“Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42

One of the great blessings that I receive from attending our annual church convention is the opportunity to enjoy Christian fellowship with many brothers and sisters in Christ. Although many of the visits are brief, there is always that moment of joy when we see someone that we have not seen for a while. In many instances, we even continue conversations that seem unhindered by time or distance. God has blessed us with a special bond that is only made stronger every time we gather together. It is the Word of God that brings about this bond that we call fellowship.

In the Gospel of Luke, we hear that Mary understands the importance of God’s Word. Martha was so concerned about making preparations to receive the honored guest, that she neglected her honored guest, “…that good part…” Mary discovered the one thing that is needful; sitting at Jesus’ feet and hearing His Word.

It is that encounter with Christ in the Word, that brings us to a proper understanding of who we are and of who God is. It is that encounter that leads us to repentance and kindles faith in our hearts. When we sit at the feet of Jesus and hear His Word every Sunday, we hear those gracious words of forgiveness and life. Those feet, along with His hands were pierced for us. His head was wounded for us. Jesus Christ suffered, was crucified, died and rose for us, so that by His blood, we would be brought into true fellowship with Him and with one another. The finished work of Christ is the very center of the Holy Scriptures, and it is that message that makes our fellowship so sweet. There is only One who has the words of eternal Life. “Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.” John 6:58

As the hymn writer has said so well,
“’Til we meet, ‘til we meet,
‘Til we meet at Jesus’ feet,
‘Til we meet, ‘til we meet,
God be with you, ‘til we meet again.”

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Chuck Bylkas