upcoming Easter for Kids event. Do you notice what all these examples have in common? They are a group participation in the gospel, fueled by gospel joy, and informed by gospel truth. And they are all joyous, blessed events. The blessings of Koinōnia are so great that it is worth Paul commanding us to do everything we can to be united in teaching and belief (1 Corinthians 1:10, Philippians 2:1-5). The blessings of Koinōnia can only come in their fullest form when a church family is first and foremost rooted in the truth of the Bible (Ephesians 4:11-16). While some church bodies might de-emphasize teaching and doctrine and increase emphasis on community outreach programs and services, the Bible’s perspective is that the two are inseparable. There is no partnership in gospel work without first partnership in the gospel teaching. Or, if you’ll allow me to stick to my Greek vocabulary here, there is no Koinōnia expressed in action without the Koinōnia that comes from observing and believing the same doctrine. The same goes for receiving the sacrament of Communion together, as this is an expression of the Koinōnia we have in the gospel. When you read the New Testament, it can be easy to become lost in the warnings against those who teach or believe false doctrines (see Romans 16:17, Titus 1:5-11, 1 Timothy 1:3-5, and 2 Timothy 4:1-5). If those passages were taken in isolation, one could start to think that we’re supposed to hate people who believe differently than we do. One could even suppose that we’re called upon to judge hearts! – that if we deny someone the chance to commune with us, we’re denying them their dignity, or if we deny the chance to participate in joint study or prayer with people of other denominations or faiths, that we’re being mean, stand-offish, stuck-up, and judgmental. Does that sound at all similar to when someone offers you a beer two or three times, but you politely decline each time? Does it perhaps sound similar to how someone responds when you tell them you don’t want to talk about politics? Or when you deny your date a kiss because you’d rather get to know them better before showing physical affection? As we’ve discussed, some respect such boundaries. Others take them personally. If they do, that doesn’t mean you weren’t loving in your boundary-setting. It's the same with Koinōnia. What we have in the gospel is so good (Psalm 133). When there is no unity of doctrine, Koinōnia cannot thrive (Romans 16:17). We must maintain that while we cannot judge hearts (1 Samuel 16:7), while faith is an inner, invisible phenomenon (John 3:8), and therefore we are not to condemn those who profess faith in Christ but may still cling to false doctrines. However, faith always expresses itself in some way, through words or action (Romans 10:10, Matthew 12:34-35). Anyone who believes in Jesus as their Savior is going to heaven (Romans 10:12-13). God knows those that are his (2 Timothy 2:19). But we are called upon to react to the confessions of faith we hear from others (2 Thessalonians 3:6), and to avoid giving even the appearance of unity in doctrine where there isn’t any (Romans 16:17). If we can help correct false doctrine and belief, of course we want to do that (2 Timothy 4:2, James 5:20). We want to participate in the gospel and in reacting to its content with acts of service and love, as much as possible, and with as many as possible! But the first step to Koinōnia in practice is always Koinōnia in doctrine. This is by no means an exhaustive treatment of the topic of fellowship, nor of the concrete practices that result from these thoughts. It is our church’s mission to establish Koinōnia by digging into the Law and Gospel message of the Bible together as a family, and seek to put it into practice. But doing so is not always clear-cut! We would love it if Trinity could be your safe place to explore what God says about you and how God would guide you to live in response to that beautiful news. In other words, we would love to have Koinōnia with you! For more about this, join us any Sunday for Bible class at 9am or worship at 10:15am! Pastor Mike Cherney *The translations referenced above are taken from the NIV(2011).