Ways to express our faith

believing, recognising, and spreading the word; compassion, help, and fellowship: these are the focal points of the sunday services in august. here is what you can look forward to. it was a double taboo: he, a jew and a member of god’s people, spoke to a samaritan. how unclean. he, a man and a rabbi, spoke to a strange woman, a polygamist. how unseemly. and what were the results: ‌it was a breakthrough for the gospel. the first sunday service in august explains what this incident with jesus at jacob’s well means for us here and now: it is about believing and recognising, about confessing and convincing. those who are filled with the message are compelled to pass it on. seeing and helping. on the second sunday in august, the model of faith is also a woman, the only one who is explicitly called a “disciple” in the new testament. in greek her name is dorcas. in aramaic, the everyday language of the people at the time, it was tabitha (meaning “gazelle”). “this woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did,” it says in acts. being compassionate is the focus on this sunday. because those who live and practise the gospel do not just talk about it, but also act on it. they do not ignore the realities of life but see the distress of others and seek ways to help them. sharing things with others. the path that leads to fellowship with god, the god of the triune fellowship, is not a solo trip. jesus christ does not want to take to himself a group of individuals or lone warriors, but a congregation, the bridal congregation. the third sunday service in august will focus on the nature of this fellowship. the sermon will be based on an apostolic classic as far as bible texts go: “and they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (acts 2: 42 ). compassion and comfort. the fourth sunday will revolve around fellowship and compassion. its message in a nutshell: those who suffer will be comforted. or more theologically: just as we share in christ’s suffering, we also share in god’s comfort. suffering with christ can mean being vilified or persecuted because of the gospel. some suffer because of the fact that the christian faith is no longer taken seriously and the standards of the gospel—such as solidarity with the vulnerable—are rejected. but that is no reason to give up or despair. because god is in control and gives strength and comfort. but how? this will also be the subject of the divine service. photo: redpixel – stock.adobe.com.