Good morning Pastor John,
I woke up thinking about the line in Brother Gary’s song about shaking the pastor’s hand. It struck me yesterday when I heard it, and it brought back a memory of the Catholic church I grew up in.
In every service, there was a scheduled time to turn to the person in front of you, beside you, or behind you, take their hand, and recite, “Peace be with you,” and they would say the same or reply: “And also with you.” Most of the time, the people attending never spoke to each other. We silently filed into a pew, moved when the schedule dictated, and left as quietly as we came in. You might see a few talk in the parking lot afterward, but the majority did not speak to each other. When I heard that verse, I thought about the attempt to schedule fellowship — even using the results of fellowship as part of the ceremony.
With real fellowship, peace really does go with you. Peace and joy go with you. Being with the right spirits produces that fruit. If you’ve ever felt off or heavy and then been near those who are led in the Spirit — those full, happy, and in their spot — it is like medicine. You can’t help but leave full, happy, and at peace. It puts you in your spot.
We weren’t even allowed to speak to the priest at our church without an appointment. He came in as part of a ceremony with two boys walking with him and left the same way. The ones who acted too human were considered less holy than the ones who didn’t interact.
Look what Jesus has done for me! That was all I knew about God — an untouchable, ceremonial God with no real peace or joy or life. No real life. But in my heart, I always wanted God to be like a Father. I wanted to be the apple of His eye and for Him to be able to fix anything. It brings tears to my eyes to think that God planted that desire in my heart, because that is the real God. He is everything my heart wanted Him to be and more.
It is pretty wonderful to even know that real fellowship produces a fruit. I’m going to eat on that today.
Love,
Beth