Grace to Gather

I saw this quote today on one of my favorite blogs.

“It is by the grace of God that a congregation is permitted to gather visibly in this world to share God’s Word and sacrament. Not all Christians receive this blessing....Therefore, let him who until now has had the privilege of living a common Christian life with other Christians praise God’s grace from the bottom of his heart. Let him thank God on his knees and declare: It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren.”  ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer  

What a privilege and grace it is to be able to gather together in community with our brothers and sisters. I have loved attending church for many years now, but something changed when we moved here, and now it is like food that I need.  There were weeks I felt that way before moving here, and I dearly love our home church!  But the spiritual wartime lifestyle our entire team lives here makes coming together for worship like receiving emergency rations.  Like coming into the "mess tent" as a weary soldier and filling the belly of the soul.

I really do praise and thank God for His grace in holding back the forces of darkness that hate our meeting and fellowship, and grace alone it is!  I can't muster up feelings of thanksgiving to our country or our government or our forefathers for it, but to God alone for His grace in allowing us to live and gather visibly together as a Christian community.