We Band Of Brothers

~This story shall the good man teach his son; And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by, from this day to the ending of the world, but we in it shall be remembered - we few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he to-day that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother, be he ne'er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition; and gentlemen in England now a-bed shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here, and hold their manhoods cheap while any speaks that fought with us upon Saint Crispins Day~
~King Henry V prior to the battle of Agincourt on October 25, 1415~

Our usual Sunday morning group will be moved up by a day this week with the arrival of the first day of 2017.  Absent will be Dennis, our dear friend and discussion leader.  Far from letting this opportunity to gather together once again drift away, we will once again meet for breakfast and discussion.  For anyone that knows or has known my friend Dennis, you will know that he shares a desire on his heart for his brothers to know the truth to be found in Christ Jesus.  What started out as a two man Sunday morning gathering has now doubled, and I will attest that any one of us would feel cheated should we miss out on our weekly discussion.  As I reflected this week on this small band of brothers eager to know and grow in Christ I was reminded of just how the calling of fellowship had been heeded by many who have gone before us.  The disciples of Jesus shared life with the Messiah during His ministry as He walked among us.  This was no once a week gathering, but a day by day experience of living and sharing their lives with Jesus.  One might ask, what would it be like to live each and every day in the very presence of Christ?  Imagine experiencing each and every waking moment with Jesus just as His disciples did.  Of course, few people would even know that this companionship with Christ Jesus is also possible for us today.  We have no need for a time machine or mind altering experience in order to share our lives with Christ, for Jesus Himself has provided for us that very opportunity.

20“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galations 2:20 NKJV

As the apostle Paul tells us in our well quoted passage in Galations, the life we now live, we live AS Jesus.  For not only has Jesus assured that our sins have been wiped clean, but that He is ever present in our day to day lives.  As we see, hear and experience we do so as Christ Jesus who is within us.  This is the restoration of the relationship which man had with our heavenly Father from he begining.  However, it was the lie of satan in the garden which damaged that original relationship.  Instead of casting us aside and starting over, God in His love and mercy provided for the restoration of that relationship through the sacrafice of His son.  Of course, this truth of Christ is at times a hard concept to grasp.  However, as we grow in that knowledge that we indeed share our lives with Him, we are blessed with a wonderful sense of freedom...freedom in Jesus.  We've grown accustomed to calling our weekly gathering "McChurch," as our Sunday group has in more ways than one replaced the rules and regulations of the organized church we all once were devoted.  Each one of our band of brothers has traveled a different path to come to learn about the truth of Christ Jesus in our lives.  Those paths come together every Sunday as we gather together once again, we band of brothers.

~Scott~