Community, Formation, Purpose
This past weekend was a wonderful time of community at Christ Harbor. On Saturday morning, 22 men gathered for breakfast and fishing at Camp Tuscoba here in Northport. We shared eggs, bacon, and biscuits, and feasted on the Word from 1 Corinthians 15—Paul’s simplest summary of the gospel. Then, on Sunday evening, 50 women gathered for our “Favorite Things” event, sharing laughter, recipes, and some of the special things that bring joy to everyday life. These expressions of community provide connection and lead us into relationships that offer support and build accountability.
This kind of community —marked by connection, support, and accountability— is the context in which we can be formed into the image of Christ. Community for its own sake is nice, but God’s purpose in creating us for community with Himself and with His body, the church, is that we might be re-formed. That formation takes place biblically, theologically, spiritually, and practically. Such formation is part of our salvation: the ongoing process of remaking us that begins with our justification before God by the merit of Christ and continues until our full and complete restoration in the resurrection. In the “in-between” time in which we now live, our formation also serves a purpose.
Even now, as we await the resurrection of all things and the full unveiling of the New Creation at Christ’s second coming, God has a purpose for our lives that can only be found through our salvation in Christ. By the guidance of the Holy Spirit, within God’s holy Church, we are able to discern that purpose, be equipped to fulfill that purpose, and, once equipped, be empowered to live it out. This is what the church is for. This is how we, together, live God’s eternal purpose in our everyday lives—through community that leads to formation, which enables us to live out our unique, God-given purpose. This is the journey we share.