"Hi Eric"

"Hi Eric!" someone said to me, at my grandmother's Celebration of Life a couple of weeks ago. 

Eric is my dad's name and the person who greeted me knew my dad 25-30 years ago, about the time when my dad was the age I am now. 

Though we share some similar features, I haven't ever thought that my dad and I have a striking resemblance. However, I have noticed that sometimes as people age, they do begin to resemble one of their parents more and more. 

Becoming more like our Heavenly Father is one of the things we can expect in a healthy, growing, Christian life. In fact, Paul instructs the church in Ephesus to "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us." Ephesians 5.1-2

What a fascinating thing to be part of the family of God! The more we mature, the more we bear His likeness. The more we love each other in the way of Jesus, the more church becomes a true family of faith. 

There is an important theme in Ephesians and through much of the New Testament letters about God's work of making diverse groups of people one in Christ Jesus. Tribes, tongues, nations, Gentiles, Jews, slaves, free, young, old, men, women, made into one family of faith in Jesus. 

I have been reflecting on our annual Church Camp that was held last week. There were so many highlights, and plenty more memories made to last the next year. 

My favourite memory? 
The one thing I've been cherishing most?
The one thing I'm most fascinated by? 

How God is making a very eclectic group of people that happens to be known as "Comox Pentecostal Church" into one - into a real family of faith. 

Several times throughout our Church Camp I would sit back, observe and marvel, as I would witness you (I wish, like in French, there was a word in English that pluralized 'you' so that it is distinct from the singular 'you'). I witnessed you, a people with a wide variety of backgrounds, interests, and ages, gathering in groups together, playing games together, learning new activities together, swimming together, competing together, drinking slurpees and feasting on brisket together, laughing together, and worshipping and praying together. 

Do you know how strange and uncommon this is? Most humans gravitate toward people who are most similar to themselves. 

Because we have gravitated toward Jesus, we are learning how to embrace, delight in, and connect with people of our faith family who are quite different from ourselves! 

This is so special and so healthy! 

As a dad, I loved watching one of the retired 'fellas' in our church teach two of my teen boys how to pitch a wiffle ball. When things like this happen, my sons realize they are not just an individual, or part of a youth group, but that they are part of a multi-generational and diverse church family that belongs to each other. 

As a pastor, I loved watching a teen who is new to faith being taught disc golf by a businessperson in our church and then join a mixed group to play a round together. I loved hearing from a mom who was so touched to witness a couple teen boys stop their tetherball game to help her very young and curious daughter learn how to play. I loved watching people pair up to pray together in the ministry times that followed the messages, many times with someone they didn't know well. 

Wow. 

You (plural), are becoming like your Father! 

Pastor Mike