Prayer & Preparation for February 18th, 2024

Here are some details about this week’s service.

“We mistakenly think that hiding keeps us safe by shielding us from danger. But what hiding actually shields us from is love…. A Christian who is fundamentally alone is not living as a Christian. Being made for people means that you’re made to be friends with sinners. That goes for you too—people have to be friends with the sinner version of you because that’s the real version of you” (Earley).

“Perhaps the main reason people don’t experience deep, encouraging friendship more commonly is that they leave or move the year before it happens. Relationships take time, Christ-centered friendship is slow work, and stability is one of the most important things you can cultivate” (Linneman).

“A deep, connected life with others requires a new set of priorities and patterns. But it is worth it” (Linneman).

“The promise of social media is to be fully seen and fully liked. But the promise of covenant friendship is to be fully known and fully loved. The two are very different” (Earley).

“WHY IT’S SO HARD TO HAVE FRIENDS… First, we are isolated from the relationships we most need; we have fewer social interactions and less relational connection than previous generations of believers. Second, we are lonelier than we realize; likely don’t appreciate how much of our spiritual and emotional well-being has been disrupted by loneliness. Third, we feel busy, overwhelmed, and disconnected; we desperately need relationships but may feel too busy to take the time to form real relationships with others in the church. Fourth, it’s harder than it should be to form meaningful friendships…. If you are finding it hard to make friends, you are not crazy. Friendship is challenging in a society like this—even in the church. But the answer is not to lower your expectations and prepare for loneliness. The answer is to confront the challenge directly, reject the isolation and division of our times, and embrace real, meaningful, face-to-face relationships with imperfect people” (Linneman).

“All the date shows that lifelong friendships are the greatest predictor of health” (Early citing the Wall Street Journal article, “The Lifelong Power of Close Relationships”).
“Research demonstrates that loneliness causes ‘an insidious type of stress’ that leads to chronic inflammation and an increased risk of heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes. In fact, loneliness has the same effect on mortality as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. Loneliness may be the epidemic of contemporary Western culture. Most of our other epidemics—from heart disease to pornography use—can be traced back to a lonely heart” (Linneman citing Harvard Business Review and PLOS Med 7).

“’Family first’ should not mean ‘family only,’ as if all other relationships are optional. Further, it is important to remember that we may not be the best judges of what is good for our families until we make those decisions in community” (Earley).

“We cannot love others only in theory, saying we love others while hardly knowing them or spending time with them. We must prioritize the long obedience of relationship building…. Jesus hardly did anything alone…. My experience has been that those who take initiative are the ones who have the most and the deepest relationships in the church” (Linneman).

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, welcoming (embracing) one another as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God (Romans 15:5-7).

Jeff Tague